With the opening Stadscafé on the Westerga area, the initiators, consisting of Michiel Huisman of restaurants Teds and Jamie van der Will and Maarten de Vries, known from De Willem and Roest, want to bring back something that they believe is slowly disappearing from the city: the real neighborhood feeling. A place where local residents sit down for coffee and the newspaper, freelancers open their laptops, hotel guests have breakfast, friends have drinks after work and concertgoers have one last glass of wine after an evening at the Gashouder.
The kitchen runs all day long. Starting at 7 a.m., breakfast takes center stage, followed by an accessible lunch menu of good sandwiches, salads and light dishes. In the evening, the mood shifts toward extended dining. Executive chef Jef van den Hout serves a menu with European influences and subtle Asian accents. Think classic café dishes, but also a four-course menu that invites you to linger for hours. Ingredients come as much as possible from local and organic suppliers and the extensive wine list - by now a trademark of De Willem and Roest - plays a leading role.
The interior also contributes to that warm, urban atmosphere. Antwerp firm Gestalt Architects, known for Cobra House and Dim Dining, among others, designed a space that feels like an eclectic collector's home. Art, vintage objects, rich fabrics and carefully chosen details give Stadscafé a cosmopolitan feel that feels at once personal and approachable.
“Stadscafé feels like the new living room of Westergas: warm, lively and made for everyone who loves Amsterdam.”
The location completes the picture. With cultural icons like the Gashouder, the Ketelhuis and RadioRadio literally around the corner, Stadscafé feels like a natural addition to the increasingly lively Westergas grounds. A place where Amsterdam meets again, from the first espresso to the last round at the bar.
“It should become a place where you actually want to hang out all day,” said Michiel Huisman. And that's exactly what City Cafe seems effortlessly set to become.