Kafé Kontrast in Oude Pijp

Before the menu change, it was a great place with delicious salmon toasts and a good Scandinavian breakfast. After the menu change, only one dish with salmon remained, and it wasn’t particularly edible. The potato base was just a fried crouton — bread would have been a much better choice. Please return Scandinavian breakfast... Also Rempah latte was too sweet, however there is no sweet ingredients in the description

Food and ambience were great! I recommend the kayak toast🤤

Horrible food and service slow as hell. I will never go back

I ordered a chicken sandwich. It tasted great, but with one slice of brioche for €19, it's really way too expensive. Just give me two slices of regular bread and shave €5 off the price. That still leaves me paying premium, and I don't have to eat a sandwich at home because I'm still hungry. The waitresses were great, and the atmosphere is nice.

Great place. Nice located. The food is excellent. Spicy aubergine is one of those plates that you encounter a different sense on each bite. Like a true Michelin dish. Rest of options are well ballanced. Service could be a bit better. But overall is fine. Wines a bit expensive. We might come back. We almost tried all the menu being 2 but ig they renew the options I would keep coming.

We visited Amsterdam for my birthday weekend and this restaurant had such a lovely vibe with very friendly staff. The weather was beautiful so the doors were open wide. Candles were placed on the table for a romantic feel and the food was delicious! We ordered meatballs and they were so good! The only upsetting part for me was not ordering any garlic bread... I didn't realise until after we'd eaten but it looked amazing! Oh well, I'll just have to go back when I'm next in Amsterdam! 😂 Thank you for a lovely dining experience x

Had a lovely dinner on the patio! Delicious drinks and everything from start to finish was amazing.

Brunch Special Indonesian-Scandinavian Fusion

Two cultures, one cafe and a lot of questions 🙂 A wonderful mix of Scandinavian and Indonesian cuisines The food, atmosphere and service were incredible. I especially loved the Nasi Uduk and the Slow Roasted Chicken Smörrebröd

We tried the Scandinavian plate and the KÖTTBULLAR. The Swedish meatballs paired w their sauce was very tasty! However the scandanavian dish was a pass for me. The salmon did not taste good and the fermented vegetables had a weird taste in my opinion. The bread, jam and sour cream were nice though. For sure try their Matcha!! Tasted amazing! I got it with a bit of sweetener. The space inside is also a bit cramped i would say, but outside space is nice.

Great place! You should try the aubergines.

Very bad service, more than 1 hour of waiting for the food and all other tables were served although

The service is fast, and the food and drinks are very good. I was able to discover new things, especially in the drinks. (The place is a bit noisy, though.)

The concept is fascinating, blending Indonesian and Scandinavian influences is so creative, and I absolutely love it! The Kretek-inspired coffee is a standout for me. It really does remind me of the real Kretek cigarette in such a nostalgic and aromatic way. The Kaya toast was also a lovely surprise. While it’s not exactly like the Indonesian version I’m familiar with, it’s still incredibly flavorful and well done. Overall, the food is delicious, though I did find it a bit too buttery after trying several dishes. It’s also on the pricey side (comparable to De Pijp), and the space can get a bit noisy.

The menu was creative and the taste was good. However, it’s very very pricey for what you get, even for Amsterdam. So it’s not really worth it. You also have to order and pay at the bar, which is something I didn’t expect for a place like this / how much they charge. The atmosphere was not enjoyable. Tables are placed very close to each other and when everyone is talking it gets so loud that you have to shout to be able to have a conversation. They allow dogs inside and when we were there there was a barking dog, so it made the atmosphere even worse.

Food was delicious with some great unique dishes. We went for dinner and it did not disappoint. Mussels were my favourite, so much flavour! The service is casual and super friendly. Definitely recommend.

What a great spot. We ended spending here whole afternoon. The place perfectly transitions from lunch time to afternoon drinks. The food is remarkable and really surprising. Great selection of non-alcoholic drinks. Hibiscus drink is 10/10. Nice wine card. The service (especially Inca!) was beyond kind and created an amazing atmosphere. We stayed until the closing. Will be back :)

I was really looking forward to visiting this café and had been wanting to come here for a long time. Unfortunately, it turned out to be quite a disappointment. Despite the high prices, you have to place your order at the counter, which feels off – at this price point, table service should be included. We ended up waiting 45–50 minutes for our food, even though the café wasn’t even full. That’s way too long, in my opinion. The presentation of the dishes is beautiful, but sadly, that’s not enough to make us come back. It’s a real shame. I’d love to make it my go-to spot, but so far it seems to be more focused on aesthetic, but not service.

