Imagine this: you’re eating a pizza while watching skaters practice tricks on the halfpipe through a large window. That’s everyday life at Matto Pizza in Noord. The building on Aambeeldstraat has an industrial feel, the atmosphere is casual, and the pizzas come out of a real wood-fired brick oven. No ornate facades, no polished interiors. Concrete floors, high ceilings, and that oven that warms the space while outside, the outdoor terrace along the IJ awaits.
The business was founded by Max and Gijs, two people with a clear vision of what they wanted to create. Not a grand café, not a fancy restaurant. Just good pizza, in a neighborhood that wasn’t asking for it but definitely needed it. They built a team around them, with employees like Adam Sumner, Melissa Sanderson, and Patries van der Schoot, who kept the business running for more than five years. That’s no small feat in the restaurant industry.
The building serves its purpose. The industrial space on Aambeeldstraat is located right on the northern bank of the IJ, a part of Noord that has become increasingly vibrant in recent years. The indoor skatepark next to the restaurant isn’t just a coincidence: the panoramic view of it was a deliberate choice. You watch the action while you eat. And when the weather permits, you can step outside onto the large terrace overlooking the IJ. Two very different experiences, all under one roof.
The combination of a wood-fired oven, a skate park to watch, and a terrace along the IJ sounds almost too good to be true on paper. In practice, it just works.
In recent years, Noord has seen many new places come and go. Matto Pizza has been there for more than five years, and that says something. Not by shouting the loudest, but by continuing to make the pizzas the neighborhood wants to eat. The restaurant consistently scores well on TripAdvisor, though that says less than the regulars who show up every week. The combination of a wood-fired oven, a skate park to watch, and a terrace along the IJ sounds almost too good to be true on paper. In practice, it just works.