I’ve been a huge fan of Fort Negen for ages but its taken me a little while to share details of this fabulous hotspot.
Why? Well its not in the very centre of town, and I know most visitors spend their time within touching distance of the canal ring, but honestly if you’re on the hunt for the best bakery in Amsterdam, one that attracts queues of hip locals for their weekend specials, then its worth a ten minute tram ride to Amsterdam West for some stunning bakes that taste even better than they look – and that’s truly saying something.
Head Baker Maarten started his career at the legendary Restaurant De Kas. Chefs from across Amsterdam persuaded him to go it alone and supply the city’s other top eateries and after a couple of years in which his business exploded, he outgrew his modest kitchen and moved into a space he’s made his own in Jan Evertsenstraat.
The kitchen here is the one Maarten always dreamed of. A fabulous neighbourhood bakery with an emphasis on craft and fermentation. As they say themselves:
We bake everything at the last minute for the freshest products in Amsterdam. The first breads and croissants come out of the oven just before opening time and we continue to bake all day. So even if you arrive at the end of the day you’ll still be eating the very freshest of products.
So what kind of products are we talking about? Well their signature is a dark crust sourdough which is indeed fabulous, but if you’re on a weekend visit to the city I’m guessing you won’t have need for a loaf of bread – so how about their exquisite croissants, delicate financiers and other patisseries.
Best of all there are always killer weekend specials on offer (check their Instagram for details). Every week offers something unique and different but to give you a flavour we’re talking:
- Cruffins with Pistachio ganache and orange marmalade or with banana, miso caramel and tonka bean pana cotta.
- Soes with chocolate and peanut cream or chocolate and black sesame.
- Choux with apricot, lavender and jasmine
- Cheese croissant with roasted celeriac, horseradish, apple and blue cheese
- ‘Koffiebroodje’ with buckwheat cream, raisins and apple.
You get the idea. This is special stuff and the queues of locals from 8am testify to its brilliance.
If you don’t make it on the weekend, don’t worry. there are ample treats all week but my top tip is to wait for Spring and ask for one of their ‘Ijscroissants’ – basically half a croissant topped with soft-serve icecream and sprinkles, or chocolate miso crumble. It’s as fabulous as it sounds and far exceeds its Insta-billing.
No time to get to Amsterdam West? Don’t panic, you may happen across some of their fabulous bakes elsewhere – quite possibly a Michelin eatery – but why risk it, head over to the Jan Evertsenstraat, I promise they will make it worth your while.