Pros: Food is okay, friendly staff and nice interior and decoration, with a coat hanger, which is good. Cons: Ambient music was too loud and the toilet has a high step to enter that’s hard to see if have low vision (like me).

We went there in the evening hoping to find the Kaya toast. The waiter patiently informed us that they don't serve it in the evening. He even went on to check with the chef before confirming. We decided to reserve brunch for the next day.Oh boy! the Kaya toast was amazing.Totally worth it. each bite was oozing with flavor and the combinations were spot on!

Monika helped us a lot, delicious food!

They messed up our order and some of us were finished before others got the food. However, the owner came to personally apologize which I appreciated. The food was great in terms of taste but the portion size is not sufficient and definitely not adequate for the price. Also, for the price orders should be taken at the table and not in the front. The pillow on the bench was loose and some metal things reaching out of the bench would have almost damaged my pants. Lastly, the sanitary facilities were filthy with tissues all over the floor. I hope the restaurant can improve on those points because in principle it seems to have a lot of potential!

We really loved the food, the service and vibe in this place :)

Pleasant flavors. Delicious for meeting up in a group. I discovered the jasmine tea latte and the nast uduk but the kaya toast are very good.

-2 smelly dogs installed in the table behind me before the food arrived (not support dogs) -waiters/waitress petting the dogs -eggplant is the only good point i can grant

It's truly remarkable! The dishes are exquisite and the ingredients are exceptionally fresh. I have thoroughly enjoyed the meatballs, and the sauces are amazing. This is my third visit to this restaurant, and I would definitely return again.

The Food was super good and the Vibe was even better.

We tried to come here for brunch on a Saturday and almost all tables were empty and yet we got told by the staff that we can only have the table for 40mins!? We were with our 2month old baby and guess it’s a bit too much to ask to rush down our brunch in an empty cafe. Sorry but this was really too much and we left straight away!

As an Indonesian myself, I had high expectations to be honest so maybe my disappointment strongly affects my rating. We were excited to try the kaya toast but the kaya was quite sweet and the butter was very salty. Not very authentic. We also waited at least 40 minutes for the food to come out even though the place wasn’t that full. Also tried the kopi kretek and the mix of flavours was odd. The nasi uduk, and all the meals, was also a very small portion for the price and not very authentic. The swedish meatballs were not bad though, but it also wasn’t anything mind blowing. I guess if you’re really homesick you could go and get the food here but otherwise maybe not.

Very chill cafe with very fresh food, recommended

Just very Gezellig in general, food unique and delicious, atmosphere very pleasant!

Lovely place to have breakfast, lunch or just a quick coffee. Staff is very welcoming and hospitable and the food is simple snd really tasty! Update: went again after a year and I have to say they really improved a lot! Now they also serve dinner and the Scandinavian and Indonesian influences really work well together. Absolutely worth a visit. Also the service was very kind & hospitable even though you order at the counter. Overall a great experience and can’t wait to be back!

You let people reserve through a booking system, come and arrive at their time slot 15:00 then letting them know that 80% of the available dishes are sold out. Upon arrival and when we order at the counter the information was not matching with regard to which dishes were still available . What a joke. Not even worth a single star.

18 EUR for one piece of bread with a few pieces of beef served on a small dessert plate is not a 'lunch'! The taste was great, can't say anything about that, but for price the portion was tiny, i really felt ripped off and very disappointed. It was so small, i had to go get a sandwich somewhere else after.

The Swedish meatballs were absolutely fresh and delicious, almost like the ones I had in Stockholm. I do think it’s a bit pricey at €24, though. I also had Kaya toast, the mix of flavors was so unique. I never imagined I’d enjoy so many different flavors together, but I loved it!

Lovely experience with delicious food and attentive service. Best of both worlds.

