Best Restaurants in Amsterdam (Local Guide) • Sarah Chetrit's Lust Till Dawn (2024)

As a foodie living in Amsterdam for the past 6 years, finding the best restaurants in Amsterdam is always on my to do list every weekend.

All these restaurants below are great for locals and tourists alike. From Dutch to international cuisine, you’ll love eating at these spots, especially if you’re a foodie like me!

Best Dutch Restaurants in Amsterdam

While you’re in Amsterdam, you’ll surely want to have some local Dutch food. You can either have something very traditional like stamppot, a mashed potato, cabbage, and meat dish, or swing the other way to have something sweet like stroopwaffels and poffertjes.

Pancakes! Amsterdam

For traditional Dutch pancakes, many people like going to the Pannenkoekenhuis Upstairs, which has a super cute traditional ambiance with teapots hanging from the ceiling everywhere, but Pancakes! Amsterdam has better pancakes and more of a variety. Plus, you can get poffertjes, which are mini pancakes, and an absolute must.

There are multiple locations but if I were you, I’d go to the Westerkerk location since it’s large and also serves poffertjes. The location in Jordaan is quite small, which means a long wait, and the location in city center doesn’t have poffertjes.

I personally like savory Dutch pancakes and get this combo: ham, spinach, goat cheese, and onions.

Ten Kate Market or Albert Cuyp Market

Some of my favorite Dutch foods aren’t in restaurants; they’re at the outdoor markets where you can food hop along the stands and try a bunch of foods! You can try kibbeling, fries, poffertjes, and stroopwaffels at the markets.

Head to this post tolearn more about the different types of Dutch food and where to find them at the markets or in Amsterdam.

Moeder’s

I didn’t like Moeder’s and don’t have a tongue for traditional Dutch food. I found it to be boring but traditional Dutch food was made for survival, not for gastronomy like French food. Nonetheless, if you MUST try traditional stamppot, then you can go to Moeder’s, which has a really cute, kitschy vibe.

Best Asian Restaurants in Amsterdam

Best and Asian aren’t two words you commonly find together in Amsterdam. Being from New York City and having had homemade Korean food from my grandma and some of the best Chinese, Japanese, Nepalese, etc. in the world, it’s been pretty impossible to find Asian restaurants that’s actually good at reasonable prices.

That’s the thing about Asian restaurants in Amsterdam. They could be good, but they’re just overpriced. For example, an almost-good bowl of pho at Pho 91, the most popular place to get pho in Amsterdam, is about€14! They don’t even give you the side plate of bean sprouts, basil and peppers or the basket of four spices to go with your pho.

Because of the price-to-quality ratio, I avoid certain cuisines in Amsterdam. Luckily, I’ve got a handful of solid recommendations for the best Asian restaurants in Amsterdam.

• One Dim Sumin Oud-West is my favorite spot for dim sum for price/quality. Don’t opt for the traditional siu-mai or har-gow. Those are so-so. Get the fresh shrimp rice rolls, lo pax xo turnip cakes, fried aubergine with shrimp inside, and ginger fried rice with pork.
• Full Moon Garden in Leidseplein has better dim sum but it’s a bit more expensive than One Dim Sum. They also have amazing Cantonese dishes like Peking duck so go here if you want more than dim sum.

• Thaise Snackbar in city center is my go-to spot for Thai food. DO NOT mistake this for Thai Restaurant across the street. Make sure you are going to the Thaise Snackbar that is a hole-in-the-wall in which you’ll have to squeeeeze through tables to get to your seat. There will probably be a line but it goes quickly.
• Yamazato is a one Michelin star sushi restaurant in Amsterdam, but surprisingly for such a high-quality sushi place, the prices are not bad. You can get a 9-piece sushi set for€39,99. In the same hotel as Yamazato is also Restaurant Sazanka, which is a one Michelin star teppanyaki place in Amsterdam.
• The Vietnamese stand (no idea what its name is…) at the Ten Kate Market is not a restaurant, but I love grabbing their spring or summer rolls on the go while shopping at the market for groceries and flowers.
• Gangnam Chicken for Korean fried chicken that reminds me of my mom’s!

If you’re an Asian food connoisseur, definitely skip out on these Asian restaurants: Pho 91, the dim sum place in the Foodhallen, Little Saigon, Sie Joe, and Koh-i-Noor.

You might also like: Best Local Travel Tips for Amsterdam

Best Brunch in Amsterdam

If there’s anything the Dutch are really good at, it’s cooking the best poached eggs for brunch ever. Here are a few spots that I frequent to get a yummy brunch in. Seriously, you’ll find me at one of these places every month or so.

Bakers and Roasters

Bakers and Roasters is my absolute favorite spot for brunch and probably one of the best restaurants in Amsterdam! One shining reason is that the service is on point, which you don’t really often get in Amsterdam restaurants.

