New Amsterdam Surf Association

Amsterdam

I chose Kaasland because it’s my summer hotspot to go have breakfast or lunch, like the best cheese and the best sandwiches. And it’s in the Haarlemmerdijk which is one of the nicest streets in Amsterdam. 

We’re at the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal, that’s where the store is and that’s next to the dam so there’s not many places more central. During corona everything was kinda hard, especially during the winter months. I think it should be that community hangout spot for us, the surf team and everybody but I think now it’s just started to become that, because we can do the drinks and the afterparties and collection release parties here.

You have a lot of types of people jumping from the piers and everyone just brings their own towel and a lot of food and drinks. It’s a really fun place to just chill and get a tan. In summer it gets really busy so sometimes you really have to come early to get a good spot but it’s worth it. You can stay there for the whole day and usually at night, people will play music and maybe light little barbecues.

It’s a spot that’s a little bit further away from the city centre, so for us, it’s a bit more local. It’s very DIY in a way and it has this mix of fine dining but not with a dress code and not with those prices and afterwards around 9pm they usually take out all the chairs and tables and it just turns up really, really quick.
 
It’s just a place where they don’t want to have too many rules and they just want to be very open-minded about everything and if stuff goes crazy, the owners will be the guys that go crazier. It’s very easy-going, it’s not about who you are, it’s about music and having fun with a lot of people. 

New Amsterdam Surf Association’s Guide To Summer in Amsterdam

Heartbroken

Brussels

It’s a very old and typical Brussels daily flea market. You can find good bargains and nice antiques as well as a lot of weird stuff. I used to go there since I’m a kid with my Dad and we would just look for some nice furniture for the house, and after that we would have a sandwich and a soup at la Clef d’Or, a cafe that’s right on the square and is still running today. Those are my dearest childhood memories.

It’s my favourite ice cream spot, I think, in the world. During the first lockdown everything was closed, and you could only have takeaways and I would walk from my home 35 minutes all the way to Bargello and every day I would go and buy one ice cream and that was like my highlight of the day. It’s a true Italian style ice cream parlour, they have these flavours that I love and that you don’t find so often, dark chocolate sorbet and tuscan cream with pistachio and almonds.

It’s a little park located in the heart of Saint Gilles, that typically represents the diversity of Brussels as a lot of different crowds mix there. There is a basketball court and a field where people play pétanque while sipping a beer, the kids play in the grass and the skaters use the upper level’s flat ground with their friends watching them sitting on the stairs. During the first lockdown, it spontaneously became a big hang out place as the bars were closed down, to the point that the police came to confiscate the skating equipment due to neighbourhood complaints.

They make these awesome jerk chicken plates and also fish but also, they make these cocktails which are a bit too strong but are really good, it’s worth the money. They have a DJ, he plays reggae and dancehall and he’s always very hyped about being there, it’s a very nice vibe.

Decoratelier started as a scenography workshop that his owner, Jozef Wouters, opened to other collectives and people from the neighbourhood, and it quickly became a strong community and an inclusive lab for all kinds of ideas and projects. The space is easy to adapt as they use modular scaffoldings to create a different setting for every event, so they have had theatre performances, screenings, club nights as well as karaoke and a gym club.

Heartbroken’s Guide to Summer in Brussels

Tiny's Pizza

Berlin

It’s a very lovely spot, right on Paul-Lincke-Ufer. The bakery is really good, I think it’s been rated one of the best in Berlin so the croissants and baked goods there are really delicious.

This is kind of a general spot in the summer, people just try and catch as much sun as they can, with a beer or with wine and you kind of just find whatever space you have, maybe you run into some friends, maybe you meet someone new. That’s kind of the energy, it’s very casual.

It’s really nice to go on bike rides, also through the forest that is attached to it. And this island (Insel der Jugend) specifically is really lovely because there’s an outdoor cinema there, you can rent boats, there’s a little späti to pick up snacks or something to drink. And then there’s this one little spot, kind of like a boardwalk, where you just find people picnicking and sprawling out and the sun sets right along that view.

This is where you can rent out some paddle boats. It’s quite fun being on these little paddle boats. Actually driving the boat yourself is a different experience and with a close circle of friends it’s very funny but hectic as well.

It’s a really cute restaurant, kind of tucked away in the centre of the city. We have a big garden, a really big outdoor space for seating and for people to enjoy themselves. In the summer there’s a big emphasis on music and having DJs perform here.

Tiny's Pizza’s Guide To Summer in Berlin

Public Possession 

Munich

It’s sort of like the area where a lot of young people meet, either for going to the river or having some food or shopping. At night, it has a lot of bars so it’s one of the most lively areas in Munich so it felt natural to open something there.

It’s like one of the oldest food markets, definitely in town, and the whole approach is still very old school so like every stall has its own product and they can only sell that product and they have to get creative if they want to break some rules.

It’s one of the biggest parks in the world and it’s also the place where, when we all grew up, we hung out there in the summer because you could swim there. People also surf there. It’s kind of special.

It’s this industrial hall, warehouse kind of thing where we basically give space to a lot of different creative working people and try to create a space where you can share ideas and work together. A goal we have is to create a space where a lot of synergies can develop.

High Bar is a neighbourhood bar that’s been around for a while. It’s run by friends of ours and when we go out and have a drink that would be one of the places that would be a go-to. They have a very nice concept of serving small drinks called Highballs. It’s very good to be there because you always meet friends but also if you come from somewhere else you will easily get to chat with other people because it’s a small space that quickly gets crowded.

It’s our home base when it comes to DJing and clubbing in Munich. Despite everything else that was going on in the scene here in Munich they always stayed true to themselves and the idea and the vision they had which makes it, in a sense, unique.

Public Possession’s Guide to Summer in Munich

Errol

London

Bricky's finest. Wally's knowledge of Caribbean music is encyclopaedic. Make sure you roll to Eat of Eden afterwards to replenish.

Mostly secondhand bits from across the musical spectrum. Warning: no listening booths; YouTube is your friend.

A well-known one, but for good reason. A real mixed bag of records — new and old.

Another Soho spot (special mention to Jean-Claude's If Music too). Solid selection, very reasonably priced and knowledgable staff. Gwan.

Always a friendly vibe down there and they're always supporting local music. I don’t go here enough TBH.

If you're out west, take a peek in here for the goodness. If you're in central/north, check out their smaller store in Kings Cross

London Record Digging with Errol from Touching Bass

Touching Bass

The crepes are banging, and the juices are banging too and it’s black owned as well. It’s just a really great place to hang, it’s super informal. You can just go and buy a juice and hang out there all day and no-one’s going to kick you out or anything, it’s just a great spot.

We've been visiting Tafe and her husband's family-run business for years now. Someone from TB celebrates their birthday there at least once a year! It's everything we love about Ethiopian food: the taste (of course), the warmth of the people and the fact that you can eat together and with your hands. Make sure you order the T'ej ! (honey wine)

Telegraph Hill is very special to me because it was the first place that made me fall in love with London when I moved here from abroad. On my first visit a friend of mine took me up to the top of the park and there where all these smiley people with instruments and food, everyone playing music and vibing in the summer sun, it felt magical.

They just have lots of different things and because people trade in records all the time you never know what you’re going to find. You can find some really obscure stuff in there and I guess also because it’s a bit out of the way, you know, it’s like you kind of have to know about it to go there.

It feels a little bit more rural than some other parks, just like how big the trees are, and I guess it’s one of the bigger parks so it never feels too crowded. It’s just a beautiful park.


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