Restaurants in Amsterdam

Restaurant-goers will find Amsterdam a pretty exciting terrain for exploration. The variety of restaurants is impressive, with practically every international cuisine available. In particular, restaurants serving Indonesian, Thai and Chinese (often a hybrid with Surinamese) are easily found. Though Dutch cuisine is not usually considered the most enticing alternative, there’s a growing movement to present fresh, natural ingredients in imaginative ways, often in combination with Mediterranean or Asian elements. Most bars also serve snacks, known as hapjes, and many offer full meals.

The Amsterdam restaurants below have been grouped into three pricing categories:
Expensive (over €70)
Moderate (€30 to €70)
Cheap (up to €30)

These Amsterdam restaurant prices are for a three-course meal for one, including half a bottle of house wine or equivalent, BTW (sales tax) and service charge.

Most restaurants in Amsterdam include the BTW and a service charge within their prices. Nevertheless, Amsterdammers generally round up small bills to the nearest euro and leave tips as change rather than include them on credit card payments.

Restaurant Bordewijk

Price: Expensive
Cuisine: French

Bordewijk highlights French country fare with an emphasis on local products and seasonal game. Named after a celebrated Dutch author, this splendid spot faces the tranquil expanse of Noordermarkt and sources herbs and veggies from the organic food market held there weekly. It’s as hospitable as it is elegant, with turquoise screens along both sides of the dining area and a rotund chef lovingly describing the menu to each guest. Start with a foie gras platter and move onto a memorable roasted sea bass.

Address: Noordermarkt 7, Amsterdam, Netherlands, The Netherlands
Telephone: +31 (0)20 624 3899.
Website:

Vinkeles

Price: Expensive
Cuisine: French

A small and exclusive restaurant, the Vinkeles is located in the heart of Amsterdam and has been honoured with a Michelin star. The chefs Dennis Kuipers and Jurgen van der Zalm put the keynote on modern French cuisine but with international influences. Enjoy the culinary delights in an elegant atmosphere. Making a reservation is essential - if possible weeks ahead. 

Address: Keizersgracht 384, Amsterdam, Netherlands, The Netherlands
Telephone: +31 (0)20 530 2010.
Website:

Moeder’s

Price: Moderate
Cuisine: Dutch

Though often downplayed as bland, Dutch cuisine actually boasts a simple heartiness and it’s represented well here. Moeder’s (Mother’s in English) does dinner nightly, just like your mum used to. The three set menus highlight Dutch standards like stamppot, a hotchpotch of greens, potatoes and sausage, and calf’s liver with bacon and onions. The cosy room is homily decked out with mismatched tableware and the walls are plastered with photos of former guests’ mothers. Take your mum here on her birthday and there’s a surprise in store.

Address: Rozengracht 251, Amsterdam, Netherlands, The Netherlands
Telephone: +31 (0)20 626 7957.
Website:

Sampurna

Price: Moderate
Cuisine: Indonesian

Ex-colonial power, Holland boasts a rich international cuisine, most notably from its former colony of Indonesia. Just opposite the flower market, this casual restaurant offers authentic, flavourful and fiery fare from precisely there. To sample the splendid variety of the Indonesian table, spring for the rijsttafel (an elaborate, side dish tasting menu) with its array of tropical tastes. A vegetarian option is also available. From the excellent wine menu, the Fleur de Gewurztraminer pairs perfectly with the spicy dishes.

Address: Singel 498, Amsterdam, Netherlands, The Netherlands
Telephone: +31 (0)20 625 3264.
Website:

Café Loetje

Price: Moderate
Cuisine: Dutch

From a humble neighbourhood billiards pub, the Café Loetje has morphed into an immensely popular dining hall. Near the museum district, it fills each evening with families and groups of friends who crowd the long, well-worn tables to share a quaff. In nice weather, patrons take their drinks on the terrace. At the top of the menu, and what everyone orders, is the biefstuk ossenhaas, an unbelievably tender cut of beef tenderloin garnished with a tasty gravy, served with mushrooms, fries and salad.

Address: Johannes Vermeerstraat 52, Amsterdam, Netherlands, The Netherlands
Telephone: +31 (0)20 662 8173.

Hotel De Goudfazant

Price: Moderate
Cuisine: Contemporary Dutch

Across the IJ river, North Amsterdam is ripe for exploration. The seemingly deserted warehouse zone, east of the ferry dock, harbours some of the city’s more ambitious restaurants, among them Hotel De Goudfazant. Housed in a converted garage, with vintage cars on risers, the ‘golden pheasant’ stands alone by the river. It’s usually in a boisterous mood, with platters of razor clams and terrines of duck stew issuing from a busy open kitchen to a vast, invariably packed hall. With freighters rolling by after dark, settings don’t come much cosier.

 

Address: Aambeeldstraat 10H, Amsterdam, Netherlands, The Netherlands
Telephone: +31 (0)20 636 5170.

De Peper

Price: Cheap
Cuisine: Vegan

De Peper is part of OT301, a former squat cultural complex. Young chefs prepare vegan, and mostly organic, fare in the busy kitchen at the centre of a dining hall with well-trodden wood floors and mismatched tables. The food is an enticing multicultural mix that varies with whoever is working the kitchen. Dinner is served Tuesday and Thursday evenings 1800-0100 and Friday 1800-0300 and patrons must call to reserve a meal between 1600 and 1900.

Address: Overtoom 301 , Amsterdam, Netherlands, The Netherlands
Telephone: +31 (0)20 412 2954.
Website:

Instock

Price: Cheap
Cuisine: European

The food they serve at Instock is rescued from supermarkets before it’s tossed in the bin, so the chefs base their menu on what’s normally available each week. Instock is all about creating fun and unusual flavour profiles from food that would have otherwise been thrown away because it’s misshapen or bruised, even though it’s all still edible. The interior is cosy and modern with long wooden benches, fashionable hanging lamps and communal tables. Head there on a Saturday for some live music, usually jazz inspired, to compliment your unique and sustainable dinner.

Address: Czaar Peterstraat 21, Amsterdam, Netherlands, The Netherlands
Telephone: +31 20 363 5765

The Pancake Bakery

Price: Cheap
Cuisine: International

Pancakes are a well-loved dish in the Netherlands and the ones at The Pancake Bakery are exceptional. Set in a former 17th century Dutch East India Company warehouse, the restaurant still retains some of its original architecture and charm, including exposed brick walls and wooden beamed ceilings. Old, yellowing posters decorate the walls, flickering candles create a romantic atmosphere and each table is laden down with various pancake syrups and icing sugar.

Address: Prinsengracht 191, Amsterdam, Netherlands, The Netherlands
Telephone: +31 20 625 1333
Website:
Visa and passport information is updated regularly and is correct at the time of publishing. You should verify critical travel information independently with the relevant embassy before you travel.