De Pijp Amsterdam: The Best Neighbourhood for Stroopwafels (and Everything Else)

Every city has a neighbourhood that the locals actually live in — not the tourist centre, not the museum district, but the part of the city with the real bakeries, the independent coffee shops, the Saturday morning market that has been there for a century. In Amsterdam, that neighbourhood is De Pijp. And if you are interested in stroopwafels in Amsterdam — genuinely interested, not just looking for the nearest tourist-facing option — De Pijp is where you need to be.

We run The Stroopwafel Workshop at Albert Cuypstraat 194, which places us at the very heart of De Pijp’s food scene, on the same street as the city’s largest and most celebrated outdoor market. We live in this neighbourhood professionally, which means we know it in detail. This guide is everything we have learned about De Pijp as a food destination, with particular attention to where to find the best stroopwafels, how to get there, and what else to eat while you are in the area.

Why De Pijp Is Amsterdam’s Best Food Neighbourhood

De Pijp was built in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as a working-class district south of the canal ring — densely built, with narrow streets, long residential blocks, and small ground-floor shops. The original residents were market traders, factory workers, and craftspeople. Albert Cuyp Market grew out of that demographic: a daily market that served the neighbourhood’s food needs at low prices and high volume.

The neighbourhood changed significantly from the 1990s onward, as younger professionals and immigrants from across the world moved in. De Pijp became the most diverse neighbourhood in the most diverse city in the Netherlands, and that diversity is directly reflected in its food scene. Within a ten-minute walk of Albert Cuypstraat, you will find Surinamese roti shops, Moroccan bakeries, Dutch brown cafés, Argentinian parrillas, Japanese ramen bars, Indonesian rijsttafel restaurants, and some of the best independent coffee in Europe.

What makes De Pijp distinct from other Amsterdam food neighbourhoods — the Jordaan, Oud-West, the canal ring — is that it has remained largely residential. The visitors who come here are mostly coming for the market or a specific restaurant. The neighbourhood has not been formatted for tourism in the way that parts of the canal ring have. The bakeries are still bakeries, the coffee shops are still coffee shops, and the stroopwafel stalls at Albert Cuyp are selling to local Amsterdammers as well as to visitors.

Albert Cuyp Market: The Neighbourhood’s Anchor

Albert Cuyp Market is the largest open-air daily market in the Netherlands. It stretches nearly a kilometre along Albert Cuypstraat, running from Ferdinand Bolstraat in the west to Van Woustraat in the east, and operates Monday through Saturday. It has been running in this location since 1904.

The market sells a very wide range of goods — fresh produce, fish, meat, dairy, flowers, fabrics, clothing, household items, electronics — but the food stalls are what bring most visitors and a significant proportion of the neighbourhood’s residents. The density of interesting food at the market is exceptional: within a 10-minute walk along the stalls, you can eat fresh stroopwafels, raw herring, Dutch poffertjes (miniature pancakes with butter and powdered sugar), warm frites (Dutch chips) with mayonnaise, fresh-cut fruit, Dutch cheese sold from the block, and fresh-baked bread.

For stroopwafels specifically, look for stalls with a cast-iron iron actively in use. A genuinely fresh stroopwafel at Albert Cuyp costs €1.50–2.50 and is one of the best-value food purchases in the city. The market is the original context for the stroopwafel experience: an outdoor, working market, the product made to order and eaten immediately, the way it has been done for well over a century.

Our full guide to finding the best stroopwafels on the market is in our post on Albert Cuyp Market stroopwafels.

Practical Information: Albert Cuyp Market

• Location: Albert Cuypstraat, De Pijp, Amsterdam
• Hours: Monday–Saturday, 9:00–17:00
• Closed: Sunday and Dutch public holidays
• Getting there: Tram 24 (Ferdinand Bolstraat stop) or tram 3/12 (Stadhouderskade). 30-minute walk from Centraal Station.
• Payment: Most market stalls prefer cash; bring €10–20 in small notes.

The Stroopwafel Workshop: Albert Cuypstraat 194

We are on the same street as the market — literally around the corner from where the market’s stroopwafel stalls operate. The proximity is deliberate and creates a natural sequence for visitors: eat a fresh stroopwafel from the market, then come to the workshop and make your own.

