All Are Welcome: ’t Koffieboontje Opens A Second Cafe In Utrecht

“Jaaaaa,” says Aziz Boutaga, when asked if he likes how picture postcard–Dutch the setting of his new espresso bar is. His low-octave, drawn-out reply implies a response more along the lines of: Who wouldn’t want a spacious, canal-side corner shop facing a century-old windmill!?But Boutaga, much like his partners Mustapha Kanaa and Brahim Taoufik, is very cordial and so focuses on the utility of landmarks.

“It’s also easy for people. [If you’re] not a big name, you have to be in the neighborhood of something,” Boutaga says. He explains to out-of-towners that their flagship Utrecht cafe is across from the Pathé Rembrandt movie theater, and this location is a seven-minute walk away, across from the Rijn en Zon windmill.