Café Kobalt — Restaurant in Amsterdam

Disappointing service, decent drinks

Stopped in with my two young adult kids for an evening drink on the way back to our hotel. A tall blonde server came to our table. When I asked for recommendations, he said they “weren’t really a cocktail bar” and didn’t even have a shaker—so, not much to suggest. (Might be time to update the Google description.)

My son asked for Amaretto, and the server flatly said they didn’t have it. I ordered an Old Fashioned and asked for a few minutes so my kids could decide. The server left and never returned. Eventually, the bartender came over—and sure enough, I could see a bottle of Amaretto sitting right on the shelf behind him. So we ordered that and my Old Fashioned. My daughter, tired of waiting, skipped ordering altogether.

To be fair, my drink was good, the vibe was lively, and I enjoyed the country music playing. The bartender was decent, but the first server was dismissive and rude despite putting on a “nice” front. Not the worst bar, but definitely not welcoming, kind of like all...

We arrived in Amsterdam (Schiphol) early Monday morning and had plans to head towards Paris by train just after mid day. We had all morning to stroll around the canal district and find a place for a leisurely breakfast. Kobalt was an easy walk from Centraal and had plentiful seating both inside and out. The staff were lovely, friendly and relaxed. We ended up having both coffee and cafe au lait, as well as a fresh croissant with homemade jam and french toast with fresh cream and blueberries. Early Monday in July is not very crowded and there were a couple of people with laptops enjoying a quiet spacious warm spot to get their day started. Kobalt reminded me how much I love Amsterdam's famously decadent dairy products. We would not hesitate to come here again. We sat inside because we needed to recharge our phones. Outlets were plentiful and easily accessible. Next time I hope we can sit out...

Went here on Sunday for a second time - the Friday before was an excellent evening and I would give 5 stars for everything. But 2 days later how very different..

The young woman serving could not have been more disinterested in working . After informing her of our booking she went on to serve another customer, leaving us standing .

When she eventually came to our table she didn’t ask for a drink order , didn’t know the menu (she didn’t know what soup of the day was and wandered off to ask someone ).

I asked if the ribs came with fries , she said no, so ordered a side dish - the meal came with fries , which were lukewarm warm .

We waited ages for the main course and noticed other customers got food before us though arrived later - she hadn’t put it through to the kitchen .

Have very mixed thoughts about returning here . As I said Friday was a completely different...