In summer, the main appeal of Café van Zuylen is its large terrace on the Canal Belt’s broadest bridge, next to the Multatuli statue on Singel. It can seat around 100 punters, whose sun isn’t troubled by any shade, regardless of where they sit. The downside to this is the lack of shelter when the inevitable drizzle of rain falls, but this can be overlooked. The size of the terrace does mean that service can be slow, and those with a real thirst would do better to order at the bar. The obvious appeal of the terrace does mean quite a touristy crowd, but the bar itself is more determinedly local (particularly during winter) and gets a good after work crowd at the weekends. But, this is essentially a brown cafe with flourishes (like an extensive if simple food menu, which extends well beyond the brown cafe staples of bitterballen and old Amsterdammer cheese).