Know your coffee: where to find a good cup (or two) in Amsterdam

Be it a hungover Monday morning or Saturday brunch with friends (or just with your favorite book), a good cup of coffee can brighten up the day.

If you are a true coffee lover, you would want to catch hold of that crisp, aromatic and flavorful cup. And if you are coffee crazy like me, you may end up going places to places or countries to countries in quest of the best beans, perfect blend and hangout place. Of course not just to explore coffee but also travel around, but we will keep those details for some other day.

The situation has changed and world travel is not the same, so the coffee lover in me decided to explore brilliant coffee world, locally, in & around Amsterdam.

My personal favorite coffee to try is a fresh brew, primarily because I get to taste the varied hints of the beans and enjoy the aroma. But I won’t be biased here as every kind of coffee is amazing, be it the breakfast cappuccino or the anti-afternoon-dip espresso or the summery cold brews.

But where can you find a good cup of coffee in Amsterdam? Here are some of my favorite coffee places:

Coronavirus Update: Many Cafés remain open for to-go coffee only during the current restrictions. We will indicate anywhere that we know to have closed during this time.

Monks Coffee Roasters — Dutch bakery anyone?

Monk's-Coffee-Roasters-Amsterdam-photo-of-coffee
For the perfect aromatic cup and treat. Image: Swati Manocha/Supplied.

Monks Coffee Roasters is a super cute café in West (and the best!) part of the city. They are Amsterdam based roastery and offer various blends. And if you are little hungry, you can also get a good breakfast/lunch here. I also love the interiors and is nicely suited for that next date.

Where to find it: Bilderdijkstraat 46, 1052 NB Amsterdam

Bocca Coffee Roasters — a buzzing central experience

My absolute favorite coffee place in heart of the Amsterdam. Needless to say Bocca Coffee Roasters is always bustling because of the variety of coffee served here.

This is my ideal place to take a pause whenever I am out shopping in the city, though finding a seat may be bit challenging (pre-covid) as it attracts many coffee lovers.

Where to find it: Kerkstraat 96H, 1017 GP Amsterdam Website: https://www.bocca.nl/

Lot Sixty One — a café and a canal

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Or just get a to-go cup! Image: Swati Manocha/Supplied.

Lot Sixty One is a tiny corner side café in west, with a canal view. I like the coffee here, but LOVE the aroma when I step in the café to order one. I tried the coffee here after hearing great feedback from a lot of people and it didn’t disappoint me.

Where to find it: Kinkerstraat 112, 1053 ED Amsterdam

Rum Baba Bakery and Roastery — cake and coffee

Photo-of-coffee-at-Rum-Baba-Bakery-Amsterdam
For the perfect bean. Image: Swati Manocha/Supplied

I am not an oost person but I make exceptions for good coffee (& whiskeys!). This is a cute café in the east-side of the city. Rum Baba offers good coffee and also some amazing cakes to go along with it. They claim to roast the selected green coffee to a perfect bean, and I wouldn’t doubt that even for a sec!

Where to find it: Pretoriusstraat 33h, 1092 EX Amsterdam

Blue Amsterdam — become part of the skyline

photo-of-view-from-Blue-Amsterdam
Check out that view! Image: Blue Amsterdam/Facebook.

This is not really a coffee roastery, but Blue Amsterdam is an amazing café in Kalverpassage with spectacular views of Amsterdam.

Now, Amsterdam is not a really high-rise skyscraper city, but you sure get an amazing 360-degree view of the city from this third-floor café. And what better if it comes with a good coffee. My favorite coffee to order here is the cappuccino.

Where to find it: Winkelcentrum Kalverpassage, Singel 457, 1012 WP Amsterdam

Coronavirus update: Blue Amsterdam is currently closed due to the recent restrictions.

Café Vanaut — the most beautiful Café in the west

Photo-of-Cafe-Vanaut-Amsterdam
Image: Café Vanaut/Facebook.

This is, so far, the most beautiful coffee place I have come across in west-side of the city. More than coffee, I was charmed by Café Vanaut’s ambience and the friendly barista.

I went there to try coffee but enjoyed sitting there for hours, reading a book with some great jazz playing in background. They also serve varied chai lattes — but my heart still goes to coffee.

Where to find it: Postjesweg 55, 1057 DW Amsterdam Website:

Caffènation Amsterdam

Caffènation Amsterdam had to be in my list as it’s my go-to coffee place during my afternoon walks. Not just because it’s super close to my home but it serves great coffee and is right at the end of Rembrandt park.

I personally love to get my coffee from here, sit in the park and often wonder what a great life (or coffee) it is. Isn’t it?

Where to find it: Warmondstraat 120, 1058 KZ Amsterdam Website:

Jones Brothers Coffee Company

photo-of-Jones-Brothers-coffee-cup-Amsterdam
Support small coffee businesses. Image: Swati Manocha/Supplied.

This is my recent discovery and I am very happy that I ended up here during one of my breaks. Jones Brothers Coffee Company is not really a café but rather a coffee company, which happen to serve house blends to their regular customers.

I had a great chat with the owner, who impressed me with the details that the company puts in bringing the right beans. Well it’s a good thing that I could validate all that when I tried one of their fresh brews. Amazing!

Where to find it: Sint Willibrordusstraat 54, 1073 VC

Always remember, no matter what, life is too short for bad coffee! So give some of Amsterdam’s aromatic coffee corners some love — even if it’s in the form of a to-go cup.

Do you have any favourite coffee spots in or around Amsterdam? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below! 

Feature Image: Ketut Subiyanto/Pexels

Swati Manocha
Swati Manocha
Born in India and moved to the Netherlands about 9 years ago for her Masters. Swati has travelled extensively in past years, experiencing various cultures. Recently turned into a coffee enthusiast, she is passionate about exploring different things (fitness, food, whiskeys, hikes & more). She's an extrovert who is trying to adopt and enjoy the new ways of living (during covid era).

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