If you love cinema and cozyness, and don't mind walking a bit, Lab 111 is one of these rare places where you can chill, watch amazing movies on a big screen, eat delicious food for a good price, meet up with your friends or just strike up a conversation with your table neighbors.
Lab 111 is located in West; getting there from Central is a straightforward affair (just take tram 17), but you will be at the mercy of the local traffic since the tram shares its track with vehicle traffic for most of the trip.
Alternatively, you can get there by bike quickly from anywhere. It's a super chill neighborhood and you can park underground nearby (at fietsenstalling De Hallen) or just leave your bike out in the open; since it's full of hipsters with expensive rides in West anyways, chances are somebody else's bike is the one getting stolen tonight.
Before heading into the movie theater itself, you can grab a few beers and eat some snacks. They were screening Akira tonight, which I won't be reviewing since it's a 30-years-old movie and everything about it has already been said, but yeah - great watch, and it has aged brilliantly.
The vibe is quite nice and the public super varied, good mix of locals and ex-pats as well; and no, as far as I could tell the place has not been overrun by bourgeois bohémes yet. Haven't tried the food, but the beer was quite nice.
All in all, a fantastic place to spend your evening and meet cool peeps - even if you're not that into movies, and I can see this becoming a fixed feature of your nights out if you live in or near West (which, alas, I don't).
Where to go if you want to visit: Lab 111, Arie Biemondstraat 111, 1054 PD Amsterdam. Take tram 17 from Central, or just bike up to Foodhallen/West.
When to go there: whenever there's a movie you like. Coming up in november: a full retrospective on David Lynch, a few restored gems by Ingmar Bergman, Gremlis, A Nightmare Before Christmas and A Bigger Splash!
What to bring: your Cineville pass if you have it - then you get in for free. Ticket and beer money otherwise.
