The Hammer Quarter in North has been undergoing a quiet transformation for a few years now. Old industrial buildings are slowly making way for studio, hospitality and residential space, and Cafe Voorwaarts fits that story exactly. The pub sits on the top floor of four joined buildings on Schaafstraat, and that's immediately the first thing you notice: the scale. This is no small neighborhood pub with eight stools at the bar.
So four premises, stuck together and raised into one large space. The combination of brown pub and gastropub was deliberately chosen. That means: the familiar atmosphere of a classic Amsterdam pub, with a beer selection that goes beyond the usual two taps. Anyone expecting Noord to have only hip new-build pubs is sorely mistaken. Voorwaarts consciously opts for the familiar pub look, but in a space that leaves little to be desired in terms of size.
The location in the Hammer Quarter is significant. This part of North, along the IJ and close to the former NDSM sites, has for years attracted people looking for something different from the center. Creative businesses, workshops, and now so does a pub that occupies the top of four buildings. Its top-floor location probably means views, too, though the research doesn't provide details on that. What is certain: you climb up and end up in a space that won't feel crowded anytime soon.
Four buildings, stuck together and raised into one large space, and that's immediately the first thing you notice: the scale.
For now, Cafe Forward is open exclusively on Fridays, from three in the afternoon until one in the morning. Ten o'clock, every Friday. That's deliberate, though it doesn't say why. Maybe a soft start, maybe a conscious choice. In any case, enough time to catch the ferry from the city after work, walk into the Hamer Quarter and see what that top floor has to offer. The beer selection is ready, the space is large. Noord has a pub with it.