Best Coffee in Amsterdam: Specialty Coffee Bars by Neighbourhood

Last updated: 24 September 2026

Amsterdam has quietly become one of the best coffee cities in Europe. Twenty years ago you would have struggled to find a decent flat white here. Today the city has dozens of specialty coffee bars and a whole wave of local roasters, from Bocca, the first specialty roaster in the Netherlands, to newer names like Friedhats and Lot Sixty One that coffee nerds travel for.

This guide rounds up the specialty coffee bars in Amsterdam that keep coming up in local coffee guides, grouped by neighbourhood so you can find one near you. It is a research based list, not a ranking, and cafés change, so check opening hours before you go.

Short answer: For the best coffee in Amsterdam, start with the roasters that run their own cafés: Lot Sixty One and Friedhats in West, Bocca and Back to Black near the canal belt, and Rum Baba in Oost. In the centre, Toki, Hummingbird and Good Beans are great stops between sightseeing.

Jump to: Coffee shop warning | Centrum | West | Oost | Zuid | Roasters to know | Tips | FAQ

First: a coffeeshop is not a coffee shop

If you are new to the Netherlands, this one matters. A coffeeshop in Amsterdam sells cannabis, not cappuccinos. For actual coffee, look for a koffiebar, café, espressobar or coffee roasters. Every place on this list is the caffeine kind.

Amsterdam coffee at a glance

Best coffee in Amsterdam Centrum

Bocca

Bocca has been roasting specialty coffee since 2001, making it the first specialty roaster in the Netherlands. Its café near the canal belt is a calm, roomy spot to try their own beans, and a good place to understand where Amsterdam’s coffee scene started.

Where: Kerkstraat 96H
Beans: Bocca, roasted in house

Back to Black

A cosy corner café near the Rijksmuseum that roasts its own beans, usually light and fruity single origins, and bakes its own cakes. Perfect before or after a museum visit.

Where: Weteringstraat 48
Beans: Roasted in house

Toki

Toki is a bright, minimal coffee bar on the edge of the Jordaan, known for single origin filter coffee and milk drinks alongside an Asian influenced food and pastry menu.

Where: Binnen Dommersstraat 15
Beans: Rotating roasters

Hummingbird

A multi roaster bar in the centre where you can try beans from different roasters around the world. Nice if you want to taste something you will not find anywhere else in town.

Where: Spuistraat 217
Beans: Onyx Coffee Lab and guest roasters

Good Beans

A small, friendly spot in the Jordaan with its own roast and a focus on traceable beans from smallholder farmers. They are also known for a very strong house blend with a name we cannot print on a family blog.

Where: Binnen Oranjestraat 4
Beans: Own roast plus guest roasters

Black Gold

Part coffee bar, part record shop. Order a pour over, flip through the vinyl and forget you had somewhere to be.

Where: Korte Koningsstraat 13H
Beans: White Label Coffee

Best coffee in Amsterdam West

Amsterdam West, around the Kinkerstraat and Oud-West, is where a lot of the city’s best roasters are based. If you are serious about coffee, this is the neighbourhood to spend a morning in.

Lot Sixty One

One of the pioneers of Amsterdam’s specialty coffee wave, with the roaster right there in the café. Famous for Australian style flat whites and, according to many regulars, excellent cinnamon buns.

Where: Kinkerstraat 112
Beans: Lot Sixty One, roasted downstairs

Friedhats FUKU Cafe

Friedhats has a cult following among coffee lovers, with experimental processing and rare lots like Geisha on both espresso and filter. Many guides call it one of the best cups in the city. You will also spot their colourful packaging in cafés around the country.

Where: Bos en Lommerweg 136
Beans: Friedhats, roasted in house

Uncommon

Uncommon roasts its own coffee with close relationships to the farms it buys from. Come for the filter coffee and flat whites, stay for the brunch.

Where: Eerste Constantijn Huygensstraat 63H
Beans: Uncommon, roasted in house

Five Ways Coffee Roasters

A roastery café just down the road from Lot Sixty One, so you can easily do both. They also roast to order if you want fresh beans for home.

Where: Kinkerstraat 186
Beans: Five Ways, roasted in house

Best coffee in Amsterdam Oost

Rum Baba

An independent roastery and bakery in Oost that has been roasting for more than a decade. Expect expressive single origins and very good baked goods.

Where: Pretoriusstraat 15
Beans: Rum Baba, roasted in house

4850

A daytime café serving beans from Danish roaster La Cabra, with cinnamon and cardamom buns that people cross town for.

Where: Camperstraat 48 to 50
Beans: La Cabra (Copenhagen)

YUSU

A small neighbourhood favourite known for its flat whites, brew methods like V60 and Chemex, and creative coffee and matcha drinks.

Where: Andreas Bonnstraat 2
Beans: Rotating roasters

Best coffee in Amsterdam Zuid

The Coffee District

A bright, Scandinavian style coffee bar near the Olympic Stadium that also sells brewing gear, so you can take the hobby home.

Where: Olympiaplein 111
Beans: Lot Sixty One, with guest roasters like DAK and Friedhats

Caffènation

The Amsterdam café of the Belgian roaster, known for knowledgeable baristas and excellent filter coffee.

Where: Warmondstraat 120
Beans: Caffènation (Antwerp)

Amsterdam roasters to know

Even if you never visit their cafés, these are the Amsterdam roasters whose beans you will keep seeing on menus across the country: Bocca, Lot Sixty One, Friedhats, White Label Coffee, DAK Coffee Roasters, Five Ways, Stooker and Espressofabriek. Most of them sell beans online, which is handy once you have found your favourite.

Tips for coffee in Amsterdam

• Go early or on a weekday. The popular spots get busy on weekend mornings, especially in the centre.
• Expect to pay by card. Many cafés are card only. A cappuccino in a specialty bar is usually around €4 to €5.
• Ask for filterkoffie. Most specialty bars do pour over or batch brew, and it is often the best way to taste a roaster’s beans.
• Laptop rules vary. Some cafés limit laptops at busy times. If you want a place to work, ask first.
• Opening hours are short. Many specialty bars close in the late afternoon.

Want to escape the city for a coffee with a sea view? Zandvoort is only 30 minutes away by train. See our guide to the best coffee in Zandvoort and Haarlem, where Haarlem has a brilliant specialty scene of its own.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the best coffee in Amsterdam?

Coffee guides most often point to roaster cafés like Lot Sixty One and Friedhats in West, Bocca and Back to Black in the centre, and Rum Baba in Oost.

What is the difference between a coffeeshop and a café in Amsterdam?

A coffeeshop sells cannabis. For coffee, look for a café, koffiebar or espressobar.

How much does a coffee cost in Amsterdam?

A cappuccino at a specialty coffee bar usually costs around €4 to €5, and a pour over a little more.

What was the first specialty coffee roaster in Amsterdam?

Bocca, which started roasting specialty coffee in 2001, is often called the first specialty roaster in the Netherlands.

Sources: Next Journey Ahead Amsterdam coffee guide, BrewAtlas: best specialty coffee shops in Amsterdam. Missing a favourite? Tell us through the contact page.