Café CENC is a fish-focused, Mediterranean-leaning restobar at Vijzelgracht 5H in Amsterdam-Centrum, where the Vijzelgracht meets the Prinsengracht. It opened on 12 June 2024 and comes from the Parry family, who also run Balthazar’s Keuken and Bar Parry. It is an evening spot, open Wednesday to Sunday from 17:00, with a sunny terrace, a bar for snacks and wine, and a dining room at the back.
Café CENC at a glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Address | Vijzelgracht 5H, 1017 HM Amsterdam |
| Area | Amsterdam-Centrum, at the Prinsengracht end of the Vijzelgracht, one metro stop north of De Pijp |
| Type | Restobar: bar snacks, small plates and a full dinner menu built around fresh fish |
| Opened | 12 June 2024, in the former Bar Bambino space |
| Owners | The Parry family (Balthazar’s Keuken, Bar Parry) with chef and co-owner Wanne de Vries |
| Hours | Wednesday to Sunday from 17:00; closed Monday and Tuesday (official website) |
| Booking | Walk-ins welcome; bar seats are the easiest option without a reservation |
| Phone | +31 20 239 0758 |
| [email protected] | |
| Website | cafecenc.nl |
| Nearest metro | Vijzelgracht (line 52), north exit |
Details checked against the official website and recent listings in September 2026.
What Café CENC is
Café CENC is the third Amsterdam venue from the family behind two well-known city addresses. Alain Parry and Anja Koops opened Balthazar’s Keuken on the Elandsgracht about thirty years ago, and in 2018 they opened the wine bar Bar Parry in the Nine Streets with their son Beau Parry. CENC sits between the two: more relaxed than a set-menu restaurant, but with a proper kitchen rather than just a wine bar’s snacks.
The kitchen is led by chef and co-owner Wanne de Vries, a keen fisherman who regularly cooks his own catch in the restaurant. That explains why fish is always on the menu. It is not a classic seafood restaurant, though: you won’t find oyster platters or fruits de mer towers here.
Ignore older descriptions of Café CENC as a breakfast café with avocado toast and uitsmijters. The current venue opened in 2024 as an evening restobar and has no breakfast or brunch service.
Menu and drinks
There are two ways to eat here. At the bar, the menu sticks to snacks and small plates. In the dining room, you can order à la carte from a starter-and-main menu that changes with what suppliers, and the chef’s fishing trips, bring in.
Dishes reported since opening include:
- Bar snacks such as oeuf mayonnaise with shrimp, Noord-Hollandse cheese with piccalilli, wild boar and fennel sausage, and taramasalata with pickled cucumber
- Shrimp heads with sesame aioli and pimentón
- Starters such as brioche with shrimp, lemon marmalade and crème fraîche, and mussel escabeche with samphire
- Mains including a whole fish with caramelized fennel and harissa, and poulet jaune with pointed cabbage and tarragon sauce
- Soft-serve ice cream with olive oil, flavored with cardamom and a little red pepper
The olive-oil soft serve gets the most attention. Dutch food site Culy described CENC as the first restaurant in Amsterdam to serve it, and at opening it was the only dessert on the menu. EatStreet lists a fixed three-course menu at €45.50 alongside the à la carte options. Menus and prices change, so check with the restaurant before you go.
The wine list leans toward Portugal, Spain and Italy, and the staff can help you choose a glass.
There are vegetarian dishes, such as roasted plums with green cabbage and pumpkin seeds, but the menu suits people who eat fish and meat best.
Atmosphere and seating
The building has an unusual layout, full of small corners, so it feels more intimate than a single open dining room. The front is a bar area with bistro tables, and the team designed and built those tables and the chairs themselves. The restaurant section is at the back. Red is the house color, and you’ll see it on the tables, the awning and the plates.
The terrace gets sun for much of the day. In good weather, it is one of the nicer places around the Vijzelgracht for an early-evening drink.
Opening hours and booking
According to the official website, Café CENC is open Wednesday to Sunday from 17:00 and closed on Monday and Tuesday. Third-party listings don’t agree: some show opening at 12:00 or 16:00, and one guide says Sunday starts at 12:30. Treat the official hours as your baseline and check on the day if you want to arrive early.
CENC built its reputation on walk-ins, and the team tries to find room for walk-in guests even on busy nights. EatStreet reports that the website now has a reservation widget. For a table in the dining room on a Friday or Saturday, or for a group, booking or calling ahead is the safer choice. On your own or as a pair, a seat at the bar is usually the easiest way in.
How to get there
Café CENC is on the Vijzelgracht near the Prinsengracht bridge, in the southern part of the city center. It is not in the Jordaan, and there is no need to head to Westermarkt.
- Metro: From Amsterdam Centraal, take metro line 52 (the North–South Line) two stops to Vijzelgracht, which takes about three minutes. Use the north entrance near Maison Descartes, the one closest to the Prinsengracht.
- Tram: East–west trams, including lines 7 and 19, stop at the Weteringschans end of the Vijzelgracht. The tram network changed in 2026, so check the GVB journey planner before you travel.
- From De Pijp: Vijzelgracht is one metro stop north of De Pijp station, or a short walk up Ferdinand Bolstraat.
- On foot: Centraal Station is about 2 km away, roughly 25 minutes on foot via Damrak, Rokin and Vijzelstraat.
- By bike: Park at a public rack and use two locks. Bike theft is common in central Amsterdam.
Several Amsterdam venues have similar names, so check that your map app shows Vijzelgracht 5H before you set off.
Who Café CENC suits
- Good fit: relaxed dinners centered on fish, drinks and snacks before or after a canal-belt evening, dates, and people who like wine bars that also serve proper food.
- Less suited: breakfast, brunch, working on a laptop, strictly vegetarian groups, and anyone hoping for a classic oyster-and-seafood-platter restaurant.
For more dinner options a few minutes south, see our De Pijp neighborhood guide, including the small, dinner-only Restaurant Zaza’s. You can also filter all our Amsterdam places by neighborhood and type.
Frequently asked questions
Does Café CENC serve breakfast or brunch?
No. Café CENC is an evening restobar. The official website lists opening from 17:00, Wednesday to Sunday, with no breakfast or brunch service.
Is Café CENC connected to Bar Parry and Balthazar’s Keuken?
Yes. Café CENC is the third Amsterdam venue from the Parry family, who also run Balthazar’s Keuken on the Elandsgracht and the wine bar Bar Parry in the Nine Streets.
Can I just have a drink at the bar?
Yes. The front of Café CENC is a bar area with bistro tables and its own snack menu, so you can stop in for a glass of wine and a few small plates without ordering a full dinner.
Is Café CENC in De Pijp or the Jordaan?
Neither. It is at Vijzelgracht 5H in Amsterdam-Centrum, near the Prinsengracht, one metro stop north of De Pijp. The Jordaan is on the other side of the canal belt.
