Think outside: (plenty of) cozy wooden picnic tables, red and white chairs, tall barrels transformed into tables, lights, candles, and just about anything to create a cozy atmosphere. In winter, you can also find a wonderfully cozy spot indoors. And sorry to say it again, but location, location, location! From early morning until late evening, you can sit here by the water in the sun, completely surrounded by greenery in the heart of Vondelpark.

In the summer, you'll definitely be hooked, as this is the perfect place for any occasion. Whether you're reading a newspaper in the morning, working on a laptop in the afternoon (because flexible working will be totally hip in 2025), hanging out in the swing with the kids, or celebrating a birthday party. Drinking beer and eating pizza with friends? That's fine too. Ideal for groups, but you'll be perfectly happy here on your own.

Private party or work event? It's possible! With all the different terraces, you won't be fighting over that last table in the sun, and you won't have to deal with that annoying neighbor. So, a large terrace is quite convenient.

As we said, you'll definitely be in a good place here in the summer, but you'll also find everything you need in the winter. The interior is more than cozy. Checkerboard floor (we think it's great) and a big disco ball on the ceiling. The enormous bar in the middle of the restaurant as eyecatcher then finishes this. There is a fireplace, very cozy.

The menu has been refined in recent years. Something for everyone, Grand Café style. Wood-fired pizzas now take center stage, the lunch offerings are more extensive than ever, and the kids' menu takes center stage. A simple croissant in the morning or an açaí bowl—it's still Amsterdam. In the afternoon, (well-filled) sourdough bread, toasted sandwiches, (vegetarian) burgers, or a burrata salad. For the kids? Mini pancakes.

Drinks? From craft beer on tap to pitchers of your favorite cocktail (Moscow mules!). Ordering is done with a QR code, but table service is available. Also handy – you can pick up anything you can think of at the small takeaway counter inside. How about hot chocolate or mulled wine after your walk in Vondelpark?

Now perhaps the most enjoyable part, because as we said, everything has been thought about. No one has to be bored during a visit to the Melkhuis. Reserve a Jeu de Boules court online so you can play a game while eating. At the weekend there is a real bouncy castle for the kids, and you can get all kinds of sweets from the cute cotton candy stall. The playground is littered with sand, swings, seesaws, toys, slides, climbing walls and what not.

Groot Melkhuis