Essentially Amsterdam – Friday, November 6, 2026

Friday November 6, 2026

Good morning, Amsterdam. Today: KLM plans to cut 5,000 jobs, a food hall with a hidden cheese restaurant opens in Noord, and a free ice rink by the Poel in Amstelveen waits for frost.

Free Amstelveen ice rink by the Poel awaits frost: Amstelveen has registered the volunteer-run natural rink behind the town hall, with a hot drinks and snacks stall, for 14 December to 5 March. Skating depends on frost: the Netherlands now averages about three ice days a year, down from about eleven sixty years ago.

Estate agents plan their own rival to Funda: Brokers unhappy with rising listing costs on Funda are setting up Homek, open only to certified agents in industry associations, who will share in its profits. It aims to launch in March 2027, once 1,000 agents sign up or €1 million is raised. €200,000 arrived within 48 hours.

Local VVD wants Vondelpark-style fatbike ban in Westerpark: The party cites reports of women harassed by fatbike riders in the Westerpark, and notes counts in the Vondelpark fell from up to 101 to at most 14 after its ban. The West district board prefers to wait for national rules that could allow fatbike-free zones.

A Dutch cook keeps Filipino home cooking alive in Amsterdam: Beate Duma has cooked Filipino food for 28 years and runs House of Pinoy Foods, the catering business she started with her late Filipino husband, Rheneir. His longganisa recipe is her best seller and often sells out before the end of the week. She refuses to adapt the dishes, from adobo to pancit and dinuguan, for non-Filipino tastes.

Science Park co-op named residential building of the year: Architectenweb Awards judges praised De Nieuwe Meent, built mostly of wood, for combining permanently affordable rents with shared living. Residents rent from the cooperative, run it together and share 45% of the space, including a large kitchen, laundry, roof terrace and a café open to the neighbourhood.

KLM to cut 5,000 jobs, nearly 15% of workforce: The airline plans to shed the posts through voluntary departure schemes and by not replacing leavers, outsourcing some ground and baggage handling and digitising customer service. It says it needs a structural €1 billion extra, citing fuel prices and higher Schiphol fees, and has dropped plans for new Airbus planes.

Dutch answer to US Darpa based at Amsterdam’s Marineterrein: State Secretary Derk Boswijk launched the Netherlands Institute for Defence Technology on Thursday, with 350 million euros to fund risky projects by companies and universities. Its first challenge asks for systems to protect the North Sea from threats such as sabotage of subsea cables.

Food hall with hidden cheese restaurant opens in Noord: Kade Noord opens on 6 November in the former Storkhal on the IJ, with 300 seats and vendors including Bon Burger, Dime Slice and Tango Taco. The city has given it two and a half years, possibly longer, before the area is redeveloped. Pizza starts at 5 euros.

Lian Heinhusi becomes Amsterdam’s alderman for outdoor play: Amsterdam has almost 2,000 playgrounds, yet children play outside less and less, blamed on screens, busier streets and uneven play areas. Heinhusi says richer neighbourhoods get nicer playgrounds, and the city will look at making streets more child-friendly and planning for children in new districts from the start.

PUDU shows all six robot lines in Amsterdam: The Chinese firm used its European partner summit at the Van der Valk Amsterdam-Amstel to set out a plan to run one AI system across all its machines. The firm wants Europe to be among the first markets for the approach, and says its robots should support workers, not replace them.

UvA student tests Japanese dog-pee post in Zuidoost: Nanako Okusa, a 21-year-old exchange student, co-designed a post for dogs to relieve themselves on, shown at Dutch Design Week in October. A sponge-like material channels urine into soil inside the column, so dogs can smell it but people cannot. The designers want partners to bring it to market.

René Verburgt’s Westerpark film camera shop seeks successor: Foto den Boer on Tweede Hugo de Grootstraat has sold film, cameras and darkroom supplies since 1950, and its owner says analogue photography is popular with 18 to 40 year olds. Verburgt, 71, runs it with his wife and wants more free time, but no successor has come forward.

Sportpark Drieburg in Oost to get padel courts: Sports company Footy will develop and run a 3,915 square metre plot vacated by korfball club AW.DTV, with three five-a-side pitches, a children’s outdoor course and a clubhouse with terrace. Roots after-school care will also open there. Building is expected to start in autumn 2027.

NS warns rail competition means more transfers: The Cabinet decides early next year what happens when the NS rail concession ends in 2033, with open access and tendering among the options. NS and union FNV oppose competition, while operators like Arriva, Transdev and the ACM want more. MPs heard from all sides on Thursday.

Picnic boss Michiel Muller says supermarkets tried to trip him: Muller, who has taken on Shell, ANWB and now Albert Heijn, says large firms try to push newcomers out. He wants more room for innovative companies, notes Picnic may not sell German cola even at 50 cents cheaper, and explains how Picnic filled the gap after the Albert Heijn hack.

•  Café Dapper (Dapperstraat): Breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks in Amsterdam-Oost using market produce and sustainably caught fish and oysters, closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

•  Lucky Duck (Voetboogstraat): Thai, Chinese and Japanese cuisine served family-style in the city centre, with an open kitchen, robata grill and crafted cocktails.

•  Kade Noord (Noord): A new food hall in the old Storkhal on the IJ, opening 6 November, with burgers, pizza, tacos and a cheese bar behind a secret door.

 

De Tuinen Van yard sale: De Tuinen Van, 17:00 – 21:00.

Daily markets open today: Minervamarkt (Minervaplein), Nieuwmarkt and Van der Pekmarkt (Van der Pekstraat). See all markets open today

Parttime Retail Assistant Hoofddorp: Primark, Hoofddorp, EUR 8.69 – 16.39 an hour – Help Primark customers with their shopping, keep the store organised, serve at the tills and process deliveries.

Financial Accountant: TicketSwap, Amsterdam, EUR 60,800 – 84,100 a year – Own month-end close, reporting and process improvements with TicketSwap’s Financial Accounting & Operations team.

Senior Domein Architect: Transavia, Hoofddorp, EUR 4,800 – 10,000 a month – Translate business vision into target architecture and roadmaps, and govern architecture standards for the C&P domain with the IT team serving the Netherlands and France.

People Partner Bean to Bar: Tony’s Chocolonely, Amsterdam, EUR 76,000 – 96,000 a year – Partner with Operations, the Factory, Super Store and Tony’s Open Chain leaders to shape people strategies, coach teams and handle employee relations.

More international jobs in Amsterdam: see the full list or get them in your inbox every day.

Looking ahead: Museum Night 2026 (from Sat 7 November), Food Phreaks: Biodiversity of the Kitchen (from Sat 7 November) and Make It Yourself Festival & Sustainable Home Market (Sun 8 November). See the week ahead →

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