Gentle Place Coffee

Owners Angela and Nour run Gentle Place Coffee out of a small storefront on Distelweg, a short walk from the free GVB ferry that crosses the IJ into Amsterdam Noord. The space is deliberately low key, built as what the owners call a peaceful and serene shelter rather than a scene, with good specialty coffee as the actual point rather than an afterthought to the decor.

The short food menu leans toward things like a peanut butter latte and kimchi toast rather than standard pastry case fare, and the room welcomes people settling in with a laptop for a few hours as readily as it does a quick flat white to go. Dogs are always part of the picture too, with a small warning that the spiral stairs and a section of glass floor inside can spook the more nervous ones.