The Stroopwafel Workshop runs 45-minute hands-on sessions throughout the day, seven days a week. Participants work through the full traditional process — making the dough, pressing on the cast-iron iron, slicing and filling with caramel stroop — and leave with an XL stroopwafel, coffee or tea, and a personalised certificate. Sessions start from €23.74 per person.

We hold 4.8 stars on Google and GetYourGuide and 4.9 on both Viator and TripAdvisor, making us one of Amsterdam’s highest-rated food experiences. The reviews consistently note the combination of location, instruction quality, and the satisfaction of eating something you made yourself. That last point is the one that surprises most guests: the stroopwafel tastes better because you made it.

Book your workshop session here. For groups of 10 or more, private sessions are available via our group booking page.

The full step-by-step account of what happens in a session is in our post on the stroopwafel workshop experience.

Nearby Bakeries Worth Visiting

Brood Bakkerij

One of De Pijp’s most respected neighbourhood bakeries, producing sourdough breads and Dutch pastries daily. No tourist angle, no Instagram-optimised display — just excellent baking for the local neighbourhood. Worth visiting for Dutch breakfast pastries if you are arriving early at the market.

Marqt De Pijp

Amsterdam’s premium organic supermarket chain has a De Pijp location and carries stroopwafels from smaller artisan Dutch producers. The selection changes seasonally. Good option for specialty or organic variants if you want something beyond the standard market stall range.

Local Patisseries on Ferdinand Bolstraat

Ferdinand Bolstraat, the main commercial street of De Pijp running perpendicular to Albert Cuypstraat, has several patisseries and bakeries that produce Dutch pastries and occasionally fresh stroopwafels. Worth a walk-through even if you do not buy — the window displays are a good indicator of current seasonal baking in the neighbourhood.

Coffee in De Pijp: The Best Spots Near the Workshop

De Pijp has an exceptional independent coffee scene, which is relevant for two reasons: first, coffee and stroopwafels are the canonical Dutch pairing (place the stroopwafel on top of the hot cup to soften the caramel before eating); second, you will want somewhere good to sit after the workshop and eat your creation.

• Scandinavian Embassy (Sarphatipark 34): One of Amsterdam’s most acclaimed specialty coffee shops, with a rigorous approach to sourcing and extraction. Five minutes’ walk from the workshop.
• Stach De Pijp (Albert Cuypstraat and Van Woustraat): A casual café-deli with excellent coffee, pastries, and breakfast sandwiches. Convenient and reliable.
• Coffee District (Eerste Jacob van Campenstraat): Neighbourhood coffee shop with the atmosphere of a local rather than a destination. Good if you want to sit quietly and read the newspaper like a De Pijp resident.
• Bakers & Roasters (Eerste Jacob van Campenstraat 54): New Zealand-influenced brunch café; excellent coffee, very good food, and a de Pijp favourite for weekend mornings.

What Else to Eat in De Pijp

The neighbourhood’s food diversity means you can eat extremely well in De Pijp without ever leaving the area. A few highlights:

Dutch Food

Herring at Albert Cuyp — raw Dutch-cured herring (nieuwe haring), eaten with raw onion and pickle. The market’s herring stalls are among the best in the city. A genuinely authentic Dutch food experience that costs €3–4.

Poffertjes — miniature Dutch pancakes with butter and powdered sugar, sold at market stalls. Light, fluffy, and excellent. A good complement to a sweet stroopwafel morning: eat the savoury herring, eat the poffertjes, make the stroopwafel at the workshop.

Frites — Dutch chips served in a paper cone with mayonnaise (friet met mayo) or a range of other sauces. Multiple stalls at Albert Cuyp; look for fresh-cut rather than frozen. Standard Dutch snack that requires no further qualification.

International Food

De Pijp’s international food scene is strongest in Surinamese and Moroccan cooking, both of which are genuinely excellent in this neighbourhood. The Surinamese roti and bakabana available in De Pijp reflect the deep historical ties between Amsterdam and Suriname and are food experiences specific to the Netherlands that visitors rarely encounter.

How to Get to De Pijp

De Pijp is located directly south of the canal ring (grachtengordel) and is easily accessible from all major Amsterdam transport hubs:

• From Centraal Station: Tram 24 (direct, about 25 minutes to Ferdinand Bolstraat). Metro 52 (North-South line) to De Pijp station — the shortest route, about 15 minutes.
• From Museumplein/Van Gogh Museum: 10-minute walk south across the Singelgracht canal into Ferdinand Bolstraat. No tram needed.
• From Leidseplein: 15-minute walk east along Weteringschans and then south, or tram 24.
• By bike: Amsterdam’s cycling infrastructure makes De Pijp immediately accessible from any direction. There is ample bike parking along the Albert Cuypstraat market periphery.

