8 x the nicest cocktail bars in Rotterdam
Amsterdam is of course still my little city, but sometimes you need to broaden your horizon. Discover a new city. New impressions. New people. By that, I don't mean soaking up culture, but drinking cocktails in another city. This time: Rotterdam. I think it's a wonderfully beautiful place and I actually come here far too little. The shops, the restaurants, clubs, and the architecture: Rotterdam is truly a world city. The Erasmus Bridge and skyline enhance this international (New York-like) feeling. Quite different from the village of Amsterdam. I don't like to admit it, but the cocktail bars here are on another level. Here are the best spots.
1. Williams Canteen
At Williams Canteen, you can go for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and cocktails. In principle, you can start here in the morning. The place has a tasteful 1930s-style interior and is located around the corner from Witte de Withstraat (the nightlife street of Rotterdam).
https://www.instagram.com/p/CQksCUWF_Zo/?utm_medium=copy_link
2. Botanero
This cozy Latin American bar not only provides you with Frozen Margaritas but also with delicious ‘botanas' (snacks). With every cocktail, you get a standard botana to limit your hangover for the next day. Super smart concept, right?
https://www.instagram.com/p/CVVjjvwDcAM/?utm_medium=copy_link
3. Mavis
In the mood for culinary bites, tasty cocktails, and good music? Then Mavis is the place to be. In the upper section, you can enjoy cocktails and shared dining. Prefer a cocktail in hand and feet off the floor? In that case, the DJ booth can be found downstairs.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CGHii3MAb2O/?utm_medium=copy_link
4. Ballroom
For all gin lovers: you must go to Ballroom. Here they have more than a hundred (yes, really a hundred) different types of gin. If that doesn't sound like a great evening.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CP-NIeGh1Jg/?utm_medium=copy_link
5. Madam Chen
Asian dishes, cocktails, and karaoke: what more could a person want?
https://www.instagram.com/p/CUKqCLpMJbD/?utm_medium=copy_link
6. The Rumah
Rumah means ‘house’ in Indonesian, and that completely matches the cozy homely atmosphere in this bar. It resembles a combination of an old-fashioned pub and a modern cocktail bar. You could call it a cocktail pub.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CVQCQlrMjKp/?utm_medium=copy_link
7. Aloha
One of the first low-waste cocktail bars in the Netherlands. Aloha works with drinks that come solely from our own little country. Besides your cocktail, you can taste the most delicious local and seasonal dishes. You also get the feeling that you are contributing by getting drunk here.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBJMX3TjPES/?utm_medium=copy_link
8. NY Basement
Speaking of the New York feeling in Rotterdam: in the basement of Hotel New York, you will find this cocktail bar called NY Basement. They regularly change their cocktail menu and are known for their NY Basement originals.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6SrMMihQt-/?utm_medium=copy_link