But even better than the service, everything that I’ve gotten on the menu is absolutely delicious. You can’t go wrong here with an egg dish, vegetarian meal, or even a HUGE slice of cake. Seriously, everything is delectable.

There is usually a wait at prime hours, but you can put your phone number down, and they’ll give you a text when your table is ready! How easy!

They have great dairy-free and vegan options!

Omelegg

Just as the name suggests, Omelegg hones its skills on one ingredient and does that ingredient right– eggs! Furthermore, it not only serves eggs but serves the best omelette you might’ve had in your life.

My favorite omelette is theBilly Goat (goat cheese, broccoli, onion, peppers, honey and thyme). My husband’s favorite is the Farmer’s Boy. Definitely get a fresh squeezed orange juice while you’re there.

Pro Tip:Get10% off with a Yelp check in.

Greenwood’s Singel or Keizergracht

Greenwood’s is an Irish brunch spot that serves a full English breakfast, or if you’re vegetarian, a veggie breakfast with halloumi, tomatoes, mushrooms, beans, and best of all, THEIR HOMEMADE SODA BREAD– YUM. They also serve lunch foods but I recommend sticking with their egg dishes.

Dignita

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dignita Cafe Amsterdam (@dignitaamsterdam) on May 7, 2018 at 6:30am PDT

I just recently discovered Dignita and WOW, I absolutely love their Forest Dwellers mushrooms and egg on toast dish. It’s a unique dish packed with flavor.

I love that their juices aren’t apple based since I’m allergic to apples, their co*cktails are creative, and some of the other egg dishes come on homemade hash brown cakes.

They have a great vegan and dairy-free options!

Soho House

If you have a Soho House membership, I looove the blueberry pancakes at Soho House Amsterdam.

Best Places for Lunch in Amsterdam

Hummus Bistro d&a

is the closest thing I’ve found to my husband’s aunt’s Moroccan home cooking. Seriously, it’s that good.

The shakshuka, hummus, and arabic salad were my favorite dishes as they were all seemingly authentic, but as for the babaganoush, I found it to be unusually smokey so unless you like that taste, then I would pick something else to eat.

This always hits the spot when I come here and is a great casual option for either lunch or dinner!

Sir Hummus

Sir Hummus is an amazing hummus spot in de Pijp, and anything there is worth trying, especially with their secret sauce.

Note that they close at 9:00PM or when they sell out– meaning if they sell out all of their hummus at 5:00PM, they’re done for the day! They’re that popular.

Gartine

Having high tea at Gartine was one of the most unique and fun dining experiences I’ve had. It’s casual and cute yet sophisticated and refined all in one.

It’s all because of the dainty snacks,decorative pots of tea, embellished dishes and silverware, local garden vegetables, and general ambiance of the restaurant. So basically, everything…

Dianeand I got the high tea savory set, which surprisingly put us over the edge. For two girls who can out eat their significant others any day, we were really surprised about how full we were! We think it’s because we each drank a whole pot of tea to ourselves, which definitely supports the claim that if you drink a full glass of water before a meal, you’ll eat less– imagine that!

I came back here at a later date with Mike’s parents who also loved this place and everything we ate.

Pro Tip:Make a reservation at least two to three weeks in advance by calling. Spots fill up quickly in this tiny 10-15 seater place.

Foodhallen or the Food Department

If you’re traveling with a large group or have a picky group with a variety of taste, I’d check out the Foodhallen in Oud-West or the Food Department in City Center. Both are high-quality food courts with a variety of foods and drinks from tacos to French pastries.

The Foodhallen is in Oud-West and a great place to stop by if you want to couple it with a local market experience at the Ten Kate Markt. It’s built into a beautiful building that was once a tram warehouse and now houses a local artist store, hair salon, event space, cafe, independent movie theater and more.

It’s a great place to go to if it’s raining out, or if you need a nice place to relax after a ton of traveling.

The Food Department is in City Center right by Dam Square and a great place to visit if you’re in the area because there’s not many high-quality fast casual spots in that area. In fact, there’s a lot of low-quality fast casual spots targeted towards tourists so the Food Department is a great option to get good food.

The Food Department is on the top floor of the Magna Plaza, a mall that was once a post office, so besides eating, you can also do some shopping!

Best Places for Dinner in Amsterdam

If you’re going out to dinner in Amsterdam, make reservations, even a week in advance!

Night Kitchen

Night Kitchen is a cozy Mediterranean spot to go for dinner. They have a gorgeous bar right next door so you can easily start off with a drink and then head over into the restaurant for dinner.

Most guests like to get their menu set, which allows to try several things, but whatever you get, definitely include the tomato salad. Sounds plain but it’s not. How can a tomato salad be so good?

nNea Pizza

I love this pizza spot. I’ve been to several in Amsterdam and it’s my fave.

