Hip Lunch at the New York Film Academy Cafe, Amsterdam

What did you want to be growing up?

When I was a little girl, I dreamt of being in the entertainment field. I was quite active in school plays and was always tinkering with camera equipment. I thought I’d eventually become an investigative journalist or a film producer of some sort. Fast forward to when we were filling out college applications, I may have given my advisers the shock of their lives as I opted for the corporate route instead of the creative path. Perhaps I realised my negotiating and arguing skills were better than my filmmaking. Perhaps I knew other creatives were heaps better and I feared I’d be lost in a big pond of creative geekery. Who knows.

Whilst I may have some slight wistful moments thinking about film and TV production in a parallel world, I’m still a sucker for films and my line of work still gets me to see and be in TV studios now and again.

My friend G was bold enough to pursue his film school dreams. Now working as an editor in LA, he studied a few courses at the New York Film Academy in Damrak. When he found out I was off to Amsterdam, he said that their cafe was worth visiting. So off I went.

Cool and casual, the restaurant/bar has a semi-20’s feel in modern NYC settings. The all-day menu offers American comfort diner classics which you can have with a selection of soft drinks, cocktails and spirits. They also have live music featuring local artists. I can imagine why this is a popular lunch spot for tourists and locals alike, the ambience is rather nice.

The Classic Yankee Dog is such a bargain at €10. I’m not really a hot dog type of gal, but as I’ve seen so many franks in Amsterdam, the craving was unreal. The hot dog itself burst in succulent flavour and the bun had the perfect firmness and softness. Topped with a great balance of American mustard, ketchup and fried shallots, this was a good gourmet hot dog.

Equally as fantastic were the fries. Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, they were perfect, perfect, perfect. I mean, I wouldn’t have expected anything less in Amsterdam.

Lunch was washed down with a potent whiskey sour (€8.5).

For a first day lunch, this was absolutely much welcomed. And easily the best lunch I’ve had in a while!

Another thing I’ve tried on the menu was the NY Fultons Crispy Fish Taco (€16). I’m not too keen on the flour tortilla “taco” but the breaded fish was delicious. Perfectly seasoned and fried sans oily residue, the fish tasted fresh and light AF. The guac was also on point with a good amount of zing and the chilli and cilantro gave it a nice refreshing taste.

If only they made the tortilla better, this would’ve been an absolutely outstanding dish.

The cosmopolitan (€9) was also quite nice. It needed a bit of a kick, but I’m glad it wasn’t as syrupy as I thought.

As for sweet endings, the Boston cream doughnut (€6) was dreamy. The doughnut was filled with vanilla custard which was heavenly. Howevery, the chocolate topping was so damn rich I had to scrape off some to balance out the flavours. Still good though.

Verdict for NYFA Café

This was a very chilled out place to hang out in for a snack at lunch. Clientele varies from young’uns to touring old couples to students to yuppie City types. It’s American diner food with servers slightly more polished in the looks department (and boy, do they know it). It’s totes unpretentious and the price ain’t bad at all. Go for a quick lunch before checking out the Royal Palace. Or go ’round arvo time for a bit more of a lively post-work vibe.

New York Film Academy Café
Damrak 213, 1012 ZH Amsterdam, Netherlands
Average spend pp: 25€

Did you ever wanna work in the film industry?

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Honey de Gracia