Amsterdam is a great shopping city and has some interesting shopping area’s such as the Kalverstraat and ofcourse the luxurious P.C. Hooftstraat. But in those well known shopping area’s you will find mostly large retail chains. The thing we love about Amsterdam is that there a so many little gems scattered over the city; the little shops and boutiques.

Since some time there is a new trend in Amsterdam. The outskirts are becoming more and more interesting. The neighborhoods around Amsterdam’s city center have seen an influx of small café’s and shops focussing on local communities. Typically the shops in the city center cater to tourists and day shoppers that drain the area’s spunk and spirit it used to have. But the good news is that it has made the area’s around the city center all the more interesting. The Indian Quarter (Indische buurt) in Eastern Amsterdam, with Java street (Javastraat) at its heart is currently one of the hot spots.

On this web page we tell you our favorite shops and restaurants in Eastern Amsterdam. It is an ode small shops and the people behind it. Because just like it’s  residents, small shops, cafés and restaurants create atmosphere and spark a neighborhood’s soul.