One of my favourite pastimes is to roam through the streets of Antwerp with a perfectly brewed cup of coffee in hand. This is one of the best ways to support your local coffee bar and the farmer who gets an honest price for their coffee beans. Because the mentioned (third wave) coffee bars put each of them a lot of effort in serving specialty coffee which is traceable from bean to cup.
Search the best specialty coffee shops of Antwerp by neighbourhood:
Historical Centre
At Caffe Mundi they use fresh roasted coffee (weekly) from their own roastery next door named Cross Roast. Their main focus is quality and freshness. Besides that they consciously choose to work with small plantations who use the method of selectively picking during harvest, where they only pick the ripe berries. After the harvest the berries undergo a strict selection process and only 20% of the harvest can be sold as specialty coffee. Because of this high quality standard Caffe Mundi is able to serve unique specialty coffee.
Make sure you also take a look at their shop 2 doors down the road, where you can find all kinds of coffee beans, a great variety of tea and an extensive range of brewing equipment for at home. A true heaven for coffee and tea lovers!
☞ Oude Beurs 24
Here you get a good cup of coffee made with freshly roasted beans from Cordon Coffee. This micro roastery was founded in Antwerp in 2012 and distributes only in Antwerp and the surrounding neighbourhoods as everything is personally delivered by bike. Together with your coffee you will get a piece of very tasty home made bread pudding in a small paper bag. Hungry? Check their chalkboard with some breakfast/lunch dishes and sweets to take away too.
☞ Vleminckveld 4
This is one of the newest additions to the Antwerp coffee scene as they opened their doors in October 2020. Go there for the well known coffee from Caffènation and showcases of local art and design through changing exhibitions.
Owners Ellen and Glenn give great importance to direct trade and giving a chance to smaller coffee estates who respect the flora and fauna on their plantations. Imported green beans are roasted in their own roastery just outside of Antwerp.
Cuperus has got two locations, the one on Sint Katelijnevest is their main location with shop, the other one is situated on Paardenmarkt (see below).
At Sint Katelijnevest you will find a wide range of coffee beans, specialty tea and brewing equipment to brew a perfect cup of coffee or tea at home. You can buy whole beans to grind at home, but if you don't have your own grinder, they can grind up to 9 varieties. Ranging from coarsely to finely ground to suite your Clever Dripper, Frenchpress, Mokkapot, Syphon, Chemex, Aeropress, Ibric, V60 or Espresso machine.
For the owners of Normo it is important to put the farmer in the first place, and to build a bridge between farmer and customer. Every batch is subjected to strict quality control by cupping and finding ways to constantly keep improving. By paying attention to every detail in their process (from roasting to training their baristas) they are able to serve the highest possible level of quality coffee.
Universiteitsbuurt
The second location of above mentioned Cuperus, is situated at the street Paardenmarkt (horse market) and is therefore called Cuperus Horsey. This is the area where many universities are located, hence the name Universiteitsbuurt (university neighbourhood). My student days may be far behind me, but I still like to be in these kind of energetic areas.
Inside it's bright and spacious with lots of space to study and read, but there are also cosy corners with sofas to relax and chat. Outside there is a terrace which overlooks the street.
(As terraces have reopened recently, we didn't order take away, but sat down and enjoyed their perfect brew from a mug. Yay!)
☞ Paardenmarkt 28
Het Eilandje
This sustainable coffee/tea bar and plant shop in one serves carefully selected coffee and tea from Brew Impact. The transformed lush garage by owner Arash is situated alongside a little park called Schengenplein where you can enjoy your drink at one of the benches.
☞ Cadixstraat 7 .
Owner Joke chose the high quality beans from MOK Specialty Coffee Roastery in Brussels, where they work with the same farmers for years to be able to build strong partnerships. They are driven by quality, not by price. This coffee bar with good vibes is situated close to the harbour and the MAS museum. Therefore it's the perfect place for a stroll with a cup of coffee, while overlooking the boats and the surrounding buildings where modern architecture meets historic warehouses.
