Food and Drinks in Amsterdam
Eating in Amsterdam is an adventure, a culinary trip around the world. Colonial history brought Indonesian and Surinam cuisine, recent immigrants Turkish and Moroccan specialities. The Dutch have their main meal in the evening. Lunch is a simple affair; open sandwiches, French baguette or soup of the day.
Amsterdam has it all from dark brown pubs to up-market restaurants, from food stands to coffee bars. Whatever and wherever you eat do not leave Amsterdam without having sampled herring (and yes! this is raw fish..) or pofferjes, tiny pancakes with a lump of butter and dusted with sugar. A typical snack is a cone of French fries with a big dollop of mayonnaise or a veal croquet sandwich. A romantic dinner for two, a quick snack or exquisite glass of wine? There are so many grand cafes, restaurants and pubs in Amsterdam that it is difficult to make a choice. Below you will find the pick of the bunch.
Restaurants
Coffee bars
Ice Cream
Pubs and Bars
Local Food and Drinks
Recipes
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Dolce and Gelato Bio Ice Cream
Bio Ice cream! Dolce and Gelatto Bio - irresistible Italian semi-organic ice cream - 15 flavours to choose from. No ice cream fan? Dolce Gelato is also famous for its fragrant Italian espresso! This is true Italy in the middle of Amsterdam - the best of two worlds....
Café-restaurant In De Waag
Café-restaurant in In De Waag combines gastronomy with history. This historic building is the prefect background for a tasty lunch or three-course dinner. Come here in the afternoon for High Tea if you are craving for scones with clotted cream. Come for dinner and try...
Dutch Bacon Pancakes are Easy to Make
Try this recipe for Dutch bacon pancakes. Dutch pancakes are delicious and an all-time favourite. Dutch pancakes are reminiscent of French crêpes but the Dutch use fewer eggs for their pancakes, besides they are slightly thicker than the French variety. Toppings for...
Recipe Traditional Dutch Hot Chocolate Drink
Everyone seems to have his or her favourite method of making hot chocolate. Some simple pour hot milk on cocoa powder others melt a piece of dark chocolate in hot milk. In the Netherlands and in Amsterdam hot chocolate and ice skating are intrinsically connected. Grab...
Poffertjes, the Perfect Dutch Treat
Amsterdam is known for lots of things of which some will make your tummy rumble. Should we mention treacle waffles, croquet and apple pie? Add to these culinary delights poffertjes – a traditional Dutch treat resembling pancakes, but much smaller and fluffier - served...
Coffeeshop versus Coffee Bar
Do not confuse a coffee bar with a coffeeshop. Coffeeshop means that this place sells weed. This doesn’t mean that weed is the only thing you can buy here. Coffeeshops also sell soft drinks – never alcohol - and snacks. However, if you want a cup of coffee look for...
Eat pancakes during a city trip to Amsterdam
Everybody likes pancakes. Try them during your city trip to Amsterdam and eat them as a snack or as full meal. This is an excellent way to sample Dutch cuisine. Pancake restaurants in Amsterdam are plentiful. Dutch pancakes are similar to French crêpes, but the Dutch...
Café Loetje Means Steak
A meal at Café Loetje in Amsterdam will tickle your taste buds. Loetjes filet of steak served with French fries has no rivals. The meat is so tender that you can cut it with a spoon. Try traditional semolina pudding cream smothered in raspberry sauce for dessert. A...
Restaurant-Cafe IJ-kantine
Sit back and feast your eyes on a sweeping view of the IJ River while sipping Pouilly Fume with oysters. Or come early for a sumptuous breakfast French style with crispy croissants and 'pain au chocolat'. IJ Kantine is one of those well-kept secrets in Amsterdam; the...
Recipe Dutch Winter Food
Winter is the best time to try Dutch cuisine. As Dutch dishes are not very subtle in taste, restaurants serving traditional Dutch food can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Another reason is that Dutch dishes are considered best when home-cooked. That's why few...
Space Cake in Kadinsky Coffeeshop
Tucked away in an alley near Spui in Amsterdam, Kadinsky Coffeeshop is a great place to chill out. Especially, when you grab a seat at the bench in front of the window. This is the perfect place to watch tourists, locals and cyclists battle through the small alley....
Bitterballen and kroket Dutch Street Food
Is it possible to survive Amsterdam without bitterballen? This deep-fried snack dipped in mustard and accompanied by beer is a great nibble and features on almost every menu in bars, cafes and restaurants. Any 'bitterbal' addict must also try 'kroket'. Try them once...
