The foodlover's guide to Amsterdam

[salome11]

hello,

I'm glad I found this forum as my mother and I will be visiting in a few days. I'm hoping to take her to Tujuh Maret and I've taken notes on several other places that have been mentioned here.

We are arriving on Queen's day so I know to expect large crowds everywhere.

I wanted to see if anyone had any recommendations for anything reasonably nearby the Anne Frank museum. We will be visiting there in the early morning hours of May 2nd and don't have to take the train until about 4 or 5 later that afternoon so I was hoping to have a leisurely lunch somewhere.

I was also hoping to persuade my mother to visit Vondelpark as well during that time so I'm open to other areas closer to there as well.

Many thanks

[markemorse]

This was at 3pm Saturday and we grabbed the only table.

←

Sorry about the extra post, but I should probably clarify: we grabbed the only available table. They have 20 or so.

mem

[Chufi]

hello,

I'm glad I found this forum as my mother and I will be visiting in a few days. I'm hoping to take her to Tujuh Maret and I've taken notes on several other places that have been mentioned here.

We are arriving on Queen's day so I know to expect large crowds everywhere.

I wanted to see if anyone had any recommendations for anything reasonably nearby the Anne Frank museum. We will be visiting there in the early morning hours of May 2nd and don't have to take the train until about 4 or 5 later that afternoon so I was hoping to have a leisurely lunch somewhere. 

I was also hoping to persuade my mother to visit Vondelpark as well during that time so I'm open to other areas closer to there as well.

Many thanks

←

Hi,

Queensday will indeed be very busy, however most partying is actually done the evening before Queensday. On Queensday itself, around 4 in the afternoon the excitement sort of dwindles down. Bars and restaurants are actually pretty empty then! But expect a HUGE mess all over the city.

As for lunch: after your visit to the Anne Frank house you could wander around the area known as the 9 straatjes (9 little streets): Reestraat, Berenstraat, Runstraat, Huidenstraat, Wolvenstraat and the rest I can't remember , you'll easily find them on your map).

A couple of nice places in that area for casual lunch (sandwiches, soup, omelets):

Hein, Berenstraat 20

Buffet van Odette, Herengracht 309

A lot fancier is Zuid Zeeland, Herengracht 413. Had my last dinner there 6 years ago though so no recent experiences.

[salome11]

hi,

Thanks for the recommendations, Chufi

It looks like your pic for fave pizzeria, Yam Yam, isn't too far away from that area either near the AFH.

I also saw your rec for Cafe Loetje which sounds great as my mother is wanting to try some good Dutch food. Is it completely naive for us to consider dinner there on Monday (Queen's Day)? or should we just wait to dine there another day? I expect a longer than usual wait of course due to the holiday...

thanks again for your assistance....

[markemorse]

For dinner on Queen's Day, we've always had a hard time finding a normal (good) sit-down place that's both open and not full. Last year we waited an hour to be seated at an Indian restaurant on the Haarlemmerstraat (and we were really happy that it was only an hour).

In terms of eating a less typical sitdown dinner, we've had a good time twice at Duende (Lindengracht 62), where a friend was working...they set up huge tables outside and serve lots of very large boiled shrimp and paella (but the last time was 2 years ago, recent reviews of their non-Queen's Day food have been more negative).....

And last year for lunch I hit Japanese Pancake World (2e Egelantiersdwarsstraat 24a)...

mark

Edited April 29, 2007 by markemorse (log)

[prasantrin]

And last year for lunch I hit Japanese Pancake World (2e Egelantiersdwarsstraat 24a)...

mark

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Wow!!!! Those prices for the okonomiyaki are about twice or more what they would be in Japan!! Were they good?

[markemorse]

They rocked my world. And they're pretty big...pizza width, but considerably thicker. I seem to remember not being able to eat my last one all in one sitting. But they're really very good. They were my first ones ever, so I can't say how they compare to actual Japanese okonomiyaki. On Queen's Day they sell little 3-inch versions outside, or at least they did last year. I fell in love.

mem

Edited April 29, 2007 by markemorse (log)

[Chufi]

I never go into the city center on Queensday but pretty much stay in my own neighborhood (south of Vondelpark), and there we never had any problems finding a place for dinner, so I guess the farther you are willing to go from the center, the easier it is.

