In the summer the big terrace by the riverside in the front is great to sit and to watch people passing by. On a rainy day its also fine sitting inside - the part in the front with the big windows is as good as when you`re sitting outside - but there is also a large area in the back with more space. It is a very peaceful place to spend a couple of hours for reading the news, a good book or drinking a cup of tea & coffee.

The Ijsbreker has a very long history. In the 17th and 18th century the building was used as a guesthouse where in winter the persons who broke into the ice of the frozen Amstel River (ijsbrekers) used to stay. The guesthouse burnt down in the 19th century but the new building by the same architect van Gent, who also built "Het Concertgebouw" in Amsterdam, kept the original name.
It was later used as a meeting place for the social party, female organizations ("Vrouwen zonder corsetten"), it is said that Ajax was founded there and Geert Mak, a famous Dutch writer whose books are also translated into English, wrote about the history of the "Ijsbreker" (in Dutch: ”een bres in de stad”).

In 1979 De Ijsbreker opened as a café with a theatre and music centre and over the years thousand of concerts where given, sometimes also books where presented. After 25 years the music centre moved to the "Nieuwe Muziekgebouw" at t' IJ - where it still has its place in the 21st century.

As written earlier - today De Ijsbreker is still a popular place where it is nice go for a drink or something to eat during the day while enjoying the great view of the Amstel River - which is nowadays not very often frozen anymore :-)