Café Service began with an unexpected spark and not much planned, yet everyone involved instinctively new it was the right thing to do. What was once a familiar neighbourhood spot now hums with quiet craft and genuine hospitality. Inside, everything feels considered but effortless, from the space to the food, familiar yet gently surprising. Tessa, Daan and Robin’s different paths converge in a shared rhythm of care, curiosity, and refinement. Travel, collaborations, and restless creativity keep the place evolving, always with a pulse that feels entirely their own.
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Café Service • @cafeservice.antwerp
How did Café Service come about?
Daan: The path to where we are now wasn’t without the odd bend. We weren’t really planning on opening a restaurant ourselves The opportunity came and jumped into it head first. We are renting out the ground and first floor of what used to be Café Stanny in Berchem near the train station. We signed the lease, went looking for a loan and started just a couple of weeks later. Did you make many changes to the interior to make it your own? Daan: We wanted to honour the space as it was already very appealing to us, so most of it stayed the same. We painted the inside and outside, and installed additional lighting to brighten up the space.
Tessa: We signed and carried out renovations from March to mid-April using our own funds while waiting for bank approvals. It was quite stressful at times; if the loan hadn’t been approved, we would have been forced to take a different route. We negotiated payment terms with suppliers, and existing relationships from working in different restaurants proved very helpful. We opened on 15 May and we are still thoroughly enjoying the journey.
Tessa: I’m very proud of the light blue we landed on for the bar area. I mixed blue tones and opted for a glossy finish, even using boat lacquer to achieve that deep, vintage feel. We added some panelling to the lower walls and matched finishes with the old mahogany that’s been smoked-in over the years. It gives warmth to the place.
Daan: The chairs, and barstools we took from the previous owners, restoring what we could. My dad made the tables to match the existing furniture, which finished the total look and feel. We also recently updated the kitchen to accommodate our chefs’ needs better.
How did you come up with the name Café Service?
Tessa: It’s a term frequently used in hospitality, service, and dinner service, and it functions in multiple contexts. languages. We also liked the typographic feel. It matched the total package. What can we find on the menu at the moment? Daan: There are always a few anchors: our house-made pasta, a tartare, something on toast, and a rotating croquette. We keep it recognisable but dialled-in. Rotating the menu every three weeks.
Daan: We wanted something simple yet universal, and rooted in what we do and what we believe in.
Tessa: People often come for spaghetti, but we aim higher than “café spaghetti”, it’s a classic, well-made, not fussy.
What is the Philosophy behind Café Service?
Robin: Bringing classics to the table, French-leaning, recognisable dishes with a sophisticated twist, but not overly complicated. No gimmicks, no gels for the sake of it. If we add Asian or other foreign ingredients and spices , it’s because they make the dishes more delicious, not to be trendy. We aim to be a neighbourhood restaurant, keeping it accessible while surprising with flavours. Tessa: We want people of all ages to feel comfortable when dining at our tables. You should be able to bring your parents and your kids here and they immediately get it. No need for the waiter to explain our menu. Familiar, but better than expected.
Did either of you go to culinary school?
Tessa: I studied Event & Project Management. Hospitality started as a student job. After graduating, I stuck with it, mainly front-of-house at Café Ernst and Restaurant Nage. Daan: I did a sommelier course and worked at Domaine Aurélien Lurquin, where I learned a lot about wines, but most of what I learned about hospitality was while working at Osaka and opening Café Commercial. Robin: I grew up with fresh, home-cooked food; birthdays meant we could choose our favourite dish, which my mom would make. I did odd jobs here and there but couldn’t stay motivated. I then started working in a kitchen at a holiday park near my mom’s place. At the time, my sister worked in a fine-dining restaurant in Antwerp and knew I was really into cooking. One day she called to check if I was truly motivated, and through her connections, I started as a commis, moved to Antwerp within days, and never left the kitchen, hopping between multiple restaurants. I read cookbooks like novels. When my girlfriend isn’t home, I even fall asleep with them, waking when they fall on the floor during the night. Experience is the best education, I guess.
Café or restaurant, what is Café service?
Tessa: We aim to be both, intentionally. We want the joviality of a neighbourhood café with the care and quality of a restaurant.
Daan: You’re welcome to just have a drink at the bar, or settle in to eat. It’s lively many nights, and we keep the bar open to walk-ins, but you can also reserve a table a couple of weeks in advance if you want to be certain of your spot. The combination keeps it interesting.
Who does what on a daily basis?
Daan: We all have our different expertises, but in the end, it’s a collaborative effort to make Café Service what it is. Finding good quality wines to pair with the menu is what excites me most.
Robin: I oversee the kitchen and menu, proposing changes that we refine collaboratively. And Tessa manages the front of house and handles the visual aspects.
Tessa: I’m obsessed with thrifting, glassware, carafes, plates, and other bits and pieces. I could do it for hours. I’m working towards eventually selling curated vintage tableware under the Café Service umbrella. People ask about buying pieces all the time while dining, which is a lovely compliment. We also match tableware to the menu when we update.
You also do collaborations with other chefs and restaurants. Can you elaborate on this?
Robin: Yes, it is always super interesting. We aim to join forces with a different team, about once every two months. For example, we’ve hosted Euro Pizza and Furbetto, and cooked at Goudfazant in Amsterdam for 350 people. For collaborations, we create a new menu together, our identity combined with theirs, without any forced elements. It needs to be an addition and not a takeover. Tessa: It’s exciting to flip things, blend and do something different. To keep a fresh wind in our sails and give our clientele a taste of other chefs’ ideas. Daan: We also love to travel to eat, drink, and broaden our horizons. We just came back from a ten-day holiday together. It’s really what we live for. Reading, tasting, talking to suppliers, over-ordering wine for the cellar because it’s exciting, that’s us.
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