It looks like your pic for fave pizzeria, Yam Yam, isn't too far away from that area either near the AFH.

←

YamYam update:

I had dinner there about a month ago and ofcourse ordered my favorite pizza with the mascarpone truffle sauce. When it came, we ate, looked at eachother, and said: something's not right.

It was still good pizza, but really not the very special pizza that it used to be. The main reason was that there was almost no truffled mascarpone on it, so it was basically a ham and cheese pizza with a bit of arugula on top. I spoke about it to one of the waiters, who has been there forever, and he said 'no it's the same pizza'. But then he came back later and said, yes, we have a new pizzabaker, maybe he does it differently.

Then later they comped our afterdinner drinks but I'm not sure if that was because they did not want us to leave un happy, or because they actually thought I was right.

Anyway, I have no idea if my favorite pizzaplace still serves my favorite pizza the way I like it! I guess I need to go back soon, but I'm scared

Edited April 29, 2007 by Chufi (log)

[ellenesk]

Wanted to say thanks for the helpful information. We dined at Belhamel, Temple Doloe, and Indrapura last week. Loved Belhamel, great room, sat outside overlooking the canal, had wonderful food, and great wine. Would have thought Indrapura was fabulous, had we not gone to Temple Doloe, which was superior. Each dish had in our rijstaffel had a unique flavor and texture. Both restaurants had fresh and delicious food, but Temple Doloe was definitely more refined.

Great suggestions, it really helped make our trip wonderful.

[markemorse]

They rocked my world. And they're pretty big...pizza width, but considerably thicker. I seem to remember not being able to eat my last one all in one sitting. But they're really very good. They were my first ones ever, so I can't say how they compare to actual Japanese okonomiyaki. On Queen's Day they sell little 3-inch versions outside, or at least they did last year. I fell in love. 

mem

←

By the way, this Queen's Day I went back to Japanese Pancake World for their mini-okonomiyaki:

Bigger than last year, but still tasty!

Edited May 10, 2007 by markemorse (log)

[IlCuoco]

Another update from Utrecht...

Roberto Gelato. This stuff is the real deal and seriously good. It's off the Biltstraat and well worth the trip. It's also around the corner from a great organic butcher, De Groen Weg, which has excellent quality and very reasonable prices. They're also very good about custom cuts and butchering, I was able to get skirt steak on request. It doesn't hurt that the owner's a Red Sox fan....

Links below:

Roberto Gelato

De Groene Weg

[IlCuoco]

And still more Utrecht eating...

Paradijs - a small Chinese joint just off the station. Very tasty, I had the beef in black pepper sauce which was both savory and hot at the same time. The place just renovated (they now have actual tables, etc rather than the folding chairs of old) but the food is very nice, especially for a quick bite.

[SideBurns]

Hello everyone!

I'm new to eGullet, but I've been reading the forums for a while and I've been keeping up to date with this thread - thanks to everyone who's made suggestions!

I'm English, but I've been living in Utrecht since last September, and thought that I'd add a few suggestions of my own, although I haven't really eaten out that much since arriving here (being on a student budget and all!).

In Utrecht:

Humphry's - A restaurant at the town end of the Biltstraat. I've been here a number of times as it's just round the corner from where I live, and it's a really nice little place. It only does a three-course fixed-menu for €19.95, which changes a little every month. Very friendly staff, a nice atmosphere and good food. I think they have branches in other towns as well.

De Bakkerswinkel - This has been recommended before, and I can recommend the branch in Utrecht on the corner of Drift and Wittevrouwenstraat. It's a lovely little tea rooms and bakery. It's a little on the pricey side, but the downstairs seating area is delightful and backs onto the canal.

Graf Floris - This is a cafe on the Oudegracht serving one of the best appelbollen that I've had in the Netherlands, nice atmosphere and décor as well.

