Noorderlicht, cafe restaurant, Amsterdam

I went few times in the past to the big flea market at the NDSM, Amsterdam Noord. But I usually had a drink or something to eat at the nearest cafe restaurant.

I never visited the Noorderlicht cafe before.

I went there for the first time last Sunday, because of the drone light show event that was taking place above IJ river at Amsterdam Noord.

I wrote about this event in my previous blog post.

Someone noted on TripAdvisor that the Noorderlicht cafe was the best place to watch the drones. So my boyfriend and me decided to pay them a visit.

I am so glad we did. This was amazing experience.

I am not talking about the drone light show, but about the visit to the Noorderlicht cafe place.

It is the most interesting cafe-bar I have ever visited not only in Amsterdam but in my entire life.

I am not talking bullshit, if you happen to follow my blog you already know that I travel a lot and that I have been in so many different places all over the world. This place is really special, trust me.

I can named an oasis not so far from the center of the city.

It is not only about design and decorations (which are very creative by the way), I am talking about the extraordinary vibe that comes from their customers.

All of these colorful dressed, happy and smiling patrons are actually the soul of the place.

It all reminded me of a well-known Walt Disney quote that say: “You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.” 

And the Noorderlicht cafe is a place that you can really call it a dream place to be, not because of decorations but only because of the people.

On Sunday there were live performances on two stages going on.

An extraordinary vibrant atmosphere was all over the place, at the kind of hippie style designed environment.

The place was full of beautiful and happy smiling people.

Everybody were dancing and having a good time. Many people also brought their children along.

Kids were dancing as well and enjoying themselves together with their parents.

It is a nice place for everybody, a place where you are welcome as you are, whatever that might mean.

Noorderlicht is located at the ultra-hip and very spacious former NDSM shipyard area. It basically is a transparent hangar with a large colorful outdoor area.

There is a plenty space to sit and enjoy your drinks , snacks, or complete menu.

Their  kitchen is open from 11:00 til 22:00. They serve from 11:00 til 16:00 and from 18:00 til 22:00.

All day you can have Dutch snacks and all kinds of drinks.

There is something nice and tasty for everybody, whether you are vegan, vegetarian, or you like fish or meat, or you just wish a nice desert with a cup of coffee or tea.

You can reach it fairly conveniently with the NDSM labelled ferry from Central Station. The ferris are located right behind the Central Station.

Ferry ride is free, it goes from Central Station as I mentioned to NDSM and ride is for approximately 15 min.

Ferry goes every 30 min. before midnight and every 45 min. after midnight and the last ferry leaves at 03:00 from the NDSM-wharf towards the Central Station.

If you wish to go by car there is a plenty of parking spaces right next to Noorderlicht. Every day of the week from 09:00 til 19:00 there’s paid parking for €1,30/hour.

Close to the heart of Amsterdam, right across of the Central Station, Noorderlicht stands in a place that defies expectations.

It is an open space for serenity, creativity and festivities all throughout the year. With a magnificent backdrop of the south IJ-riverbank, Noorderlicht is a great place to hang out, have a drink, have lunch or dinner, listen to live music and go to a party or festival.

Very often they organize festivals and events.

Most of them are free, but for some you will need to pay an entrance fee.

Noorderlicht is also suitable and available for many different purposes; a dinner or reception, a workshop or meeting, a network get-together or cultural event, a birthday or corporate event.

They have several spaces that can be rented separately or as a whole.

They organize so many cultural programs and events during the year.

You can visit their website to check their agenda. It is a nice opportunity to experience the real vibe of Amsterdam. Come here for some jamming with locals, you are going to enjoy it I am sure.

It is a very interesting space to grow your network and to meet very interesting and artistic people.

Regarding the service, I noticed that they have a lack of staff.

I was there on Sunday, the place was very crowded. I don’t know if it is always like this, but that day I did not saw any waiters.

It was only self-service available. For our drinks we did not wait much, just a couple of minutes, because drinks were available at several bar points.

But we did waited for our snacks about 15 minutes.

If you ever decide to try Dutch snacks, while in the Netherlands, aka : Bitterballen, Kaassticks (or Kaasstengels), kroketten, French fries with mayonnaise (Friet of patat met mayo), etc, please be aware that Dutch always serve those snacks directly from the fryer so they are very hot.

Even though they smell nicely, and they look promising and amazing, don’t eat them right away as soon as you got them you might burn your mouth and your throat.

If you ever follow my advice and you decide to visit this place, please feel free to leave a comment regarding your own experience below.

The address of the Noorderlicht cafe if you like to search it on the map is NDSM Plein 102, 1033 WB Amsterdam.

We left right after the end of the drone show as the most of the people, some have stayed there since the place works until 03:00.

It was so busy at the ferry station, probably because of the drone event. We couldn’t board on the first one, but somehow we managed to board on the next one.  It was a beautiful evening at the Noorderlicht cafe. I wish to visit this place again in the near future.

Please check an update for this post at BabyBurn- a picnic with the poets at the Noorderlicht cafe.