De Sperwer

Shirt shops that are also coffee shops, creative agencies that are also wine bars and bookshops that are also cafés are popping up almost weekly. The bookshop-cum-café is not particularly new, but De Sperwer brings its own twist to the idea.

Located on Gerard Doustraat, which runs parallel to Albert Cuyp Market in De Pijp, De Sperwer (whose name, rather oddly, means sparrow hawk) specialises specifically in cook books.

The majority are in Dutch but there's also a smattering of English titles. These range from classic reference books like the Larousse Gastronomique encyclopedia and Delia Smith’s How to Cook, to recipe books covering a range of global cuisines, finger food, bread baking, vegan desserts, even ‘hip’ kosher.

Behind the shelves of books is a large kitchen where cooking workshops are held and upstairs is a small café that serves breakfast, lunch and tea on Saturdays.

It’s a nice place to browse for recipe books and culinary gifts, or stop for coffee and a snack, but the customer service – usually completely absent in Amsterdam – can actually be overly helpful and even pushy. Instead of a bell that rings when someone comes through the front door, a bird tweets repeatedly, which gets irritating if you're in there for a while.