Café de Jaren sources quality beans and the coffee is consistently mentioned as excellent in reviews. The espresso is pulled to order and the microfoam is done with care. People sit in this café for hours specifically because the coffee is good and it's hard to find bad coffee here.
Tips from diners
This is the coffee to order if you're settling in for 2-3 hours at a terrace table — quality is consistent and worth the price.
The soup changes daily and is made in-house. Reviewers note this is a reliable option if the menu feels overwhelming — the soup is always solid, warm, and a good pairing with a sandwich. On rainy days, this is what people order to sit by the window and watch the Amstel.
Tips from diners
Pair this with a window seat facing the river on grey days — very Dutch, very cozy.
Café de Jaren features a full salad bar on the first floor where you select from multiple vegetables, grains, proteins (including tofu and chickpeas), and house-made dressings. The quality is higher than typical café salads — vegetables are fresh and prepped daily, and dressings are made in-house. The system is efficient and lets you customize exactly what you want.
Tips from diners
The salad bar is available at lunch only — arrive between 12-2pm for the full selection before items run low.
The burger is constructed in the Dutch style — not oversized, with a thin patty cooked through, and standard toppings. The special sauce (a house blend similar to Thousand Island) ties the flavors together. This is casual café fare done consistently well.
Tips from diners
Order this with a drink and watch the kitchen — the burger is fast and designed for quick turnover.
This sandwich exemplifies the café's approach to simple, quality lunch items. The sourdough is sturdy, the salmon is good quality, and the proportions are balanced — not too much cream cheese overwhelming the fish. Reviewers note this is a classic Amsterdam lunch that tastes better because the café invests in ingredient quality.
Tips from diners
This is the perfect 'eat alone and watch the river' sandwich — substantial but not so heavy you need a nap after.
Café de Jaren opened in 1990 as one of Amsterdam's largest cafés, and its scale is the point — the building spans multiple levels with high ceilings, a reading table on the ground floor, a full restaurant upstairs, and a spectacular sunny terrace facing the Amstel River and Kloveniersburgwal. The café serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner with an extensive menu, and the terrace is the main draw — it can hold 200+ guests and is the place to be on sunny days. The café is also accessible by boat, with its own jetty.
The terrace is the main draw — it holds 200+ people and faces the Amstel River. Arrive early on sunny days or you'll stand waiting for a table.
The upstairs restaurant is separate from the ground floor café and quieter. Request a table by the window — the river views at night are romantic.
On bad weather days, the indoor spaces (ground floor and upstairs) are warm and less crowded than the terrace. It's a good day to sit by the window with a long book and coffee.
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