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Amsterdam Eats That Made Me Forget Cheese and Stroopwafels Exist
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items Every first-timer in Amsterdam ends up eating the same three things — cheese samples at Albert Cuyp, a stroopwafel from a street cart, and maybe some questionable fries at 2am. I spent two weeks wandering neighborhoods most tourists skip and came bac...
Sections
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Indonesian Restaurants in Amsterdam
Surinamese Food Spots
Dutch-Style Brunch Cafes
Best Bakeries in Amsterdam
Amsterdam Street Food Markets
Amsterdam Seafood and Herring
Indonesian Restaurants in Amsterdam
Dutch-Indonesian food is half the reason locals eat out, but most visitors walk right past these places. I had no idea rijsttafel existed until a bartender basically forced me to try it.
Grab a seat and order the rijsttafel — twenty small dishes hit your table at once and each one is wildly different. Perfect if you're the type who can never pick just one thing off a menu. Wish someone had dragged me here on day one instead of day ni...
Indonesian restaurant Amsterdam & Utrecht
Try the spicy sambal options if you think you can handle heat — I thought I could and I was humbled in about four bites. For anyone who wants authentic Moluccan and Javanese flavors without the tourist markup. Book ahead because tables fill fast on w...
TEMPO DOELOE
Switch to this spot when you want Indonesian food with a slightly more modern twist — the presentation alone made me put my fork down to take a photo, which I never do. Great for a date night or impressing friends who think they know Amsterdam food a...
Ron Gastrobar Indonesia Ouderkerk
Surinamese Food Spots
Surinamese food might be Amsterdam's best-kept secret from outsiders. A local coworker laughed when I said I'd never had roti and personally escorted me to his favorite spot.
Get the kip roti and don't bother with a fork — just tear and scoop like everyone else in line. For anyone who loves Caribbean-meets-South-Asian flavors and doesn't mind eating standing up on a sidewalk. The line moves fast so don't let it scare you ...
Roopram Roti
Snag a table here for Surinamese-Javanese dishes you literally cannot find outside the Netherlands. I ordered the saoto soup on a rainy Tuesday and it fixed my entire mood. If you only have one meal in De Pijp, make it this one.
Lale Turkish Cuisine
Bring your appetite because portions here are massive and splitting is totally normal. The bara with chicken is what I kept coming back for — crispy, spiced, and about six euros. Anyone watching their travel budget while still eating incredibly well ...
Warung Spang Makandra
Dutch-Style Brunch Cafes
Finding good brunch in Amsterdam used to stress me out because every place looked the same on Google. These three stood out after I tried about a dozen.
Use this as your jet-lag recovery spot — strong New Zealand-style flat whites paired with huevos rancheros that actually have kick. I dragged myself here at 9am after a red-eye and felt human again by the second cup. Weekday mornings are way less cro...
Bakers & Roasters Amsterdam
Pair their fluffy pancakes with the fresh-squeezed OJ and you'll understand why there's a wait every Saturday. For the friend group that argues about brunch spots — this one ends the debate. Show up right at opening to skip the line.
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Toss aside any expectations of boring toast — their avocado situation involves feta and chili flakes and seeds and it actually justifies the hype. Australian-run, so the coffee is dialed in. Ideal if you're staying in the Jordaan and need fuel before...
Little Collins
Best Bakeries in Amsterdam
Hotel breakfast was fine but forgettable. Once I stumbled into my first real Amsterdam bakery, I started skipping the buffet entirely and never looked back.
Grab a croissant here before 10am — they sell out of the good stuff fast and the almond one haunts my dreams. French-trained bakers working out of a tiny shop near the canals. For anyone who judges a city by its pastry game, this is your answer.
Gebroeders Niemeijer
Try the pain au chocolat if you've been disappointed by every other one in Europe — the layers shatter when you bite in and the chocolate ratio is perfect. Tucked away on a quiet street so it never feels rushed. Stock up because they don't last once ...
Le Fournil de Sébastien Holland, an authentic French bakery
Keep this in your back pocket for dense, seedy, properly Dutch bread that makes sandwich-making in your Airbnb actually exciting. I bought a loaf thinking it would last three days and it was gone by dinner. Great for anyone who wants to eat like a lo...
Hartog's Volkoren
Amsterdam Street Food Markets
I used to think street food markets were all overpriced hype until I accidentally spent four hours at one and rolled home completely stuffed.
Ditch the idea of picking one cuisine — the whole point is wandering between stalls and grabbing bao buns, then croquettes, then Vietnamese pho all in one visit. Rainy day? This is your move. For anyone who travels with a picky eater, the variety her...
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Walk past the tourist cheese stalls and find the stroopwafel vendor actually pressing them fresh — the warm ones are a completely different experience from packaged. Been running since 1905 so the vendors know what they're doing. Go on a weekday morn...
Discover the most beautiful market of Amsterdam
Swing by for the rotating food trucks that change monthly — I found a Georgian khachapuri stand that I still think about. The vibe is relaxed and local, not Instagram-performative. Perfect if you're the type who gets bored at traditional markets quic...
Sunday Market
Amsterdam Seafood and Herring
Raw herring from a street cart sounded disgusting to me until a Dutch friend literally held one over my mouth and said just try it. She was right.
Toss your hesitation aside and order the herring with onions and pickles — tilt your head back and eat it the Dutch way at least once. This cart has been parked near Central Station since the 1800s so they've had time to perfect it. For the adventuro...
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Get the fruits de mer platter if you're splitting with someone — towers of oysters, crab, and shrimp that look like they belong in a movie. I went for lunch thinking I'd grab something quick and stayed for two hours. Worth the splurge if you're celeb...
