There is a certain kind of place that does not try to fit into a category. Not because it cannot, but because it was never built that way to begin with. CUE is exactly that kind of place. Spread across two floors on the Utrechtsestraat, it brings together a Michelin-starred restaurant upstairs and a vinyl-driven listening bar below. On paper, that combination is not entirely new. In practice, very few places manage to make it feel this coherent. At CUE, everything starts from the same idea. Food, drinks and music are not separate concepts layered on top of each other. They are three parts of the same system.

Words & photograophy by Albert van Beeck Calkoen

Built on experience, not concept alone

Behind CUE are chef George Kataras and sommelier Mohamed Aous, who built their reputation at restaurant Vanderveen, earning a Michelin star within a year and a half.  Before that, both spent years working internationally at some of the world’s leading restaurants, including Geranium, where they first met. That international background still defines the project today. Not in a superficial way, but in how the place feels. “It automatically brings a certain diversity,” they explain. “A perspective that goes beyond just one city or one way of working.” CUE was launched together with Alba founders Eva Kolstee and Steven Macleod, adding another layer of experience from Amsterdam’s restaurant scene.

Three pillars, one philosophy

At its core, CUE is built on three pillars: food, drinks and music. But what defines the place is how tightly these are connected.

Food

Upstairs, the kitchen is led by Kataras, working with a style that is difficult to pin down. Guests often try anyway. Is it French? Modern? Mediterranean? “It does not fall into a category,” he says. Instead, the focus is on ingredients and technique. Produce is sourced as close as possible, chosen for quality rather than labels. Techniques lean into preservation and time. Fermentation, pickling, drying, smoking. A subtle return to pre-industrial methods, combined with a modern sensibility. Cooking over fire plays a central role, adding both flavour and identity to the dishes.  The result is food that feels stripped back, but layered. Minimal in appearance, complex in execution.

Drinks

That same thinking continues in the bar. Cocktails at CUE are not built to stand apart from the kitchen, but to reflect it. Ingredients move between floors. Ideas translate from plate to glass. At one point, a cocktail was built around the restaurant’s sourdough bread. Buttered, roasted over charcoal, then reworked into a drink. It is not just about creativity. It is about connection. At the same time, the bar has developed its own signatures. The clarified Negroni became an early reference point. A drink that people still come back for. The goal is not to reinvent everything, but to refine what fits.

Music

Downstairs, the listening bar draws inspiration from Japanese vinyl culture, but adapts it to Amsterdam. Only vinyl records are played. The sound is warm, analog, slightly imperfect in the way that makes it feel human. But unlike traditional listening bars in Japan, silence is not enforced. “As Westerners, we are not used to sitting quietly and just listening,” they explain. Instead, CUE looks for a balance. A space where music remains central, but where people can still talk, drink, and move. That balance shows in the programming as well. From curated listening sessions to more open formats like bring-your-own-record nights, the bar continues to evolve as both a music space and a social one.

Hospitality as the foundation

If the three pillars define what CUE does, hospitality defines how it does it. And here, the approach is deliberately old school. Not in style, but in mindset. “It is about the full experience,” they say. “From greeting a guest to pouring water, to pacing a table.” In a time where many places chase trends, CUE leans into consistency. Clean corners. Attention to detail. Genuine interaction. It is less about performance, more about care. That same mindset applies internally. Craftsmanship is not just a word, but a standard. Taking the time to do things properly, without cutting corners. Setting expectations and making sure the entire team lives by them. “It becomes a lifestyle,” they explain. “You choose it, or you don’t.”

Adapting without losing identity

Like any concept, CUE has evolved since opening. But the core idea remains largely intact. They estimate that 85 to 90 percent of the original vision still stands. The biggest shift came in finding the right balance between being a listening bar and a cocktail bar. Early on, the focus leaned heavily toward music. Guests were encouraged to keep quiet and fully respect the listening experience. In reality, that proved too rigid. People come to drink. To socialize. Especially on a Friday or Saturday night. So the concept adapted. Not by changing direction, but by opening up. The result is a space that feels more natural. Less controlled, but more alive.

What comes next

At just over a year and a half in, CUE is still evolving. The focus now is on refinement. On the bar side, that means sharpening the cocktail program. Making sure every drink reflects the identity of the place. Strengthening the connection with the kitchen. Working with brands and ingredients that align with the overall philosophy. At the same time, the role of music continues to expand. More events, more interaction, more reasons to come in beyond a late-night drink. Because not every guest is looking for a full evening. Sometimes, an hour and a half, a record, and a well-made cocktail is enough.

A place that feels whole

In the end, CUE is not about ticking boxes. It is about building something that feels complete. A restaurant and a bar that do not compete, but support each other. A team that shares the same mindset across every floor. A space where food, drinks and music are not separate experiences, but part of the same story. “We just do what we like doing,” they say. It sounds simple. But places like this prove that it rarely is.