The foodlover's guide to Amsterdam

[markemorse]

hi lois!

central station itself (+ its current construction footprint) is actually pretty darn big....if you can give us a street name where you'll be staying the first night we can probably reduce your foraging time significantly...(and maybe tell us if you'll be here before 6pm or not, when many food shops close)...

mark

Edited July 3, 2007 by markemorse (log)

[Lois]

It's a hotel on Martelaarsgracht, on the first night. Our flight gets in at 11am Amsterdam time, so we should have the better part of an afternoon to hang out, assuming we don't collapse. Suggestions?

[MelissaH]

It's a hotel on Martelaarsgracht, on the first night. Our flight gets in  at 11am Amsterdam time, so we should have the better part of an afternoon to hang out, assuming we don't collapse. Suggestions?

←

Leave your stuff at the hotel, even if they don't have your room ready. Then get out and walk, walk, walk. Stop at an ATM to get some local cash, and get some food anywhere but McDonald's. See if there's a market anywhere the day you arrive, since markets are a great place to walk and eat both. Maybe find a museum that's kid-friendly, but follow my very wise grandmother's "museum rule" and don't spend more than an hour there. Maybe plan to go to Klary's favorite teahouse in the park. Do whatever you can to keep moving until it's time for an early dinner. Eat, and then stumble into bed. Wake up whenever you wake up, and you're almost functioning on local time in one very painful day. And take lots of pictures because you won't remember much of what you do on that first day as you sleepwalk through.

MelissaH

[markemorse]

It's a hotel on Martelaarsgracht, on the first night. Our flight gets in  at 11am Amsterdam time, so we should have the better part of an afternoon to hang out, assuming we don't collapse. Suggestions?

←

Great. I've never had a 2-year-old (but I've heard they're delicious! ha ha), so this could be off base, but....

Based on where you're situated you've got two obvious food neighborhoods to prowl through: Chinatown/Red Light, and Haarlemmerstraat (well, 3 if you count the Jordaan as a whole, but I'd save that for a more energy-filled day). I've lived in both of the above neighborhoods, and if it's a sunny day, I'd choose the latter track and head directly west from your hotel on the Haarlemmerstraat, towards the Westerpark and Westergasfabriek for a picnic and some duck harassment. There's a wading pool, playground, etc. and lots of ducks, swans, etc. for chasing. If you walk west along the Haarlemmerstraat to get to the park, it's probably a 15 minute walk with a stroller. Some more photos here.

I should highlight that this is basically a low-pressure day of doing nothing but hanging out and chillin' in the park with your family and good food...there's nothing to see here except lots of locals doing the same thing you are. except you're also getting lots of daylight in your system to alleviate jet lag...

Most of this is upthread somewhere, but....For food, i'd stop and get sandwiches at either Vlaamsch Broodhuys (Haarlemmerstraat 108), or Hollandaluz, (Haarlemmerstraat 71).

Or some seafood snacks (and sandwiches) at Volendammer Vishandel 't Centrum, Haarlemmerdijk 4. I know, seafood on a picnic sounds like a food safety disaster, but it's fresh, you'll be fine.

There's also a decent (but still a bit close to the center and thus touristy and expensive) cheese shop across the street from it as well as a full-service AH grocery store for anything else you need. Just remembered, there's also a cash machine across the canal from all of this (grocery stores here don't take credit or non-Dutch debit cards).

For chilled wine to take to the park, stop at Grapedistrict (Haarlemmerstraat 112)...

And then after the little one takes a nap at the park, you guys could stop in at The Movies and see the new Shrek, but there's not an English version, oops...

Anyway, this is really just a suggestion for your "one easy day to get through", obviously once we factor in public transportation and a good night's sleep for everyone, the possibilities open up dramatically.

hope this helps, it sounds like many of our summer days from last year, actually....

ETA: apparently the walk from Central Station to the Westerpark is about a mile total. If you're stopping for picnic supplies though, it'll fly by. And I promise you won't be the only stroller on the sidewalk...it's Mommy (and Daddy) Central out there these days.

mem

Edited July 3, 2007 by markemorse (log)

[Lois]

Oh, that all sounds completely brilliant. Thank you. And since our later stay in Amsterdam will be further south (near the Vondelpark/Museumplein area), I think it would be nice to explore a different section of the city.