The Oyster Gourmet
Swap your usual dinner plans for their whole grilled fish — Scandinavian-influenced preparation that lets the ingredients do the talking. The wine list pairs perfectly without being pretentious about it. For anyone who's tired of heavy Dutch food by ...
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Vegetarian and Vegan Amsterdam Restaurants
Finding vegan food that doesn't taste like cardboard used to be my biggest travel complaint. Amsterdam completely changed my mind about plant-based dining.
Try the truffle croquettes even if you're not vegan — my meat-loving travel partner ordered seconds and then got weirdly quiet about it. Three locations around the city so there's probably one near wherever you're staying. Great for mixed groups wher...
Meatless District
Use this for the vegan cheese board that genuinely fooled me — I asked the waiter twice if it was really dairy-free. The cocktails are strong and creative too. For anyone who's been burned by sad vegan restaurant experiences and needs proof it can be...
Mr. Watson | Botanical Roast Room Amsterdam
Bring your messiest appetite because the loaded fries and burgers here drip everywhere and nobody cares. Loud music, neon lights, zero pretension — feels like a punk rock diner that happens to serve plants. If you're under 35 and vegan-curious, start...
Vegan Junk Food Bar
Amsterdam Cocktail Bars Worth Finding
Most canal-side bars serve the same generic drinks in the same generic glasses. I wanted cocktails that actually surprised me and had to dig through Reddit threads to find these.
Wear something slightly nicer than your walking-around clothes — the velvet interior and candlelight make you feel like you've time-traveled to the 1920s. Their Old Fashioned is the best I had in Europe. For the friend who always picks the bar when y...
Bar Oldenhof
Snag a spot at the bar and watch them work — the bartenders here treat every drink like a small performance without being annoying about it. I went on a Tuesday and still had to wait fifteen minutes for a seat. The menu changes seasonally so there's ...
Gallery Photos | Spirits & Tales | The Oaklander Hotel
Keep this speakeasy's phone number handy because you need a reservation and the entrance is unmarked. Felt like I was in on a secret the entire night. Perfect if you're done with crowded tourist bars and want a quieter, more intentional drinking expe...
Door 74 Speakeasy Cocktail Bar Amsterdam
Late Night Food in Amsterdam
After midnight the city transforms and your food options either get really good or really questionable. These are the ones that saved me from regrettable kebab decisions.
Toss a couple euros into the automat wall and pull out a hot kroket at 1am — it's a Dutch rite of passage and weirdly one of my favorite food memories. No human interaction required, which at that hour is a feature not a bug. Every tourist should do ...
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Grab a cone of double-fried fries with oorlog sauce — mayo, peanut satay, and onions all at once sounds chaotic but it works at midnight. The line wraps around the corner on weekends for a reason. For anyone who thinks Belgian fries are the only ones...
Manneken Pis Damrak
Swing through for a broodje pom — a Surinamese sandwich with a crispy root vegetable filling that soaks up whatever your evening threw at you. Open late, cheap, and the kind of place that locals line up at while tourists walk past. Wish I'd known abo...
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Amsterdam Coffee Shops That Serve Actual Coffee
Searching for coffee in Amsterdam gets confusing fast thanks to the other kind of coffee shop. These are places where caffeine is the actual product and it's taken very seriously.
Get a pour-over here and taste the difference between specialty coffee and whatever your hotel put in that sad little machine. The baristas actually explain the beans without being condescending. For anyone who packs their own coffee gear when travel...
LOT61 Coffee Roasters
Try their filter coffee alongside one of the open-faced sandwiches — Nordic minimalism meets Amsterdam canal views and it just works. I sat by the window for an hour watching boats go by and didn't touch my phone once. Ideal for that slow morning whe...
Scandinavian Embassy
Pair their espresso with whatever pastry is fresh that morning — the baristas will tell you what just came out. Small space so you might end up sharing a table with a stranger, which is how I got half my restaurant recommendations. Multiple locations...
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Amsterdam Cheese Beyond the Tourist Shops
Yes I said beyond cheese in the title, but the real stuff — not the free samples designed to lure you into buying a wax-wrapped wheel — deserves its own moment.
Skip the touristy cheese shops on the main streets and come here where locals actually buy their weekly supply. The aged Gouda samples are free and aggressive — in the best way. For anyone who wants to bring back cheese that'll actually impress peopl...
Kaasland Haarlemmerdijk 🧀
Use this as a rainy afternoon activity — the guided tasting walks you through six ages of Gouda with wine pairings and you leave genuinely understanding why aged cheese costs more. I went in skeptical and came out buying a piece I couldn't afford. Bo...
Reypenaer Cheese Tasting in Amsterdam
Bring an empty corner of your suitcase because this shop on Runstraat has over 400 varieties and the staff will vacuum-seal anything for your flight home. I asked for recommendations and left with four wedges I'd never heard of. Perfect for the perso...
De Kaaskamer van Amsterdam: Home
Day Trip Food Destinations Near Amsterdam
Some of my best meals happened when I hopped on a twenty-minute train and escaped the city center entirely. The crowds thin out and the prices drop immediately.
Grab the kibbeling — fried cod chunks with garlic sauce — and eat them on a bench by the canal in Haarlem. Twenty minutes from Amsterdam by train and the whole town feels like a calmer, prettier version of the city. For anyone who needs a break from ...
Simonis Vishandel
Get the Dutch pancakes here after seeing the windmills — thin, plate-sized, and loaded with whatever toppings you point at. My kids ate three each and I'm still not sure if that was impressive or concerning. Worth the trip if you want that postcard-p...
TOP 10 BEST Pancakes in Kinderdijk
Swap the city for a forest — this restaurant sits in a tiny village surrounded by woods and serves seasonal Dutch food that changes with whatever's growing nearby. I drove an hour for lunch and it ended up being the most memorable meal of my entire t...
Brasserie Staverden