Fresh and Flavorful Foodie Spots in Amsterdam

4/2/2015

There's a delicious, diverse scene to discover at the different foodie spots in Amsterdam. Updated in 2021!

Foodie spots in Amsterdam Pane e Olio Amsterdam Tuscan Italian Food

Foodie spots in Amsterdam look like this: Slices of homemade pizza with authentic Tuscan flavors are less than 3 Euros at Pane e Olio

Amsterdam has a fantastic, diverse, delicious food scene and there is something for every taste and price point. In just a few days we must have consumed our own body weight in goodies several times over. No shame, no problem! Here are four of our favourite places to eat, drink, and be merry. Don't consider it a comprehensive list or a 'best of' description - these are simply spots we loved and we think you'll love them too.

Pane e Olio

Pane e Olio (Oude Leliestraat 6) is a tiny Tuscan deli and eatery. You can pick up cheap and quick breakfasts of pastries and coffee, grab cheese, meats, and condiments for a picnic, or stay and eat in at one of their few tables. Slices of homemade pizza start at just 2.50 Euros and they are absolutely delicious. We loved it for grabbing a quick snack or a light lunch.

Sie Joe

I wish I had some photos to share of our amazing meal at Sie Joe (Gravenstraat 24a), but it's the final spot my iPhone was last seen (a long story for another day). But take my word for it - this is some amazing food. I love Indonesian food (the peanut sauce!!!) and Sie Joe does some of the best I've ever had. We feasted on a salad of cucumber, green beans, and peanut sauce, chicken satay skewers (with peanut sauce), fried rice, and spring rolls. It was such a nice change to get some veggies and chicken into my system after a whole lot of pasta and, well, did I mention the peanut sauce? Prices are reasonable for Amsterdam, but may be a bit high for budget backpackers (dishes are 9-10 Euros and we ordered 4)

Pancakes! Amsterdam

That exclamation point isn't there to just express my enthusiasm - it's part of the name. Pancakes! (Berenstraat 38) is one of the most popular pancake houses in Amsterdam, complete with the lines, but for good reason. They offer sweet and savory pancakes with fillings and toppings ranging from the traditional, such as banana, to more original combinations, such as smoked salmon, crème fraîche, and guacamole. I ordered the special of the day, which featured thin, crepe like pancakes with mascarpone, dates, and walnuts, while Ryan had American style pancakes with maple syrup and bacon. Pro Tip: Arrive before 1:00pm and certain pancake breakfast combos are 25% off with an iAMsterdam card.

Hostaria

Hostaria (UPDATE! NOW CLOSED.) is the kind of place that you'd be just as happy to enjoy as a solo diner as you would be as part of a couple or larger group. This small Italian restaurant was absolutely packed during our visit - we were pleased when we arrived just early enough to manage to grab a table without a reservation. Little touches, like when the staff filled our jug of tap water with sliced grapefruit and mint, added great value. The least expensive things on the menu (our pasta selections) were absolutely delicious and allowed us to have a gourmet meal without breaking the bank. If you do want to splurge, however, lobster makes a frequent appearance on the menu. Desert was equally good - dense chocolate cake with ice cream, strawberries, and red currants. I would absolutely go back here again and again.

I'd love to start curating a list of amazing places to eat in Amsterdam. If you have a favorite spot to recommend, put it in the comments!

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Jason

6/2/2015 04:15:47 am

Everything looks delicious. What was your favorite?

Vanessa

6/2/2015 12:44:32 pm

At first I was tempted to say Sie Joe because I love peanut sauce so much but the pancakes were really really good - pure comfort food.

Katie link

10/2/2015 10:54:06 am

Everything sounds devine, but especially that chocolate cake at Hostaria. I'm always a sucker for desserts and pasta. But there's also the pancakes! :D Great choices!

10/2/2015 10:59:22 am

Not only was that chocolate cake fantastic but even the berries and cream on the side were superb. I was seriously tempted to ask them for a second dessert of just strawberries and cream,

Matt

19/4/2015 11:57:42 am

Excellent idea! Here are my suggestions (keeping in mind I'm more of a street food guy, owing in part to my lack of ability to pay for expensive Amsterdam restaurant food):

- Lindengracht market and Noordermarkt (both in the northern Jordaan area). Excellent street food including fresh stroopwafels, as well as being good places to buy groceries.
- Haarlemmerdijk. Pretty much the entire street is covered with interesting places to eat or shop. My favourite was Jordino, a chocolate shop which displays elaborate chocolate sculptures in the window and which makes amazing cakes (not the icing kind, but more of the fruit kind).
- Pannenkoekenboot. If you love pannenkoeken enough that you think you could eat three or four of them in one extended sitting, this is for you. The boat makes a leisurely tour of the Ij, and meanwhile pannenkoeken are constantly being churned out from the kitchen. A veritable buffet of toppings is available, and prices range from a very reasonable €16.65 to €24.50.
- CREA café. As a student, I made good use of campus facilities, even more so when they were this delicious and reasonably priced. Their soup and bread alone are fantastic, and as a bonus you can get a quiet outdoor seat next to the canal and the fancy new UvA building. Feels more like a local coffee shop (not that kind) than a cafe for students.
- Banketbakkerij v.d. Linde. Yes, it's smack dab in the centre of tourist town, but if you like ice cream at all then you need to go. It's like eating a cloud (and it's super cheap, even by non-Amsterdam standards).
- Vlaams Friethuis (also called Vleminkx Sausmeesters, just for confusion). Best fries in the city, at least that I'm aware of. Try the oorlog or curry speciaal for something deliciously different.
- Albina. One of at least a few restaurants in the city that attempts the curious combination of Chinese and Surinamese food. It's pretty basic, but the prices are good, the staff is friendly, and the portions are generous (and taste great, of course). All in all a pretty risk-free way to get introduced to Surinamese food, since if you don't find anything you like you can always just order chow mein or something.

On a related note, if you get out to Utrecht there's a great pannenkoeken place on the Oudegracht (name is forgotten, unfortunately). The inside looked really cool (a converted warehouse from the old days; looked kind of hobbit-ish), but we have opted to dine on the sidewalk right next to the canal. Not only is it peaceful and picturesque, but on one such occasion we also witnessed a small, overloaded motor boat capsize under the weight of too many drunken tourists (it disappeared under the surface just as the last person got out). They then spent the next half hour trying to drag it out right-side up (in other words, dragging a tonne of water up with it) rather than flip it over and let the water drain out as they lifted it. At one point there was a local news crew and everything. Made for dinner and a show :)

20/4/2015 03:41:29 am

Matt - you are the BEST! I am absolutely drooling right now. I'm in love with the idea of Albina the combination of Chinese and Surinamese food. Who says you can't combine these two awesome culinary traditions? And if someone is feeling a bit timid, like you said, they can just order something more familiar from the menu.

I also really love the idea of CREA cafe. Sometimes all you want is a hearty soup and a side of homemade bread. Fantastic travel food does not have to be expensive or fancy to be absolutely delicious!