Cafe’s, a Taken-for-granted European Identity Maker

 

The café (or bar), a place in Europe that, no matter the time of day, always has a clientele, whether it be for social gatherings, to grab a bite, or to study. Whether you’re in the North, South, West, or East of the continent, and regardless of the way in which it is primarily used and conceptualised, the café is virtually omnipresent. Though this place might be frequently seen as banal and does not have the aura of a historical palace or the oldest boutique in your shopping street, its cultural significance is worth discussing.

By Ava Abtahi, Quiosq

The Brown Café

Having been born and raised in the Netherlands, an interesting case to explore is the “bruin cafés” (“brown cafés” in English), which are especially iconic in Amsterdam. Having originated in the 19th century, when consuming alcohol became increasingly popular amongst the working class, bruin cafés began to evolve during the 20th century, becoming more and more popular among artists, students, and other bohemians. Today, these cafés are inter-generational and inter-class. The Dutch, notably Lian Heinhuis and her PvdA Labour Party, have taken the cultural significance of the café to the next level by fighting to assign bruin cafés a listed status as official national heritage. This would allow bruin cafés to be preserved and protected from future projects in the neighbourhood that would otherwise risk demolishing them, or at least modifying their interior or exterior design.

But why is this café referred to as brown? It’s because of the dark, wood-based aesthetic that’s mainly seen through the café’s old chairs, tables, (creaky) floor and the stained walls supposedly caused by the patrons’ constant smoking. When we talk about the authentic ones, they have a typical decor. This often consists of a “bar (or counter) with high stools, tap and sometimes a billiard table” (Amsterdam Sights s.a.). Additionally, a “stamtafel” (“regular table” in English) lies in the bar. Patrons and regular guests often gather around it, earning themselves the name of “stamgasten” (“regular guests” in English). Moreover, just like in other European cafés with a regular clientele, the environment is very amicable, whereby the barman knows the regulars’ drinks and the regulars know the staff’s names. In a way, this café, which serves as a neighbourhood gathering spot where people meet to drink, have some bites and converse, becomes a second family to some.

Italy

Of course, it wouldn’t be fair to say that cafés have a cultural significance in the Netherlands only. Let’s travel down to Southern Europe, specifically to Italy, where there were 132,000 active cafés, better known as bars, in 2024 (Federazione Imprese Ristorazione Intrattenimento Turismo 2024). Angelo Moriondo’s invention of the espresso machine in 1884 and Achille Gaggia’s invention of the commercial piston machine in 1946 helped meet the increased demand for a rapid and efficient coffee service in cities (Weaver’s Coffee& Tea 2024). Furthermore, these inventions helped create a distinct coffee taste, which topped that generated by the coffee produced at home (earthstOriez s.a.). These achievements resulted in the emergence of a “drinking-out” culture, in turn rendering bars a cultural pillar in Italian society. Today, bars are integrated into many Italians’ daily lives as a place to have a typical cappuccino-and-cornetto (similar to a croissant) breakfast, or for an occasional “aperitivo” on weekends before dinner, though the list can go on.

Social glue

As important and iconic as cafés and bars have become to European countries like the Netherlands and Italy, thanks to their contribution to society’s social fabric, their numbers are also dropping annually. Since 2010 in Italy, more than 21,000 bars have been closed down (Federazione Imprese Ristorazione Intrattenimento Turismo 2024) and in the Netherlands, “national bruine kroeg numbers have fallen by almost a third, from 12,065 in 2007 to 8,260 at the end of 2022” (Boztas 2023). Reasons for this decline include issues with costs and revenues, as well as needing to update the bar/café business model to cater to a clientele in changing times, be it because of an increased digital and indoor age, or COVID-19. Though people might take cafés and bars for granted (at the end of the day, aren’t they just a place where you grab a bite and chat non-stop?), we ought to remember that they are thriving inter-generational places that work as a social glue. Perhaps, then, we should consider the fight to assign cafés and bars a listed status as official heritage of the countries more seriously. This would hopefully be an impactful step in shielding these locations from the above-mentioned dangers. But for more people to join this fight, the foundations must first be met. That is, for people to realise and acknowledge the role these European bars and cafés play in facilitating social cohesion in society. For example, at a local level, conversations and social gatherings taking place daily illustrate this, while at a national level, it’s their precious and unique history, which arguably renders them cultural landmarks, thereby emitting national pride, that illustrates this. Let us not pave the way to the expression “you never miss the water till the well runs dry” coming to life!

Bibliography

Amsterdam Sights. s.a. Brown cafés Bruincafé’s. Amsterdam Sights.
https://www.amsterdamsights.com/eatdrink/bruincafé.html, accessed on 22 November 2025.

Boztas, Senay. 2023 Brown, grimy… and historic: the battle to save Amsterdam’s old bars. The Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/04/brown-grimy-the-battle-to-save-a msterdam-netherlands-old-drinking-bars, accessed on 22 November 2025.

earthstOriez. s.a. The bar in Italy – A unique social fabric. earthstOriez.
https://earthstoriez.com/the-bar-in-italy-a-unique-social-fabric, accessed on 22 November 2025.

Federazione Imprese Ristorazione Intrattenimento Turismo. 2025 Bar, negli ultimi 10 anni chiuse oltre 21mila attività | FIPE: ripensare il modello di
business. Federazione Imprese Ristorazione Intrattenimento Turismo.
https://www.fipe.it/2025/10/20/bar-negli-ultimi-10-anni-chiuse-oltre-21mila-attivita- fipe-ripensare-il-modello-di-business/, accessed on 22 November 2025.

Federazione Imprese Ristorazione Intrattenimento Turismo. 2024 Giornata internazionale del caffè – FIPE: il bar italiano al centro della giornata.
Federazione Imprese Ristorazione Intrattenimento Turismo.
https://www.fipe.it/2024/10/01/giornata-internazionale-del-caffè-fipe-il-bar-italiano -al-centro-della-giornata/, accessed on 22 November 2025.

Weaver’s Coffee & Tea. 2024 The Rich History of the Espresso Bar. Weaver’s Coffee & Tea.
https://weaverscoffee.com/blogs/blog/the-rich-history-of-the-espresso-bar?srsltid=AfmBOooJ1JuuCo1JDnewMW2MyE7zMd4d9p9w7cl8AI-5BFEvkSrkGf3J,

Amsterdam Sights. s.a. Brown cafés Bruincafé’s. Amsterdam Sights.
https://www.amsterdamsights.com/eatdrink/bruincafé.html.

earthstOriez. s.a. The bar in Italy – A unique social fabric. earthstOriez.
https://earthstoriez.com/the-bar-in-italy-a-unique-social-fabric,

Gourmetaly. s.a. The best aperitivo in Rome: let’s drink to it! Groumetaly.
https://gourmetaly.com/the-best-aperitivo-in-rome-lets-drink-to-it/.

 

Photo by RR Abrot for Unsplash