Café Cenc

Fish-forward Mediterranean from the Balthazar's Keuken and Bar Parry family, on the Vijzelgracht since 2024.

Café Cenc is the third act for the family behind Balthazar's Keuken and Bar Parry, and the first of the three built as a full sit-down restaurant rather than a fixed menu or a walk-in bar. It took over the old Bar Bambino address on the Vijzelgracht in June 2024 and turned it fish-forward and Mediterranean: brioche with prawn and lemon marmalade, gravad lax with pickled red onion, a whole fish with caramelized fennel and harissa, poulet jaune with pointed cabbage and tarragon sauce. Order it a la carte or take the fixed three courses for €45.50, starter to dessert, with no real weak link either way. By day the same kitchen runs proper sandwiches, shrimp croquette on a baguette, smoked mackerel with lemon mayonnaise, plus snacks like oeuf mayonnaise and fish beignets straight through to 22:00. The wine list, again sourced via De Wijnwinkel, leans Portuguese, Spanish and Italian. Open six days, closed Monday and Tuesday, with a room that fills fast on instinct as much as on bookings.

Open Wednesday-Sunday from 12:00, lunch straight into dinner. A booking widget is now live on the site, but the room built its name on walk-ins, so a spot at the bar is always a fallback.

What to order

Full menu

Three-course menu (starter, main, dessert)€45.50
The whole deal, a la carte quality without the a la carte total
Brioche with prawn, lemon marmalade and crème fraîche€14.50
The starter reviewers keep mentioning by name
Fish with caramelized fennel, tomatoes, olives, harissa and new potatoes€26.50
The main that sets the fish-forward tone of the whole menu