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.