Venezia - My favourite ice-cream parlour in Utrecht, with little stalls and outlets in the city at this time of year, although I haven't tried Roberto Gelato recommended by IlCuoco yet, but it's just up the road from me, so I shall give it a go before making a definite pronouncement.

There's supposed to be a very good little pancake restaurant in the nearby town of Bunnik as well (just down from the University campus - De Uithof), but I've never been, although everyone who has comes away raving about it.

I haven't had that much experience eating out in Amsterdam, but here's a few places that I have been:

Restaurant Greetje - This one's been reported on before and I went about a month ago. Very good food, if a little more expensive than I'd usually like to pay, but it was good value for what we got. I can't remember the dish, but it was very well cooked and I'd certainly go back wallet permitting. The staff were very friendly, but we were lucky to get a table, so I'd recommend booking. It's a little off the beaten track on the Peperstraat, but it's a good location to get out of the hubbub in the centre of town.

Winkel - Chuffi mentioned this one before with it's supposedly best appeltaart in Amsterdam. It's just next to my favourite shop in Amsterdam - Delicious Foods - and I popped in on Friday to give their taart a try. And very good (and huge) it was too, certainly better than any I've had in Utrecht, and it's in a nice location in the Jordaan with a seating area outside if the weather's good. The Noordermarkt is held in the same place on a Saturday selling some fantastic fresh produce.

We're going out to a restaurant on the Oudegracht in Utrecht on Tuesday where you essentially get given a whole load of raw food (vegetables, meat, fish etc) on an all-you-can-eat-and-drink basis, and a little frying pan and stove to cook it yourself. We're been before, but the name escapes me at the moment, so I'll add it once we've been back.

Thanks again for all the suggestions so far, look forward to hearing many more .

All the best, Jack.

[IlCuoco]

Hello everyone!

I'm new to eGullet, but I've been reading the forums for a while and I've been keeping up to date with this thread - thanks to everyone who's made suggestions!

I'm English, but I've been living in Utrecht since last September, and thought that I'd add a few suggestions of my own, although I haven't really eaten out that much since arriving here (being on a student budget and all!).

In Utrecht:

Humphry's - A restaurant at the town end of the Biltstraat. I've been here a number of times as it's just round the corner from where I live, and it's a really nice little place. It only does a three-course fixed-menu for €19.95, which changes a little every month. Very friendly staff, a nice atmosphere and good food. I think they have branches in other towns as well.

De Bakkerswinkel - This has been recommended before, and I can recommend the branch in Utrecht on the corner of Drift and Wittevrouwenstraat. It's a lovely little tea rooms and bakery. It's a little on the pricey side, but the downstairs seating area is delightful and backs onto the canal.

Graf Floris - This is a cafe on the Oudegracht serving one of the best appelbollen that I've had in the Netherlands, nice atmosphere and décor as well.

Venezia - My favourite ice-cream parlour in Utrecht, with little stalls and outlets in the city at this time of year, although I haven't tried Roberto Gelato recommended by IlCuoco yet, but it's just up the road from me, so I shall give it a go before making a definite pronouncement.

There's supposed to be a very good little pancake restaurant in the nearby town of Bunnik as well (just down from the University campus - De Uithof), but I've never been, although everyone who has comes away raving about it.

I haven't had that much experience eating out in Amsterdam, but here's a few places that I have been:

Restaurant Greetje - This one's been reported on before and I went about a month ago. Very good food, if a little more expensive than I'd usually like to pay, but it was good value for what we got. I can't remember the dish, but it was very well cooked and I'd certainly go back wallet permitting. The staff were very friendly, but we were lucky to get a table, so I'd recommend booking. It's a little off the beaten track on the Peperstraat, but it's a good location to get out of the hubbub in the centre of town.

