A First-Timer’s Guide To Amsterdam’s Eastern Docklands

The Dutch capital’s culturally switched-on, design-forward eastern district is a joy to get lost in, and the perfect home for Amsterdam’s heritage-rich new Hoxton crash pad

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Amsterdam's Eastern Docklands is not the kind of place where you'll find busloads of overseas exchange students, the stragglers from last night's hen and stag parties or the kind of shop that sells canary-yellow, clog-shaped slippers. While it's often said that this is an area to explore on a second or third visit to the Dutch capital, we say that it's the exact neighbourhood that first-timers should make a beeline for, bearing, as it does, all the best hallmarks of the famously laid-back, accessible and community-centric Netherlands.

Java Eiland, Eastern Docklands, Amsterdam
Veemkade, Eastern Docklands, Amsterdam

Variously known as the New East, the New Amsterdam or the Eastern Islands, the revitalised port area can be reached in around 10 minutes from Centraal station by tram or bike. Constructed in the late 19th century to accommodate the city's growing trade with the Dutch East Indies, its man-made islands and peninsulas - Java-eiland, KNSM-eiland, Sporenburg, Borneo-eiland, Veemarktterein, Abattoirterrein and the Oostelijke Handelskade - were home to buoyant industry until the 1970s, when, outgrown by the ships they once serviced, subsequently diverted west, they fell into disrepair. Prompted by an acute shortage of housing in the late 80s, an ambitious regeneration plan was drawn up, resulting in the blossoming of a colourful, contemporary oasis of world-class urban planning. Chic Scandi design studios, independent boutiques, innovative waterfront architecture (including the award-winning Python bridge), standout cultural venues, destination restaurants, cafés and bars: you'll find them all here.

Whether you want to delve into the Oosterdok's nautical heyday at the Scheepvaartmuseum (Maritime Museum) or get cosy on the heated terrace of a loved-by-locals cocktail spot, take our Eastern Docklands guide with you as you set off to discover the lifeblood of Amsterdam, the IJ (pronounced "eye") waterfront.

Out oost: exploring Amsterdam's Eastern Docklands

Where to stay

Hoxton, Lloyd, Amsterdam, Netherlands

hotel

The Hoxton, Lloyd Amsterdam

If there were ever an edifice worthy of receiving the Wes Anderson treatment, it's this one. Moving into a landmark building originally commissioned by the Royal Holland Lloyd Shipping Company in 1921 - complete with quarantine block, infirmary, luggage stores and ticket office where immigrants would book their crossing to South America - Amsterdam's second Hox does real justice to what represents a living canvas of the Eastern Docklands' dynamic past. Each of the 136 bedrooms is unique, with a selection of concept suites still being perfected, including the Tune Room, with grand piano and palace-sized mirror, and Gather room, whose seven side-by-side beds scream "future girl-gang getaway". With cinematic corridors - warmly illuminated, round-arched and carpeted in bold, geometric prints - a glorious cocktail bar, destination brasserie, small design shop and the country's tallest windmill (now a brewhouse) as a neighbour, this is a bolthole you'll book for a night and want to stay a month. Sign up to owner Ennismore's new Dis-loyalty programme for a half-price stay before 14 December 2023, plus a 20 per cent discount at more than 75 other participating hotels and 10 per cent off your bill at more than 150 restaurants and bars.

Address

Oostelijke Handelskade 34, 1019 BN

Where to eat

restaurant

Pita Queen East

With their authentic Middle Eastern stuffed pitas and soups having gained a huge fanbase via their food truck, pop-ups and a stand at Market 33, in Amsterdam South, Pita Queen's founders, Rutger Stout and Mohamed Mahraoui, have now set up shop in two bricks-and-mortar spaces: one in the Zuidas district and the other here. All the menu iterations, from charmoula tiger prawns and falafel specials to tasty tagines and warming bowls, are homemade, organic and halal, with a dedicated app making ordering takeaway a cinch.

