FAMOUS
The 500 Hidden Secrets of The Hague reveals off-the-beaten track
places and interesting details for anyone who’s keen to explore
The Hague’s best-kept secrets.
– BLOG –
DISCOVER, EAT, THE HAGUE
Pompke is situated in a tiny ‘coffee house’, a kiosk where labourers used to go for a cheap cup of coffee.
These kind of kiosks, also known as koffiehuizen, are typical of The Hague. Pompke is still a coffee house, but after its facelift, it’s also a charming neighborhood hangout where you can get good coffee and homemade cakes.
POMPKE – COSY ROADSIDE CAFE
by Helen Hartmann
Pompke is another hip little café serving coffee and cake. But hang on! It’s a bit more than that. For starters, it’s not located on the high street in town or in the upcoming neighbourhoods — it’s a little out of the way, which is ideal if you’re biking to the dunes of Meijendel or out walking in the Nieuwe Scheveningse Bosjes. The café itself sits between a busy cycle path and a road, but despite this, there’s a cosiness to it that has been lovingly crafted by the owners.
Also, the staff running this place are sweet-natured, have a sense of humour and know what’s important; hot coffee, so by that I mean coffee that’s the right temperature and served immediately. Hot coffees and really, really delicious cakes. There is also an All-Day Lazy Breakfast section in the menu (I’m a fan) and sandwiches go way beyond broodje gezond (ham, cheese, lettuce and tomato).
It’s cute, it’s cosy and someone has a good eye for detail — from the seating on the terrace (which includes wheelchair friendly tables, hand-crocheted blankets and heated cushions for colder days) to the nicely handwritten menus and signs and the best koffiehuis toilet ever!
Ondanks dat er nog best een hoop koffietenten zijn, dreigen ze uit het straatbeeld te verdwijnen.
Documentaire fotografe Milene van Arendonk vindt dit eeuwig zonde en legt de koffietenten vast voordat ze uit het Haagse straatbeeld dreigen te raken.