5 coffee bars for a caffeine fix in Antwerp

This relaxed, friendly coffee bar is popular with urban nomads tapping on laptops. Owner Rob Berghmans roasts the finest Kenyan and Ethiopian beans he can find. Other Caffènation coffee bars are located at PAKT and Eat Dust store, while Berghmans’ latest venture is BLUE bar located in an office building with abstract concrete pillars designed by architect Philip Aguirre y Otegui.

Here is a friendly espresso bar where art school students rub shoulders with the old lady in a coat who has dropped in with her dog. The interior is a mix of brick walls, ancient armchairs and art magazines.

This cool spot for coffee that opened in 2017 is close to the MAS museum. Its two tiny rooms have a few tables and chairs where you can sit with a magazine, or you can perch outside on a wooden bench. The coffee is lovingly made on a shiny Marzocco machine using Mok beans.

Inspired by Australia’s coffee culture, Kobe van Gaveren runs a relaxed coffee bar with a bare industrial interior in southern Antwerp. He opened a spacious second branch called Kolonel & Reede in the harbour quarter in 2019 where he serves coffee from his own small roastery during the day and craft beers in the evening.

Dave Haesen came back from Australia to create this friendly meeting place where you can sample some exceptional coffees. The interior is cool and relaxed with some details that remind of the building’s past as a butcher’s shop. You can also sit on a couple of benches out on the square.