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.
Lot Sixty One, Kinkerstraat 112, 1053 ED Amsterdam, +31 (0)61 605 4227
Lot Sixty One | © Miranda Wade
Scandinavian Embassy
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.
Scandinavian Embassy, Sarphatipark 34, 1072 PB Amsterdam, +31 (0)61 951 8199
Scandinavian Embassy | © Miranda Wade
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’s strapline is ‘go slow,’ which may seem at odds with the whole caffeine thing. We can assure you, however, it works. In a photogenic shopfront just off popular Haarlemmerstraat, Toki’s flat white uses Bonanza Coffee from Berlin topped with perfectly textured milk for a creamy, buzzy brew. Go slow? It’s more about the calm pace of the café where you can sit and chat or work, and all the while, your barista will just keep pouring.
Toki, Binnen Dommersstraat 15, 1013 HK Amsterdam, +31 (0)20 363 6009
- 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.
Black Gold Amsterdam, Korte Koningsstraat 13, 1011 EX Amsterdam, +31 (0)65 108 6841
Black Gold Amsterdam | © Miranda Wade
