Lokaal Spaanders

Lokaal Spaanders is a hidden gem in Amsterdam North. Cosy tucked away under the Art Deco style balconies of the charming Zonneplein, which are lined with blossoming flowers almost year round. A stone's throw from the hip but sometimes crowded NDSM wharf, this is the perfect getaway for freelancers, as well as families and people wanting to catch up with friends. The cosy interior is welcoming, and if the weather allows you can sit outside! The kind owners Roos and René are working tirelessly to make this new place into the success it deserves to be. There is good coffee, tea from a local tea grower, fresh smoothies, and a variety of cakes to satisfy your sweet tooth (and then some). There's a kids corner with nice wooden toys, enough magazines and newspapers to read, and if you have a birthday coming up you can find a last minute present there as well: they sell fantastic (cook)books in collaboration with a local bookstore, as well as designer items for your interior, contemporary jewellery by local craftsmen and some delicious honey, dips, chocolate and preserved items. Almost everything from the north side of Amsterdam. In the weekends they also double as a restaurant, and serve a fantastic dinner: original, seasonal dishes full of flavour and skilfully made using organic produce from the nearest community garden. And in wintertime there's cheese fondue. Make sure to keep an eye on their Facebook page because there's always extra events happening: Amsterdam Village Market is their brainchild for example, there is a collaboration with the theatre across the square, podcasts are recorded, writing classes are taught, freelancer network get togethers are organised and so on and so on. Living in this neighbourhood would not have been so fun as it is now, without the presence of Lokaal Spaanders.