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NEWS - July 2, 2025

Café Brug34 succeeded by bar Nate

Bar Nate at Utrechtsestraat 19

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On June 1, bar Nate opened on the corner of Utrechtsestraat and Herengracht as a successor to café Brug34. Like its predecessor, Nate will again focus on an LGBT audience.

After the famous lunchroom Downtown in the Reguliersdwarsstraat closed in 2021, Brug34 was the only lunchroom in the city where LGBT people could go all day. In addition to taking care of this café, owner Robbert Overmeer was also chairman of the business association of the Utrechtsestraat.

Together with his colleague Eward Koning from Reguliersdwarsstraat, Overmeer also founded the Queer Horeca Overleg and the Roze Ambassade. The latter was intended to promote cooperation between Amsterdam's LHBTI+ organizations, companies and initiatives and to put the city back on the map as International Rainbow Capital of the World.

After 14 years in the hospitality business, Overmeer concentrated on a wine shop in Laren and put his Amsterdam café up for sale, but with the condition that it had to remain a queer business.

Brug34 was then taken over by Nathaniel Gtensaye, a qualified tailor who first worked in London at Harrods, Selfridges and Chloé, among others. Today, he has been active in the Amsterdam hospitality business for 14 years and has been running the trendy café and coffee bar Ivy & Bros at Oudezijds Voorburgwal 96a since 2014.

Gtensaye had to think long and hard about the name of his new place, but because other names sounded pretentious, he eventually chose a short form of his first name: Nate. This name is easy on the ear and when you say "I'm going to Nate's tonight" it evokes exactly the homely feeling that the place wants to offer.

The new interior of bar Nate

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During a two-week renovation, the minimalist white interior of Brug34 was replaced by a warmer decor with art deco elements designed by Arno Hoogland. The eye-catcher is a four and a half meter high light installation on the ceiling and the colorful glasses in the characteristic windows symbolize that everyone is welcome here.

"During the day and during the week we offer coffee, breakfast and lunch for everyone, including families who sleep in places like the Waldorf. In the evenings and on weekends we are there for cocktails and there will be more of a queer vibe" Gtensaye told newspaper Het Parool.

Finally, a remarkable fact is that where Bar Nate is now located, there was already a gay bar called 't Trefpunt from 1966 to 1972. As can be seen in the photo below, this was still a private establishment with closed curtains and a hatch in the door, so that the doorman could first see who wanted to come in before opening the door: