Perched on the Nieuwe Doelenstraat in the heart of Centrum, Café de Jaren is one of Amsterdam's most beloved grand cafés, offering sweeping riverside terraces and sun-drenched reading rooms above the Amstel. Whether you're a local Jordaan regular or arriving fresh from Dam Square, this is the café Amsterdam keeps coming back to.
Café de Jaren opened in 1990 in a former bank building in Amsterdam's historic Centrum, and it quickly became the city's living room — a place where students from the nearby Universiteit van Amsterdam share tables with journalists, artists, and afternoon wanderers. The soaring ceilings, exposed brick, and two sun-lit terraces overlooking the Amstel capture everything that makes Dutch café culture so enduring. This is not just a place to drink coffee; it is a place to feel the rhythm of Amsterdam itself.
Explore MoreFrom a rich Dutch-roast koffie verkeerd to a precise single-origin espresso, our bar honours the serious coffee culture that Amsterdam has nurtured for centuries. Every cup is pulled to order, best enjoyed on the Amstel-facing terrace as the canal boats drift by.
Our kitchen serves an all-day menu rooted in fresh, seasonal Amsterdam market produce — think open-faced broodjes, soups, and generous salads that change with the Dutch seasons. It is the kind of honest, unfussy food that keeps Centrum locals returning week after week.
Café de Jaren's two terraces are among the most sought-after sun spots in central Amsterdam, sitting just steps from the Amstel and facing the city's iconic gabled rooflines. Inside, the reading room — stocked with international newspapers — is a quiet refuge from the bustle of the Rembrandtplein crowds.
Few spaces in Amsterdam carry the easy, unhurried grandeur of Café de Jaren — where afternoon light pours through tall windows onto marble tabletops and the low hum of conversation never quite stops. Whether you claim a terrace chair above the Amstel or settle into a corner of the reading room, every visit feels like a proper Amsterdam afternoon well spent.
"Café de Jaren is my favourite spot in all of Amsterdam — I come here every Saturday for coffee and the newspapers, and the terrace view over the Amstel never gets old. There's nowhere else in Centrum that feels quite this special."
"I've been a regular at De Jaren for years and it remains the gold standard for grand café culture in Amsterdam. The brunch is excellent and the atmosphere on a sunny Amsterdam afternoon is simply unbeatable."
"Visiting Amsterdam from Utrecht and a friend insisted we stop at Café de Jaren — I immediately understood why it has such a reputation. The riverside terrace, the soaring interior, the coffee: it felt like the real heart of the city."
Nieuwe Doelenstraat 20-22, 1012 CP Amsterdam, Netherlands
Mon–Thu 09:00–01:00 · Fri–Sat 09:00–02:00 · Sun 09:30–01:00