Cafe Batavia 1920

[Lemming]

ACD Page: Batavia

[CopenhagenCouple]

The king of smoker's friendly bars! Currently seated by the window in the batcave after a nice and very good value meal with some good drinks and killer smoke.

As a friendly local expressed it, everything you want is right here...

[Papi]

Can i give 6 stars to Batavia?

[Cisco]

My go to spot , good food , drink , smoker friendly and opposite Voyagers Perfect

[Nuggz]

#ifyaknowyaknow #fietsgang #sizzurpsippers #dabdungeon #dabdoers #batcave

[EasilySuede]

here's batavia's webster...
http://batavia1920.nl/en/

ron's Amsterdam Pub Guide write-up...
https://www.europeanbeerguide.net/pubs2.htm#batavia

I'm always pleased to learn of new pubs with a decent beer selection. Especially ones as conveniently-placed and attractive as Batavia. It's just along from the Zeedijk, facing Centraal Station. Very handy for a pub crawl. There are half a dozen other pubs in this guide within 100 metres.

I noticed the building years ago, I have a thing for 1920's architecture (edit: AKA amsterdam school) and Batavia is a particularly fine example. Lost of decorative 3D brickwork. Insides is almost as nice. There's curvy wooden panelling that looks original. At least to me it does. But I've been fooled before.The light fittings are great, too. I would show you a photo, but all ones I took are too blurry.I should have taken them before I started on the Maredsous 10.
The beer list has a couple of real surprises - Liberty Ale and Titan IPA from the USA, for example. Much better than your standard Amsterdam bar. About 53% of the way to being a proper specialist place.

Mike had a couple of reservations. And not for dinner. He wasn't keen on the music. Not the music they were playing, but the fact that there was any at all. It wasn't even that loud. Or particularly crappy. Low-key jazzy-type stuff. I didn't even notice it after the first 2.4 minutes.

Young people. There were some of those in there, too. Talking to each other and having fun. That pissed Mike right off. (edit: LOL) That they were obviously tourists only made things even worse. And I thought I was a grumpy old bastard.

The Maredsous 10 went down nicely. Or do they call that Maredsous Tripel now? It doesn't reeally matter. It tastes nice and has a bit of poke. I like beers with a bit of poke, especially in the winter. Warming, alcoholic without any weird extremeness. That's how I like my beer. Which is why I hadn't chosen Titan IPA.Who wants to drink an inauthentic US-style IPA when it's cold, wet and windy?

Almost forgot, They stock a couple of beers in 75 cl bottles. La Chouffe and a proper gueuze. For those days when a just 33 cl won't do. I have plenty of those. Now I think about it, every day's like that.

I couldn't persuade Mike to stay for more than three beers. The pull of Ooievaar just down the road was too strong. I wasn't going to argue with him. Not with all those jenevers. And boiled eggs, too. I'd not had any tea. A boiled egg would do just fine.

[Nuggz]

The undisputed champ, the benchmark, the king, el numero uno - nuff said!

[macky]

Great place for B-day Bash

[Lafe]

I would give Batavia 5 stars, but for some fucking reason, Frans likes to pick me out of a crowd and start shit with me. This also happened at 't Nes. At one point he threatened to punch me (he was drunk AF naturally), just gave me a shove on the shoulder as I sat peacefully at the bar, and went on his way. I don't what gets him so agitated, I certainly don't seek him out but he recognizes me, starts talking, and the more beer he gets in him the worse it gets.

And I never do anything to deserve this. Nowadays I have a quick look inside to see if he is about. I don't need harassment like that, and as I said, I have done nothing to to incite it. He's just a bad drunk IMO.

Otherwise, I enjoy the food, the bar, and the smoking room (for brief periods, don't do bakky myself).

[Nuggz]

I would give Batavia 5 stars, but for some fucking reason, Frans likes to pick me out of a crowd and start shit with me. This also happened at 't Nes. At one point he threatened to punch me (he was drunk AF naturally), just gave me a shove on the shoulder as I sat peacefully at the bar, and went on his way. I don't what gets him so agitated, I certainly don't seek him out but he recognizes me, starts talking, and the more beer he gets in him the worse it gets.

And I never do anything to deserve this. Nowadays I have a quick look inside to see if he is about. I don't need harassment like that, and as I said, I have done nothing to to incite it. He's just a bad drunk IMO.

Otherwise, I enjoy the food, the bar, and the smoking room (for brief periods, don't do bakky myself).

That's odd, I've never had any problems with Frans or seen him act like that with others. Though he can be a bit weird when drunk at times, care to elaborate more on these interactions out of curiosity?

Edit: you say he recognizes you and you know who he is and his name so I assume you guys must be acquaintances to some degree? Sure there's not some history perhaps all the way back to the days of the Nes?

[Lafe]

This is the strange bit, I have only ever had pleasant (sober) conversations with him. Back in 't Nes days, we waxed poetically over the Grand Cru, and lamented the demise of Stella Blue. But after a while he gets grabby and his mood turns foul, and then gets pushy.

Those who know me also know I push back. Hard. USMC style. Never had to do that with Frans, but the last time I saw him at 't Nes (after Dave had departed) he got really ugly and some regular kid warned me not to retaliate. Well, I'm in a foreign country so anything short of outright self defense is off the table but fortunately he (foolishly) got on his bike and left, after the bartender threatened him with a police call.

I think he hits an alcohol limit and that's it. I don't think he's a bad dude and I genuinely enjoy talking to him but when he hits the line he should stop. I'm giving benefit of the doubt, surely those were stressful times for him.

I'll catch up with him next time and enjoy a beer with him.

[Scholesfan]

Is this guy a local drunk?

[CopenhagenCouple]

Not exactly, no, dude owns the place if I am not very mistaken...

[madmaxxx]

Lovely roast beef dinner there this weekend.this really is a little home from home.

[TwoCanucks]

Not exactly, no, dude owns the place if I am not very mistaken...

haha was not expecting this turn in the story.

Batavia the undisputed champ of smoker friendlies