Café Keppler

Café Keppler is located at Van der Pekstraat 1, 1031 CN Amsterdam, in Amsterdam-Noord. Public records consistently list this address. Reports link the establishment to Kees Kraakman and Mike Lubben, who are cited as owners or co-founders. There is a consistent picture of their respective roles: Kraakman is described as the coffee specialist, while Lubben is presented in publications as a hospitality entrepreneur with a background at De Soepboer in Noord.

Several details regarding Kraakman’s career have also been documented. Trade and media reports describe him as someone with years of experience in specialty coffee. A 2018 publication stated that he had already been active in the industry for nearly two decades. A later source mentioned that he began his career at a coffee roastery in Baarn. Together, these details provide context for the expertise present within the business, even if they don’t form a single, definitive corporate biography.

The exact opening date remains less clear. Earlier reports from 2017 spoke of an opening in June of that year. An international publication wrote in early 2018 that the café had opened the previous June. Meanwhile, the business itself uses the designation “Since 2016”. Based on the available information, it is certain that the project took shape around 2016 and 2017, but no single date can be accepted as the definitive start date without reservation.

In its public presentation, Café Keppler describes itself as a quiet Dutch café focused on coffee, pastries, and conversation. Additionally, it is positioned as a neighborhood café that aims to be accessible to a broad audience and places high importance on product quality. This framing places the establishment not only within the specialty coffee sector but also within a local hospitality tradition where lingering and socializing are central to the concept.

For its coffee supply, Café Keppler works with its own label: Keppler Koffie. The business publicly states that the beans are roasted in-house in a micro-roastery, a fact confirmed by external guides and trade publications. This makes it clear that roasting is not a side activity, but an integral part of how the café organizes its coffee offering. No clear documentation was found in the consulted information regarding other permanent roasting partners for the bar.

The publicly described menu shows several brewing methods. Espresso is explicitly mentioned, including in the establishment’s own description. A menu listing from 2025 also documents the flat white and V60. Thus, both espresso-based drinks and manual pour-over coffee are demonstrably part of the offering. Other public descriptions refer to single origins and an assortment ranging from espresso blends for milk drinks to coffees with a more origin-focused profile.

A recent trade publication adds an operational detail: when guests express interest, the café serves a single origin from a separate rotating hopper. This indicates a workflow where there is room for a rotating selection alongside the fixed espresso line. Other preparations are also found in public descriptions, such as a vegan Mont Blanc with orange-infused cold brew. Together, these examples illustrate the breadth of the menu, although the sources do not reveal exact recipes or a fixed long-term assortment.

Beyond coffee and hospitality, Café Keppler also serves as a venue for small-scale events. Their own updates page listed a music quiz in April 2026, and social media posts had already indicated that this wasn't a one-off event. For instance, a second edition was mentioned in February 2026. Such recurring activities suggest a programming strategy that goes beyond standard café operations.

Local reports from March 2026 also mentioned a board game night, described as an evening to discover new games, join shared tables, and meet fellow players. Furthermore, guides have noted that the establishment hosts live music, including jazz bands and DJ sets, and showcases rotating exhibitions by local artists. Based on this, Café Keppler can be characterized as a spot where coffee, community, and culture regularly intersect.

No detailed, standalone sustainability policy was found in the public sources examined. However, there are several concrete clues regarding sourcing and suppliers. The business publicly links roasting their own beans to freshness and total control over the roasting process. Additionally, the menu mentions a collaboration for a meat platter with Johan van Buitengewone Varkens, with the meat reportedly coming from animals raised at NoordOogst. On the coffee side, supplier documentation exists outside the company itself: This Side Up lists Keppler Koffie in an overview of roasters who work with their coffees.

In recent years, Café Keppler has garnered attention from both international and Dutch media. A feature appeared in Sprudge in January 2018, and a few months later, the spot was included in European Coffee Trip's Amsterdam coffee tour. The Dutch trade press highlighted the business in 2024, while lifestyle and city guides included the café in lists of coffee shops in Amsterdam and Amsterdam-Noord in 2025. Additionally, Café Keppler was mentioned as a featured establishment in an article about the Gault&Millau 2020 guide. A specific award win for the café is not clearly documented in the available information.