Amsterdam Travel: My favourite brunch spot in Amsterdam - Little Collins
The title of this post is a lie. Little Collins in De Pijp area of Amsterdam is also one of my favourite places to go for dinner, a coffee and cake and drinks too. However, what it really excels at is brunch. This is no big surprise as it's an Australian restaurant named after a street in Melbourne and for any self-confessed fans of brunch will know that Australia is definitely a world-leader in the art of this mid-morning feast. Indeed, it was during my own visit to my partner's native Australia that I fully begin to understand the true potential of brunch and all its many different forms. That and how Aussies are obsessed with avocado. But that's a story for another day.
Little Collins is not a huge restaurant and is frequently full to the rafters on weekends - and sadly they don't take reservations for brunch any longer - but if you're in the area (basically close to Albert Cuyp Market) on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, it's well worth seeing if you can grab a table and enjoy one of their all day brunches (they stop serving around 16:00). The menu changes frequently (which for us is both a good and a bad thing as we have an excuse to return regularly but sadly also have to say goodbye to dishes we love) but we've honestly never had a bad meal there and believe me when I say we return often enough for that to be a compliment. In addition to the egg dishes and both unusual and more traditional brunch meals, I've also sampled most of their sweet breakfast offerings and yep, they all get thumbs up from me. (Can you tell I'm really not a very good food writer!)
NewMan was so eager to enjoy his brunch when I took my camera with me the other day that he ruined this photo. Sorry about that.
And I had already attacked my eggs florentine before I snapped this pic so yep, I'm just as guilty.
As we are lucky to consider Little Collins one of our neighbourhood joints, we've also had the pleasure of going there for dinner and again, we've never been disappointed. Dinners (served on Thursday, Friday and Saturday) are sort of a tapas style with a selection of dishes on offer that can easily be shared and will be brought out when ready, but you could also choose one or two for yourself depending on how hungry you are. And the good news is you can make a reservation for dinner.
Even if you miss brunch or dinner, I highly recommend seeking out Little Collins for a beer or a coffee - unsurprisingly their flat white is one of Amsterdam's best - and be sure to ask them what cakes they've got on offer. It makes no sense to me what with the majority of the staff being Antipodean but they're also home to the best-tasting pastel de nata I've had outside of Portugal. Not that I'm complaining....
Little Collins, 1e Sweelinckstraat 19-F, 1073 CL, Amsterdam Reservations: +31 (0)20 6732293
Frances M. Thompson
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