Had the Bourbon Braised-Beef Smörrebröd which was nice. Even for AMS, expensive for a very small portion so don’t expect a big meal

This was one of our favorite restaurants in Amsterdam. The atmosphere is sophisticated and casual. The service was lovely (with one hard-working waitperson managing to take good care of the entire place). The food was delicious, with interesting, layered flavors. The chicken and especially the eggplant/aubergine were noteworthy. The coconut rice perfectly complemented our meals. Don’t leave without ordering the bread pudding with the brûléed crust—just wonderful! The prices were reasonable, especially given the quality of the food. Highly recommend it.

We insist on having breakfast or brunch here, every time we visit Amsterdam, and with good reason. Their Kaya toast is honestly extraordinary, such a luxury, soft and sweet evolution of the sober dish most people know it as. The owners clearly realised their dream by opening Café Kontrast, putting all their love and attention to detail into the menu, styling and atmosphere of the restaurant. You can't go wrong by dropping by here :)

Delicious food, nice people in a cozy restaurant. The bread pudding for dessert is highly recommended!

I really love this cafe! There are many cafes in Amsterdam that feel a bit commercial / impersonal, but here you really feel like someone has put thought into how to make people feel welcome and create a nice experience and special food creations for them 🫶🏼 I also looooved the Jollof club Collab they once had, I hope they’ll have it again some time

Absolutely amazing — the atmosphere, the service, and the food! We tried the Kaya toast and the Scandinavian breakfast, and left feeling absolutely stuffed. The Kaya toast, in particular, was heavenly!

i’m a fan of the place, food is yum, nice service, affordable. Also get Kaya toast!

Cute cafe. Coffee is decent, kaya toast is amazing. Cardamom bun and meatball is okay. I like the atmosphere here.

Everything we ate was a banger (incredibly good), dishes combinations were unique and the vibe was super chill. Bread pudding was *chefs kiss* to finish it all off.

Really enjoyed it. Lovely food and friendly staff. I'll be returning soon.

Good and innovative food, trustworthy and an impeccable at home ambiance! Would recommend!

Fantástica comida y un servicio impecable! El ambiente era muy divertido y ya estamos deseando nuestra próxima visita.

Great vibes in a cool spot. Love the ambiance and really top staff. Great food with unexpected combinations. Really something unique and delicious you can’t get anywhere else in Amsterdam

A cozy fusion (Swedish/Indonesian) restaurant with super friendly people and delicious food. An asset to the Amsterdam catering industry!

Oh how we love Kafé Kontrast. Just tried out the winter menu and were both floored by the aubergine with sambal and whipped feta as well as the pork belly and delicious appetizers. Love the atmosphere, love the food and the staff, and love the refreshing and unpretentious ideas about flavors and cuisines. Bonus that dogs are also welcome (sorry that he put his paw on the table). Will be back ASAP!

Gran vibra en un lugar fresco. Me encanta el ambiente y el personal realmente superior. Gran comida con combinaciones inesperadas. Realmente algo único y delicioso que no se puede conseguir en ningún otro lugar de Amsterdam

Absolutely awesome experience! Very tasty

Fantastic experience with exceptional food! We came here on a work team event and spent an amazing evening! Very happy to have tried the meatballs, highly recommend!

Really delicious and wonderful restaurant vibe. Would recommend!

Tenía un almuerzo muy fresco aquí. Recomendaría encarecidamente el desayuno 'scandi' - era diferente a todo lo que he tenido antes - si viviera en Amsterdam volvería semanalmente! Nuestra comida llegó antes de nuestras bebidas, pero el personal era disculpado y, para ser justos, estaba muy ocupado. Una experiencia agradable en general en este lugar ambiental.

Best kaya toast ever (second would be yakun)

Didn't make a reservation but got a table. Friendly and helpful staff but far too few. Coffees were excellent. After 20 minutes we got our Scandinavian Breakfast and Gravlax Smorbrod. Instantly regretted my breakfast. The pickles turned out to be some cubes of beetroot. The whipped beurre noisette is a rock hard block of salt. The cheese was nothing special, the jam that tasted of nothing was elegantly spread half over the beetroot and my bread (which was tasty) was covered in jam. Egg came with a beautiful gray border around the yellow. As a culinary highlight, some strings of cucumber. They forgot the side-order salmon, but they quickly brought it back. As a half-Dane, I know roughly what a Scandinavian Breakfast should be. This looked more like an unimaginative hostel breakfast from the former Soviet Union. 15 minutes after I received this culinary masterpiece, we were asked to leave the tent as quickly as possible because there were people waiting.

