Amsterdam, Oud OostBeter & Leuk, one of our favourite Amsterdam cafés

The setting

Beter & Leuk is in a lively area in Eastern Amsterdam, near the river Amstel. This cute homestyle café is on an urban street, with a calm and relaxed feel to it. This area of town is less touristy than others. It’s quieter and more residential, but filled with cafés and shops.

The space

Beter & Leuk feels like a living room. It’s compact and cosy. With the little shop-area in the back of the café, it also has the feeling of a concept store. You can buy cookery books, jewellery, beauty products and more. Most products come from local suppliers and everything is sustainable. The emphasis on sustainability continues not only in the menu and shop, but also in the decor of the café. It’s a stylish mix of non-matching, vintage and upcycled furniture. The walls are hung with changing artworks (also for sale) showcasing new Dutch artists. In the Summer, there are a few outside-seats, but no large terrace. Inside, are small tables and a large sharing table plus window bar seating. Beter & Leuk has table service.

The crowd

Beter & Leuk is run by Ilse and Maja, two ladies that are are passionate about spreading the healthy lifestyle message.

The mostly female crowd is a fun mix of young girls and trendy mums as well as older ladies- proving that healthy eating is for any age.

You can’t resist the sweet items on the menu. You can choose from  scones made of oats served with coconut yogurt and berries, chocolate brownies made from sweet potato and sweetened with date syrup and much more. In the end, we decided to end our brunch with the berry banana bread (sweetened with rice syrup) served with date creme and the vegan carrot cake with coconut frosting.

The carrot cake  was especially good!

We also had an almond matcha latte and a spiced iced almond turmeric latte on the side, a perfect end to a good brunch.

What else?

Beter & Leuk is active in hosting workshops on healthy eating and living. On some days you can even take a yoga class followed up by a healthy breakfast.