COFFEEHOUSE CHRONICLES: AMSTER-DAMNNN

Ah, Amsterdam; famous for it’s “coffee shops”…

The coffee shops in the good ole’ U S of A may not be quite as badass and chill as those in The Netherlands, but we make due with what we’ve got. It’s the American way. The beantown coffeehouse I visited this week didn’t exactly sell the same goods as its Amsterdam counterpart, but it at least shared the name: Amsterdam Cafe.

I must say, I really fell for the mixed decor of this café; it had the typical coffeehouse come-hither-and-stay-a-while vibe with comfy chairs to curl up in, while at the same time rocking a sort of Greco-Roman style. Amsterdam Cafe also threw in a little bit of a Native American feel via some funky animal pattern tables.

I don’t hate it.

For some reason unbeknownst to me, I was the only person in the café who sat down to hang out and stay a while. A few costumers came and went, but everything they had was to-go. I guess people have better things to do on a Tuesday morning like jobs and responsibility… psh. Oh well, more room for me and Game of Thrones. (Although the popular HBO series is amazing, the book is by far superior, and I highly recommend it.)

Anyway, here’s how the Amsterdam Cafe made out on what I would like to call “the judgement chart,” with ratings from one star to five:

As far as coffee goes, I ordered a Café Mocha -- it was yummy; the coffee and mocha flavors nicely balanced one another out, and neither of them were so overpowering as to mask the other. I also only added a minimal amount of cinnamon to the drink since it was pretty stellar on its own. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the bladder capacity to order a non-coffee beverage (there wasn’t a bathroom), but they carried a pretty vast selection of bottled drinks.

**Side note: Last week I visited the Berkeley Perk Café, above are my ratings.

The Works

For food, I stuck to a classic: Bacon, Egg and Cheese on a Sesame bagel. MMMMM.

The bagel was delicious and soft, just the way I like it, and Amsterdam Cafe is not one to skimp out on bacon (score). Also on the plus side was the fact that I spent under $7 for my meal… three cheers for keeping my wallet a little fatter! Note: if using a debit/credit card, the minimum charge is $5. They also had the news on at an audible (but not too intense) volume, so I could get up-to-date on my current events while munching on some good grub. Wins all around.

Overall, I had a lovely experience at Amsterdam Cafe, and would definitely like to go back there at some point in the future; especially due to the fact that they have Frozen Yogurt!! And not just a few dinky flavors, either. Their FroYo menu is unbelievable, with flavors like Butterfinger, York Peppermint Patty and Heath Bar, yumm. That alone should make you want to go here.

On on that note, I leave with you with one of my favorite Guster songs, which just happens to be called “Amsterdam”. Be sure to notice the stunning facial hair at 0:35. What a champ.

Azure is a hot chocolate addict who is on the path to acquiring a taste for the bean. Coffee bean, that is. She will drink her way through Boston until coffee appreciation is achieved, or until her brain goes into a caffeine-induced hysteria. These are the Coffeehouse Chronicles.