Einde van de Wereld: Restaurant in Java-eiland, Amsterdam

About Einde van de Wereld

Einde van de Wereld is a volunteer-run neighbourhood restaurant on the Quo Vadis, a former cargo ship moored at the Javakade on Amsterdam's Java-eiland. You go for a home-cooked meal in the hold, often with a band, a poet or an art show thrown in.

The hold has yellow-painted tables and walls, the original cargo floor, a bar with coloured lights and a small stage. There is regular live music, from jazz to singer-songwriters, and the poetry evenings Spleen and Poetry Musica have a loyal following. Each evening has one menu, posted on the website. When the food is gone, it is gone, so the crew asks you to ring on the night to check. You cannot book unless you come with six or more.

It began in spring 1984, when squatters, many of them from the evicted Wyers building, took a building at Sumatrakade 15. One remembered the words Het Einde van de Wereld on a facade in the centre and decided the real end of the world was out here. The eating club ran by candlelight at first. When the building had to make way for housing on the Java-eiland, the group bought the Quo Vadis, and the first meals on board were served at the end of 1995. It still has no subsidy and runs on volunteers, and the boat can be hired.

The restaurant is open on Wednesdays and Fridays from 18:00, and each menu has a vegetarian option. The main entrance has stairs, the rear entrance a stairlift, and the ladies' toilet is fitted out for people who find walking difficult. Tram 1 from the Leidseplein stops at the Azartplein, as do bus 43 from Centraal and bus 65 from Amstel station. For hire, the boat takes up to 60 people, with the kitchen, stage and deck included.