A warmly run Haarlem cat café with genuinely affordable food and well-cared-for cats, though advance booking, age rules, and occasional service or communication friction require planning.
Jippies Cat Café delivers solid food quality with consistently praised coffee, cakes, and lunch items that justify repeat visits beyond the animal experience alone. The thoughtful setting, knowledgeable staff, and welcoming atmosphere create a memorable destination, though occasional service inconsistencies and modest space comfort keep it from reaching the very top tier.
Jippies is a small, cozy café in central Haarlem where the resident cats are the headline act and the staff clearly take their welfare seriously. Visitors repeatedly describe a homelike room with climbing routes, hammocks, sofas, and cats who choose whether to nap, play, or settle on a lap. One recurring sentiment is that it feels like a calming reset rather than a conventional café. The space is popular enough that a spontaneous visit can fail, so booking is the sensible move. The food is better than the novelty might suggest: homemade soup, sandwiches, toasties, cakes, coffee, vegetarian choices, and several vegan or gluten-free options make this a legitimate lunchroom with cats, not merely a room with snacks. The cooking is familiar and accessible rather than adventurous, and the menu prices are notably reasonable, especially with no reported entrance fee. Service is usually warm and knowledgeable about the cats, though a minority of reviews describe slow attention or unpleasant booking encounters; owner replies to criticism can also be sharper than the café’s cuddly image. Families can enjoy Jippies, but it is not an unrestricted children’s party venue. Children must be at least six, group and birthday bookings may be refused, and the cat-first rules are part of the experience. Older children should find recognizable choices such as cheese toasties, sandwiches, banana pancakes, cake, and soup, while vegan and gluten-free pancake options widen the appeal. Check the rules and reserve ahead before bringing a group.
Area vibe: Charming, historic city center known for shopping, cultural sites and leisure dining.
Safety: Generally safe, well-lit streets with steady foot traffic in evenings near the center.
What's nearby: Close to Grote Markt, St. Bavo Church, shopping streets (Grote Houtstraat) and Haarlem central transport links.
The menu goes well beyond coffee and cake, with affordable lunch combinations, homemade-style soups, and vegan gluten-free pancakes.
Plan this as a timed, cat-first visit rather than an unrestricted café stop, especially if bringing children or a group.
Expect a compact, homey café built around cats choosing when to interact, with hammocks, climbing routes, and retreat spaces throughout.