We always say that Amsterdam is a village and it really is. Mostly because the vast majority of my friends live 5 minutes away from me and hardly anyone has to commute more than a few streets away to get to work. This ameans that unless you have a specific reason to head to the outer suburbs, you might simply never ever get there. Unfortunately this often leads to people missing out on a lot of great things this city has to offer, because believe it or not, there is cool stuff happening outside the ring (the ring is the motorway A10, which is often regarded as the city’s unofficial limits). Thus, while on a month-long detox, I took advantage of my hang-over-free weekends to go on a mission to re-discover the beauty of my adopted home.
After my first trip to the beach in years, I decided to venture in the opposite direction and cycle all the way out to Durgerdam. This gorgeous little town, just outside of Amsterdam, is picture perfect and a truly scenic spot from where to watch the world go by. I could hardly believe such a quaint little place was so close by!
On my way back I decided to swing by the Espressofabriek outlet on Ijburg. Honestly speaking, there really isn’t much of a reason for you to go all the way out there just for a cup of coffee, but if you happen to be in the area, it’s great to know that Rick Woertman and his capable team run a remote outpost of their legendary Westergasfabriek coffee roastery on Ijburg.
A lot smaller than their two floor HQ, Espressofabriek Ijburg feels a lot more like a cozy neighbourhood cafe, which it effectively is. Dominated by wooden panels that curve down from the ceiling, or up from the floor depending on your point of view, this corner cafe has the atmosphere of a country house living room where you can go to read your Sunday newspaper while sipping on an expertly brewed cup of coffee.
Wouter, who was on duty that day and looks confusingly similar to Francesco of White Label, was happy to give me some insights as I placed my order for an iced latte. “The crowd here is quite different to Westergas. There we get lots of young professionals and tourists. Here we get a lot of locals. It’s a lot more relaxed here.” I guess for the peeps working at Espressofabriek it’s nice to get the variation of doing shifts both here and there and if you really don’t feel like cycling out here, you’ll be pleased to know that you can take your bike on Tram 26, which terminates around the corner.
I quite enjoyed sitting back on the bench outside and just taking in Ijburg’s relaxed way of life. Wouter told me that Rick personally delivers most of the pastries and cakes every morning and their selection of German hipster sodas also left quite an impression on me. All in all, this far away coffee spot will make for a great stop over over while exploring the outer islands or if you end up staying here as a guest.
