"Let's meet at the windmill, guys. As soon as you get off work!". There has usually been a sense of urgency when we've met up at the windmill, as it closes at 20:00. If we got there at 18:00, we still had two hours of Amsterdam craft beer sipping by the river Ij, and we didn't want to miss a second of it, my friends and Ι.
By windmill we meant, in fact, Brouwerij aan't Ij, the brewery located under the 18th century De Goyer windmill. Windmill and brewery have nothing to do with each other but the first dominates the landscape spectacularly, and that's enough for the latter to go by its name. Funnily enough, before becoming a kingdom of beer, the brewery space was a public bathhouse. Now it offers more than 55 artisanal local beers, in a "gezellig" environment -- "gezellig" being the untranslatable Dutch word for cosiness and warm conviviality.
One of the things that makes Brouwerij aan't Ij unique is the mix of locals, foreigners and tourists that visit it. For the rest, the merit is all in the beer, my personal favourites being the triple "Zatte" and the white beer "Ijwit". And, of course, the windmill makes for the perfect Dutch holiday photos. Oh, if you only have two hours left, like my friends and I, don't worry, that will be enough to put you in a slight state of euphoria and flavour infatuation. I speak from experience.
Find your way with 153 Insider Tips from our Local Spotters
Cafe de Tuin has such a nice atmosphere. The interior is classic and the customers are diverse, which makes it the perfect mix between modern and dated.
by
"Pension Homeland" at Marine Terrain in Amsterdam is a great restaurant that also has its own brewery! It's also a vintage hotel. So cool@
by
Parks in Amsterdam are packed with people, especially in summer. So my recommendation for a nice spot where you can also swim is "Marine Terrain!"
by
The "American Book Centre" in Amsterdam is a trustworthy bookstore to call home, with plenty of English books, a spiraling staircase and even a cozy cafe!
by
"Latei" is the rare breed of neighborhood Amsterdam cafe that's so hard to find these days! It's in the touristy part but still has an authentic charm...
by
"A. van Wees" in Amsterdam has its own jenever distillery, the Ooievaar, the only one left in the city. Come here for a jenever tasting under the stairs!
by
"Scandinavian Embassy" in Amsterdam is a pretty small and cute coffee shop. You may have to queue up, but their coffee is 100% worth your while...
by
"SUE" in Amsterdam is a vegan, sugar- and gluten-free pastry shop. Their specialty are their 'bites', square-shaped delights in about 20 different flavors!
by
"Carla Palermo" in Amsterdam is a living room that's been turned into a second-hand vintage clothing shop! The best store in the Jordaan if you ask me...
by
"Yusu" in Amsterdam is what the perfect coffee company a-la twenty-first century should look like. Also, if you're a lover of matcha, it's the place to be.
by
"Bar Botanique" in Amsterdam East makes you feel as if you've stepped inside a jungle! You should really see it from both the inside and out...
by
153 Insider Tips from our local Spotters
Authentic Stories by Real People
Escape the Crowd & Travel Slow 🐌
✓ 0 Insider Tips from our local Spotters
✓ 153 Insider Tips