Cafe Sarphaat

Since I only have enjoyed a beer here, I can’t give a 5 star rating. What I can say is the atmosphere was inviting, the bartender was friendly and the recommended beer was delicious. I was able to enjoy a lovely view of the park and people watch while sipping on a lovely dark beer.

This place is right next to Sarphati Park. You have probably passed it on the tram. It’s the place with the colourful lightbulbs over a wooden canapy and outdoor seating next to the park across the road from the main café and outdoor seating. This place has good music and jazz on a Sunday (quite loud, be warned maybe too loud). The interior is nice and the food good. The wait staff are super smiley to the point that you can’t help but smile back. My husband called it one of the better places he’s eaten since we moved here 6.5 weeks ago.
Beer on tap: two types of Hertog Jan, Brand Zatte, Leffe Blonde and Brun and Dommelsch. They also have a number of bottled beer.
When you order food, you get a basket of focaccia bread with a nice chive mayo and some olives. We had the surf and turf. It was very nice and the shrimp came on a dark bread with a bit of pesto (I think) which was lovely. All the vegetables were cooked to perfection, i.e. not too much; juicy and crunchy. We ordered rare steak and mine was good but not as rare as I hoped, but still good. The fries were nice and crispy and thin cut french style and not out of a packet. I think they were double fried.
The Borrel snacks looked great too. I had envy seeing a 6 plate tapas starter that two other people had.
To be honest, I was stuffed though. I’m going back for borrel and dessert as they have cappuccino brownie and tiramisu!
Allergy alert: There is a friendly bar cat.

Only had drinks here. Beer was under 3 euros for a pot. They also have a resident cat who loves being rubbed

Great omelette and a nice place on a cold winter morning to sit back and relax with friends or a newspaper

Normally it’s a good place to hang out but today it took the waitress long time to serve us. We called her 3 times. Maybe we shouldn’t have done. I like people with character, although I would still have hoped to not wait as long for a biertje :)

This bar here is my local. My true local. Not like the flamingo further down the road my friends and I always refer to as the local but this little hot spot. Really, I need to get better at convincing those tricksters into coming here more often.
As it was here I was taught how to order a drink in Dutch! (In case you were curious, it is: Mag ik een gin en tonic, alstublieft?) Most of the spirits they serve here aren’t fancy but it’s perfect in this setting.
Now service here is pretty sweet. On the Dutch scale, you’d call these kids a good 7 – 9, which is, well, really great for Amsterdam! They’re fun, hip and friendly– and they are great to chat with. Plus they offer bar service. So if the sun is out, you can be outside having a drink and they’ll keep bringing them as they need them! Amaaaazing!
In terms of food, they do general bar food. I’ve tried most of it (bitterballen, kaastengels, and some other fried specialty). It’s good when it’s HOOOOT, slightly less good when it’s not about to burn the roof of your mouth off, but still very edible. Especially good if you have visitors with you, as they are also home to small local brewed beers Brouwerij ‘t IJ (as in they have it., and it’s worth ordering)! AND it’s usually warmer and dryer than where the windmill is. because, well, Amsterdam, home of rain and wind and moare rain, and rain some moare.
I’ve yet to try the dinner and lunch here but I’ve heard it’s good. Don’t worry though, it’s my local, I’ll be back!
Stayed tuned for an (eventual) update.

We stumbled upon this place one very cold, windy and rainy Thursday night in Amsterdam, and many drinks later fell in love with it.
The atmosphere inside this café/​bar in De Pjip, feels cool and very local. Good music (mostly English and American tunes with some jazz thrown in) and they also have Bob, the pub cat, who skulks around searching for a warm spot to snooze.
We loved it so much for drinks, we decided to come back for food. It was quite early so ordered a sharing plank, stroke of genius I might add. Five dishes chosen by the chef in the style of tapas. We had four slices of rare steak in peppercorn sauce (stand out dish for us cooked perfectly), Dutch sausage sliced, prawns in tomato sauce, Filo parcel stuffed with vegetables and goat cheese with honey and walnuts. All for 17 euros between two and was well worth it.
Do visit this place if you come to Amsterdam on holiday, it’s off the tourist track and such a great find.

Decent food, however the staff was uninterested and took their time. I wasn’t a big dan of the cat ether.
Nothing special, but ok food of you are in a hurry.

If you’re looking for a cozy, friendly café with great food at affordable prices, Sarphaat is the place. They have lots of outside seating and their daily specials are excellent. I ordered the spare ribs with chips and salad for 12 euro. Not only were the ribs perfectly cooked and delicious, but there were so many of them that I could barely finish the salad and the wonderful fries. The place is also incredibly atmospheric on the inside, with dark wood paneling, candlelight, and ornate chandeliers that appear to be made of Murano glass. And the overall dining experience is made all the more lovely by the smiling and thoughtful staff. Check it out!

I adore Café Sarphaat. When it’s sunny outside (you know, the three weeks per year of sunshine in Amsterdam), it’s an excellent spot for breakfast, lunch, dinner or an afternoon coffee or glass of wine (cheers!).
During the colder months, the inside of this café is gezellig. Deep wood and rich colors, a perfect spot to cozy up with someone and have a quiet conversation tucked away in one of their couch/​booth seats.
To date: I can recommend their cappuccino, wine and granola-​yogurt bowl. All yummy and served with a smile. :)