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
23 October, 2023
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Where to drink
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?
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.
Where to shop
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.
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.
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.
What to do
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.
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!
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.
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.
