How To Eat Well in Amsterdam

In the past I was never a big fan of Amsterdam. Outside of summer, it’s almost always grey and rainy, you’re at constant threat of being hit by a bike, it attracts some of the worst kinds of tourists, and has historically had a reputation for not being a great city for food. That said, it has a lot charm with it’s beautiful canals and bridges, historic architecture, and the food scene has come a long way in recent years. I’m here five or so times a year for work and as a city it has definitely grown on me with time. Here are some of my favourite places to eat and drink.

📝 Like in Belgium, frites (fries) are the number one snack in the Netherlands and they are very good here. A few of my favourite place to go are Vleminckx de Susmeester, Manneken Pis, Vlaamse Frites, and Fabel Friet. They all offer a wide range of sauces but some of my favourites are Andalouse, Samurai, Brazil and Oorlog (mayo, peanut sauce and onions).

📝 Surinamese food is one of the most popular cuisines in Amsterdam. If you didn’t know, Suriname is a country above Brazil, sandwiched between Guyana and French Guyana. The Dutch colonised Suriname in 1667 and found that the population was too low to work all their plantations so they began bringing over slaves and then later indentured workers. Because of this the cuisine is a beautiful, colourful mix of native, African, Indian, Chinese and Indonesian, specifically Javanese. I’ve listed some of my favourite Surinamese spots below.

📝 You can’t come to the Netherlands without visiting an automatiek (fast food vending machine shop). They serve range of burgers, krokets and other Dutch snacks. FEBO is the most well known brand who pioneered this format of snack bar. Another popular one is Smullers which you’ll find in most train stations. Check my reel comparing both here.

📝 After American dive bars, Irish bars and English pubs, Dutch brown bars (bruin cafes) are probably my favourite type of bar. traditional, cozy Dutch pubs characterised by their dark wood-paneled interiors, dimly lit atmosphere, and aged wooden furniture. They typically serve Dutch and Belgian beer as well as Dutch snacks like bitterballen. I’ve listed some of my favourite brown bars below.

📝 Jenever (Dutch gin) is the predecessor of English gin but it’s drunk straight. You’ll find it at all brown bars but a couple of great jenever specific bars to checkout are De Drie Fleschies & Wynand Fockink Proeflokaal.

📝 A couple of good cocktail bars to checkout are Flying Dutchmen, Dutch Courage.

📝 Kings Day is wild and a great time to visit the city if you want to come and party but if you don’t enjoy crowds then definitely avoid this time.

Food

1. Cafe Restaurant Amsterdam

Definitely one of my favourite restaurants in town. A city favourite for seafood or steak and frites since 1996. They serve a mixture of Dutch and French dishes. It’s located inside a massive industrial building full of light, white table clothed tables and white plates with the restaurants’ logo (which I’m always a fan of). Three courses and a beer will set you back around €45 pp.

2. Kikkie

This is a great spot for lunch or dinner. It has the vibe of an Amsterdam brown bar. The menu reminded me a little of The Plimsoll in London – I could have ordered everything off it. I went for their house-made pate, mussels with nduja sauce (coriander removed) and a smash burger. The creamy nduja sauce with the mussels was so good. The burger is a banger too. Book ahead on their website as it gets busy.

3. Eetsalon Van Dobben

Go for a Broodje kroket (croquette sandwich) & broodje pekelvlees (salt beef sandwich) with a glass of milk. Eetsalon Van Dobben (est 1945), an old school Dutch diner, is often mentioned as serving the best kroket in the city.

4. Nam Kee Amsterdam

Nam Kee, an Amsterdam institution for Chinese food since 1981. It’s often been referred to as Best Chinese Restaurant in Amsterdam. In 2000 Nam Kee became nationally known in the Netherlands after writer Kees van Beijnum released a popular novel De Oesters van Nam Kee (“Oysters at Nam Kee’s”) which was also made into a film. The giant oysters are steamed and garnished with black bean sauce or ginger. These are obviously a must-get item. Even if you’re not a big raw oyster fan you might like these. I also ordered a wonton soup as well as some duck & rice. Both on point.