Went here for brunch as a group of 3. We really enjoyed the food and drink and the atmosphere was really nice. Only point of improvement would be that the food could’ve come a little bit faster ⭐️

Great tasting food at a fair price. You have to order food and drinks at the bar, but this keeps the service efficient and quick (this cannot be said for the majority of restaurants in Amsterdam). Only feedback would be to slightly increase the portion size.

thank you monica for hosting such a wholesome night. the scandi / indonesian fusion kitchen tasted amazing and the homemade schnaps rounded up a perfect dinner experience

Such a great place! The atmosphere is so chilled, the food really really good. We loved every single bite and sip - especially the heartfelt service and thought Monica and the team put in here. We’ll be back for sure! 🥰

I always think of Kafé Kontrast whenever I crave Kaya Toast. The generous kaya spread and the addition touch of butter make it absolutely perfect 😋 Second favourite goes to the Sourdough Bread. The cream adds a fresh layer of flavour to the bread, LOV!! Though the Matcha Latte was a bit watery, this is still my go-to cafe in Amsterdam :-)

We had a mixed experience at Kafé Kontrast. Although the cuisine was tasty, we did not enjoy our lunch for 2 main reasons. 1. The restaurant is really too noisy for our taste. Something needs to be done about the acoustics of the restaurant because we are used to going to restaurants but this time it was really unbearable. 2. The wait to get the dishes was too long. It's difficult to ask people to have lunch in 1.5 hours but have service that's a little too slow. Besides its aspects, the place is nice, the food is tasty and the service pleasant. It’s a shame because it could really be a very nice restaurant.

I came in here to do a poo, and it was so nice that I stayed for lunch... the toilet was exceptionally clean and for me that's a telltale sign of a great Cafe. Well done Kafe Kontrast.

Love love love this cosy little restaurant. The cuisine is a fusion of Swedish and Indonesian. The dishes are very creative, delicious and you can tell a lot of love has been put into it. Been here a few times for special occasions and the food never fails to delight. The staff are all happy, service oriented and kind. It’s a pleasure to be here.

Such a cute and cosy place! We had some wine and some snacks and I would go back to try their breakfast or dinner menu.

Really tasty food with super friendly service. Love all of the interesting flavor combinations in their dishes. For both lunch and dinner, every meal I’ve had at Kate Kontrast has been delicious.

Delicious food, their house made bread and butter, as well as their bread pudding are divine!!

What a find, what an idea, what an experience! Lovely staff and a fantastic menu (absolutely do try the kaya toast, it’s an amazing taste and texture combo!)

Delicious! Loved the kaya toast, the vibe is also lovely, definitely drop by!

Came here twice already. One for dinner and one for a quick bite. Love the interior and the hospitality of the employees

A unique mix with great flavors. Stumbled on Kafe Kontrast and it was one of the best meals of our trip

Came for Sunday brunch whilst on a trip from London. Booked it only because we walked past and I was obsessed with the exterior design (a good type face is enough to get me in the door)…it totally lived up to expectations. Lovely vibe inside, food out of this world - I got the meatballs dish and a spiced latte (forgotten the name annoyingly but it had coconut milk in and was so creamy and delicious). My boyfriend got the smoked salmon which was 10/10 too. Also we were heading to the airport soon after so had our luggage, I was nervous of it getting in the way but they had a perfect cloakroom space for everything to go in! Super helpful.

Not my first time at kafe kontrast and after year or so they still maintain good quality of food, everything's tasty and unusual mixes of flavors. We had mushroom toastie and rice with vegetables (could not remember the name if the dish), liked both. Not very big portions in a range of 12-18€, options to add salmon or meatballs that are, by the way, very delicious. Place almost always full around 12-14, so recommend booking in advance! Can be a bit too loud but good worth it.

Lovely casual spot for delicious food

My friend and I accidentally stumbled upon this cute little restaurant hidden between the many stores in de pijp and we loved it. Even though, it’s a small place, it’s super cozy and cute. The food was lovely and the service was on top! A girl, named Aino was super sweet and helpful making our brunch an unforgettable experience. It’s a perfect place for a breakfast or dinner:)

Must try kaya toasti! We reorder kaya toste cuz it’s really really tasty. Wine is also very good :)

Amazing food great service and lovely atmosphere, will definitely visit again if I'm around!

