Rum Baba coffeeroasters Shop & Brew-bar East — Restaurant in Amsterdam

I've been coming to Rum Baba for a long time to have coffee, buy beans and other equipment. I've noticed a change in the friendliness of the staff lately which has made the experience very unpleasant. We came to have coffee and cakes and after we got served the staff told us in a very rude manner that we cannot go outside to sit due to complaints. The bench outside was the only free spot. I believe they do not have the right license to operate as a café (they have a shop licence or smth) and this is causing issues. We were a bit surprised they did not tell us BEFORE putting the cake on a plate since the place was clearly packed otherwise, and were just standing there wondering what to do next (and why is there a bench outside in the first place if it cannot be used?). We asked if it is okay to use one of the emptier coffee bean shelves as a stand for our plates since we could not eat/drink with our hands full and the employee looked at us with disgust and said we are on the way of the coffee being picked up from the counter (there was plenty of space). We left the place, went outside to drink the coffee and on the way back from our walk saw people eating/drinking on the bench.. We will never come back to this location or buy coffee from Rum Baba, there are so many cafes with friendly faces these days. Doeeiiiii

Edit/response: I appreciate your response and fully understand the challenges with your license. However, the issue wasn’t the policy itself but how it was communicated. We weren’t informed before being served, and the way it was handled afterward felt unwelcoming.

To clarify, we were never offered to switch to disposables, nor were we asked if we enjoyed the cakes. Given the interaction, we didn’t feel comfortable addressing our concerns in person.

A welcoming atmosphere doesn’t take much—just acknowledgment and less defensiveness when feedback is given. Unfortunately, this experience left a negative impression. Better communication would go a long way....

hi there! I'm writing with an alert and complain. i was ordering a cake from this place for my birthday, the order was confirmed and everything was settled. However on the day of picking up, it appeared, that the cafe did not bake a cake at all. The stuff was not aware of me coming to pick up the cake, nobody replied the phone or said sorry either. so on my birthday i had neither the cake, nor response and apologies, nor resolutions proposed. i believe this is not a good way to treat a customer, specifically during such event as birthday, when people relied on the services and were sure, it would be done as agreed . for you , guys, it's just a kind alert to consider another option, if you want to make sure that you will have the order that you've ordered on time, or at least you will get it done: its better not to request it from this place. i'm very sad and disappointed not only because of the order was being complete, but also due to the fact, that i've received a response only after i wrote a 'bad review complain' two days after, which again shown a huge neglect and disrespect for the customers. again, please consider another option that will certainly work for...

Great little coffee roastery that sells a large selection of coffee beans for both filter and espresso, light, medium and dark roast. We buy most of our coffee beans here, and the selection is large enough and changes frequently enough for us to not get bored. All the coffees are labelled with origin and tasting notes which is really handy. Prices of beans are average for specialty coffee, but depends on the exact variety. They sell large 1kg house blend bags for espresso if that's convenient for you. They also sell a variety of brewing equipment, but nothing too crazy - don't expect to buy an espresso machine here. Think aeropress, V60, filter papers, cups and hand grinders.

The store is also a small cafe too. You can get espresso (and cappuccino, latte etc) or filter coffee to sit in or to go. They also sell a selection of homemade cakes and pastries. The only downside is that the cafe is quite small. Often you'll struggle to get a seat if you want to sit in. On the plus side the canal or even the park is not too far.

Staff are friendly and happy to give recommendations on coffee (though on weekend mornings it can get very busy!). Payment is with...