There are some combinations that only make sense once you see them. Ice cream and wine is one of them. It’s been around for a while in Paris, at places like Folderol, and the trend is growing in London, too. But in the Netherlands, no one had taken this on seriously—until Kirsi Rautiainen decided it was time. De Boule De Boule is located at Amstel 1, the redeveloped ground floor of the Stopera on Waterlooplein, and is the Netherlands’ first ice cream and wine salon.
Rautiainen is a hospitality entrepreneur and knew exactly what she wanted to create: a place that’s open all day without going overboard in any one area. Not an ice cream shop that closes in the afternoon, not a wine bar that doesn’t open until the evening. De Boule is both at the same time, and it doesn’t feel forced. Behind the large central bar, coffee, ice cream, and wine take turns in a natural flow. The relaxed seating area invites you to linger, not to just grab something quickly and leave.
The interior is centered around that central bar, which forms the heart of the space. There’s also a covered terrace that catches plenty of sunlight, even on cooler days. It’s a place that easily adapts to the moment: a cup of coffee with pastries on a weekday morning works just as well here as a glass of natural wine with appetizers on a Friday night. Design and music also contribute to the atmosphere, though the venue is intentionally kept as a neighborhood café rather than a statement concept.
The combination of artisanal plant-based ice cream and distinctive natural wines, served all day long on one of the city’s busiest squares, is exactly the kind of concept that Waterlooplein could really use.
The location was chosen wisely. In recent years, Waterlooplein has come to life in the base of the Stopera, a space that had been underutilized for years. Amstel 1 is the name of that redevelopment project, and De Boule is one of its most distinctive tenants. The combination of artisanal plant-based ice cream with expressive natural wines, served all day long on one of the city’s busiest squares, is exactly the kind of concept that Waterlooplein needs.
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