Café de Jaren
The canal-side patio of Café De Jaren in Amsterdam is chic, elegant and popular. This is the place-to-be on a balmy summer evening. The view of the Amstel River is breathtaking. De Jaren is a household name in Amsterdam; tourists and locals know how to find their way...
Eetcafé Katoen
Katoen is one of the many eetcafés in Amsterdam and popular at lunch time when students and young professionals sit inside or at one of the five outside tables, a popular spot in summer. This is the perfect place to relax. Canal boats, bicycles and traffic offer...
Koffiehuis de Hoek
Koffiehuis De Hoek translates into English as Coffee House the Corner and rightly so. This charming little café is located at the corner of Reestraat and Prinsengracht right in the middle of the Nine Streets shopping area; the ideal place for a pit stop during...
Monte Pelmo Ice Cream Parlour
When in the Jordaan neighbourhood, be sure to step into Monte Pelmo Ice Cream Parlour for the most authentic Italian ice cream in Amsterdam. Since 1957 Monte Pelmo has been making the most delicious ice creams in all Amsterdam. Listen to Fred, the singing ice cream...
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Best Street Food and Dutch favourites
Discover local street food and taste Dutch favourites during your Amsterdam trip. Sightseeing makes hungry and a bit of snacking is the best way to restart your batteries. Amsterdam brims with places to stop along the way for a quick bite from herring stands to snack...
XtraCold IceBar Hibernate on the North Pole
Amsterdam Ice bar is cool, not only figuratively but also literally. The temperature does not exceed -10°C and everything is made of ice. The walls, the bar stool and the bar you sit at, even the glass you drink from is made of ice. The freezing temperature is no...
Best Pancakes Restaurants in Amsterdam
Pancakes are everybody's favourite. Amsterdam has several pancake restaurants where you can eat pancakes with a traditional topping. Sprinkle with sugar or black treacle and bacon. De Pancake Bakery is a charming little place filled with locals and tourists. Once...
Restaurant De Portugees Portugal in Amsterdam
Are you homesick for Portugal, the beaches, the beautiful cities, the sun, the sea but especially the delicious food? Restaurant De Portugees', an slice of Portugal in the middle of Amsterdam serving authentic Portuguese food and the best Bacalhau à Brás ever. This is...
French Restaurants for the Perfect Evening out
French restaurants in Amsterdam are the perfect way to experience French cuisine. Finding a French restaurants in Amsterdam is not a problem because restaurants with French cuisine are plentiful. They are all first-class restaurants using fresh ingredients and serving...
Ice-Cream in Summer and Hotchpotch in Winter
Ignore those packaged ice-cream cones from the supermarkets; instead head straight for IJscuypje for a cone of hazelnut, pistachio or a dozen-plus other flavours. Take the gamble and let them scoop you some of whatever is currently spinning in the ice-cream maker....
Vegan Ice-cream Hotspot Van Leeuwen in Amsterdam
Vegan Ice-cream: VanLleeuwen artisan ice-cream handcrafted in Brooklyn and sold in Amsterdam by JuiceBrothers. Homemade cashew milk, organic coconut milk, coconut oil, cane sugar and pure cocoa butter are concocted and the result is pure and delicious vegan ice cream....
Buffet van Odette for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Buffet van Odette in Amsterdam is excellent for - breakfast, lunch and dinner. Eating at Odette is not only tasty but also healthy because they work with organic produce and free range meat from local suppliers. This also applies to their wines with hardly any...
HEMA Budget Breakfast
If you are looking for a budget breakfast in Amsterdam, head straight for a HEMA department store, a household name in the Netherlands, known for its low prices and smoked sausage. HEMA serves a large breakfast at a budget price. From Monday to Friday, early risers...
Wine in a Dutch Village
Spend the afternoon in Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, a typically Dutch village, and the evening in Wijnbar Raak for authentic Dutch atmosphere. Leave the tourists in the centre of Amsterdam and meet the locals in Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, only 9 kilometres south of...
Goodies Food and Drinks
You will find many tantalizing goodies at Goodies in Amsterdam. This is the perfect café to stop by for a coffee or sandwich lunch. Prime location – right in the middle of the Nine Streets shopping area. Have your coffee al fresco and watch shoppers, cyclists and...
Café Hoppe
Café Hoppe is popular. Drop by on a Friday afternoon and join the crowd of people standing outside who grab a quick drink to celebrate the start of the weekend. Hoppe has been serving customers since 1670 and is one of these must-see and must-have-been places in...