5. Taste of Culture

Some of the best Peking duck I’ve had anywhere at Taste of Culture (awful name, I know) in Amsterdam. There were so many amazing looking dishes flying out the kitchen, but the people in the know are here for the Peking duck. Peking duck is very different to Cantonese roast duck or shredded crispy duck. The meat is tender and moist whilst the skin is incredibly crispy – it’s the best of three if you ask me. The duck comes served with the usual plum sauce, pancakes, spring onion & cucumber. This place was absolutely heaving when I walked in. I was asked to go for a drink for an hour and when I came back I had to share a table with two strangers but it was worth it. The scallop, although punchy at €10 a piece, was incredibly delicious too. The duck isn’t cheap either at €32 for a half but worth every penny.

6. Paindemie

I’ve been a big fan of Paindemie since I visited a couple of years ago. There’s a lot of reasons to like the place but the thing that lives in my head rent-free is the Le Big Mie – a Big Mac inspired burger made with pain de mie bread and smashed goat patties. The entrance to Paindemie is supposed to look like a Japanese subway station. They used to have a fake Michelin star plaque on the wall outside which Michelin forced them to remove. Downstairs is a normal burger bar, upstairs you have a speakeasy style cocktail and sake bar where you can order the same food as downstairs but it comes a silver tray. All the food is on the menu is focused around pain de mie bread. As well as Le Big Mie I also love the chicken sandwich, black pudding sandwich, prawn toast and crème brûlée sandwich

7. Warung Spang Mekandra

Warung Spang Makandra (est 1978) was one of the first Javanese Surinamese restaurants in the Netherlands. This the Spang Makandra special with fried rice & noodles, soya chicken filet, chicken satay with peanut sauce, green beans, egg potato sambai and Javanese fried mashed potato. When I heard they did roti I got excited but it wasn’t anything on the Malaysian style I expected. Big flavours and massive potions. Well worth adding to your Amsterdam hit-list.

8. Warung Mini Ceintuurbaan

You can’t beat the colours of Surinamese food. Each time I come back to Amsterdam this cuisine grows on me more and more. Warung Mini Ceintuurbaan is a great spot for Surinamese-Javanese food. A popular dish is the rames (chicken, beef, tempeh, spicy potatoes, green beans, chicken satay, & egg served with either rice or noodles) and fried banana with peanut sauce.

9. Vleminckx de Susmeester

Like in Brussels, Amsterdam takes frites very seriously. Vleminckx the Sausmeester has been slinging fries in Amsterdam since 1957. At this tiny hole-in-the-wall you can find some of best fries in Amsterdam. I like to go for Andalouse & Oorlog sauce (mayonnaise, peanut sauce, and chopped up raw onions) here. It sounds strange but give it ago.

10. Stacks Diner

I’d probably describe Stacks as an elevated American-diner themed restaurant. my favourite items included the hash browns with sour cream & trout roe, turbot collar with lemon, butter & capers, grilled Caesar salad, and their famous chicken & biscuit (a must-get). They also serve great cocktails – I recommend the martini. A few doors down you’ll find their sister restaurant Stacks Deli.

11. Cafe Parlotte

Parlotte is a modern European bistro and wine bar. Service is friendly and the place has a nice warm atmosphere. Last time I was here they offered three courses for under €50. A favourite dish of mine here are the clams. The sauce is amazing.

12. Rijsel

A Flemish restaurant famous for their rotisserie. Simple but delicious. It’s a fancy classy restaurant but using your hands is expected. This spot is always busy so book well in advance if you can.

13. Chun Cafe

This is primarily a bubble tea shop but it’s all about the toasted brioche sandwiches here. Thick slices of buttery brioche are toasted and split open to create a pouch for different fillings. The bulgogi toast will blow your mind. Thin strips of steak in a Korean marinade, are topped with boiled egg, spicy gochujang sauce, and yuzu mayonnaise. The egg mayo one looks great too.

14. nNea Pizza

Some of the best Neapolitan style pizza you’ll find outside of Napoli. One of my favourites was the Ripieni dei Pastori – like a calzone with smoked picalli tomatoes, ricotta, fior di latte, guanciale, oregano, garlic & Parmesan. The pizzas have incredible puffed doughy crusts. They recently placed 11th on the 50 Top (Neapolitan) Pizza Europe (outside of Italy) list. Book ahead of time or be prepared to wait/be disappointed. Expect slow service.