Very tasty. Interesting mixture of cuisines. Only 2 staff when we arrived which meant the person doing front of house was a little rushed as it was quite busy but then another girl arrived as we were finishing up and things went a little smoother. Would return.

lovely staff and the food was incredible

Small restaurant in Amsterdam South. Nice to see that they have dishes that represent Indonesia and Scandinavia. Menu is not large, but understandable since it is a small restaurant. Meals were tasty and they do have the potential to expand the menu by offering more dishes. If an extra chef can be added to the kitchen (which is difficult to recruit staff for in the catering industry these days), the restaurant can offer much more and become more popular in my opinion. A small point of improvement for Kafe Kontrast is to offer slightly more soft drinks on their menu. I am not allowed to drink alcohol for medical reasons and there were a few soft drink options available to me. This gives a 3.5 star rating, but I will round it up to 4 stars. Service is worth 5 stars because there were few staff on duty the evening I came there to eat. 1 person in the kitchen and 1 person in the service. The staff was very friendly and really did their best to speak to and help everyone. Atmosphere is worth 4.5 stars because it is a small restaurant where they really do their best to make something beautiful. The music was a bit too loud that evening, so I had to talk louder to my companions to make myself heard.

Went there for a Sunday brunch. It was a lovely experience! The place focuses on the mix of scandinavian and indonesian cuisine, which seemed rather odd to me, but when I went there it all made sense. I tried the rice with tempeh and vegetables - it was not my preference, but it was still good. Hands down they have the most balanced ratio of ingredients in a meatball dish - they were delicious. The puree was perfect, the jam, the meatballs, the sauce. Worth every cent! Also had the summer strawberry lemonade which really brought me to my childhood haha, because the taste of strawberry was natural. Will for sure come here again to try some other meals!

Delicious food, lovely service and cozy atmosphere! Soo special to find a restaurant that serves such tasty ayam taliwang in Amsterdam! 😆🥰

Beautiful place with amazing food and service. Will definitely be returning!

Possibly one of the most interesting and delicious meals I have had in Amsterdam in a long time. We went in a group and had everything on their dinner menu. There was not one thing we didn’t enjoy. I particular loved the mussels, the Kaya toast, and the pork belly. I look forward to trying out their brunch soon!

Great meal. Staff friendly, general atmosphere very tranquil.

Me gusta mucho ir aquí para un brunch rápido y una inyección de fusión. Personalmente me encanta el Brindis Kaya en un día muy activo. Sus cafés helados se obtienen cuidadosamente y también se recomienda.

Make sure to try the kaya toast! 🤤

Cozy and cute spot with excellent food! The mix of nordic and Indonesian elements makes it fresh and interesting to try! My fav on the menu was leek with pistacho cream🥹

Excellent Kaya Toast I have ever.

Their delicious ice-cold iced coffee is recommended!

I had a fantastic meal here and would love to return next time. Everything we ordered was a banger and priced reasonably. I especially loved the chicken and the side potatoes.

The Kaya Toast is authentic!!!!

A unique, charming, idyllic cafe and restaurant brought to you by most talented and fantastic culinary/hospitality team. The cuisine can be described as Indonesia meets Sweden. It is simply so good. Not only food looks fantastic but it also tastes simply divine. The attention to each detail from interior to tables to plates, just makes me emotional. I love it here. Recommended 💯 Open Wednesday to Sunday. On weekends they do brunch and other than that they are open from 4pm for bites and then transform into dinner concept. I love their blue mussels with burrata and the duck rillette is divine. The Kaya toast for brunch as well as the Swedish meatballs are unmissable.

Very odd menu but lovely staff.

The food itself only made up for part of the wait. Rice was overcooked. Babi ketjap was good until you noticed the burnt aftertaste. Chicken was fine, but that's about it. Pandan bread pudding was tasty. The potatoes too. Waited a long time for the food. The receipt was probably lost... Street is too noisy to eat quietly. Most portions are too small and prices too high.

We loved this sweet resto with an innovative menu - only downside was the smokers on the outside tables

Staff is so friendly, food is so so good 🥰 I recommend the meatballs, Scandinavian breakfast & kaya toast!

Food was really delicious, love the concept, outstanding service, great experience overall