What can be better than a plain old cafe that serves up great coffee? Well, the answer to that is easy... a Cafe that serves up coffee WITH ICE-CREAM!

Bitterkoud is at it's heart an ice-cream shop... but it does a great coffee as well, making this little place one of my favourite places to kill time and scoff ice cream with coffee!

The Space

Set in the corner of a relatively upscale neighbourhood... it is relatively easy to find parking during the daytime. However, one downside of this location is that the on-street parking is pretty steep. Dodging paying the parking fee is also a touch risky, as the fine for not paying is around 60 euros... so, it can make for a really expensive cup of coffee if you have forgotten to turn the parking on!

The indoors area is cosy and quite nice to bring a laptop to work in. There aren't that many tables for seating (remember this is more like an ice-cream parlour rather than a full on cafe or restaurant). Still, if you aren't here during the lunch hour when the nearby Shell employees visit... or during the end of school rush, when all the kids and parents drop by for a nice treat... then the area is more than adequate.

However, the slight downside is that I've found that the phone reception on my phone (and thus hotspotting) is a touch flaky in this area. Partly that is due to my older phone (need an excuse to upgrade!), but I think these older areas in Den Haag have many network black spots as well. There is a cafe provided WiFi network... if you are brave or foolhardy!

During the summer, it is actually quite nice to be sitting in the outdoors area. Well, better if you have kids... in which case, they can make a mess on the floor outside rather than all over themselves on the inside!

... on the other hand, this is The Netherlands, so sunny and warm days are few and far between... although, this summer, it was unseasonally warm and dry!

The Menu

Well... there is a board at the back of the counter... but this is an ice-cream parlour! Point and stack your cone!

There is also a light lunch and snack menu, but there isn't anything really large on offer. Mostly Tosti's or sandwiches... and various coffees and teas.

The Food

See... if you order an ice-cream to go with your coffee during the summer months, then you will get an extra little ice cream on a mini cone! It's perfect! I guess you could use it to make an affrogato... or just enjoy the bonus!

Sadly, during the colder months, you get a cookie or cake instead... I would always still prefer the icecream!

The cappucino is pretty good... nicely creamy and frothy, and not scalding hot. So, it is something that it ready to drink right away!

This is an example of one of the Tostis that are on offer... just a simple Ham and Cheese one, nothing too fancy... if you wish, you can get a Foccacia one .... but I prefer to spend the difference in price on ice cream!

The Experience

When you visit during the non-rush hours this place is the ideal place to sit down and relax... with a book, with a laptop... whatever gives you the best down time!

The coffee is great, and the easy access to ice-cream is incredible! The staff are friendly, but they leave you alone in general... which is exactly what I want from wait staff!

There are a few downsides... there are few power outlets... so, if you are holing up for a couple of hours... then STEEM is okay, but hardcore gaming on laptops is not!.... Also, as I mentioned before, the mobile internet access can be a bit flaky.... but it isn't the only place in Den Haag that has that problem. It is offset a bit by the fact that there is a public Wifi spot offerred by the cafe... but it is something that I personally always avoid using.

Opening Times

Monday 8:15am–5:30pm
Tuesday 8:15am–5:30pm
Wednesday 8:15am–5:30pm
Thursday 8:15am–5:30pm
Friday 8:15am–5:30pm
Saturday 12–5:30pm
Sunday 12–5:30pm

Contact Details

Address: Oostduinlaan 119, 2596 JK Den Haag
Phone: +31 (0)70 406 3119
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://bitterkoud.nl/

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