When to Visit: The Best Times for De Pijp

• Weekday mornings (9:00–12:00) are the best time for the market — best stock, lowest crowds, highest atmosphere. Ideal for the market-then-workshop sequence.
• Saturday morning is the busiest market day but has a particular energy. Crowds peak after 11:00; arrive early for the best experience.
• Sunday is market-free but the neighbourhood’s cafés and restaurants are open and often very good. The workshop runs seven days a week including Sunday.
• Evening: De Pijp’s restaurant scene, particularly around Gerard Douplein square and Eerste van der Helststraat, comes alive from 18:00. One of Amsterdam’s best neighbourhoods for a relaxed dinner.

De Pijp’s Dutch Stroopwafel Heritage: More Than a Market

De Pijp’s relationship with the stroopwafel is not incidental. The neighbourhood’s market culture — daily, outdoor, price-competitive, high-turnover — is exactly the environment in which the stroopwafel developed as a street food. The original stroopwafels were sold at Dutch markets by itinerant bakers; Albert Cuyp is one of the last major Dutch markets where that tradition continues in genuine form, with irons running daily and the product made to order in front of the customer.

This is distinct from the tourist-facing stroopwafel experience that exists in other parts of Amsterdam. Near Dam Square, Centraal Station, and Leidseplein, stroopwafels are sold primarily as tourist novelties — elaborately topped, heavily marketed, significantly overpriced, and often of middling base quality. De Pijp operates differently. The market serves a large local customer base with high food standards and low tolerance for tourist markup. The stroopwafel stalls here succeed because the product is good and the price is fair, not because the location guarantees a tourist footfall.

That distinction is the most important thing to understand about stroopwafels in De Pijp: this is where the product is taken seriously as food rather than as an Instagram moment.

What to Eat in De Pijp Beyond Stroopwafels

De Pijp’s food scene extends well beyond the market. A few categories worth knowing:

Dutch Traditional

Broodje haring (herring sandwich) is available at Albert Cuyp stalls and at dedicated herring shops on Ferdinand Bolstraat. The Dutch-cured new herring (‘nieuwe haring’) season runs from May to July, when the first catch of the season is celebrated and the herring is at its mildest. Outside that window, salt-cured herring is available year-round and is still worth trying. Eaten with raw onion and pickle, either as a roll or held by the tail and dropped into the mouth — that last method being the traditional Dutch technique, though the roll is more practical for visitors.

Dutch apple pie (‘appeltaart’) is the other classic Dutch pastry, and De Pijp has several excellent versions available at local bakeries and the market. It is deeper and denser than an English apple pie, with a thick pastry crust and a heavily spiced filling. The standard serving is a generous wedge with a large spoonful of fresh whipped cream.

International

De Pijp’s Surinamese food — particularly the restaurants on Gerard Doustraat and Eerste Jan Steenstraat — reflects Amsterdam’s deep historical ties with Suriname and is some of the most interesting food in the city. Roti (flatbread served with curried chicken, potato, and long beans) is the dish to order. Affordable, filling, and specific to Amsterdam in a way that few other cuisines are.

Moroccan bakeries in De Pijp produce excellent bread and pastries, particularly on weekday mornings. Look for ‘msemen’ (flaky flatbread) and ‘sellou’ (a sweet nut and seed confection) at the smaller shops off Albert Cuypstraat.

Planning Your Visit

If you are building a De Pijp itinerary, the optimal sequence is: Albert Cuyp Market (arrive 9:30–10:00), followed immediately by a workshop session at Albert Cuypstraat 194, followed by coffee at Scandinavian Embassy or Bakers & Roasters, followed by lunch in the neighbourhood at whatever suits your appetite. That covers approximately half a day and delivers the full De Pijp food experience in a coherent order.

For a full day-by-day itinerary including De Pijp and the wider Amsterdam stroopwafel trail, see our Amsterdam stroopwafel day itinerary.

To book a workshop session, visit our workshop page or go directly to the booking page. We run sessions daily, starting from €23.74 per person. Questions to book@funamsterdam.com.

We will see you in De Pijp.