Close to the lively Ledig Erf in Utrecht is a new coffee bar/bookshop; De Utrechtse Boekenbar. It’s a shop where you can buy interesting books and drink a cup of coffee while reading your new book purchase.
Founder Tim van den Hoed started a crowdfunding campaign to make his dream Book-Bar become a reality. Because he’s born and raised in Utrecht, he felt like this was the city where he wanted to open the Boekenbar. Utrecht is also a cultural city with many music, art and book projects. Van den Hoed wanted to create a space with ambiance where both the coffee and the book assortment were good. De Utrechtse Boekenbar is quite unique because of the combination of interesting and special books and the possibility to have a drink at the same place. You can come here for novels, travel books, cookbooks and table photo books. All are displayed with the front faced forward.
More than just a bookstore
The Utrechtse Boekenbar is a place for everyone. You can meet up with friends but the bar is also suitable for studying. The shop is sleek, with a comfortable sitting area and a wide range of books and a simple café. Books are both available in English and Dutch and the assortment is not very standard as you may expect. Your attention is immediately drawn to all the fascinating book covers that are placed around the store.
And yes, they serve good coffee at the Utrechtse Boekenbar!
You can also buy a variety of stationary items and at the bar you can enjoy a coffee, ice tea and (homemade!) cookies and pies. Tim is at the shop six days a week and pretty much runs the shop on his own. But he’ll always goes out of his way to have a small conversation about the store, and give you the best book recommendations! So if you’re searching for a new book and combine this with a nice cup of coffee, go to De Utrechtse Boekenbar!
The Utrechtse Boekenbar
Westerkade 2, Utrecht
Website
Love,
Merel
*Merel is one of our guest editors from Utrecht and describes herself as a daydreaming student who has wanderlust ever since she traveled sround Jamaica for 3 months. She can’t wait to travel the whole wide world after she finishes her bachelor. Follow her on Instagram!