Such a corner building on Dapper Street calls for a café. And now there is one. Café Vlaming opened on April 24 at the intersection with Pieter Vlamingstraat, named after the historical figure Pieter Vlaming who is also behind the street name. Right next to the Dappermarkt, in the middle of Oost. The building has a wooden bar, a wine closet, a long dining table and cozy seating areas. Multiple beer handles on tap. It looks exactly how a neighborhood pub should look.
The menu is practical and recognizable. Bitterballs, freshly tapped beer, a dinner menu with contemporary dishes that occasionally nod to classics, and a changing daily menu for lunch during the day. No starred restaurant, no extensive cocktail menu. Just good food and drink, in a place where you can also just sit down without having to order anything right away. The threshold is low, and that is exactly the intention.
During the day, Café Vlaming can also be used as a flex-workplace. For sixteen euros you get a table and unlimited coffee and tea from noon to four in the afternoon. Handy if you want to get away from home but don't feel like a crowded coffee shop. On sports nights, games are broadcast live on the screen, with fresh beer on the side. And board games are available for those who just want to spend an afternoon or evening without an agenda. This is a conscious choice: Café Vlaming is positioning itself as the neighborhood's second living room, and details like that are a part of that.
Café Vlaming positions itself as the neighborhood's second living room, and details like that are part of the equation.
The Dapper neighborhood already had a lively market, a few good pubs and plenty of life on the streets. Café Vlaming adds to that: a place that can be used broadly, from quiet workday to busy Saturday night. The combination of flex workplace by day, sports bar in the evening and walk-through pub on weekends is nothing new, but on this corner it works. For those who live or work nearby, it's there now, and it looks good.