Fa. Cafe-Bistro Hansel and Gretel

Hans & Grietje is a family-run café-restaurant at Spiegelgracht 27, in Amsterdam’s art-and-antiques district, the Spiegelkwartier. It has traded on this canal since 1876, and its terrace looks straight down the water toward the Rijksmuseum — which makes it one of the most convenient real cafés near a museum entrance where most nearby options are tourist-priced and impersonal.

A quick note on the name. You may find this business listed on maps and review sites as “Fa. Cafe-Bistro Hansel and Gretel,” which is simply an automated English translation of the Dutch fairytale names Hans en Grietje. The café is not fairytale-themed. Expect a classic Amsterdam brown café: leather benches, candlelight, newspapers on the bar, dark wood worn smooth by generations of regulars.

Quick facts

Detail	Information
Address	Spiegelgracht 27, 1017 JP Amsterdam, Netherlands
Neighbourhood	Spiegelkwartier, Amsterdam Centrum
Phone	+31 20 624 6782
Established	1876, still run by the founding family’s descendants
Type	Brown café and bistro; Dutch and European café cooking
Nearest tram	Spiegelgracht (lines 7 and 19) — roughly a one-minute walk
Nearest metro	Vijzelgracht (line 52) — roughly a five-minute walk
Walk to Rijksmuseum	About 3–5 minutes
Terrace	Yes, canal-side with a Rijksmuseum view
Cards	Card payment accepted; Dutch venues often prefer debit (Maestro) over credit

Why this café is worth a stop

Amsterdam’s museum quarter is thick with places that exist purely to catch foot traffic. Hans & Grietje is the opposite case: a long-standing neighbourhood café that happens to sit where the tourists walk. Four things make it useful rather than merely convenient.

• Continuity of ownership. The café dates to 1876 and is currently operated by a descendant of former owner Boonen, which is rare in a district where turnover is fast.
• The view and the terrace. The Spiegelgracht is one of Amsterdam’s shortest canals and it frames the Rijksmuseum facade almost perfectly. The sun hits the terrace in the afternoon.
• All-day, long-hours kitchen and bar. It functions as a coffee stop, a lunch, a pre-museum breakfast, a dinner, and a late drink, which is unusual in a city where many kitchens close by 21:30.
• Position inside the Spiegelkwartier. More than 70 antique dealers and art galleries sit within a few minutes’ walk, so a coffee here slots naturally into a browsing afternoon.

What to expect from the menu

The cooking is café food done straightforwardly rather than ambitiously: Dutch staples alongside European brasserie standards. Recurring mentions in guest reviews include pancakes with bacon, soups, omelettes, burgers and a solid beer list.

• Dutch classics. Look for erwtensoep (thick split-pea soup, typically a winter item) and Dutch-style pancakes, which are thinner and wider than American ones.
• Café mains. Omelettes, burgers, sandwiches and salads make up the reliable middle of the menu.
• Drinks. Belgian and Dutch draught and bottled beers, wine by the glass, coffee, and fresh mint tea — a Dutch café habit worth trying, served as actual mint leaves in hot water.
• Seasonal and daily items. Ask what is on the board; day specials are not always printed on the standard menu.

Set expectations sensibly. Aggregate guest scores put this in the “good, characterful neighbourhood café” band rather than the destination-dining band, with ambience and service generally rated a little above food. Come for the room, the terrace and the location; order simply and you will eat well.

Opening hours: check before you go

Published hours for Spiegelgracht 27 differ meaningfully across booking platforms, review sites and directory listings. Some show a 10:00 opening seven days a week with 03:00 closes on Friday and Saturday; others show an 11:00 opening, and at least one lists a Monday or Sunday closure. Those discrepancies are typical of stale directory data.

• Broadly reliable window: mid-morning to late night, seven days a week, with later closing on Friday and Saturday.
• Do not plan around a listing. Call +31 20 624 6782 or check the café’s own site the day you visit, especially for a Monday, a public holiday, or anything after 23:00.
• Kitchen hours differ from bar hours. If you want food rather than a drink, ask when you book how late the kitchen serves.

Best time to visit

• Before the Rijksmuseum opens. A mid-morning coffee here and a short walk over the bridge puts you at the museum near opening time, which is the single best move for avoiding crowds.
• Late lunch, 14:00–16:00. The quietest useful window; also when the terrace gets the most sun.
• Shoulder season, April–May and September–October. Mild enough for the terrace, without the June–August museum-quarter crush.
• Late evening, Friday and Saturday. The room shifts toward drinks and locals, and closing time runs latest.
• Avoid the 12:00–14:00 peak and the immediate post-museum wave around 17:00 if you want a terrace table without waiting.

How to get there

Spiegelgracht 27 is one of the easier addresses in central Amsterdam to reach, because a tram stop carries the street’s own name.

Mode	Route	Final walk
Tram (closest)	Lines 7 and 19 to stop “Spiegelgracht”	1–2 minutes
Tram (from Centraal)	Lines 2 or 12 to stop “Rijksmuseum”	3–5 minutes
Metro	Line 52 (Noord/Zuidlijn) to Vijzelgracht	About 5 minutes
From Schiphol	Train to Amsterdam Centraal, then metro 52 to Vijzelgracht	About 5 minutes
Walking from Centraal	Straight south through the canal ring, roughly 2.4 km	25–30 minutes
Bike	Canal-ring routes; use the bike racks near the Weteringschans end	Lock frame and wheel to a fixed object

From Vijzelgracht metro station, follow the Museumplein exit, then walk west along Weteringschans until you reach the Spiegelgracht canal on your right. The café is on the canal, on the museum side.

Practical tips for visiting

• Book if you want dinner or a terrace table. Reservations are accepted through the café and through booking platforms; walk-ins are fine off-peak.
• Carry a debit card, and some cash as backup. Many Dutch venues accept Maestro or V Pay readily but are less keen on foreign credit cards; a small amount of cash removes the risk.
• Terrace seating is weather-dependent and unheated in parts. Amsterdam wind off the canal is real — bring a layer even in June.
• Accessibility: the venue is listed as wheelchair accessible, but Amsterdam canal houses are old and thresholds and toilets vary. Call ahead to confirm specifics for your needs.
• Two Dutch words go a long way. “Dank je wel” (thank you) and “lekker” (tasty). Staff speak English fluently; the effort is still appreciated.
• Pace the beer. Belgian ales on Dutch taps commonly run 6–9% ABV, well above typical lager strength.
• Build a half-day around it. Antique dealers and galleries in the Spiegelkwartier largely close on Sundays and Mondays, so plan browsing for Tuesday to Saturday.
• Photograph the canal, not the interior. The exterior and the Rijksmuseum sightline are the shot; inside, be considerate of other guests in a small room.

What to do nearby

• Rijksmuseum — 3–5 minutes on foot, the Dutch national museum and the reason most visitors are on this canal.
• Van Gogh Museum and Museumplein — about 10 minutes, reachable from the same tram stop.
• Spiegelkwartier antiques and galleries — Nieuwe Spiegelstraat and Spiegelgracht hold 70-plus dealers, from Delftware and Old Masters to contemporary ceramics.
• Canal-ring walk — Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht and Herengracht all sit within a few minutes north.

Frequently asked questions