It seems like that southern neighborhood is well covered in Klary's upthread suggestions (I've copied a lot of them). We're really looking forward to our visit. (Now I just have to pack and get through the plane ride.)

[Chufi]

Lois, I hope you have a great time! markemorses suggestions are spot on. The Haarlemmerstraat is a really nice street for foodies these days.. lots of fun little shops to browse and buy stuff.

Post again if you need additional recs for your stay towards the end of July!

Edited July 4, 2007 by Chufi (log)

[markemorse]

Should also mention that there are a handful of restaurants in the actual Westergasfabriek itself: Proef, De Bakkerswinkel, and Pacific Parc. Of these, I'd say that De Bakkerswinkel is worth getting a bite to eat at; Pacific Parc is only worth having an outside drink at...and the lower your expectations of the service, the better. There's also something called the Flexbar that good friends have had good things to say about, but I'm not sure they serve food.

mem

Edited July 4, 2007 by markemorse (log)

[Chufi]

There's a new icecream shop near Albert Cuyp market that sells the most amazing icecream. They only have about 10 different flavors, I sampled 4 and all were excellent. It´s right up there with what has been my favorite icecream place in the city for years and years, Pisa, near RAI congress centre (Scheldeplein 10).

IJscuypje,

Eerste van de Helststraat 27 (little street just off Albert Cuyp market)

[IlCuoco]

I need some last-minute advice...

We have friends in town from the US and we're all off to Amsterdam on Saturday (tomorrow). Any thoughts for lunch, near the Museumplein would be ideal but we're up for anything.

These folks like good food but are laid back and up for most anything. Any advice?

[Lois]

We're back from our trip! It was great, and we followed the advice above about exploring Haarlemmerstraat and the Westerpark on the first day. That was perfect. I had a good sandwich from the shop mentioned (Vlaamsch Broodhuis), and it was fun to peek in all the windows and buy a few little treats.

By the way, what is up with the huge number of Argentine steakhouses in Amsterdam? I felt like we saw them all over the place.

When we returned to Amsterdam at the end of our trip, we rented an apartment near the Vondelpark on de Lairessestraat. We had a kitchen there, so we did more takeout and cooking at that point; we were also frankly a bit sick of eating in restaurants with our two-year-old, after ten days of traveling. But we did have an enjoyable lunch at Brasserie de Joffers on Cornelius Schuyp(or something?)straat, and did some hanging out at the Groot Melkhuis as well as 't Blauwe Theehuis, both of which were very pleasant. One highlight of the trip was happening to go to the Rijksmuseum on the morning of Rembrandt's birthday--so we ended up with belegde broodjes and croissants and very tasty cake, not to mention free admission. That was a treat.

I took the advice about getting a Turkse pizza from the bakery (Mescan?) on the Rozengracht, and it was fantastic. And I took my daughter to the Albert Cuypstraat market, which was fun--though we unfortunately overlooked the ice cream place just mentioned. A shame!

Edited July 23, 2007 by Lois (log)

[John Talbott]

The Sunday NYT Travel Section yesterday had an article by Gisela Williams on 36 hours in Amsterdam and featured the following:

Vyne a trendy new wine bar

Like-a-local dinners in homes

Pancakes! restaurant

restaurant 11

Restaurant As

Edited July 24, 2007 by John Talbott (log)

[Chufi]

I need some last-minute advice...

We have friends in town from the US and we're all off to Amsterdam on Saturday (tomorrow). Any thoughts for lunch, near the Museumplein would be ideal but we're up for anything.

These folks like good food but are laid back and up for most anything. Any advice?

←

IC, so sorry I missed your question. It was a beautiful day last Saturday, I hope you had a good time and found a nice place to eat!

We're back from our trip! It was great, and we followed the advice above about exploring Haarlemmerstraat and the Westerpark on the first day. That was perfect. I had a good sandwich from the shop mentioned (Vlaamsch Broodhuis), and it was fun to peek in all the windows and buy a few little treats.

←

Lois, thanks so much for reporting back and I am glad you enjoyed yourself!

