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| The Dutch grand café is a company with a local service area. | |
Large, high-ceilinged, with newspapers on sticks and open all day. The opposite of the brown café.
What it looks like
High ceilings, plenty of light, marble or wood, and tables set well apart. Often in a former bank, post office or club building.
All day
Breakfast, lunch, drinks and dinner in the same room. That is the difference from a lunchroom or an eetcafé, which each cover part of the day.
The newspapers
On wooden sticks by the bar, to read on the spot. Fewer places keep it up, but in grand cafés it belongs to the picture.
Who goes
People sitting alone with a laptop, meetings, or a long lunch. No dress code, but the atmosphere is smarter than a pub.
The Viennese model
The form came from Vienna and Paris in the late nineteenth century. The revival began in the 1980s.
Where to look
Large squares and historic buildings in the four big cities, and Maastricht.
Where to try it
Places in our directory that serve this
Cafe in Amsterdam 164 · Cafe in Rotterdam 87 · Cafe in Den Haag 77 · Cafe in Utrecht 46 · Cafe in Maastricht 34