The best brunch cafés in Amsterdam

Oud Zuid

Belgian beans, a Kees machine, and that owner.

“An Antwerp roastery outpost in quiet Oud Zuid, run by an ex-employee with the original's blessing. The Kees van der Westen Spirit is the centrepiece, and the Ethiopian and Kenyan beans are dialled in with care. Bert's greeting, "Welcome to Antwerp", sets the tone for everything that follows.”

Serves food · outdoor seating · opens 08:00

Order Flat White, Filter Coffee, Cappuccino-based signature drink, Banana Bread, Vegan Chocolate Bars.

Skip it if Seeking a full meal (food options are light bites)

Centrum

Twenty-four years in, the standard hasn't slipped.

“Bocca has been doing this since 2001, before Dutch specialty coffee was a scene, and the Kerkstraat cafe still feels like proof of concept. The custom four-group La Marzocco Strada is dialled with the kind of confidence that comes from running your own supply chain through Trabocca. Order the flat white, then buy a bag of the Ethiopian to take home.”

Serves food · outdoor seating · opens 08:00

Order Flat white, Espresso, Cinnamon bun, Raspberry brownies, Yogurt with fruit and honey

Skip it if Seeking absolute silence during peak hours

Oud Zuid

A proper coffee stop in Amsterdam's museum quarter.

“Coffee District runs Five Ways Coffee Roasters as its house anchor and rotates guest roasters, Lot Sixty One and Common Greens have both appeared, through a La Marzocco Linea PB that's clearly well looked after. The cortado is tight, the cinnamon bun is the right call, and on a clear morning the outdoor seats fill before most of the neighbourhood has laced its shoes.”

Serves food · outdoor seating · opens 07:30

Order Cortado, Flat White, Filter Coffee, Cinnamon Bun, Chocolate Chip Cookie, Banana & Pecan Cake

Skip it if Seeking a quiet, spacious indoor workspace

Oud West

The laptop ban is the point, and the coffee earns it.

“Uncommon roasts its own beans and means it, the origins list runs from Sidama to Panama Geisha to a Burundi Red Bourbon, and the filter bar treats each one differently. Come for the coffee, stay because the cinnamon buns make leaving difficult. This is a room that asks you to be present, and the La Marzocco gives you a reason to comply.”

Serves food · outdoor seating · opens 08:00

Order Filter coffee, Cold Brew Coconut Latte, Mushroom Toast, Acai Bowl, Cinnamon Rolls.

Skip it if Looking to work on a laptop

De Jordaan

The Jordaan's slowest coffee bar, in the best sense.

“Toki runs Bonanza Coffee Roasters out of Berlin through a La Marzocco Linea PB and a Kalita Wave programme that actually rotates. The Max Lamb terrazzo, the bamboo, the eyeless smiley on the wall, it all adds up to a room that makes you order a second coffee just to stay in it.”

Serves food · outdoor seating · opens 08:00

Order Coffee from Bonanza, banana bread, matcha latte, iced latte.

Skip it if Looking for a very large, spacious cafe with abundant seating

Centrum

Roastery-cafe done with conviction, not performance.

“Back to Black roasts its own beans on a Giesen W6 and pulls them through a Kees van der Westen Spirit, that's a serious commitment for a room this size. The Chef's Table Espresso, two sequential shots dialled to show different profiles, is the clearest argument for ordering at the bar. The apple pie is baked in their own Westpoort bakery. None of this is accidental.”

Serves food · outdoor seating · opens 08:00

Order Espresso, Latte, Pour-over coffee, Apple pie, Banana bread, Cinnamon roll.

Skip it if Looking for extensive lunch/dinner

Bos en Lommer

The roastery flagship where Gesha and rare micro-lots meet a neighbourhood cafe

“Lex Wenneker's competition pedigree shows in the cup, not the attitude. The Super Special filter list rotates through anaerobic lots and rare Geshas that most cities reserve for cupping labs, yet the room stays loose, with strawberry matcha and kimchi toasties sharing counter space with the EK43.”

Serves food · outdoor seating · opens 08:00

Order A pour-over from their rotating Super Special lineup, paired with a freshly baked croissant or kimchi toastie.

Skip it if You need large group tables

De Pijp

Competition-level coffee with zero compromise on craft.

“Ahmad Alshikh, former head roaster at Keen Coffee, runs Elevate like a focused tasting room. The San Remo Racer is dialled tight, the EK-43 handles filter, and the rotating microlots (a washed Colombian Entre Montañas, a Kenyan, a Rwandan Mahembe) change the conversation every visit. No sugar, no laptops, no shortcuts.”

Serves food · outdoor seating · opens 08:00

Order Filter coffee, espresso, microlots, competition-level coffees.

Skip it if Looking for a place to work on a laptop

Oud West

Oud West's roastery café with earned authority.

“Two Dutch competition wins, the 2015 Aeropress Championship and 2019 Roast Masters, aren't decorations here, they're the baseline. The Kees van der Westen Spirit is dialled with the kind of confidence that comes from roasting your own beans on-site. Order the double naked and watch the extraction before you do anything else.”

Serves food · outdoor seating · opens 07:30

Order Espresso (especially the 'double naked'), V60, Apple Pie, Banana Bread

Skip it if Needing abundant power outlets for long work sessions

Oost

Coffee and culture sharing equal billing in Amsterdam-Oost.

“YUSU runs Black to Black Coffee through both its espresso and filter programmes, and the flat white shows the sourcing is more than decorative. The matcha menu is as considered as the coffee side, and Nicole's Pão de queijo and orange coconut cake make skipping food feel like a mistake. This is a place built by people with a clear point of view.”

Serves food · outdoor seating · opens 08:00

Order Matcha latte, Flat White, Chocolate Cake, Matcha Marble Cake, Pão de queijo, Orange Coconut Cake, Fig Cheesecake

Skip it if Seeking a very quiet, secluded workspace during peak hours

Oud Zuid

A neighbourhood espresso bar that earns its wall space.

“Clapham runs Stooker through its espresso programme and keeps the food honest, cinnamon buns, pistachio bread, things baked that morning. The rotating artist exhibitions aren't decoration; two new local artists go up every month, which means the room genuinely changes. It's a small space doing more than its footprint suggests.”

Serves food · outdoor seating · opens 08:00

Order Coffee, Cinnamon Bun, Pistachio Bread, Banana Bread, Lemon Loaf

Oud Zuid

Roasting on-demand is a real differentiator here.

“Cafecito roasts its own beans to order, which puts it in a different category from most neighbourhood espresso bars. The iced V60 shows off what fresh roasting actually means, clean, defined, no staleness. The matcha programme is taken just as seriously as the coffee.”

Serves food · outdoor seating · opens 07:00

Order Cappuccino, Iced V60, Matcha Latte, or a freshly baked croissant.

Skip it if Seeking a very quiet, dedicated workspace