This beloved factory-sized café used to be the engine room of the pumping station for the water that came to Amsterdam from the dunes at Vogelenzang. Following the trend of repurposing industrial buildings for entertainment - just like the gasworks found a new life in Culture Park Westergasfabriek -, the station was renovated in the 1980s by the Westerpark city council, and leased since 1996 to Café-Restaurant Amsterdam. The result is a monumental dining room with airy high ceilings. While service is more efficient than warm  (or as warm as the sunlight that pours through the gargantuan windows), the menu is worthy of the best Parisian bistros with rillettes, steak tartare, cassoulet and a great selection of fresh seafood.