Aloha
“Vegan and vegetarian options clearly marked on the menu: check. Ingredients of their dishes grown in their own greenhouse: check. Good hang out spot right by the water: check. Strong coffee brewed in their own brewery: check. Eccentric décor with turtles (!): check. Aloha isn’t your typical restaurant in Rotterdam and that’s what makes it so interesting.”
Back in the day, what is now Aloha used to be a tropical swimming pool. After it went bankrupt, creative entrepreneurs decided to turn it into a playground for circular business. For example, the coffee grounds from Aloha’s own coffee brewery is used as a base to grow mushrooms. These mushrooms are one of the ingredients in a typically Dutch snack called ‘bitterballen”. Aloha strives to work towards a future without waste.
What I loved about this place is that they use the original elements of the pool in an entirely new way. The outside part of the swimming pool is now a pond and the home of a turtle family. When the sun is out, Aloha is a great spot to have drinks with friends and enjoy the views.
