Five Spots In Amsterdam For Genuinely Good Apple Pie

Winkel 43: yes, that queue is there for a reason

It's hard to talk about Amsterdam apple pie without mentioning Winkel 43. The pie is baked fresh daily with a thick crust, spiced soft apples and, of course, a generous dollop of whipped cream.

The downside of being famous: everyone knows about it. It can get properly busy, especially on Monday and Saturday when the Noordermarkt is on. You can't reserve. See a queue? At least you know you're in the right place.

Noordermarkt 43. Come outside peak hours if you'd rather eat pie than stare at the back of the person in front of you.

Papeneiland: apple pie in a café from 1642

A few minutes away sits Papeneiland. And if you have to choose between two famous apple pies within walking distance of each other, there's really only one grown-up solution: try both.

The café occupies a building from 1642 and is exactly as dark-brown, old and Amsterdam as you'd hope. The apple pie has been part of the place's reputation for years — even Bill Clinton once had a slice here.

Don't come here expecting a minimalist interior with beige walls and oat milk in handle-less ceramics. You come for an old café, coffee, and a serious piece of pie.

Prinsengracht 2, on the corner of the Brouwersgracht.

Koffiehuis De Hoek: sometimes simple is exactly right

De Hoek sits where the Reestraat meets the Prinsengracht and has existed since 1954. No modern coffee concept with six brewing methods, just a genuine Amsterdam coffee house with sandwiches, coffee and homemade apple pie.

In good weather you can sit outside by the canal, which is honestly a fairly convincing way to interrupt an afternoon in the Nine Streets.

Good moment: after shopping in the Nine Streets, right when you're telling yourself you 'just' need a coffee.

Café ’t Sluisje: apple pie worth taking the ferry for

For number four we leave the centre behind. Café 't Sluisje sits on the Nieuwendammerdijk in Amsterdam-Noord and has existed since 1904 — the building itself is even a few centuries older. A few years ago, local residents bought the café together to stop it from disappearing.

The apple pie is still firmly on the menu. Afterwards, stick around on the terrace with a view of the old lock.

This isn't the kind of place you duck into for five minutes, inhale pie, and leave. Combine it with a walk through Noord and pretend you're on holiday in your own city.

Nieuwendammerdijk 297.

Hartog’s Volkoren: apple pastry and bread for later

Hartog's is mostly famous for its whole-grain bread, but that doesn't mean bread is the only reason to walk in. They also make apple pastry, so you can make your sweet stop here and pick something up for later in the same visit.

The bakery on Wibautstraat has worked with whole-grain flour for generations and has a completely different atmosphere from the classic cafés on this list — less 'pie on a terrace', more real bakery.

Extra tip: grab a loaf of whole-grain bread too. It's nearly impossible to walk in for just apple pastry and leave with only one thing.

Wibautstraat, Amsterdam.