Vlaamsch Broodhuys – Nachtegaalstraat

Vlaamsch Broodhuys at Nachtegaalstraat 54 is located in Buiten Wittevrouwen, in Utrecht Oost. The location combines a bakery shop with a café serving breakfast, lunch, brunch, high tea, and drinks. This follows the company’s so-called Baker’s Café concept: bread sales and hospitality under one roof.

Dimitri and Diante Roels founded Vlaamsch Broodhuys in 1996. According to the company, they initially baked and delivered the bread themselves. They also supplied restaurants across the Netherlands. Dimitri Roels completed a baker’s training in Terneuzen and Brugge. He also attended hotel school and worked in restaurant kitchens in Brussels and Paris, including at Comme Chez Soi and Joël Robuchon’s Parisian restaurant. Diante Roels attended hotel school in Tilburg and took on a primarily organizational role within the company.

The location on Nachtegaalstraat opened in 2004. Public descriptions differ on its exact position within Utrecht’s expansion. The company refers to the location as its second Baker’s Café in Utrecht, while the Utrecht tourism website calls it the first. Both sources, however, cite the same opening year. In 2014, the building was expanded into a three-story café with a terrace at the front and an inner garden at the back.

The coffee beans for Vlaamsch Broodhuys are blended and roasted by Bocca Coffee Roasters. Bocca has referred in public communications to the development of a house blend for the chain. A 2021 menu described this coffee as a Fairtrade house blend with beans from Brazil, Ethiopia, and Peru. More recent public materials confirm the collaboration with Bocca but do not reiterate those countries of origin.

The current menu focuses primarily on espresso and espresso-based drinks. The list includes espresso, regular coffee, americano, espresso macchiato, flat white, cappuccino, caffè latte, latte macchiato, and caffè mocha. The menu also lists iced coffee and iced latte. Plant-based milk is available for an additional charge. Manual filter methods, such as V60, Chemex, AeroPress, or cafetière, are not listed on the documented menu.

The location features a bookable Huyskamer. This space is used for meetings, parties, receptions, and baby showers. Reservations and arrangements are handled through the location manager. High tea is also offered as a group option, both on-site and to take away. The described selection includes savory sourdough rolls, scones, pastries, and tea.

In November 2020, the location served as a pickup point for a temporary takeaway box from Le Pristine. No other recurring events are publicly documented. No records were found regarding coffee workshops, tastings, exhibitions, or a fixed neighborhood program at this specific location.

In addition to the collaboration with Bocca, Vlaamsch Broodhuys publishes information about the origin of ingredients for bread and tea. The company uses Campremy wheat from France for parts of its bread assortment. A company announcement from June 10, 2026, states that this wheat is grown exclusively for the company on its own farm in France and is processed by a family mill. This is a company-wide statement and not a separate policy for the Nachtegaalstraat location.

Café Couture is named as the tea supplier. A 2021 menu described the tea collection as biodegradable. A publication on high tea also names Café Couture as a sustainability partner. No separate data has been published for the Utrecht location regarding food waste, energy use, reusable packaging, emissions, or sustainability certification.

The location has a profile on the official tourism website of Utrecht. It also appeared in publications about high tea in the city. Lunchroom.nl interviewed founder Dimitri Roels at this location in 2017. At the company level, Vlaamsch Broodhuys received the Premsela Public Prize, which was linked to the 2011 Rotterdam Design Award. Reports from February 2012 noted 30 percent of the public votes. This recognition applied to the company and the shop concept, not to this location individually. No specific coffee or barista award for the Nachtegaalstraat location is publicly documented.