My 3 Favorite Amsterdam Cafes

Amsterdam Cafes

My 3 Favorite Amsterdam Cafes

The first thing you should know about this post is that I’m talking about Amsterdam cafes, not coffee shops. They are two very distinct entities. A coffee shop is where you can go to buy and smoke cannabis. A cafe is where you can go to drink coffee or tea and have a sweet treat.

You can choose your drug of choice, but for me, I was on the hunt for a good cup of tea and something to satisfy my sweet tooth. Oh and some good WiFi.

I tried a few different spots, but these three were the ones that I’d go back to if I lived in Amsterdam. They had good, welcoming service, tasty drinks, and weren’t stingy with the WiFi.

Bocca Coffee

Bocca coffee is situated on a quiet street, near the touristic areas. It has an unassuming storefront, so much so, that I completely walked past it before noticing. Upon entering, I was surprised at how big the interior is compared to the unassuming entrance. High ceilings, lots of natural light, and plenty of seating.

Amsterdam Cafes
The Coffee Bar at Bocca

I was greeted with a friendly smile from the barista and ordered a green tea. The barista offered a date pastry that would compliment the tea well. After completing my order, I asked if it would be ok to use the WiFi and my laptop to do a bit of work.

Around the corner from the coffee bar is a long wooden table that already had a few people working away on their laptops. I snagged a seat close to an outlet and got to work. They delivered a big pot of tea and my pastry almost immediately. The barista was correct! The date pastry went quite nicely with the green tea I ordered.

Amsterdam Cafes
Table that welcomes laptops at Bocca

While I was there, they were training a few new baristas in the art of coffee making. They also had a lovely area to buy beans and other coffee making accessories. Bocca was a great place for a midday pick me up, and catch up on some work. It didn’t seem that they would mind if I sat there all day using their incredibly strong WiFi.

Toki

Toki was located just down the street from my Couchsurfing host’s home near Haarlemmerplein. Since I had to leave my host’s home at 7:30 am when he left for work, I was hoping they’d be open! I was in luck when I arrived, they were open and ready to serve. The barista behind the counter was very nice and they had matcha on the menu, as well as nondairy/soy milk options. This early morning was off to a great start! I also ordered an avocado toast and asked for the WiFi.

Amsterdam Cafes
Toki, Amsterdam

There is plenty of seating in this cozy cafe, but I noticed most of the patrons were either reading or conversing with each other. I also noticed that the plugs were covered up with tape (a sign that laptop parking was not welcome here). So instead of pulling out my laptop, I read a few pages in my Kindle book and begin to plan my day in Amsterdam, while I sipped on my delightful matcha latte.

Amsterdam Cafes
Matcha and Avocado toast make me happy

The avocado toast was a welcome site! It was overflowing with avocado and dried watermelon. It gave me the perfect amount of food to start my day, and it wasn’t overly priced. As I was finishing up, I noticed a few customers had pulled out their laptops, so it may just be laptop friendly if you can find a plug! Either way, the WiFi was still strong, and the food and drink were excellent. Toki is a place I would love to start any morning!

Coffee and Coconuts

Wow, Coffee and Coconuts. Talk about a huge cafe. I had a few hours in between when I finished at the Moco Museum’s Banksy exhibit and my time slot for the Van Gogh museum. So I was wandering around the De Pijp neighborhood when I found Coffee and Coconuts.

Amsterdam Cafes
Second Floor of Coffee and Coconuts

This cafe is three floors high and filled with cute and cozy seating areas. It was packed with people on every level when I arrived and it was a bit difficult to find a seat. Since I was a bit time crunched to get back to the Van Gogh museum, I opted for a seat at the bar, which is where I normally enjoy sitting when I’m solo. It gives me something to watch and I can see the inner workings of the cafe.

As I sat there, I noticed that you can order takeaway at the counter, or simply seat yourself and someone will arrive shortly to serve you. They have a large cocktail list, food menu, and coffee/tea options. As well as fresh juices. This place truly has everything you need.

Amsterdam Cafes
Mmmmm Golden Milk

I opted for Golden Milk, which may sound slightly strange to order, but I love a good Golden Milk and not many places offer it. The Golden Milk at Coffee and Coconuts was perfect – not overpowering on any of the spices and it was a good immunity boost for me. The food options were a bit on the expensive side, so I decided to hold off and wait to eat until after Van Gogh.

Amsterdam Cafes
Laptop Friendly at Coffee and Coconuts

The staff was friendly but incredibly busy. I also noticed they were training a new server and it seemed a bit stressful. So while I wanted to ask for the WiFi password, I didn’t. Although I saw some people working on laptops while I was there, so I’m sure the WiFi is as good as their Golden Milk.

Amsterdam Cafes

So, if you’re interested in a good Amsterdam cafe, the kind that serves quality food and drinks, has strong WiFi, and welcoming staff, give these three cafes a try! You’ll only be disappointed if you go in thinking it’s a coffee shop!

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