De VerbroederIJ
Good stuff
Enormous “beach” for kids to play, with play equipment
2 resident pigs (Barry and Rosita) to say hello to
Big family customer-base
Open at 9am on weekends - in case you’ve been awake since 4.30am and 9am counts as time for a late-morning coffee
Beware
The location always experiences the brunt of the wind
Baby changing table is outside
Very busy in good weather and often not enough shade to go round. Bring hats and sunscreen.
The full details
I’m going to put it straight out there and say that De VerbroederIJ is my absolute go to place for koffie with kids in Amsterdam. It’s basically the reason I set up this blog.
Why? Because, as the place I most frequently suggest to meet up with friends, it delivers every single time. What does it deliver, exactly? That for which I am searching every time I sit down in a cafe with my kids - the ability to drink my coffee and enjoy it for a time without constantly being on high alert. To have a conversation and reach a conclusion. To breathe in and really feel the breeze and the sun on my face.
But what does that mean in practical terms? It means there is a gigantic “beach”, with oodles of outdoor seating, where kids can run free but within eyesight, sit in the driving seat of the tiny derelict banger and dig sand to their hearts’ content. You don’t have to separate yourself from others in order to supervise your children. There’s very little that might break.
The customer base is extremely mixed but with a very large family contingent, so you don’t need to worry that normal kid behaviour is going to inconvenience or annoy someone.
The menu is perfect for kids, including all the essentials - chips, bread and dips, ijsjes, chocomelk and juice. It’s also pretty great for adults too. The coffee is lovely and the food (all vegetarian) often includes produce grown on the site. There is also a wonderful view over the IJ.
If you have energetic younger children, I’d suggest giving the indoor area a miss as it does not boast a lot of space between tables, and it does boast a fireplace.
Look out for me and the boys if you go - in case you haven’t guessed, we are regulars.
