The Best Flat Whites In Amsterdam

Beyond the city’s famed ‘coffee shops’ (which are more likely to serve tea and chocolate milk than coffee), Amsterdam sports a boutique coffee scene inspired by some of the world’s most exciting café destinations. We take a look at some of the international crop here, with the best flat whites and the most enjoyable places to drink them.

Lot Sixty One

It’s hard to walk past Lot Sixty One’s busy corner façade and not want to go in, which is lucky, since the place prides itself on accessibility. These people know their washed Colombian from their natural Ethiopian, and great care is taken to ensure provenance and fair conditions for producers. The house espresso is roasted right here in the café. This flat white is a strong, balanced version served in specialty coffee cups by Acme & Co. Our favourite side is the coconut-lime lamington, a nod to the Amsterdam roaster’s antipodean roots.

Scandinavian Embassy

Cafe, Restaurant

Clean, cool, and cozy, the constant smell of cinnamon buns at Scandinavian Embassy makes it an obvious fika destination in one of the city’s best loved boroughs, de Pijp. Pour-overs are a worthy diversion on a reasonably upmarket menu, but the flat white here makes our list for its pretty cover art and a revolving choice of espresso. Situate yourself at the open kitchen for a lesson in patisserie (those buns!) or enjoy a delicious, lovingly prepared plate of house-cured salmon.

White Label Coffee

Cafe, Continental

The simplistic ‘W’ logo says it all at White Label Coffee, a roastery and café just a little further west than you might otherwise plan to venture on a weekend in Amsterdam. It’s worth the short cycle from the centre, however, thanks to its cosy armchairs, communal work space, and easy atmosphere. Pyramid-like, the café is set across several distinct levels and is a central spot for expats and start-ups who seem as taken with the fresh mint tea as they do with the coffee, which is roasted on-site. Late risers will love it too, since the smooth, fruity flat whites are served until 6pm every day.

Toki

Toki | © Miranda Wade

Black Gold Amsterdam

This is the ultimate lo-fi coffee experience, complete with soft hip hop playing on vinyl right beside the coffee grinder and an owner-barista who also bakes the café’s daily selection of treats. Things tend to be healthy and avoid refined sugars here, a Dutch trend we can absolutely embrace. Black Gold Amsterdam is White Label territory too, but the flat white here is served a very different way, with paper aeroplanes, a dusty suitcase, back copies of Subbacultcha, and a warm, neighbourly embrace.