Bas Bakt — Restaurant in Rotterdam

Sometimes you read reviews of great experiences at places but you forget that maybe they’re great experiences for white people and pretty much only other white people.

I got my period at work and felt awful, and craved an almond croissant. After some searching I found great reviews for Bas Bakt and took the rest of the day off to just have something warm at the cafe before heading home. I walked 20 mins and got here and asked the barista if I should order at the counter or at a table, and he told me he’d be with me in a just a moment at the table. I went to the table and sat and waited for 15 mins at a not very busy time and he passed me by like 5 times, as did other servers. Eventually I got up and went to the counter to ask what’s up, and he said oh he’d meant he’d be with me in a just a bit… at the counter, not the table. In good spirit, I said oh sure, no problem, and gave my order and paid. Even though he knew the whole time I was waiting for him and could have just told me he misspoke it I misunderstood.

After placing my order, I waited for over 40 mins for the one almond croissant I’d ordered. I was so confused, wondering if the bread was being made from scratch or sth. I tried to catch the eye of every server, but they all ignored me and kept talking to other customers casually like maybe there were many regulars around. Eventually I went to the counter again to ask what’s going on with my croissant, which is when the same barista realized he’d forgotten to give it to me.

While I waited, I realized that for over an hour, many people came in to the cafe and had a good time ordering take aways and chatting with the staff too. Only one other person of color entered tho, and I saw them wait at the counter - not receiving any attention - and they left. I wonder if this was the issue all along, and while waiting, I started to notice exactly how white the space was. These spaces seem progressive (no WiFi, cozy setting, visibly lgbtq friendly), but they’re not.

I just felt so dehumanized by the whole experience.

To the barista’s credit, he offered me a free drink when he realized I was no longer being “oh, no worries” polite with him when I realized there was no delay with baking etc - he and the other barista next to him who’d helped take my order had both just forgot about me. I didn’t take the free drink. I should have, but I just wanted to leave immediately and never come back. I genuinely felt dehumanized by the entire experience.

So in summary, this is a great place for white liberals. Enjoy the coffee. Everyone else, maybe head somewhere else. Nothing is worth this type...

I came in on a Friday morning and ordered an iced decaf with soy milk, only to find out they sell neither decaf nor soy milk.

I then tried their well-advertised “barista cacao blend,” which tasted terrible. It felt like I was drinking chemicals - maybe because of the not-so-popular oat milk? Drinking it made me sick; I suppose it had been sitting out for too long. How ironic that I even had to pay extra for the oat milk that made me sick.

I ordered my drink to go. Despite their huge “coffee to go” banner, they didn’t have straws in stock.

How can a coffee place not have decaf or straws?

The staff could use a smile or two.

The store looks nice, though. You can see the staff preparing pastries in the back.

The “Crash”...

Bas Bakt is my favorite bakery in Rotterdam! It smells so good in there and their staff is very friendly. They bake everything in the bakery itself and you can see everything. So cool! Their bread is so delicious and all their pastries are truly devine! I highly do recommend their 'boterhammen' for lunch (on the pic avocado/kimchi boterham and homemade ice tea). Also available : veggie/vegan alternatives (for lunch, oat/soya milk in your coffee,...). Impossible to leave the bakery without buying bread or any other ...