From the outside, the name gives nothing away. Café Marlo has no direct meaning, but it carries a sound close to the Japanese word maroyaka – meaning soft, warm, or mild. Walking in, I can confirm: the name fits perfectly.
This is The Hague’s newest Japanese café, and it is not what you might expect. There is no sushi here, no elaborate omakase, no long tasting menus. What Café Marlo offers instead is something far more personal: the food that Japanese people actually eat every day. The kind of food a mother makes. Nourishing, light, honest food that is good for your body.
Start with the matcha. Café Marlo uses two types – ceremonial grade for hot drinks and Shizuoka which pairs better with milk for everyday drinks. If you know your matcha, you will taste the difference immediately. If you don’t, this is a very good place to start learning.
The must-order, is the fruit sando. A Japanese fruit sandwich sounds like something that should not work – and then you take one bite and understand immediately why it has become a cult item across Japan and, slowly, across the world. Soft milk bread, lightly sweetened cream, seasonal fruit. It is simple in the best possible way.
For something more substantial, the onigiri is your answer. Café Marlo focuses on fresh, handmade onigiri served warm – which is how it should be eaten. If you have been reaching for sushi as your go-to Japanese option, consider this your gentle nudge to try something closer to what actually fills Japanese tables at lunchtime. Rice, filling, nori. Healthy, satisfying, completely unpretentious.
Café Marlo sits on Hooikade, and the location alone is reason enough to visit. The canal-side setting, the cobalt blue door, the sense that you have stepped somewhere slightly removed from the rest of the city – it makes the whole experience feel like a small escape. The kind of place you find yourself wanting to return to on a slow Tuesday when you need something that feels good.
The owners are genuinely lovely. You feel that from the moment you walk in – there is a care here that goes beyond the food, a sense that this café was opened because these two people truly love what they do and want to share it.
Café Marlo is located at Hooikade 1, The Hague. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm. Find them on Instagram
Go for the matcha. Stay for the fruit sando. Leave feeling, as the name promises, warm.
Images: Sherika Rooplal-Clappers
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Sherika Rooplal-Clappers is a contributing writer for The Hague Online, covering culture, lifestyle, and local events. With a passion for storytelling and international perspectives, she highlights the people, places, and experiences that make The Hague a dynamic city.
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