Winkel - Chuffi mentioned this one before with it's supposedly best appeltaart in Amsterdam. It's just next to my favourite shop in Amsterdam - Delicious Foods - and I popped in on Friday to give their taart a try. And very good (and huge) it was too, certainly better than any I've had in Utrecht, and it's in a nice location in the Jordaan with a seating area outside if the weather's good. The Noordermarkt is held in the same place on a Saturday selling some fantastic fresh produce.

We're going out to a restaurant on the Oudegracht in Utrecht on Tuesday where you essentially get given a whole load of raw food (vegetables, meat, fish etc) on an all-you-can-eat-and-drink basis, and a little frying pan and stove to cook it yourself. We're been before, but the name escapes me at the moment, so I'll add it once we've been back.

Thanks again for all the suggestions so far, look forward to hearing many more .

All the best, Jack.

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Always nice to see a fellow Utrechtian on the boards.

If you're over by The Biltstraat, check out the organic butcher. Good stuff.

Cheers!

[SideBurns]

Always nice to see a fellow Utrechtian on the boards.

If you're over by The Biltstraat, check out the organic butcher. Good stuff.

Cheers!

←

It's such a small world! I'm just off the Biltstraat, and I've walked past the butchers often without popping in, so I'll be sure to do so before long. There's a poulier just down from Super de Boeur as well which I keep meaning to try - have you had any experience with them?

As for the restaurant I mentioned before, it's called Tante's and is on the Oude Gracht just up from the Rebrandt cinema. Essentially it was €24.50 for a three course meal with tomato soup to start and tiramasu for dessert. For the main course you get a meat platter (chicken, beef, beefburgers, pork and bacon), vegetables (mushrooms, peppers, onions, salad), chips, bread etc and you fry it all yourself. It's an all-you-can-eat set up, and for two hours, you get free drinks as well. So it's pretty good value. The place isn't that special, and I don't think the food quality is that high (but then, I was cooking it!), but it's a nice way to spend an evening with friends.

Think I might give Roberto Gelato a try tomorrow afternoon!

[Brian B]

Sorry for being a bit of a lurker and not getting more involved on the Amsterdam side of things but have been very busy setting up an organic olive stall on the biologisch market on the Niuwe Markt.

This Saturday will be our 7th week on the market and we have been happily suprised at the good reaction the olives have been getting, its funny in that you always believe what you are selling to be good but the actual process of selling to the public can be intimidating. The fact that my dutch has not progressed beyond an embarassing grasp of the bare essentials it could have been a disaster,but with the help of my amazing dutch girlfriend it has been a success.

Would love to see any dutch egulleters or travelling egulleters from abroad,we are beside a great bread stall and the cheese is two stalls down from us so all the essentials are covered. I know the Nord Markt is the more famous but the feel at the Niuwe Markt is a bit more relaxed and not to hectic.

Will keep you posted.

[John Whiting]

I find no mention of Marius--perhaps I missed it. Charles Shere of Chez Panisse wrote me the following:

Kees Elfring was here for a week a couple of weeks ago, and it was fun to see him. I don't know if I told you about our latest two meals at his Amsterdam restaurant, which the major Dutch food magazine has proclaimed the second best in Amsterdam, the seventh best in the entire country, and among table-d'hote restaurants the best restaurant in the nation. And I truly believe the press has this right. Marius is a magnificent thing: comfortable and homey, complex and subtle, fun and serious. There should be such a place in every city, but it is, in my experience, unique.

Restaurant Marius

Barentszstraat 243, Amsterdam

Verstuur via SMS T: 020 - 422 78 80

I haven't eaten there myself but I know Kees's cooking from his Het Pomphuis (The Pump house) in Ede, which was sublime.

[Chufi]

Sorry for being a bit of a lurker and not getting more involved on the Amsterdam side of things but have been very busy setting up an organic olive stall on the biologisch market on the Niuwe Markt.

  This Saturday will be our 7th week on the market and we have been happily suprised at the good reaction the olives have been getting, its funny in that you always believe what you are selling to be good but the actual process of selling to the public can be intimidating. The fact that my dutch has not progressed beyond an embarassing grasp of the bare essentials  it could have been a disaster,but with the help of my amazing dutch girlfriend it has been a success.

