Cafeography
Amsterdam · Grachtengordel

Cafés in Grachtengordel

The four canals of the 17th-century ring, the Nine Streets, Utrechtsestraat and the terraces of Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein.

Photo: Marcelo Verfe, Pexels License

The grachtengordel (canal ring) is Amsterdam's 17th-century expansion. Work on the Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht began in 1613, during the Twelve Years' Truce, and from about 1660 the three canals were extended east to the Amstel.1 Together with the Singel they form the four main canals of the ring, which UNESCO added to its World Heritage List on 1 August 2010.1

The coffee follows the cross streets. The small lanes that cut between the canals, such as the Negen Straatjes (Nine Streets) and Utrechtsestraat, hold most of the espresso bars and bakeries, while the squares at the ring's edges, Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein, belong to grand cafés and terraces.3

Local tip: For coffee before 08:00 in the canal ring, go to De Koffie Salon at Utrechtsestraat 130 (daily from 07:00) or Luuk's Coffee at Vijzelgracht 49 (07:30 on weekdays). Tram 4 stops on Utrechtsestraat.4

At a glance

61Cafés listed
24With opening hours
07:30Earliest opening
23:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: De Hoek, from 07:30 (Tue–Fri 07:30–16:00 · Sat–Sun 09:00–15:30).
  • Closes latest: Cafe Bloemenmarkt, until 23:00 (Mon–Sat 11:00–23:00 · Sun 11:00–18:00).
  • Most common features: outdoor seating (21%), indoor seating (16%), wi-fi (15%).

Zuivere Koffie

  • Utrechtsestraat 39
  • Mon–Fri 08:00–17:00 · Sat 09:00–17:00
  • Wheelchair access
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Coffee chains in Grachtengordel

The Nine Streets, named for the hide trade

The Negen Straatjes are three rows of three short streets crossing the Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht, Herengracht and Singel between the Raadhuisstraat and the Leidsegracht. Several names recall the trade in hides: Reestraat (roe deer), Hartenstraat (stag), Berenstraat (bear), Wolvenstraat (wolf), Huidenstraat (hides) and Runstraat, after the ground oak bark used for tanning. An association for the area was founded in 1996, and the Nine Streets were launched as a marketing concept in 1999.2

Coffee here comes in small rooms. Pluk has two addresses, Berenstraat 19 and Reestraat 19, Screaming Beans is at Runstraat 6 from 08:00 on weekdays, and Chocolaterie Pompadour on Huidenstraat opens Tuesday to Sunday. Koffiehuis De Hoek at Prinsengracht 341 starts at 07:30 from Tuesday to Friday.

Utrechtsestraat, from Rembrandtplein to Frederiksplein

Utrechtsestraat comes from the 1658 expansion of the city and runs about 600 meters from Rembrandtplein to Frederiksplein, crossing the Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht on the way. Horse trams first ran here in 1877; today tram 4 uses the street, back since July 2012 after years of roadworks.4

It has more coffee addresses than any other street in the ring. De Koffie Salon at number 130 opens daily at 07:00, and Zuivere Koffie (39), Social Coffee (40) and Screaming Beans (75) follow. Concerto Koffie sits inside the Concerto record store at numbers 52–60, a shop dating from 1955; it serves cake and tostis, has free Wi-Fi and hosts free in-store gigs every week.5

At number 140, Café Slijterij Oosterling (slijterij means liquor shop) has been run by the Oosterling family since 1877, in a building from 1735 that the East India Company once owned; the tiled floors and old fittings are still in place.6

Roasters on Kerkstraat and Weteringstraat

Bocca, a roaster certified as a B Corporation, runs its espresso bar at Kerkstraat 96, open from 08:00 on weekdays and 09:00 at weekends.7 Back to Black, at Weteringstraat 48, roasts its own beans at its roastery and bakery on Nieuw-Zeelandweg and runs a second coffee bar on Van Hallstraat in Amsterdam-West; neither takes reservations.8

Across the street at number 37, Café de Wetering is a brown café in a 17th-century canal house, with a small bar downstairs, an open fire upstairs and a house cat called Fidel.6 Nearby, Luuk's Coffee on Vijzelgracht opens at 07:30 on weekdays, and MINA on Weteringschans runs from 08:00, Wednesday to Sunday.

Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein

The two squares are where the ring's terraces get crowded. Café Schiller on Rembrandtplein is more than a hundred years old and keeps its original Art Deco lamps and furnishings.3 On Leidseplein, the café-brasserie of ITA, the city's main theater, fills a late-19th-century building and takes walk-in coffee drinkers as well as theatergoers.3

Most cafés in the ring close by 18:00. Cafe Bloemenmarkt on Geelvinckssteeg is the exception, open until 23:00 from Monday to Saturday, and Cafe de Bazel on Vijzelstraat serves every day from 08:00 to 20:00.

Sources

  1. Grachtengordel (Canals of Amsterdam), Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Negen Straatjes, Wikipedia (Dutch), accessed October 2026
  3. Grand cafés in Amsterdam, I amsterdam (updated June 12, 2025), accessed October 2026
  4. Utrechtsestraat (Amsterdam), Wikipedia (Dutch), accessed October 2026
  5. Concerto Koffie, Concerto, accessed October 2026
  6. Best brown bars in Amsterdam, I amsterdam (updated August 14, 2025), accessed October 2026
  7. B Corp, Bocca Coffee Roasters, accessed October 2026
  8. Back to Black: koffiebars and roastery, Back to Black, accessed October 2026
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In Grachtengordel, also browse: Specialty coffee Terraces Wi-Fi Vegan & vegetarian Brunch

FAQ

Grachtengordel cafés: questions

What are the Nine Streets in Amsterdam's canal ring?

The Nine Streets (Negen Straatjes) are three rows of three short streets crossing the Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht, Herengracht and Singel between the Raadhuisstraat and the Leidsegracht. Several are named after the hide trade, such as Berenstraat, Wolvenstraat, Huidenstraat and Runstraat. Pluk on Berenstraat and Reestraat and Screaming Beans on Runstraat are among the cafés there.

Where can you get an early coffee on Utrechtsestraat in Amsterdam?

De Koffie Salon at Utrechtsestraat 130 opens at 07:00 every day, the earliest start on the street. Zuivere Koffie at number 39 opens at 08:00 on weekdays. Concerto Koffie, inside the Concerto record store at numbers 52 to 60, opens later and has free Wi-Fi. Tram 4 runs the length of Utrechtsestraat, from Rembrandtplein to Frederiksplein.

Which specialty coffee bars are in Amsterdam's Grachtengordel?

Bocca, a B Corp-certified roaster, has its espresso bar at Kerkstraat 96, open from 08:00 on weekdays and 09:00 at weekends. Back to Black at Weteringstraat 48 roasts its own beans and bakes its own cakes, and does not take reservations. Screaming Beans has cafés on Runstraat and Utrechtsestraat.

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