Aloha Bar, restaurant in pool

Aloha

Top choice in Rotterdam


Sustainable, innovative and funky as anything, this bar-cafe in the former Tropicana baths has a large terrace boasting views across the Nieuwe Maas river. Operated by Blue City collective, a group of environmental entrepreneurs, it's a fabulous spot for summer lunches (sandwiches €6 to €9; snacks €5 to €13) or a drink accompanied by the house speciality, mushroom bitterballen (deep-fried croquette balls).

Very few cafes have sustainability credentials as strong: Aloha has its own bee colony for honey, grows its own veggies (including the mushrooms, which are grown in the basement on used coffee grounds instead of soil), composts waste whenever possible, filters its own water, makes leather out of overripe fruit (huh?) and melts down plastic to make signage. Needless to say, there are plenty of vegetarian and vegan choices on the menu.

In summer, you'll need to BYO sunscreen, as there isn't much shade. Give it a miss in the cooler months.


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