Once Rotterdam's Chinatown, attracting homesick sailors and lusty whores in equal measure, Katendrecht is now home to the hip and happening. Over the past few years, this peninsula has become one of the liveliest parts of town without losing its rougher edges. Young couples bought a fixer-upper in the neighbourhood or opened a restaurant, shop or coffee bar. Cute little eateries, ice salons and bars are around every corner these days, making Katendrecht a dream destination for foodies.
One of the old Fenixloodsen quayside warehouse now accommodates the Fenix Food Factory, an indoor market for fresh foods where you can shop for authentic and traditional products: From bread straight out of the oven to homemade sausage and homebrewed cider. The sidewalk café on the waterfront offers an enchanting view of the sunset over the Maas River, and the Kaapse Brouwers brew a fantastic array of beers. The food trucks that park there, a different one every week, serve fresh, tasty food for a very affordable price. The island's pride and joy is the ss Rotterdam, a steam-powered cruise ship that sailed back and forth between Rotterdam and Manhattan in the 1960s and is now permanently moored at the tip of the Katendrecht peninsula. Take a tour through the ship's gangways and halls, and finish with a drink on the promenade deck, complete with swimming pool.