Coffee culture in Amsterdam: cafés, third-wave roasters, and Dutch coffee tradition

Coffee in Amsterdam: a clarification first

Amsterdam has two types of establishments with nearly identical names that serve entirely different products. Understanding the difference saves significant confusion:

A coffee shop (or koffiehuis) is a café that sells coffee, food, and drinks — the normal kind. The Dutch term for this is also koffiezaak or koffiebar.

A coffeeshop (one word, no space, often with a distinctive cannabis-leaf logo) is a licensed cannabis retail venue. It may or may not serve actual coffee. For information on coffeeshops, see the dedicated coffeeshops guide.

This guide covers the actual coffee scene: the Dutch coffee tradition, specialty roasters, best cafés by neighbourhood, and what to order.

The Dutch coffee tradition

The Netherlands has had a coffee culture since the seventeenth century, when the VOC (Dutch East India Company) imported coffee from Yemen and Java. The Dutch were among the first Europeans to drink coffee regularly, and the tradition of coffee as a social beverage — consumed sitting down, with something sweet, in a relaxed setting — is deeply embedded in Dutch life.

The traditional Dutch preparation is filter coffee: a clean, light-bodied pour-over that the Dutch call gewone koffie or koffie verkeerd (“wrong coffee” — with more milk than coffee, essentially a café au lait). This is still the standard in brown cafés and traditional eetcafés. It is good and honest, though not the complex espresso-based preparation that specialty coffee enthusiasts expect.

The specialty coffee wave arrived in Amsterdam around 2010 and has since produced a strong network of third-wave roasters and cafés concentrated in the Jordaan, the Canal Ring, and De Pijp.

The best specialty coffee cafés

Lot Sixty One (Kinkerstraat 112, Oud-West): One of the most respected specialty coffee roasters in the Netherlands. They roast on-site, source from single-origin farms with transparent relationships, and serve pour-over, espresso, and cold brew. The Kinkerstraat location has a warm, unpretentious atmosphere. A single-origin pour-over costs €4–5; espresso €3–3.50.

Scandinavian Embassy (Sarphatipark 34, De Pijp): A Nordic-influenced specialty café serving some of the most technically precise coffee in Amsterdam. The pour-over programme uses a rotating selection of Scandinavian roasters; the flat white is reliably excellent. €3.50–4.50.

Rum Baba (Utrechtsestraat 24, Canal Ring): A small, serious coffee shop with a focus on single-origin espresso and seasonal filter options. Excellent pastries. Narrow seating but loyal regulars.

Headfirst Coffee Roasters (multiple locations): An Amsterdam roaster with a cafe presence in the Jordaan and Noord areas. Consistent quality, good bag selection for those who want to take beans home.

Toki (Bilderdijkstraat 4, Oud-West): A Japanese-influenced specialty café with a quiet, considered atmosphere. Light food alongside excellent coffee. Opens at 8am for the pre-commute crowd.

Cafés for atmosphere over coffee

Not all Amsterdam café experiences are about the coffee quality. Several cafés are worth visiting primarily for the interior, location, or food.

Café de Jaren (Nieuwe Doelenstraat 20): A large, light-filled grand café on the Amstel with a two-level interior and a terrace directly over the water. The coffee is standard, but the setting is one of Amsterdam’s best for a mid-morning break. Koffie verkeerd €3.50.

Winkel 43 (Noordermarkt 43, Jordaan): The most famous apple pie in Amsterdam (arguably). The queue at the Saturday and Monday Noordermarkt is visible from a distance. A slice of warm appeltaart with slagroom (whipped cream) is €4.50 and very good. Coffee is competent. Come for the pie, not the espresso.

Café ‘t Smalle (Egelantiersgracht 12, Jordaan): The historic jenever distillery turned café has a canal terrace that is worth experiencing even for a coffee rather than a beer. A koffie verkeerd here with the Egelantiersgracht canal view is one of Amsterdam’s most pleasant mid-morning moments.

Moak (Sarphatistraat 65): A pancake café near Rembrandtplein with excellent Dutch pancakes and reliable coffee. A Dutch pancake (pannenkoek) with apple and cinnamon plus a koffie verkeerd is €12–15 for a proper Dutch breakfast.

Coffee by neighbourhood

Jordaan: Café-dense and good for wandering until you find something that appeals. Lot Sixty One (Kinkerstraat, just west of Jordaan), Headfirst, and various neighbourhood cafés on Westerstraat and Haarlemmerdijk.

De Pijp: Scandinavian Embassy (Sarphatipark) and CT Coffee & Coconuts (Ceintuurbaan 282) for brunch-café combination.

