The Machinist embarks on a new course

The well-known restaurant de Machinst on Coolhaven is now part of Hell's Kitchen Horeca Groep, led by Rotterdam hospitality entrepreneur Herman Hell. After a makeover, the iconic building is a location where visitors can go for food and drinks all day long.

In 1949, De Machinist was erected in Rotterdam-West as the Machinist School, the first school to be built in the reconstruction era. In a city that had to start running again after the war, with the port at the forefront. Here, generations of pupils learned how to do that: with head and hands, in theory classrooms and workshops, where thinking and doing were connected. That spirit has never disappeared. The industrial structure remains intact and once again forms the starting point for how The Machinist is known today. A characterful cultural centre that lives year-round with a Grand Café, restaurant, fish canteen and six different rooms that provide space for diverse moments.

The Grand Café

Visible traces of the past give the building its character. Not as a backdrop, but as a foundation. After all, certain things become stronger by not changing them. The Grand Café is the beating heart of The New Machinist. Open, approachable and accessible all day. The interior is vintage chic, with a nod to Rotterdam. Think Persian carpets, living paintings depicting Rotterdam's history, vintage furniture, burgundy curtains. The eye-catcher is the blue bar that extends from the Grand Café into the restaurant and invites you to linger. At the central reading table, people work, read and write, and coffee moments and conversations take place. The menu is familiar and no-nonsense: classics, sandwiches, fish & chips or satay later in the day.

Restaurant and Fish Canteen

As the day tilts, the pace shifts towards the restaurant. White table linen in an industrial space with the open kitchen as an eye-catcher. The menu by chef Dimitri, former chef of Grand Café Loos, leans towards the French brasserie: recognisable, flavoursome and bright. Dishes that take time but are not complicated, like the conversations taking place at the table. The thread continues into summer, when the grill dishes prepared in the Mibrasa, move outdoors with you. Part of the Machinist is the Fish Canteen, open from April for the tastiest fish dishes from the charcoal oven. Guests take their seats at long tables, perfect for couples or groups that linger until the sun goes down.

Information

Address: Willem Buytewechstraat 45

Opening hours:
Sun to Thurs: 10:00 - 23:00
Fri to Sat: 10:00 - 00:00
Kitchen: 12:00 - 22:00