The best cup of coffee

Wageningen may be small, but it has no shortage of cafes. So where can you find the best coffee? Resource editor and coffee snob Coretta risked sleepless nights to draw up a top five.

Columbus

The unquestionable winner is of course Columbus in Junusstraat. No surprise to long-established Wageningen residents. This is where you find really good coffee and tea, not just to drink in but also to take home. The shop also sells all kinds of coffeemakers, from relatively simple ones to machines that cost a month’s salary. In summer you can sit out on the street and in winter you can meet new people at the long communal table in the middle. This is the place for the real coffee snob.

Cappuccino: €2.30 euros

• Pro: The best coffee
• Con: You’ll want to buy an expensive coffeemaker

Imagine

If Wageningen was a big city, you’d expect Imagine to be located just outside the main shopping centre. In fact it’s right here in the Bergstraat, and no one goes shopping in Wageningen.

You might make an exception for Imagine, though. It’s the place to go for books, art and gifts, and it’s hard not to leave with something. Plus, you can get a good cup of coffee there. The coffee is fair-trade and eco-friendly, and the cakes are homemade. On beautiful days you can sit in the back garden and stroke a cat.

Cappuccino: €2.60

• Pro: The atmosphere
• Con: None really

De Bakker

Right in the epicentre of the Wageningen hustle and bustle (well, on Saturdays) is The Baker’s. As its name suggest, you can buy bread here, but you can also get a good breakfast (until 11 am!) and coffee with goodies. Which is not easy because the choice of cakes, petit-fours and chocolates makes choosing quite a job. Tip: go there with all your housemates so you can all try different things. It is not usually as busy here as next door in the more hectic Bagels & Beans, so if you want to use free wifi and work on your thesis, this is a good option.

Cappuccino: €2.50

• Pro: The amazing choice of cakes
• Con: The amazing choice of cakes

Brownies & Downies

Need a break from your market rounds on a Saturday? Get off your feet in Brownies & Downies. You can get good coffee here, with the brownie of your choice. Or you can go the whole hog with a high tea or even a ‘high wine’ (should you wish to get drunk in the afternoon – it’s only open till 5 pm). The café employs people with a cognitive disability. The formula works well, and there are branches all around the country, and even in Belgium and South Africa. It’s a bit noisy inside but the terrace is a good place for a bit of Wageningen people-watching.

Cappuccino: €2.70

• Pro: Warm brownies
• Con: Sometimes it gets a little chaotic

De Ommuurde Tuin

You’ve got to make an effort to reach the Walled Garden, as it’s nearer to Renkum than Wageningen. But it’s well worth the short bike ride or slightly longer walk. De Ommuurde Tuin was once King William III’s vegetable garden, and is now an organic horticultural business. You can get something to eat and drink there on Wednesdays and Saturdays from May to November. There are vegetables for sale, you can pick your own fruit, and regular workshops are held.

Drink a coffee or a juice sitting among the fruit trees or rest up after your walk in the hammock. Before you leave again, look around the garden or check out the little valley it’s in, the Renkumse beekdal. The coffee didn’t come top, but the surroundings make up for that.

Cappuccino: €3.45

• Pro: The idyllic spot
• Con: Pricy coffee

The best coffee, the best bite, the best bicycle repairman. You just have to find them. Resource will be reviewing Wageningen in the near future. This is first one.

Photo’s: Coretta Jongeling

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