Address

Eerste Van Swindenstraat 68, 1093 NH

Breman Brasserie, Hoxton, Lloyd, Amsterdam

restaurant

Breman Brasserie

Taking a grand space and then installing an eatery that feels fancy but whose remit is sending out perfectly executed comfort classics has become something of a Hoxton trademark, and the high-ceilinged, parquet-floored Breman Brasserie in the brand's latest Amsterdam opening is no exception. Named after the building's original architect, the restaurant's breakfast, lunch and dinner menus take their inspiration from turn-of-the-century European and South American cuisine, while the soaring, shimmering back bar wouldn't look out of place in Buenos Aires' Casa Rosada. If weather permits, grab a seat on the large al fresco terrace and graze on the likes of tuna ceviche, mussels escabeche and spiced aubergine croquettes, moving on to mains that include vodka pomodoro rigatoni, and beef merguez sausage, before rounding things off nicely with a wedge of Dutch apple pie or selection of native cheeses.

Address

Oostelijke Handelskade 34, 1019 BN

VRR, Eastern Docklands, Amsterdam

restaurant

VRR

Cat lovers may take a while getting to the pared-back menu in this vast, concrete- and pine-clad former shipyard workers' canteen, with Ruben, the resident black-and-white moggy who prowls the attached bakehouse, proving quite the distraction, but when they do, Ruben is unlikely to get another look-in. Helmed by Sandar Overeinder, who worked alongside Alice Waters at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, beautifully presented plates such as toast with porcini mushrooms and yolk, and borlotti beans with North Sea crab and fennel make the most of the local larder, while the swoon-worthy sweets - don't leave without trying the Advocaat VRR, which goes into this happy customer's top-three desserts of all time - and gorgeous list of natural wines are the icing on the (in-house-baked) cake.

Address

Conradstraat 471, 1018 NE

Tacos, Soil East, Eastern Docklands, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Photo credit: Genevieve Porter

restaurant

Soil East

Opening last year on Javastraat, one of east Amsterdam's coolest streets, Soil East serves up the same kind of joy-inspiring, plant-based plates that put sibling café Soil West, a stone's throw from Vondel Park, on Amsterdam's foodie map. Dreamed up by chef Gustavo Bottino, a former hardcore carnivore who now creates delicious vegan food for everyone, dishes, which are designed to be shared, include miso salad, kimchi fried rice, laksa and a "pulled pork" made with jackfruit. Drinks range from kombuchas and seriously good coffees to local craft beers and a tight list of noteworthy wines and ports.

Address

Javastraat 40H, 1094 HJ

Where to drink

Coffee, Eastern Docklands, Amsterdam

bar

Barmhartig Coffee

How to find Barmhartig? Follow the fug of coffee and aroma of freshly baked viennoiserie wafting out of its doors, then, if you're lucky, snag a table to enjoy spectacular views of the IJ, Java island and the A'DAM Tower while sipping what might just be the city's best cup of joe. Roasted in-house, the signature blend, made with two parts Ethiopian beans and one part Brazilian, offers notes of red fruit, hazelnut, caramel and dark chocolate, and is also available - purists, look away - in decaf. All milk types under the sun are here, alongside teas, juices and vitamin-packed smoothies that are best enjoyed whizzed up with a shot of house espresso. Caffeine jitters? Who, us?

Address

Veemkade 1288, 1019 CZ

Barbue, Hoxton, Lloyd, Amsterdam

bar

Barbue

Taking its golden-age design cues from the ships that once carried immigrants from here to South America, the Hoxton's new destination bar, Barbue (pronounced "Bar-bweh"), was conceived in collaboration with World's 50 Best bartender Renato Giovannoni, of Buenos Aires' Floría Atlántico. All soaring ceilings, wood panelling and strokeable upholstery in shades of orange, gold and emerald, plus the odd model schooner, its menu represents an odyssey into South American spirits. Order a North Atlantic fizz or cha cha cha and while the night away dreaming up your own escape south.

Address

Oostelijke Handelskade 34, 1019 BN

Where to shop

Cheese, Eastern Docklands

shopping

Fromagerie Kef

This is the second, 2014-opened outpost of the venerable emporium founded by flamboyant cheese lover and bon viveur Abraham Kef in Marnistraat in 1953, and managed by Marike van der Werff since 2005 (who's subsequently opened a third store and tasting room on Amsterdam North's Van der Pekplein). Working closely with Boulogne-sur-Mer-based French affineur Philippe Olivier, and a host of artisanal Dutch producers, van der Werff prides herself on the high quality of her stock, with most of the cheeses coming from small businesses that work with raw milk. A must for true aficionados of the ripe stuff.

