Scandinavian Embassy ★ 4.7
Scandinavian Embassy on Sarphatipark has been pouring Amsterdam's Nordic third-wave coffee since 2013, the cafe that set the city's filter standard.
Signature drink: Filter coffee from Nordic roasters
Coffee shops, bakeries with seats and the places Amsterdam lingers in over a cortado.
Where to sit and slow down
Lot Sixty One ★ 4.6
Lot Sixty One on Kinkerstraat in Oud-West roasts its own beans in the basement, the canal-corner Amsterdam cafe that pioneered the third-wave wave.
Signature drink: Espresso and filter from in-house roast
White Label Coffee ★ 4.5
White Label on Jan Evertsenstraat roasts in West, a sunny Amsterdam cafe rotating rare beans and a coffee-of-the-month, with a small terrace out front.
Signature drink: Rotating single-origin filter
Friedhats Fuku ★ 4.5
Friedhats Fuku in Amsterdam West is the roaster's tasting room, a small cafe pouring espresso and slow-pour filter from beans the team also wholesales city-wide.
Signature drink: Espresso and Japanese-pour filter
Back to Black ★ 4.4
Back to Black on Weteringstraat near the Rijksmuseum is the Amsterdam cafe pouring carefully sourced coffee in a tight, white-tiled room you treat as a tasting bar.
Signature drink: Filter coffee, oat-milk flat white
Café de Jaren ★ 4.2
Café de Jaren on the Amstel runs a two-floor grand-cafe room, the Amsterdam terrace by the water students and locals occupy from morning into the evening.
Signature drink: Espresso and a daily newspaper
Winkel 43 ★ 4.5
Winkel 43 on Noordermarkt serves what most Amsterdam locals nominate as the city's apple pie, a thick crumb of slow-baked apples with a foam of whipped cream.
Signature drink: Coffee with the city's best apple pie
Toki ★ 4.4
Toki on Binnen Dommersstraat in the Haarlemmerbuurt is the small Amsterdam cafe pouring careful pour-overs and one of the city's tighter single-origin lists.
Signature drink: Hand-brewed pour-over
Monks Coffee Roasters ★ 4.5
Monks on Bilderdijkstraat is the Amsterdam Oud-West cafe pouring its own espresso roast alongside a brunch menu, the room locals book for a long weekend morning.
Signature drink: Espresso flight, brunch plates
Rum Baba ★ 4.4
Rum Baba on Pretoriusstraat in Oost is the Amsterdam cafe Antipodean expats run, a brunch room pouring strong flat whites and an updated weekend menu.
Signature drink: Espresso, brunch plates, cake of the day
Screaming Beans ★ 4.3
Screaming Beans on Hartenstraat in the Nine Streets has run as a small Amsterdam roaster-cafe since 2007, the bar that taught the city to drink filter without sugar.
Signature drink: Espresso from in-house roast
Espressofabriek ★ 4.3
Espressofabriek in Westergas runs as the cafe of the in-house Amsterdam roaster, an industrial-feel room next to the gas-works park with seating for an afternoon.
Signature drink: House espresso roast
Cafés in Amsterdam, FAQ
When is the best time to eat in Amsterdam?
Peak food season in Amsterdam is year-round.
What time do people eat in Amsterdam?
Local dining hours: lunch around 12:30, dinner from 19:30.
How does tipping work in Amsterdam?
service is typically included; small extra is welcome but not expected.
What is the one dish to try in Amsterdam?
Ask the next local you meet what they would order. Amsterdam rewards trust.