15. Albina

Go for Chinese Surinamese food. Albina is named after a town in Suriname. The menu here is a mix of straight-up Chinese cuisine, as well as the more common Indonesian-influenced Surinamese dishes, and mash-up of the two. I went for fried noodles topped with roast chicken, crispy pork belly, char siu, and a spiced sausage, as well as a roti with lamb curry, potatoes and green beans. Both dishes were great. Surinamese food is definitely a cuisine that grows on you. The people here are really friendly too.

16. New Fusion

New Fusion (Surinaams-Chinees Eethuis) is a Chinese Surinamese restaurant in De Pjip. I think it was previously called New Albina. It’s a few doors down from Albina, another popular Surinamese-Chinese restaurant. I went for fried rice moksi which came with a crispy roast chicken, crispy roast pork, a char siu-like pork and sausage on a fried rice, as well as roti with a lamb curry, and a sweet & sour chicken (I ordered pork but no complaints). Everything hit the spot.

17. Warung Sweetie Lelydorp

A Javanese Surinamese restaurant in De Pjip. They have a number of tables to eat outside which is nice in summer. I went for the saoto soep, nasi rames, roti kip, and baka bana. Everything was delicious.

18. Davie’s

A nice little sandwich spot in Jordaan. Go for the the Lelie with pastrami, mustard, pickles on a toasted sourdough/rye marbled bread.

19. Roopram Roti

Roopram Roti has multiple locations across Amsterdam and is known for their Surinamese roti and curry. Surinamese roti is similar to the roti you’ll find in Trinidad. I recommend going for the lamb curry as it had a much richer curry sauce to the chicken for me.

20. Satay Club

The Dutch love Indonesian food and chicken satay is one of the most popular snacks in the country. Satay Club is a new Indonesian restaurant focused on serving authentic chicken and lamb satay cooked over charcoal.

21. Warung Sranang Makmur

Warung Sranang Makmur is a Javanese Surinamese restaurant. I went for roti with lamb curry and some plantain with peanut sauce on the side. Service was quick and friendly and the lamb was super tender.

22. Bar Bonnie

A great neighbourhood café for breakfast, lunch, dinner or just drinks. I love the logo, decor and printed plates here. They serve a perfect smash burger.

23. Leeman Doner

Often referred to as the best kebab in Amsterdam. You’ve got the choice of veal, chicken, or mixed doner in a freshly baked Turkish roll. In my opinion the bread makes all the difference here. When it comes to doner I always go mixed. I also had to try the ‘kapsalon’, which is fries topped with doner meat, cheese, lettuce, garlic sauce, and a spicy sambal.

24. Cafe Winkel 43

A nice cafe in the Jewish quarter famous for their Dutch apple pie. Incredibly popular with both locals and tourists.

25. Ricardo’s

Ricardo’s is a Creole Surinamese restaurant. I swung by here off a couple of recommendations from followers. Even though I only arrived around 18:00 (they don’t close till 20:30) they had already ran out of almost every dish so my only option was the bami kip. It was a lovely dish but I would have liked to try more.

26. New Draver

New Draver is another Creole-Surinamese restaurant. I’m always a big fan of how colourful Surinamese food is. This spot is half bar/half restaurant. I went for a yellow rice dish with pork, topped with chicken, and noodles topped with chicken too. Although it’s a Creole-Surinamese restaurant you can still see a strong Chinese influence in the dishes and flavours. The food was good but I’m definitely more of a fan of the Javanese-Surinamese stuff (Warung Spang Makandra, Warung Mini Ceintuurbaan, etc). If you’re wondering why the Parbo Bier logo looks exactly Amstel, it’s because the brewery was set up by them in Suriname in 1954 and is now, like Amstel, owned by Heineken.

26. Castell

A good late night spot for some amazing pork ribs as well as a solid steak too. Don’t ask me why it’s served with kiwi on a chopping board.

