Café Smit & Voogt is a neighborhood café-bar at Plantage Parklaan 10 in Amsterdam’s Plantage district, beside Wertheimpark and a few minutes’ walk from the Hortus Botanicus and ARTIS. It opens daily at 9:00 and stays open until 1:00 (3:00 on Friday and Saturday), serving coffee, sandwiches, omelets, and Dutch bar snacks to a mostly local crowd.
I came across it on my last trip to the city, and it quickly became one of my favorite places to stop in the Plantage. It’s the kind of café where regulars, neighbors, and people coming out of the museums end up at neighboring tables.
Café Smit & Voogt at a glance
| Address | Plantage Parklaan 10, 1018 ST Amsterdam (Plantage, Centrum) |
|---|---|
| Opening hours | Sunday–Thursday 9:00–1:00; Friday–Saturday 9:00–3:00 |
| Phone | +31 20 737 0829 |
| [email protected] | |
| Website | cafesmitenvoogt.nl |
| Type of place | Neighborhood café (buurtcafé) with lunch, dinner, drinks, and bar snacks |
| Seating | Wooden booths indoors, an upper floor, and a sidewalk terrace |
| Nearest transit | Tram 14 (ARTIS stop, about 5 minutes on foot); Metro 51, 53, 54 (Waterlooplein, about 10 minutes on foot) |
| Good for | Breakfast or lunch after the Hortus or ARTIS, an afternoon drink in the sun, a late borrel |
Hours are from the café’s official website. Some listing sites show a 10:00 opening, so check the website or call before an early visit.
What the café is like
Smit & Voogt describes itself as a place where regulars, passers-by, tourists, and neighbors create a relaxed, open, personal atmosphere. That matches what you find inside: timber booths, a wooden bar, and the low, chatty buzz the Dutch call gezellig (cozy and convivial). It feels like a neighborhood living room more than a place built for visitors.
The building sits on a quiet stretch of Plantage Parklaan, a street that runs along Wertheimpark and the back of the Hortus Botanicus. The sidewalk tables get the afternoon sun, and on dry days they fill up quickly. Inside, there’s more seating upstairs. When the café is full, that floor can feel tight, especially if you’re moving around with bags or a stroller.
Staff are generally friendly, and most visitors get by fine in English. If you need a bit of help, the menu and the specials on the chalkboards make pointing easy.
What to order
The menu is short and classic Amsterdam café fare, made to order. Here’s what you can expect. Items and prices change, so check the current menu before you go.
- Breakfast: croissants, yogurt with muesli, and omelets or an uitsmijter (fried eggs on bread) with ham, cheese, tomato, or bacon. The portions are generous.
- Lunch: sandwiches on waldkorn (multigrain) or corn bread, such as aged Old Amsterdam cheese, pastrami with sauerkraut, a tuna melt, or homemade hummus with grilled vegetables. You’ll also find tostis, soup, salads, kroketten on bread, and a homemade burger with fries.
- Borrel snacks: bitterballen, ossenworst (Amsterdam beef sausage), Brandt & Levie dried sausage, cheese sticks, oven nachos, and a mixed platter of fried snacks to share with drinks.
- Drinks: coffee, draft and bottled beer, wine, and cocktails. Several reviewers recommend the Irish coffee.
My own picks on that first visit were the fries, which came out piping hot, and a slice of cheesecake that I still think about. The cakes on the counter rotate, so it may not always be available.
Vegetarians have several options, including the hummus sandwich, goat cheese and grilled vegetable dishes, vegetable kroketten, and vegetarian spring rolls. If you need to eat gluten-free or have allergies, ask staff before you order. There isn’t a clearly labeled gluten-free menu.
Best time to visit
Weekday mornings are the easiest time to get a table. Weekend afternoons are the busiest. These patterns come from typical visit data and give a general guide, not live crowd levels:
- 9:00–11:00 on weekdays: usually quiet. This is the best window for a slow breakfast or a coffee with a book.
- Weekend lunch: Saturday and Sunday are at their busiest from about 12:00 to 15:00, and Saturday stays busy into the early evening.
- Thursday late afternoon: it often fills up between about 16:00 and 19:00 for after-work drinks.
- Friday night: the busiest evening. Tables stay full from about 18:00 until 23:00, and the café is open until 3:00.
- Summer evenings: the terrace is the main draw. Arrive early for an outdoor table.
For food at peak times, arrive early or call ahead on +31 20 737 0829. Getting a seat for just a drink is usually easier.
How to get to Café Smit & Voogt
The café is at Plantage Parklaan 10, beside Wertheimpark, about 2 km east of Amsterdam Centraal. Tap in and out on trams and the metro with a contactless bank card or phone. Our OVpay guide explains how it works.
- Tram: from Centraal Station, take tram 14 (toward Javaplein) to the ARTIS stop. Walk west along Plantage Middenlaan and turn onto Plantage Parklaan at Wertheimpark. The walk takes about 5 minutes.
- Metro: take metro 51, 53, or 54 to Waterlooplein, then walk about 10 minutes east past the Hortus Botanicus.
- Bike: the ride from Centraal Station takes roughly 10 minutes.
- On foot: the walk from Centraal Station takes about 25–30 minutes, through Nieuwmarkt or along the canals.
For route planning across the city, see our Amsterdam transportation guide.
Tips for visiting
- Bring a card: card payment is the norm in Amsterdam. Ask staff if you’d rather pay in cash.
- Be patient at busy times: food is made to order, so it can take a while at lunch on weekends.
- Check the chalkboards: the sandwich of the week and other specials are written up on boards inside.
- Come hungry: omelets and sandwiches are filling, so skip the snack beforehand.
- Bring a layer: Amsterdam weather changes quickly, even on a sunny terrace afternoon.
- Slow down: this is a café for lingering, not a grab-and-go stop.
What to see nearby in Plantage
Smit & Voogt works well as a stop between sights in the Plantage neighborhood:
- Hortus Botanicus: one of the oldest botanical gardens in the world, founded in 1638. The entrance is at Plantage Middenlaan 2a, just around the corner.
- Wertheimpark: a small, willow-shaded park next to the café. It contains Jan Wolkers’ Auschwitz memorial of broken mirrors, inscribed “Nooit Meer” (Never Again).
- ARTIS: the oldest zoo in the Netherlands, founded in 1838. It’s a few minutes’ walk east along Plantage Middenlaan.
For more traditional places to drink, see our list of historic brown cafés in Amsterdam.
Frequently asked questions
Can you reserve a table at Café Smit & Voogt?
The café does not advertise online booking. For food at busy times, call +31 20 737 0829 or arrive early. It is usually easier to get a seat for drinks than for a meal.
Does Café Smit & Voogt serve food late at night?
The café is open until 1:00, or 3:00 on Friday and Saturday. Bar snacks such as bitterballen and fries are the late options. Full lunch dishes are served mainly during the day.
Is Café Smit & Voogt a brown café?
It is a neighborhood café (buurtcafé) with wooden booths and a traditional bar, but it is brighter and more food-focused than a classic dark brown café.