  Would love to see any dutch egulleters or travelling egulleters from abroad,we are beside a great bread stall and the cheese is two stalls down from us so all the essentials are covered. I know the  Nord Markt is the more famous but the feel at the Niuwe Markt is a bit more relaxed and not to hectic.

  Will keep you posted.

←

Brian, hi,

I'm quite fond of the Saturday market on Nieuwmarkt, like you say it's much more relaxed than the Noordermarkt which can sometimes feel a bit overrun by too much, dare I say it, foodsnobbery

I'll try to come and see you next Saturday!

Please post about any Amsterdam favorites you have, I'd love to hear about them.

[IlCuoco]

It's such a small world! I'm just off the Biltstraat, and I've walked past the butchers often without popping in, so I'll be sure to do so before long. There's a poulier just down from Super de Boeur as well which I keep meaning to try - have you had any experience with them?

As for the restaurant I mentioned before, it's called Tante's and is on the Oude Gracht just up from the Rebrandt cinema. Essentially it was €24.50 for a three course meal with tomato soup to start and tiramasu for dessert. For the main course you get a meat platter (chicken, beef, beefburgers, pork and bacon), vegetables (mushrooms, peppers, onions, salad), chips, bread etc and you fry it all yourself. It's an all-you-can-eat set up, and for two hours, you get free drinks as well. So it's pretty good value. The place isn't that special, and I don't think the food quality is that high (but then, I was cooking it!), but it's a nice way to spend an evening with friends.

Think I might give Roberto Gelato a try tomorrow afternoon!

←

It's the butcher right next to the Super de boer so you must know it. I didn't know about the Poulier, I usually just get the birds from the butcher. How is it?

I don't know Tante's? Where on the Oudegracht is it? I live there so I'm surprised I've not seen it...

[Chufi]

here's some catch-up on recent dinners in Amsterdam.

and beyond: we had a stupendously good Japanese dinner in the city of den Bosch, at restuarant Shiro. It´s tiny but oh so good. Den Bosch (or, ´s Hertoghenbosch as it´s also known, just to confuse the tourists) is only about an hours trainride away from Amsterdam. The restaurant is about a 10-minutes walk from the station. The city itself is charming and old, with lots of little cobbled streets and alleys.

The kaiseki menu was superb and certainly to be compared with Michelinstarred Yamazato in the Okura hotel in Amsterdam, where we had dinner earlier this year. the atmospehere is much nicer though. I think (but cannot be sure since we were treated to this dinner, and prices/menus are not to be found online) that prices are about the same as at the Okura - I guess about 80 euros for a full kaiseki menu. Which seems really good value to me! See my Dutch blog click here for pictures of the dinner.

Shiro

Uilenburg 4, Den Bosch tel. 073 6127600

On the other end of the scale we tried a new and trendy little place in Amsterdam, called Burgermeester (master of the burgers, while burgemeester without the r means mayor - clever word eh?) which sells, you guessed it, burgers. But really good burgers! It´s a bit of a fast-food atmosphere, not a place to linger over dinner for hours. A very narrow little space with a couple of booths to sit (but many people just come in for take out). The lamb burger with spicy mayo was really good. They have about 8 different burgers, also fish and vegetarian. All come small or large. Real good value especially if you want to try different flavors is to get the miniburger special, where you get 3 different mini ones of your choice. the tunaburger with wasabi mayo was my favorite.

2 minor quibbles: the burgers all seem a bit busy, with lots of toppings/different sauces and flavors. A shame because I feel they use good quality meat etc., which gets sort of lost.

Another thing is the limited side dishes - no fries! I guess because of the space, which is really small with customers practically sitting in the kitchen, they don´t want to do any deepfrying. But the baked potatoes they serve instead were not really good, I would pass on those next time. In my opinion, burgers need something crispy. Maybe they should just put some potatochips on the plate...

