Brewbook

Brewbook is a coffee shop and developer event discovery platform built with Next.js, Storyblok CMS, and Algolia search.

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Inspiration

As developers, we often find ourselves working from coffee shops or looking for local meetups. But discovering spots with the right vibe—quiet seating, reliable WiFi, power outlets—can be time-consuming. We wanted to create a smarter city guide for developers, combining coffee, community, and code into one platform.

What it does

Brewbook is a coffee shop and developer event discovery platform built with Next.js, Storyblok CMS, and Algolia search.

Key features:

  • Smart search with filters for cafés, events, and study spots
  • Interactive maps showing locations and details
  • Real-time content editing through Storyblok Visual Editor
  • Mobile-responsive design optimized for developers
  • Advanced search with synonyms and typo tolerance powered by Algolia

The app helps developers quickly find the best places to work, study, or attend tech meetups, with content managed in Storyblok and surfaced through fast Algolia queries.

How we built it

  • Frontend: Next.js 15 with TypeScript and Tailwind for responsive UI
  • CMS: Storyblok for structured content, with the Visual Editor enabling real-time previews
  • Search: Algolia NeuralSearch for intelligent querying, facets (city, type, price, open now), typo tolerance, and synonym mapping
  • Maps: Integrated Google Maps / Leaflet for location display
  • Deployment: Vercel for hosting and CI/CD

Challenges we ran into

  • Rendering dynamic content from Storyblok (images, addresses, and amenities not mapping correctly)
  • Connecting Algolia with Storyblok data while keeping filters (city, type, price) consistent

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Built a realistic, production-like UI that feels like a true city guide
  • Integrated Algolia NeuralSearch with filters and synonyms for a powerful search experience
  • Implemented reviews, maps, and amenities for cafés
  • Successfully collaborated across design and engineering under time pressure

What we learned

  • How to connect a headless CMS (Storyblok) with a real-time search engine (Algolia)
  • Importance of structuring content correctly for dynamic rendering
  • The trade-offs between adding more features vs. shipping a polished MVP
  • How powerful Storyblok’s Visual Editor is for live content editing

What's next for Brewbook

  • Expanding to more cities and categories beyond cafés and events
  • Adding social features like bookmarking favorite spots
  • Improving search with AI-driven recommendations based on user history
  • More integrations (e.g., Google Calendar sync for events, café reservation APIs)

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