Address

Czaar Peterstraat 137, 1018 PH

Pinkdakaaswinkel, Eastern Docklands, Amsterdam

shopping

De Pindakaaswinkel

Peanut butter fiends will go nuts over this speciality store on Czaar Peterstraat, which puts paid to the notion that "crunchy" or "smooth" are pretty much your only PB options. Selling more than 10 handmade varieties on any given day, the shop is loved locally for iterations that include coconut sea salt, date and cinnamon, chilli pepper, lemongrass, white chocolate and more. Spread it on thick.

Address

Czaar Peterstraat 169, 1018 PJ

Market, Eastern Docklands

shopping

Dappenmarkt

One for the magpies among us, this award-winning street market and local institution is home to more than 250 stands: think African makeup brands, Turkish pastries, home essentials, toys and new and vintage fashion. Check the calendar for special events including live music performances, "Ladies' Day" and the annual Christmas Gala. Need more room in your luggage? You can buy a new carry-on here, too. Refuel and admire your purchases in one of the many surrounding cafés.

Address

Dapperstraat, 1093 BK

What to do

Bikes in Amstedam

Set off on a self-guided bicycle tour

Getting on a bike and going with the flow can often feel like a safer option than dodging the locals expertly getting from A to B on two wheels, and a self-guided tour is a brilliant way to explore the Eastern Docklands' post-industrial cityscape. Glide past the old-meets-new architecture on KNSM and Java island, Borneo and Sporenburg, checking out renovated warehouses, bridges, museums and parks (hopping on one of the bike-friendly commuter ferries operating regular services across the waterways when legs get tired, and making a pit stop for a restorative open sandwich or homemade soup at Kanis). Get your ride via one of several city-bike schemes, or try Black Bikes, whose bicycles, tandems and e-bikes can be picked up and dropped off at one of 20 locations around Amsterdam.

Pansy, Eastern Docklands, Amsterdam

thingstodo

Unleash your inner artist at Pansy

A palace of pastels, Pansy's ground floor is a shop selling pretty things made by women-owned and led design studios, makers and artists around the world, from artworks to zines, while cosy creative workshops take place in the airy studio upstairs. Classes are relaxed and friendly, with options including "Hot people paint poetry", "Lumpy mug workshop" and a delicious session held in collaboration with orange wine specialist Cocorico, during which you'll learn all about the world of macerated grapes while painting your own wine label, to be affixed onto a bottle of the vibrant vino you can take home. Proost!

Address

Czaar Peterstraat 68, 1018 PR

thingstodo

Take a deep-dive into chocolate

The diminutive Cacaomuseum, opened in 2017, displays single-origin, bean-to-bar and direct-trade chocolate from countries including Madagascar, Belize, Peru, Brazil and Uganda. Owner Henkjan Laats, who holds a PhD in conflict transformation, and spent 25 years living and working in Latin America and Asia, says: "The nice thing for me is that a cacao museum can be the starting point for many stories about indigenous people, about the rainforests, about good food. The point is not to sell more chocolate, but better chocolate. That means made in the country where it was grown." Rainy afternoons around here are best spent holed up at one of his Chocolate Pairing or Painting with Chocolate sessions. Be sure to exit by the gift shop.

Address

Czaar Peterstraat 175, 1018 PK

Dubbelgroen, Eastern Docklands, Amsterdam

thingstodo

Get green-fingered at Dubbelgroen

Want to expand your planting know-how or simply ensure your balcony is the most admired on the block? This is where to go about it. Dubbelgroen's "Design your own garden" evening workshop, which covers plant knowledge and environmental factors, along with the design and layout of your outdoor space, costs from £43pp. Prefer not to get your hands dirty? Peruse the Dubbelgroen store by day, whose neatly manicured shelves contain organic seeds and bulbs, garden tools, books, tote bags and a wide range of beauty products for the gardener in your life.

Address

Czaar Peterstraat 95, 1018 PD

Amsterdam, Netherlands

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