33rd Street Coffee: Specialty Coffee in Schiebroek, Rotterdam

A neighbourhood coffee bar that takes its filter programme seriously

Schiebroek is not the first place Rotterdam visitors go looking for specialty coffee, which is part of what makes 33rd Street Coffee worth the trip. The Kleiwegkwartier is a quieter, residential corner of the city, and the bar fits it: clean lines, plenty of natural light, plants doing most of the decorative work. It does not try to be a scene. It tries to make good coffee and give people somewhere to sit with it.

The sourcing is handled by two roasters. Giraffe Coffee Roasters, based in the Netherlands, supplies the backbone of the programme. Mundo Novo Coffee Shop adds another perspective. Between them, the menu covers Nicaragua, Uganda, and Ethiopia, and the filter options are where those origins get the most room to speak. The AeroPress and V60 hand brew are both on offer, and the bar leans toward them. If you are deciding between espresso and filter, filter is the answer here.

The espresso tonic is worth ordering once: bold espresso over sparkling tonic and ice, the bitterness and carbonation doing their usual useful argument. It is a good version of a now-familiar format.

Food runs to cakes and pastries, with vegan options available. Nothing elaborate, but the quality is consistent with the coffee programme rather than an afterthought. The matcha is also on the menu for anyone who arrives needing something other than caffeine.

The coworking element is real rather than incidental. A dedicated space accommodates up to eight people, includes two drinks in the daily rate, and has air conditioning. For a freelancer in Rotterdam looking for somewhere that is not a chain and not a loud city-centre cafe, this is a practical and genuinely pleasant answer.

Founded by Simon Colijn and Merel Backers in March 2020, the bar opened almost exactly as the first lockdown began. That it has reached a 4.8 rating across 150 Google reviews suggests the neighbourhood found it worth returning to once the doors could stay open.

The atmosphere on a weekday morning is focused without being tense. People work, people drink filter coffee, the music stays at a level that does not interrupt either. It is a room that has decided what it is and committed to it.