Canal Ring / Spui: Rum Baba (Utrechtsestraat), Café Luxembourg (Spui 24) for a classic Amsterdam grand café experience.

Museum Quarter / Oud-West: Toki, Lot Sixty One, and the terrace cafés in Vondelpark (the Vondelpark 3 café on the north entrance).

Amsterdam Noord: Several newer specialty cafés have opened near the NDSM Wharf and along the IJpromenade since 2022; the Pllek beach bar serves decent coffee alongside its food menu.

Dutch coffee customs

A few things to know:

• Coffee is almost always served with a small biscuit (koekje): This is not charged separately; it is the Dutch expectation for a coffee order. A speculaasje (spiced biscuit) is the classic pairing.
• Koffie verkeerd means literally “wrong coffee” — a half-coffee, half-milk preparation similar to a café au lait. It is the most widely ordered coffee in traditional Dutch cafés.
• “Een kopje koffie” plus the conversation: In Dutch café culture, ordering a single coffee and staying for an hour is entirely acceptable. The Dutch café tradition is built around the long, unhurried koffiepauze (coffee break).
• Milk is almost always included: Ordering a black coffee (zwarte koffie or espresso) is unusual in traditional cafés; the default assumption is that milk accompanies it.

The coffeeshop clarification

For the avoidance of confusion: Amsterdam’s licensed coffeeshops (cannabis retail venues) generally do serve hot drinks, but coffee quality is not their focus. If you specifically want good coffee, go to a specialty café. If you are specifically looking for a coffeeshop in the cannabis sense, the coffeeshops guide covers the legal context, etiquette, and the most reputable venues.

For context on Amsterdam’s broader food and drink culture, the food culture and tastings tour covers coffee as part of the Amsterdam food tradition alongside Dutch cheese, herring, and street food. The Dutch food guide covers the food accompaniments that typically appear alongside coffee in Amsterdam cafés.

Planning your coffee route

A self-guided coffee morning in Amsterdam that covers both the specialty scene and traditional café atmosphere:

• 8:30am: Toki or Lot Sixty One for specialty espresso
• 10am: Winkel 43 at Noordermarkt (Saturday or Monday) for the appeltaart
• 11am: Canal-side walk through the Jordaan to Café ‘t Smalle terrace for koffie verkeerd

This covers three coffee settings — modern specialty, traditional café, canal terrace — in about three hours and a total spend of €15–20.

For the walking context, a small-group Amsterdam walking tour covers the Jordaan and Canal Ring area with historical context and can be combined with the coffee stops above.

Frequently asked questions about Amsterdam coffee

What is the difference between a coffeeshop and a coffee shop in Amsterdam?

A coffeeshop (one word) is a licensed cannabis retail venue — it sells cannabis products and may or may not serve hot drinks. A coffee shop (two words) or koffiebar/koffiezaak is a normal café serving coffee and food. The Dutch government licenses around 160 coffeeshops in Amsterdam; there are thousands of ordinary cafés. When in doubt, look for the cannabis leaf logo on coffeeshops.

What is koffie verkeerd?

Koffie verkeerd literally means “wrong coffee” in Dutch. It is a half-and-half preparation of strong coffee and warm milk — similar to a French café au lait but typically made with filter coffee rather than espresso. It is the most traditionally Dutch coffee drink and is what most Dutch people order at a café.

Does Amsterdam have good specialty coffee?

Yes. The specialty coffee scene is strong, particularly in the Jordaan, Oud-West, and De Pijp. Lot Sixty One (Kinkerstraat 112) and Scandinavian Embassy (Sarphatipark 34) are the most consistently praised. The overall specialty coffee level is comparable to Copenhagen or London.

What should I eat with my coffee in Amsterdam?

The canonical Dutch pairing is an appeltaart (apple pie) with slagroom (whipped cream) — best from Winkel 43 at the Noordermarkt. A stroopwafel balanced on top of a hot coffee cup to warm the caramel is the traditional Dutch at-home approach but also works in cafés. Speculaas biscuits (spiced windmill cookies) are the standard café accompaniment.

Can I find good coffee near the Rijksmuseum?

Yes. The Rijksmuseum’s own ground-floor café serves reasonable espresso. The better option is to walk five minutes west to Vondelpark or the Oud-West cafés (Toki, Lot Sixty One on Kinkerstraat). The museum area has fewer specialty options than the Jordaan and De Pijp, but the Museum Quarter grand cafés on Van Baerlestraat are pleasant for a post-museum koffie verkeerd.