You have to make reservations two weeks in advance.

More info in the pizza section.

Black and Blue

Update Sept 2022- We went recently and nothing was good! The asparagus was cooked way too long and the rib eye was pretty mediocre. Salad was warm and fries were overdone.

We have been here sooo many times and have loved it every single time so we’re not sure if it was an off day. If you are really craving steak, you could try it but that off day is really making us think twice about going back.

Old Review- This is Mike’s and my go-to restaurant if we want something good to eat but not exactly sure where to go. It’s definitely our go-to for steak too.

If you go to this steak restaurant, get the Angus Rib-Eye for two. For 60 euros and unlimited steak and fries, this is a really good value! Also, the service is fantastic!

The Seafood Bar

The Seafood Bar is exactly how it sounds– a place to get seafood! We’ve been multiple times on dates and with a group of friends, and it’s perfect for any occasion. I recommend getting the grilled mix plate for two and an appetizer or two with white wine.

One Dim Sum

One Dim Sum in Oud-West is my favorite spot for dim sum. Don’t opt for the traditional siu-mai or har-gow. Those are so-so. Get the fresh shrimp rice rolls, lo pax xo turnip cakes, fried aubergine with shrimp inside, and ginger fried rice with pork.

Ron Gastrobar Oriental

Ron Gastrobar Oriental is a Michelin guide Asian-fusion restaurant. I’m not normally an Asian fusion fan, but this is the one exception!

De Luwte

If you’re up for spending €30-40 a person including drinks, then de Luwte is a cozy and romantic spot for dinner. The menu changes each season (or so it seems), the service is great, and the food is cooked well.

Blauw

This is the place to go for an Indonesian rijsttaffel, which is an assortment of 17 different dishes. I really liked the flavors of everything, and everything was prepared well, but nothing wowed meespecially because some of the food was served lukewarm.

However, experiencing a rijsttaffel is a must, and everyone else who’s been to this restaurant loved it (besides me) so you should probably try it while in Amsterdam!

Best Pizza Places in Amsterdam

Ugh– pizza is yet another cuisine in Amsterdam that’s pretty atrocious. Pizza here doesn’t even come close to the pizza in Naples, Italy, New York City, or New Haven, Connecticut~ before you jump on the New Haven hating train, have you even had the pizza there? OMGGGAAAWD.

Nonetheless I’ve found a few gems that satiate my pizza craving until my next trip to Italy. They are:

nNea Pizza

This pizza spot is definitely my FAVORITE pizza place in Amsterdam. It’s the closest I can find to pizza from Naples, Italy.

Because of the pandemic, they switched to these foldable pizzas for takeaway and frozen pizzas to bring home to cook. I highly recommend grabbing one to make in your hotel or Airbnb if it has an oven!

Il Sogno

For thin crust pizza with delicious, high quality cheese and ultra sweet Italian tomatoes, check out Il Sogno. It’s a fast casual type place. We heard about this place when visiting Pigna, Italy and having great pizza in this romantic and charming village. He said Il Sogno served pizza similar to their restaurant. What a great recommendation!

Get the address, see what we recommend, and read the important note about this place to grab pizza in this blog post.

Mangia

Since Mangia Pizza is close to us, this is our go-to spot. The sourdough crust makes the pizza quite chewyin a good way and is the closet pizza I can find to Neapolitan style pizza. The owners that run it are from Naples and Milan!

Recommended Reading: Best Pizza in Amsterdam
Includes which pizza places in Amsterdam that locals love but I don’t think are that good #pickypizzalover

Best Vegan Places in Amsterdam

Amsterdam’s just getting on the vegan train but there’s a couple of great spots that is more than just lettuce on top of lettuce~you know what I’m talking about.

• Hummus bistro d&a (listed above in the dinner section)
• Vegan Junk Food Bar
• Fento in the Foodhallen (also good for gluten-free food)
• Green Brothers in the Foodhallen
• Bakers and Roasters (listed above in the brunch section)
• Dignita (listed above in the brunch section)

Very Helpful Tips for Amsterdam

Before you even go to restaurants, check out these general travel tips for Amsterdam, which includes some local etiquette. Also, if you need a place to stay in Amsterdam,these are places my friends and I have personally stayed at.

For what to pack, check out these items I use weekly in Amsterdam! Just because I live here doesn’t mean I’m protected against a dying phone or anti-useful travel items.

You might also like this ultimate packing list for Europe, which covers everything you’d need in Amsterdam, and don’t miss out on these best things to do in Amsterdam, or if you have kids, fun and free things to do with your kids in the summer.

Hope this helps with your trip to Amsterdam. Thanks for stopping by! xo.

?Pin or bookmark this for later!