27. Kam-Yin

Kam Yin is one of the cities more well known Chinese Surinamese restaurants. They have a low Google rating of 3.9, mainly to do with service. It’s popular with tourists due to its location on the route from Central Station to the Red Light District. I went for a nasi met moksi meti (rice & roast meats), bami met moksi meti (noodles & roast meats), sweet & sour chicken, and Pom. Whereas English Cantonese restaurants serve duck, crispy pork belly and char siu, Surinamese Chinese restaurants serve chicken, sausage, crispy pork belly and a less sweet/red char siu. The sausage was super fatty but I was quite into it. Pom is a vegetable dish made from grated pomtajer. It reminds me a little of sweet potato.

Bakeries

1. Sant-Jean Bakery

The bakery scene in Amsterdam is popping right now. I went for the mozzarella, olive & pesto escargot (maybe the best pastry I’ve had in Amsterdam), apple, peanut & almond brioche + Kouign Amann (which was incredible too.

2. Fort Negen

A great French bakery in the western part of Amsterdam. Their sourdough bread is supposed to be ridiculously good but I just went for their French pastries. During the week it’s just the no-thrills classics but on weekends they have more experimental specials (so I guess I’ll have to go back on a weekend). I went for a plain croissant, almond croissant and cinnamon bun. All the pastries were on point and only from €2-€2.80 (unheard of in London). The cinnamon bun was crispy on the outside, reminding me of cinnamon toast cereal, but still spongey in the centre.

3. Ulmus

Another great bakery just around the corner from Fort Negen, so worth visiting both in one trip. They make very good bread which can be found at a few of the top restaurants in town but the cruffin is one of the fan favourite items here.

Brown Bars

1. Cafe Papeneiland

Go for stacked appeltaartje (Dutch apple tart) with whipped cream. Most people head to Winkel but Het Papeneiland (est 1642!) is just as good and has great canal views. The cafe itself has quite a rich history. During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Dutch government outlawed Catholicism. Because of this Catholics had to worship in secret churches. There was a secret tunnel under Cafe Papeneiland which took you to one of these famous secret churches. Also in 2011 Bill Clinton came in for a slice of this pie.

2. Cafe Chris

Café Chris (est 1624) is one of the oldest brown bars in Amsterdam. This place always has a great vibe. They have a pool table you can use during the day but it’s covered and turned into a table in the evenings. They have a small but good selection of beers on tap and serve some pretty good bitterballen too.

3. Cafe De Dokter

Café De Dokter (est 1798) was founded by a surgeon from the nearby hospital which is how it got its name. It’s one of the most interesting brown bars in the city and the people who work there are not allowed to dust over head height. You would want to go here if you have breathing problems.

4. Hoppe

Café Hoppe’s (est 1670) began as a distillery and tasting room but is now just a bar. This place is incredibly popular with a big crowd of young people standing out front drinking every day of the week. Inside has some beautiful old paintings and sawdust covered floors.

5. De Pilsner Club (Englese Reet)

De Pilsener Club (est 1893) also goes by their nickname ‘De Engelse Reet’ (English Arse). As far as I know it’s the only bar in Amsterdam which doesn’t actually have a bar – just a small room with taps. This place isn’t lively but I like the vibe and they have a great selection of beers.

6. Cafe Old Sailor

Café Old Sailor (est 1863) was originally a liqueur distillery. These days it’s one of the liveliest bars in the red light district. It’s a great spot for people watching (drunk tourists go in and out of the nearby brothels) and has one of the worst men’s toilets in the city.

7. Cafe ‘t Monumentje

‘t Monumentje (Small Monument) is beautiful brown bar in Jordaan.

8. Cafe ‘t Smalle

Café ‘t Smalle’s (est 1786) started life as a liqueur distillery. They have a small selection of beers on tap but have a decent sized food menu.

9. In ‘t Aepjen

10. Beer Tasting Room In The Wildeman

De Wildeman is a classic Amsterdam brewery established in 1690. They have around seventeen beers on tap and more than two hundred in bottles.

11. Eddy Bar

Café Eddy Bar is a great spot for a few beers and a game of darts.

12. Proeflokaal Arendsnest

With over 50 Dutch beers on tap, and 100 bottles, Proeflokaal Arendsnest is a beer lovers dream. To stop you drinking on an empty stomach they also serve some great Dutch cheese & charcuterie boards. If beer isn’t your thing they also serve over 40 jenevers (Dutch gin).