The Sunday NYT Travel Section yesterday had an article by Gisela Williams on 36 hours in Amsterdam and featured the following:

Vyne a trendy new wine bar

Like-a-local dinners in homes

Pancakes! restaurant

restaurant 11

Restaurant As

←

John, interesting as always to see an outsider describe what's cool in Amsterdam I haven't been to most of these places so I guess I need to brush up on my hipness

The Like a Local link does not work so I'm taking the liberty of adding it here: click

The EAT section will take you to the dinners-at-home as described in the article.

[Chufi]

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.

←

John, I finally went there this weekend, together with eGulleter markemorse and our spouses. You can read the report (here in markemorses current eG foodblog.

[IlCuoco]

I hate to admit it, I'm ashamed but...

I'm out of stock. There I said it. I am out of stock.

Normally, I'd just make a batch and be done with it but I won't have a full day for the kitchen for a few weeks (this weekend is packed and next weekend is the end of Baseball Week in Rotterdam which is, as we all know, the happiest week in the Dutch calendar this side of Carnival).

So, I ask those who have been here longer, what's your best option for stock when you can't make it? The cubes? The jars o' fond? Is there a shop selling boxed or frozen stock?

Your help, as always, is appreciated.

IlCuoco

[Chufi]

So, I ask those who have been here longer, what's your best option for stock when you can't make it? The cubes? The jars o' fond? Is there a shop selling boxed or frozen stock?

←

I think your best bet is to go to a good butcher or poultry guy. They usually have housemade frozen stock for sale, or they may have a good commercial brand of fond.

Bouillon cubes are, well, you know.. bouilloncubes No better or worse in Dutch supermarkets than anywhere else.. I use them often, for quick soups and stews etc, but ofcourse they can never a be a substitute for Real Stock. It depends on what you want to use them for.

[IlCuoco]

I think your best bet is to go to a good butcher or poultry guy. They usually have housemade frozen stock for sale, or they may have a good commercial brand of fond.

Bouillon cubes are, well, you know.. bouilloncubes    No better or worse in Dutch supermarkets than anywhere else.. I use them often, for quick soups and stews etc, but ofcourse they can never a be a substitute for Real Stock. It depends on what you want to use them for.

←

I struck out with my butcher (he's very good, can get me bones but no stock. More's the pity). I think I'll take your advice and try the poultry guy next door.

Thanks Chufi. As always, you're a star

[Brian B]

Hi all, just getting off the boullion issue to share some recent experiences, had a good meal at Toscannini, was very busy and at times the staff seemed a bit stretched but enjoyed a good meal that was the most authentic italian Ive had in while,would definetly go back.

Had a slightly dissapointing meal at Plancius close to Artis,this is a local restaurant that my girlfriend and i enjoy but when we brought friends recently it was not a good experience, again the floor was understaffed(is this a dutch thing),the food under seasoned and unremarkable and the restaurant manager very much out of his depth. A bit embarassing after singing the places praises earlier in the afternoon. Will be back for lunch which is quite good but not for dinner.

Borderwijk was a much more satisfying experience,(a heftier bill to boot). They do quite a good job in transforming quite an ordinary room and there was a good buzz about the place,the chef who we know to see from the market came to the table (as he does to all) and gave a description of the dishes on the carte,a nice touch. An amuse of eel was a great start follwed by tuna carpachio for the better half and terrine of chicker and foie for myself, then halibut for esther and sweetbreads for me, followed by a good cheeseboard. All helped down with a quality pinot whose name escapes me.

waldorf on eilandgracht is a reliable Italian and have not been let down,pancakes on the nine streets has not settled yet, went in and sat myself down the girl on the floor was not in control at all and was having big problems,two tables walked out in the time it took me to finish my coffee so thought the pancakes could wait another day,it is a good concept but the execution was terrible.

The olives are going well,we are now on the bio market on tuesdays in Amsteelveen and will be starting in Zeeburg at the end of the month on Wednesdays. Have also started to import Irish farmhouse cheeses and have got the cheese into 5 shops in Amsterdam so am quite excited about that too, will keep you all posted.

[Chufi]

Brian, thanks for the report! I hope you don't mind my interfering with your post, but for future reference, I thought I'd add some addresses and links for the places you've mentioned:

Hi all, just getting off the boullion issue to share some recent experiences, had a good meal at Toscannini, was very busy and at times the staff seemed a bit stretched but enjoyed a good meal that was the most authentic italian Ive had in while,would definetly go back.

←

Toscanini

Lindengracht 75

Just heard from a friend who was there this weekend and had a great dinner. I haven't been there in 12 years or so, must go back soon!

