Surprise yourself at Dr. Rotterdam, the secret cocktail bar

While surfing the web I learned that there is a secret cocktail bar in Rotterdam. It is called the Doctor, Dr. when written. So apparently this place exists for almost six years already, how is it possible that I hadn’t heard of it before?! Anyway, it caught my curiosity and I kept googling it. Every review that I read about it was super positive and the descriptions seemed very mysterious. Well, I sure love some mystery so I decided to book a “doctor’s appointment”.

How can you visit Dr. Rotterdam?

You can choose a date and time for your appointment through their website. You must tell your name and the number of people that you are coming with and agree to their house rules. The most important and remarkable rule is that mobile phones are prohibited inside the bar. Ouch, I am used to taking pictures of every hotspot that I go to. However, this is logical rule as the Dr. would not be that secret anymore if pictures where allowed. I agreed to their rules and requested an appointment. After a few minutes, I received an e-mail that my appointment was approved, what my patient number was and their street name. There was no house number but the e-mail contained a very clear description of their entrance.

So, how was it?!

I went together with my boyfriend. We dressed up extra fancy for our date and were excited to see where we were going. Once we arrived a young man dressed in a white coat opened the door for us. He was very friendly and let us in politely after I gave him my name and patient number. But before opening the curtains for us, the “doctor” reminded us once more of the house rules. We agreed and there it was, the revelation of Dr. cocktail bar. Honestly, it didn’t look like what I had expected. I won’t spoil it by telling you what my expectations were, however I can tell you that the next thing I noticed was how great the ambience at the Dr. is.

Why is that?

Working with reservations enables the Dr. to keep the place cozy and not overcrowded, which offers an excellent and very personal service to each guest. The doctors are very passionate about their “clinic” and their “medicines”. Every three months the Dr. changes its cocktail menu to match the seasons/news and their decorations get adapted as well. At the moment, they serve Christmas themed cocktails at the Dr. but in January this will change again. And not only the drinks change, even the whole menu itself changes. For example, there was once season where the Dr. served movie-themed cocktails and instead of using a regular menu the names of the cocktails were written down on DVD-covers. How awesome is that?!

What else do you need to know about Dr. Rotterdam?

In case you want a photographic memory of your visit to the Dr. they can give you an X-Ray aka a polaroid picture. It is good to know that the Dr. is very international oriented, which you can tell by the crowd and the drinks served. Their cocktails are made with diverse types of liquor from all over the world and I didn’t even know many of their ingredients. It creates interesting mixes that you won’t find anywhere else. The prices at Dr. are a little above average but if you are looking for an unique evening then Dr. is the place to be. Trust me, their ambience and excellent service are worth a visit!