Café Orloff is a neighborhood café on Kadijksplein 11 in Amsterdam’s Oostelijke Eilanden, a five-minute walk from Het Scheepvaartmuseum and about ten minutes from ARTIS. It serves breakfast, lunch, cakes, drinks and bar snacks in a listed 19th-century building, with a large square-facing terrace. Walk-ins only — the café does not take reservations.
Quick facts
- Address: Kadijksplein 11, 1018 AC Amsterdam
- Neighborhood: Kadijken / Oostelijke Eilanden, on the edge of the Plantage district — not the Jordaan
- Phone: 020 320 3347
- Reservations: Not accepted — walk in and wait for a table
- Lunch service: 12:00 to 16:00
- Nearest transit: Bus 22, Kadijksplein stop (22 metres); tram 10, Hoogte Kadijk stop
- Typical spend: €3.30 coffee, €8.50 soup, €11–17.50 lunch plates
Where Café Orloff actually is
Kadijksplein is a wide, tree-lined square on the former shipyard islands east of Amsterdam Centraal. It sits in the quiet pocket between Het Scheepvaartmuseum and ARTIS Royal Zoo, which is why the café draws a mix of neighborhood regulars, museum-goers and cyclists coming off the Hoogte Kadijk. The square is roughly a 15-minute walk east from Centraal Station along Prins Hendrikkade.
The building has café history behind it. The corner premises now occupied by Orloff housed a café called Pleinzicht until the 1980s, and the block was restored by heritage trust Stadsherstel Amsterdam. Kadijksplein itself was a workers’ square: the main gate of the Entrepotdok warehouse complex was built here in 1830, and dockworkers once waited in the open for shifts before a coffee house was built so they could wait — and be paid — indoors and dry.
Do not confuse it with these
Three name collisions send visitors to the wrong door:
- Orloff aan de Kade — a separate, more restaurant-focused venue under the same Orloff umbrella, with its own dinner and wine lists
- Villa Orloff and Het Zaaltje — additional Orloff locations and a private function room, listed alongside the café on the group’s site
- Café Restaurant Orff — an unrelated business on Jodenbreestraat 5 beneath the Theaterschool, one letter away in spelling and about a ten-minute cycle away
What is on the menu, with current prices
Orloff runs a Dutch café card: breakfast into lunch, then snacks and drinks through the evening. Prices below come from the café’s own 2025 bilingual menu and are useful for budgeting rather than as a guarantee.
| Dish or drink | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | €3.30 |
| Cappuccino / caffè latte | €3.90 |
| Flat white or latte macchiato | €4.30 |
| Small breakfast (coffee or tea, fresh orange juice, croissant) | €9.00 |
| Complete breakfast (boiled egg, bread, cheese, pancakes, yoghurt) | €15.00 |
| Shakshuka with bread | €14.00 |
| Red lentil soup with coriander, bread and butter | €8.50 |
| BLT | €11.00 |
| Beetroot ricotta with avocado, egg and tomato | €13.00 |
| Two vegetable or veal croquettes on bread | €12.00 |
| Falafel salad | €15.00 |
| Burrata salad with roasted eggplant and walnuts | €17.50 |
| Lebanese pizzas (mozzarella, tuna or feta) | €16.50 |
| Apple pie from Kuyt, or carrot cake | €6.75 |
| Oma Bobs bitterballen, 8 pieces | €9.50 |
| Mixed snack platter, vegetarian option available | €18.75 |
| Brand draft, 0.25 l | €3.80 |
| House wine by the glass | from €6.00 |
| Cocktails | €10.50–12.75 |
Two practical notes. Lunch is only served between 12:00 and 16:00, so a 16:30 arrival puts you on the snack and drinks card. And the kitchen leans vegetarian-friendly: falafel flatbreads, kimchi-and-cheese toasties, feta pizzas, veggie spring rolls and a vegetarian version of the snack platter are all listed.
