Elevate Coffee Lab

Ahmad Alshikh got his first coffee job in Syria, where the coffee was bitter and sugar was simply expected, and his idea of the drink changed completely once he started working Dutch cafes and taking courses that opened up origins, varieties and processing methods he had never encountered. He went on to become Head Roaster at Keen Coffee before spending six years developing his own place, which opened as Elevate Coffee Lab in October 2024 on a quiet, green square in De Pijp.

The cafe runs on table service rather than a counter queue, and coffee is served laptop and sugar free, a deliberate choice meant to slow people down enough to actually taste what is in the cup. The menu rotates roughly every six to eight weeks around a different guest roaster, and Ahmad teaches espresso, filter and latte art workshops on site, treating each cup as a chance to talk through where the beans came from and who grew them.