There is outdoor seating when the weather is suitable enough. The cozy dining room is surprisingly dark despite a wall of windows facing the street, but the views are decent enough. There is a chalkboard with the daily specials.

I actually had the equivalent of Thanksgiving dinner here one evening, as it is one of my personal traditions to be outside the United States during this annual November holiday. Amazingly, I had a set menu dinner special here featuring turkey schnitzel! I ordered a Heineken with my meal, as after all I was in Amsterdam. The vegetable soup was served in a clever little pot, complete with its own little lid. The dense slab of turkey schnitzel was seasoned but not heavily breaded. The schnitzel was accompanied with a small salad and fries. I was not sure if the mayonnaise-like dressing was meant for the salad or the fries, but I tried dabs with both and it seemed to fit each item well enough. The dessert was a caramel sundae, a tasty but oddly American way to round off the meal.

The bar area behind the dining room is not too boisterous, so you can grab a stool and have a nightcap before heading back to your room (the Koepelcafe is connected to the hotel so you do not need to step outside). The atmosphere is certainly suitable for single female travelers or anyone who does not usually frequent bars. I was a bit surprised there was no TV here, but it does have piped-in rock tunes and a rack with a few magazines. Ask the bartender for the local specialties, such as a tall glass of Wieckse Witte, a refreshing beer brewed in Maastricht and normally accompanied with a lemon slice. One night I eavesdropped on a few English and German fellows amiably discussing the strong suits of their favorite soccer clubs with absolutely no animosity or hooliganism.

The Koepelcafe does not have the charm of the smoky "brown cafes" scattered all over Amsterdam, but sometimes a sanitized version is what you want after a long day of sightseeing.