Café Mads

Café Mads is a hospitality venue located at Zoutkeetsplein in the Zeeheldenbuurt, in Amsterdam West. The business is publicly registered at Zoutkeetsplein 1h, 1013 LD Amsterdam. In its own presentation, the establishment describes itself as a spot for coffee, breakfast, lunch, drinks, and a bistro. As such, Café Mads positions itself not as a pure coffee bar, but as a broader neighborhood café with various functions throughout the day.

For specialty coffee enthusiasts, the most relevant aspect is how coffee fits into this broader concept. Available information shows that coffee has a permanent place on the menu, but also that the overall profile extends beyond just coffee. The public image of Café Mads is therefore formed by a combination of its community role, hospitality offerings, and recurring activities.

According to a neighborhood profile from 2014, Café Mads opened in November 2013. The same publication names Pim Hermeling as the person behind the business. It also states that he wanted to establish a café that could serve as a meeting place for the neighborhood, similar to an extension of one's living room. This provides direction for the original concept: accessible, locally rooted, and intended for daily use.

Public biographical information outside the café links Pim Hermeling to A-Film Distribution and later to September Film. Furthermore, in 2024, De Westkrant identified him as the owner of Café Mads. Other co-founders were not publicly documented in the consulted sources. Based on the available information, Hermeling remains the only clearly identifiable name in the founding history.

The company's own description aligns with that premise. Café Mads explicitly presents itself as a destination for multiple moments of the day. This is also evident from its social profile, where breakfast, lunch, drinks, and café meals take center stage. The concept thus seems aimed at a mixed local crowd, rather than focusing solely on a specialized coffee identity.

The current menu lists a range of classic espresso-based coffee drinks. These include espresso, double espresso, espresso macchiato, cortado, coffee, cappuccino, caffè latte, latte macchiato, and flat white. This offering points to a standard coffee program that fits an all-round café business. The menu provides no indication of an emphasis on experimental or rotating coffee concepts.

What is particularly striking is what is NOT on the menu. Manual brewing methods such as pour-over, AeroPress, Chemex, or batch brew are not mentioned in the consulted menu. For specialty coffee readers, this is a relevant detail, as such methods are often used to differentiate based on origin, roasting, or extraction style. Based on the public menu, the focus here is therefore on espresso and milk-based derivatives.

The consulted sources also do not mention a coffee roaster. Although a social media search linked Café Mads to Beukenhorst Koffie, the accessible sources provided no clear confirmation of a supplier relationship. Therefore, it remains unclear which roaster the café works with. From a journalistic perspective, this is relevant: there is little concrete public record regarding the origin and sourcing of the coffee.

In addition to coffee, the menu lists the following drinks, among others:

Café Mads’s role as a community hub is evident not only in its origins but also through its recurring activities. Facebook records show events such as a pub quiz held every second Thursday of the month. Additionally, independent groups have used the venue for gatherings, including a Global Health Pub Quiz in 2022 and various meetings centered around books and culture.

This local impact extends beyond the café’s walls. De Westkrant reported that in January 2017, Café Mads set up a temporary ice rink at Zoutkeetsplein for local children, students from the neighborhood school De Zeeheld, and café patrons. This example demonstrates that the establishment has, at various times, made a conscious effort to engage with its immediate surroundings.

There is also documentation of its cultural use. The final report of Amsterdam 750 mentions that Suzan Baars’s photo exhibition “Imagine Amsterdam” was hosted at Café Mads. Furthermore, several live performances by musician Dick Pels have been documented at this location. Consequently, available sources portray Café Mads not just as a hospitality venue, but as a stage and a community meeting space.

Publicly available information regarding sustainability and procurement policies is limited. No formal sustainability policy or sourcing statement was found in the consulted sources. The menu does mention organic apple and pear juice, and lists brand products such as Gulpener, Fritz Kola, Orangina, Ortiz sardines, and Beyond Burger. However, the sources do not describe these as formal partnerships or part of a broader sustainability program.

Media attention for Café Mads is well-documented. The establishment appeared in a 2014 neighborhood profile, a 2022 food feature in De Westkrant, and an Amsterdam hospitality tour in 2025. Additionally, a social post from PS Het Parool in 2014 referenced a café feature about Mads. Travel and neighborhood guides have also included the location. However, no awards, prizes, or formal accolades were found in the consulted sources.

Taken together, the available data shows a café with deep community roots and a broad hospitality profile. For specialty coffee readers, it is important to note that the coffee offering consists of classic espresso drinks, while information regarding the roaster, origin, and advanced brewing methods is not detailed publicly. The resulting impression is that of a neighborhood café where coffee plays a consistent role within a concept that extends far beyond coffee alone.