☞ Nassaustraat 7
't Zuid
This plant based coffee bar is located close to the Kloosterstraat, which is known for antique and midcentury design shopping. 'Koco' is the latest addition to the well-known Caffènation 'family' and settled in the same building as Belgian denim brand Eat Dust. Here you can expect to drink light roasted coffee with fruity flavours made from in-season and traceable beans, for which the farmer received a fair price.
☞ Volkstraat 2
As the name and logo (a hook) suggests, this coffee bar is opened in a former butchery and has some nice references in the interior to its former purpose. In 2020 the owners of Butchers started their own micro roastery in Antwerp, named Andy Roasters with their philosophy: 'Digging. Playing. Understanding Coffee'.
Their delicious breakfast and lunch options; like for example pancakes, a sandwich and burgers (also a vegetarian one) are also possible to take away.
☞ Kasteelstraat 57
At this charming breakfast/lunch/coffee bar you can get some great home made seasonal dishes and (mostly vegan) sweets. Their coffee comes from Antwerp roastery Caffènation (see below).
☞ Vlaamsekaai 40
Caffènation is described as an Artisan Specialty Roastery; which means they use light roast, aim for fruity flavours, use in-season beans which are traceable and sell coffee at a transparent price.
Owner Rob stared in 2003 and since then his ambition is to change the world of coffee and the people who make it. The coffee beans are roasted next door to their second venue in Antwerp, in the area of PAKT (see below at 'Groen Kwartier').
Brederode
This excellent vegan lunch/coffee/apero bar is the only location in Antwerp where Bocca Coffee is served.
At Bocca they aim for high quality, (mostly) organic coffee which is bought at a fair price. By sharing knowledge, building long-term relationships and empowering coffee producers; they truly make a difference in the lives of the people who work hard to make sure we can enjoy a good cup of coffee.
And by the way, don't forget to try CAMION's signature lunch dish: 'ciabatta gekapt', a delicious vegan interpretation of a beaf tartare sandwich, a real taste bomb!
☞ Paleisstraat 7
Striving for the best, at Kolonel green beans are weekly (lightly) roasted in small amounts to be able to control the process and to accentuate its flavours. Espresso and filter coffee undergo a different roasting process, so you can be sure you will always get the right roasted bean for your preferred type of coffee. At their coffee bar you can also buy coffee beans and brewing equipment for at home.
In my opinion this is the place where you can get THE best cardamom and cinnamon buns in town! Owner Lisa buys her coffee from 3 Scandinavian roasters: La Cabra coffee and Coffee Collective from Denmark, and Koppi roasters from Sweden.
Besides good coffee you can also get mouth-watering breakfast, buns and smørrebrød for take away too.
☞ Belegstraat 31
Groen Kwartier
The roastery, and second location of Caffènation in Antwerp, is situated in one of the most impressive (and one of my favourite) area's of Antwerp. Go here if you like an unpolished atmosphere and good vibes far away from the touristy centre. Grab a great cup of coffee here, and go for a walk through the car-free area of the 'Groen Kwartier'. You won't be disappointed, I promise.
Harmonie
The 19th century former orangery of Hamonie Park has recently been beautifully restored. Nowadays it's a spacious and bright breakfast/brunch and apero café with bakery. Coffee comes from Antwerp micro roaster Cordon Coffee. On dry days it is pleasant to stay at the outside terrace with a view of the park.
Borgerhout
The name says it all, this is a one stop shop where you can get beautiful plants (in an impressive building) and drinks. We have tried their coffee and home made carrot cake.
Zurenborg
This coffee bar has opened its doors in October 2020. Owners Nanigui and Simon focus on traceable, seasonal and flavourful quality coffee for their own specialty coffee roastery in the suburbs of Antwerp. From their beautiful corner building it is a short stroll to Krugerstraat (if you like street art) or Cogels-Osylei (if you like extravagant art nouveau buildings). And in case you like both, this is your lucky day ;-)
This café/lunchrestaurant is situated on a lovely corner in the beautiful art nouveau area surrounded by cherry trees. Their coffee is a unique blend of robusta and arabica beans which are roasted in Brussels by their Italian supplier. Your cup of coffee might even taste better with their exceptionally good carrot cake!
☞ Walvisstraat 1
Please note: this post is not sponsored
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