Burgermeester

Albert Cuypstraat 48 (in the non-market part of the Albert Cuypstraat)

open noon - 11 pm

no reservations

[IlCuoco]

here's some catch-up on recent dinners in Amsterdam.

and beyond: we had a stupendously good Japanese dinner in the city of den Bosch, at restuarant Shiro. It´s tiny but oh so good. Den Bosch (or, ´s Hertoghenbosch as it´s also known, just to confuse the tourists) is only about an hours trainride away from Amsterdam. The restaurant is about a 10-minutes walk from the station. The city itself is charming and old, with lots of little cobbled streets and alleys.

The kaiseki menu was superb and certainly to be compared with Michelinstarred Yamazato in the Okura hotel in Amsterdam, where we had dinner earlier this year. the atmospehere is much nicer though. I think (but cannot be sure since we were treated to this dinner, and prices/menus are not to be found online) that prices are about the same as at the Okura - I guess about 80 euros for a full kaiseki menu. Which seems really good value to me! See my Dutch blog click here for pictures of the dinner.

Shiro

Uilenburg 4, Den Bosch tel. 073 6127600

Hi Klary,

I work in 's-Hertogenbosch and we often use Shiro for client dinners and the like. Your price estimates are pretty accurate.

[Margo]

After my first weekend in Amsterdam, I want thank everyone on this thread for the great recommendations! What a great city--this is my first visit.

I went to Tujuh Maret last night, where the naji rames (spicy) was terrific. I'm relatively unfamiliar with Indonesian food, but the flavors were so bright and the mix so interesting, I'm eager to continue to explore this week!

I met an expat cousin on Saturday, who took me to Esprit on the Spui. She likes it for the excellent, fresh ingredients. I had a vitello salad, and have to agree. Later that night, we went to her house on the outskirts of Amsterdam (near the big park...?), where we ordered in Kashmiri food. She and her husband lived in Kashmir for a while some time ago and find this restaurant to be true to the tastes they remember. We had some lamb and vegetable dishes, garlic nan, onion fritters. The restaurant sent along a bottle of South African red wine, since they're such regular and appreciative customers! (I'll try to get the name and post it later, so that this info can be more useful....)

More to come, I hope!

[markemorse]

Hey Margo,

Great to have another Amsterdam voice here, welcome!

Please do find out the name of the Kashmiri place...I'm always looking for good Indian here. The two best I've had thus far were really good (AND, they both deliver!), but I haven't been to either of them in more than a year.

Vijaya is a couple blocks from Nieuwmarkt and was my local Indian when I lived over there, very good atjar/achar dishes.

And Neetu da Dhaba (Overtoom 482) is down the street from one of the places I work, and their food was very very good the last time I tried it, but that was a while back. Recent reports from iens.nl are mixed.

+++

In other take-out/delivery news, Top Thai has really done something good to their kitchen: I stopped in on Friday, and picked up the best Thai I've had in years. It was so good, I had to try it again last night to see if Friday was a fluke or not, and...well it wasn't quite as awesome as Friday, but definitely very above-average and quite a bit better than they used to be.

+++

mem

Edited June 25, 2007 by markemorse (log)

[Margo]

The Kashmiri restaurant I mentioned above is Cafe Kim at Achillestraat 9. The menu has your typical south Indian items, too, but the Kashmiri dishes shine.

Let me also tout the cafe at the Van Gogh Museum: a sandwich and soda for less than 5 euros! What a deal, compared to US museum cafeteria prices

I had a great time in Amsterdam--hope to come back someday!

[Lois]

I'll be in Amsterdam with my family (me, husband, two-year-old daughter) for one night on Thursday, and then again at the end of our trip (July 14-18) for four nights. The first night we're staying right by the Centraal Station. I expect we'll all be exhausted and will eat whatever we can forage, but if there's something great and handy, I would love to know about it. And for the last several days, we'll be staying near the Museumplein and the Vondelpark. I've never been to Amsterdam before and am a bit clueless about its geography, but I'd love to hear about places that would be especially good to take a two-year-old in that area. (I've noted the spots in the Vondelpark.) We'll have a kitchen in that apartment, so great food shops would also be good to know about.