Opening hours and the best time to go
Listings disagree on the exact opening hour — some show 08:00 on weekdays, others 09:00 — so check the café’s own channels the morning you plan to visit. Closing is late for a café: around 01:00 most nights and 02:00 on Friday and Saturday.
- Early weekday morning: quietest window, best odds of a window seat, and the right time for the small breakfast
- Weekday 12:00–14:00: full lunch card and local office trade; expect a short wait for terrace tables in good weather
- Weekday 14:30–16:00: the sweet spot — lunch is still on, the room has emptied, and cake plus coffee runs under €11
- Weekend afternoons: busiest, and because there are no reservations you are simply queueing; go before noon or after 16:00
- April to September: terrace season, and I amsterdam includes Orloff in its round-up of the Plantage area’s best terraces
How to get there
- On foot from Centraal Station: head east along Prins Hendrikkade for about 15 minutes; Kadijksplein opens on your right just past the IJ-tunnel approach
- By bus: take bus 22 and get off at the Kadijksplein stop, which is roughly 22 metres from the square
- By tram: tram 10 stops at Hoogte Kadijk, a short walk from the terrace
- By metro: lines 51 and 54 pass nearby; Nieuwmarkt or Weesperplein leave you a 10–15 minute walk
- By bike: the fastest option from anywhere in the centre; use the racks on the square and lock frame and wheel to a fixed object
- By car: metered parking exists on Kadijksplein, but central Amsterdam tariffs make this the worst-value choice
What to pair with your visit
Orloff works best as the anchor of a half-day in the eastern islands rather than a standalone stop:
- Het Scheepvaartmuseum — Amsterdam’s maritime museum, a few minutes’ walk across the water
- ARTIS Royal Zoo — roughly ten minutes on foot via Entrepotdok, with animal sounds occasionally carrying to the terrace
- Museum Kromhout — a small working engine-works museum on Hoogte Kadijk, open Tuesdays 09:30–15:30 and the third Sunday of each month; €5 for adults, children free
- Entrepotdok — the converted warehouse row along the canal, and one of the most photogenic walks in the district
Practical tips
- Because reservations are not possible, larger groups should arrive off-peak or split across tables
- Order lunch before 16:00; after that only snacks, cake and drinks are available
- Dutch cafés do not rush you — nursing one coffee for an hour is normal, and table service means you order and pay at the table
- Alcohol-free drinkers are well served: Heineken 0.0, Affligem 0.0, Brand Weizen 0.0 and Vrijwit 0.5 are all listed
- “Dank je wel” and “lekker” go a long way, though staff switch to English without being asked
Frequently asked questions
Where is Café Orloff in Amsterdam?
Café Orloff is at Kadijksplein 11, 1018 AC Amsterdam, in the Kadijken and Oostelijke Eilanden area between Het Scheepvaartmuseum and ARTIS. It is not in the Jordaan, despite what some listings claim.
Can you reserve a table at Café Orloff?
No. The Orloff group states that reservations are not possible at Café Orloff, so all seating is walk-in. Arrive before noon or after 16:00 on weekends for the shortest wait.
What time does Café Orloff serve lunch?
Lunch is served from 12:00 to 16:00. Outside those hours you can still order breakfast items, cakes, bar snacks and drinks.
How much does a meal at Café Orloff cost?
Expect about €3.30 for a coffee, €8.50 for the red lentil soup with bread, €11 to €13 for sandwiches and €15 to €17.50 for large salads, based on the café’s 2025 menu.
Which tram or bus goes to Café Orloff?
Bus 22 stops at Kadijksplein, about 22 metres from the café, and tram 10 stops at Hoogte Kadijk nearby. From Amsterdam Centraal it is also a 15-minute walk east along Prins Hendrikkade.
Is Café Orloff the same as Café Restaurant Orff?
No. Café Restaurant Orff is a separate business at Jodenbreestraat 5 beneath the Theaterschool. Orloff aan de Kade and Villa Orloff are related Orloff venues but have different addresses and menus.
Menu items, prices and hours change. Verify current details with the café at 020 320 3347 or on its official channels before you travel.
