The oh-so-nice Café Cress in Amsterdam North
Amsterdam North is boom. With the ferry to the other side, you can get there in no time and yet it immediately feels completely different from the center. We continue to discover things there and we also discovered Café Cress, recently opened by Jeffrey Klepper, Niamh Groentjes and Cyril Martineau, who are not unknown in the catering industry. Now with my own business: the oh so nice thing Cafe Cress in North. And that's what you want.
For people who would like to stay up-to-date with all the new restaurants in Amsterdam: this is the Barts Boekje list.
New catering establishments are being opened all over Amsterdam all the time, and Noord is no longer the place that is lagging behind. Not at all, they compete well with the center of Amsterdam, and we now enjoy coming there. Niamh, Jeffrey & Cyril have been the owners of the new neighborhood restaurant Café Cress for a number of months. A restaurant where you can share dishes. Very cozy. You are also welcome for a drink or a small dish at the bar and in the summer on the terrace on the water with lots of sun (!).
Let's get straight to the point: Cress is a winner. The menu is small, with just enough keywords to give you a rough idea of what you're getting: they don't reveal more than two or three ingredients. All products are fresh and sourced from small, local suppliers and farmers, taking into account exactly what is in season (extra plus points!). The team at Café Cress strives to make everything (yes, really everything) themselves, from vinegar to pastries and from ice cream to kimchi. Anyway, every two weeks there is a new à la carte menu with a choice of two starters and three main courses. And vegetarian lovers are certainly not forgotten here either. Prefer to sample the dishes during an extensive lunch? That is possible with a choice of a 2-, 3-, or 4-course surprise menu. So, a weekly trip to the market, gathering the groceries, cooking up a storm, and making the guests happy. Sounds good, right?
More than good, at Cress. How does that happen? Operation is on point: just fun, nice, always up for a chat. The dishes are great for sharing (although sometimes a little on the small side), to eat through a ring and to die for. Small menu, no stress of choice, so you can share everything together. Besides the friendly staff, the interior of Café Cress is nice and industrial and cozy. It has an open kitchen, large and small tables and plenty of games ready for you in the recess of the bright green wall. Also lots of light through the windows, which go from ceiling to ground.
All in all, definitely a good spot over there in Noord. And the very best? It really is affordable. They recently introduced a special “Cress menu,” a menu that changes constantly, making it ideal for regulars too. This three-course menu will set you back 34 euros. You can easily drop by for an evening to enjoy the dishes and the accompanying wine. They have a specially curated and self-imported collection, so be sure to ask about it. Or come by in the summer, when they have sun all day on the large terrace and you can comfortably sip your Aperol Spritz all afternoon.
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