Café Witte Aap

What Café Witte Aap does

Café Witte Aap (operating as De Witte Aap) is a single-location bar and café at Witte de Withstraat 78 in the Rotterdam cultural/art district in the Netherlands. The establishment is a physical hospitality venue operating seven days a week, opening at 3:00 PM most days and from 12:00 PM on Fridays and Saturdays, closing between 4:00 AM and 5:00 AM. Its core customer base consists of local residents, the Witte de Withstraat art community, and cultural tourists visiting Rotterdam's designated art corridor. The venue was named "best bar in the world" by Lonely Planet in 2009, a credential that continues to anchor its international brand positioning.

The product offering is built around three integrated pillars. First, an extensive beverage program of 17 draft beers and more than 70 bottled beers with seasonal rotations. Second, a food menu featuring pizzas made on-site on the terrace with fresh ingredients, supplemented by snacks sourced through a partnership with Frietboutique. Third, recurring entertainment programming — including the APEKOI party, shuffleboard, karaoke, and late-night music and dancing — supplemented by a heated outdoor terrace and a dedicated group-booking flow for parties of 10 or more. There is no modular or packaged product; the venue functions as a single integrated hospitality experience.

The business model is direct-to-consumer and transaction-based: revenue is generated entirely from in-venue sales of beverages, food, and event/group hosting. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and there is no online ordering or mobile app; group reservations are handled manually via phone and email. The company is privately held with no public information on ownership, investors, funding, headcount, or financials. Marketing is organic, relying on the Lonely Planet endorsement, the venue's location in Rotterdam's art district, word-of-mouth, and presence on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Name

Café Witte Aap

Legal name

De Witte Aap

Website

https://dewitteaap.nl

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Café Witte Aap is a single-location bar and café in Rotterdam's Witte de Withstraat art district. It serves walk-in customers with 17 draft and 70+ bottled beers, fresh pizzas, snacks, and live entertainment events including karaoke and shuffleboard.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bar and Café Hospitality Services

NAICS

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Cocktail Bars & Speakeasies (THAFAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cocktail Lounges & Speakeasies (MPAGAIAD), Cocktail Bars & Lounges (CRANACAD)

Keywords

• Craft beer bar
• Bar and cafe
• Casual dining venue
• Live entertainment bar
• Private group bookings

Headquarters

HQ city

Rotterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Beverage Sales: Sale of draft and bottled beers, coffee, and other beverages to walk-in customers at the bar. The venue offers 17 draft beers and 60-80 bottled beers with seasonal rotations.
2. Food Sales: Sale of pizzas (made on-site with fresh ingredients) and snacks sourced from Frietboutique partnership.
3. Private Events and Group Celebrations: Revenue from hosting group celebrations, private events, and parties for groups of friends, colleagues, or families.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Café Witte Aap is a single-location bar and café in Rotterdam's Witte de Withstraat art district that sells an extensive selection of 17 draft and 70+ bottled beers, alongside pizzas made fresh on-site and snacks sourced from partner Frietboutique. The venue operates seven days a week from afternoon until late night and supplements its beverage and food offering with regular entertainment events (karaoke, shuffleboard, APEKOI party, music and dancing) and hosted group bookings for parties of 10 or more.

Product overview

De Witte Aap is a single-location bar and café in Rotterdam's Witte De Withstraat art area, offering a unified hospitality experience. The venue operates seven days a week from afternoon until late night (closing between 4:00 AM and 5:00 AM). Its core offering centers on an extensive beer selection (17 draft and 70+ bottled beers with seasonal rotations), complemented by a food menu featuring snacks from the Frietboutique and freshly made pizzas, a heated outdoor terrace, regular entertainment events (APEKOI party, shuffleboard, karaoke), and private group booking services. The establishment has no modular product architecture—it functions as a single integrated bar and event venue.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Beer Selection On-premise sale of an extensive beer selection comprising 17 draft beers and more than 70 bottled beers with seasonal and rotating selections, sold to walk-in customers at the bar.
• Food Menu (Pizzas and Snacks) On-site food service offering an extensive range of snacks supplied by Frietboutique alongside classic pizzas made fresh on the terrace, served to walk-in customers.
• Events and Entertainment Regular in-venue entertainment including the APEKOI party, shuffleboard, karaoke, and music and dancing until early hours, available to walk-in customers as part of the bar experience.
• Heated Terrace Seating Outdoor heated terrace seating where guests can consume drinks and food in an open-air setting, available as part of the bar's standard hospitality offering.
• Private Group Bookings Reserved hosting service for private group celebrations with drinks for groups of friends, colleagues, or families, with reservations for parties of 10 or more arranged via phone or email.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• FrietboutiqueminorOthersFrietboutique supplies an extensive range of snacks to De Witte Aap. The partnership provides food offerings alongside the bar's beer and pizza menu, enhancing the overall customer experience with complementary food options.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Death & Co: Iconic single-location cocktail bar in New York's East Village, founded in 2007 and repeatedly ranked among the World's 50 Best Bars. Comparable to De Witte Aap as a single-location, internationally recognized cultural bar with strong brand-driven tourist footfall.
• Door 74: Amsterdam speakeasy-style cocktail bar earning multiple international "World's 50 Best Bars" recognitions. Comparable to De Witte Aap as a single-location Netherlands bar with international award-driven tourist demand.
• BeerTemple: Amsterdam craft beer bar with a deep rotating selection of Belgian and international beers. Comparable to De Witte Aap in single-location craft beer focus, urban cultural-district positioning, and strong beer-tourism appeal.
• Delirium Café: Brussels-based famous beer bar renowned for having one of the largest beer selections in the world. Direct peer in the iconic, beer-focused, high-volume cultural nightlife category with strong international tourist pull.
• The Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog: New York Financial District bar named "World's Best Bar" multiple times by Tales of the Cocktail. Comparable to De Witte Aap as a single-location, globally awarded cultural bar whose recognition is the core marketing asset.

Emerging players

• Brouwerij 't IJ: Amsterdam craft brewery and tasting room adjacent to a windmill. Comparable to De Witte Aap as a single-location Amsterdam-area craft beer destination combining production, on-premise service, and cultural tourism.

Regional players

• Café Brecht: Amsterdam cultural café/bar on the Weteringschans. Comparable to De Witte Aap as a Dutch cultural-district bar with a combined food, drinks, and events programming that targets social and art-scene patrons.
• Skybar Rotterdam: Iconic rooftop cocktail bar in Rotterdam city center with extensive cocktail menu. Comparable to De Witte Aap as a single-location Rotterdam nightlife venue with strong citywide brand recognition and late-night operation.
• Café Hoppe: Historic Amsterdam brown café on Spui square, a single-location cultural bar with strong citywide name recognition. Comparable to De Witte Aap as a single-site Dutch heritage bar with a prime cultural/district location and late-night operation.
• Belgian Café De Pilsvogel: Dutch branch of Belgian café concept with extensive beer selection. Comparable to De Witte Aap as a single-location Netherlands bar with deep beer focus and Belgian café atmosphere.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCJ8zx-CvoLrLBnZIBNIiDFg
• Facebookfacebook.com/dewitteaap
• Instagraminstagram.com/dewitteaap/?hl=nl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/caf%C3%A9-witte-aap

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Café Witte Aap