Café Hoppe is simply perfect: an absolute Amsterdam classic that fully lives up to its reputation. We stopped by in the middle of a hectic day, and it was the ideal place to warm up, relax, and escape the chaos.
We loved all the beers we tried, and we also had the typical Dutch jenever, which was such a fun and delicious addition. The bitterballen were excellent, perfectly crispy and exactly what you hope for with a cold drink.
The iconic sand on the floor gave it that old-school, authentic feel, and despite being right in the middle of the city, it felt cozy and calm (we went at midday). The atmosphere is warm, charming, and genuinely local.
Service was super friendly, welcoming, and fast, which made the whole experience even better.
Very disappointing experience. The burger was extremely dry and almost tasteless. The vegetables felt undercooked and added no flavor at all.
We asked to replace the burger with a steak, but the steak arrived after a very long wait and looked honestly terrible. It was not properly cooked, so we decided to cancel it altogether.
The fries were another letdown — both too dry and too oily at the same time, which made them unpleasant to eat.
The only thing that was somewhat okay was the mac & cheese, but unfortunately one decent item can’t save the overall experience.
For the price and expectations, this was far below standard. I wouldn’t normally write a negative review, but this visit really missed the mark.
6th of December evening. Rude bouncer guy at the door. I was waiting there for a minute outside of the bar by one of the tables, to enter inside once my friends come. There was no one sitting in any of the tables nor i was blocking the entrance. He came and told me to leave by saying ‘they need to keep that area blank’. So i have to wait for my friends in another street? Doesn’t make any sense. I wont be coming here again for sure. Neither my friends.
If I could give less than one star, I would. A 1 hour 15 minute wait for a measly plate of pasta and a tiny piece of meat with two green beans and three sad-looking pieces of potato. Absolutely no effort was made. Considering the price, I expected better. And yes, there were only three tables. It's far too expensive for what it is. I DO NOT RECOMMEND IT!!
Tourists are clearly not welcome when locals are around.
We had a good experience on Thursday: the bar wasn’t crowded, the service was good, and the draft beers were nice.
On Friday night, we were treated very differently. We asked for a table and were told to wait. When a table became free, we confirmed with a staff member that it was available and went to take it.
At that point, another staff member stopped us and said the table was already taken and that “the ladies” would be using it, seating them instead.
This was frustrating, disrespectful, and made us feel deliberately pushed aside. Based on this experience, service here depends on who you are, not on fairness or order.