Winkel 43

Winkel 43 is a corner café on the Noordermarkt, the square around the Noorderkerk at the northern end of the Jordaan, and for many visitors it is the place to try Dutch appeltaart. The pie is deep and generously filled, sold by the slice, with whipped cream available as an extra, and on busy days slice after slice leaves the counter. It is a simple pleasure, and one of the most popular snacks in this part of the city.

There is more to the café than pie. Breakfast runs from 8am to 3pm, with yoghurt bowls, krentenbollen (currant buns) with cheese and a breakfast special. At lunch the menu, which changes monthly, offers soups, salads, pasta and sandwiches such as a club sandwich and a steak sandwich. In the evening there are bistro dishes such as Wiener schnitzel and steak frites, a Basque cheesecake for dessert, and Dutch bar snacks including bitterballen, cheese and olives or a mixed borrel board to share over drinks.

The terraces on the square are among the sunniest in Amsterdam, catching the light in both summer and winter, and they are the best seats in the house when the weather allows. Inside, the café is small and informal, with a mix of locals and visitors.

Winkel 43 opens early and closes late: from 7am on Monday and Saturday, from 8am on Tuesday to Friday and from 9am on Sunday, staying open until 1am, or 2am on Friday and Saturday. The Noordermarkt hosts a flea market on Monday mornings and an organic farmers' market on Saturdays, and those are the busiest days, when queues for pie can stretch out of the door around midday. Come mid-morning or mid-afternoon on a weekday for a calmer visit. Reservations can be made through the website, and the café can be contacted by phone or email.

The Noordermarkt is a short walk from the Westerkerk and the Anne Frank House, and the Prinsengracht runs along the eastern side of the square. The surrounding streets of the Jordaan, including Westerstraat and Lindengracht, are good for browsing small shops and galleries, and the Haarlemmerstraat shopping street is a few minutes to the north.