Had a slightly dissapointing meal at Plancius close to Artis,this is a local restaurant that my girlfriend and i enjoy but when we brought friends recently it was not a good experience, again the floor was understaffed(is this a dutch thing),the food under seasoned and unremarkable and the restaurant manager very much out of his depth. A bit embarassing after singing the places praises earlier in the afternoon. Will be back for lunch which is quite good but not for dinner.

←

Plancius

Plantage Kerklaan 61 A

         Borderwijk was a much more satisfying experience,(a heftier bill to boot). They do quite a good job in transforming quite an ordinary room and there was a good buzz about the place,the chef who we know to see from the market came to the table (as he does to all) and gave a description of the dishes on the carte,a nice touch.  An amuse of eel was a great start follwed by tuna carpachio for the better half and terrine of chicker and foie for myself, then halibut for esther and sweetbreads for me, followed by a good cheeseboard. All helped down with a quality pinot whose name escapes me.

←

Bordewijk

Noordermarkt 7

Bordewijk has been so high on my wishlist for a long time, and your dinner sounds great...

,pancakes on the nine streets has not settled yet, went in and sat myself down the girl on the floor was not in control at all and was having big problems,two tables walked out in the time it took me to finish my coffee so thought the pancakes could wait another day,it is a good concept but the execution was terrible.

←

Pancakes

Edited August 8, 2007 by Chufi (log)

[Sea Urchin Ragout]

Can someone please recommend a good rijsttafel resto within walking/ stumbling distance of Central Station?

[John Talbott]

Not answering the query above, but today's NYT has a "Q & A" on Where to eat in Amsterdam, in which Gisela Williams, a contributor to the Travel section, suggests:

De Kas

Balthazar's Keuken

De Bakkerswinkel

[Christopher Haatuft]

So I need some advice here. Im on my way to Bordeaux and will have a five hour wait in Schiphol. Will this give me enough time to go to the city and eat somewhere decent? I will be landing around 2pm and leaving at 8.30pm. I also have to add that Im on crutches, so mayby somewhere near a train- or busstation? Im open for any type of cuisine as long as its good

[markemorse]

So I need some advice here. Im on my way to Bordeaux and will have a five hour wait in Schiphol. Will this give me enough time to go to the city and eat somewhere decent? I will be landing around 2pm and leaving at 8.30pm. I also have to add that Im on crutches, so mayby somewhere near a train- or busstation? Im open for any type of cuisine as long as its good

←

Hey Christopher....

That's a pretty tough one...it's not really an ideal time slot, is it...basically you need

to be sitting down and eating between 3 and 6...leaving enough time for someone on crutches to get to and from Schiphol (at rush hour).

So this kind of eliminates anywhere "nice" for dinner, most places open at 6pm. And the Central Station area (as in most large cities) is not known for its casual-but-sophisticated eateries. It is pretty easy to hop on a tram or bus at CS and get anywhere in the city relatively quickly...but I'm not going to be the one responsible for sending someone on crutches all over town if it were me I'd try and keep it laid back and on foot anyway.

I think I would stick to the Zeedijk/Chinatown/Nieuwmarkt area. Most of the eateries are open all afternoon, and if you find you have some extra time to kill there are some great bars intermingled with the eatin'. Here are my recommendations:

sit-down eating

A*Fusion

Kind of a pan-Asian place that does a lot of things pretty well. I used to eat here quite a bit but it's been two years or so.

New King.

Good Cantonese...great oysters with black bean sauce (pictured upthread).

Bird.

better than average Thai food, you've got the option of a very crowded snackbar or not-so crowded restaurant (same name) across the street.

Nam Kee.

The most famous restaurant in Chinatown...still affordable, ugly, and indifferent, but good food. I prefer New King by a nose or two.

Wing Kee.

Another good Chinese, not much to look at, but none of the Zeedijk Chinese are.

Sukasari.

This is the closest reputable Indonesian to CS I believe, and is located in the center of a hellish tourist street (which I used to live on). If you're looking for a rijsttafel I think this is your best bet, though it's just about at the outer limit of walking-on-crutches distance.

Bunga Mawar.

Another Indonesian, much closer than Sukasari but I've never eaten there because I've never seen anyone else eating there. But it does get decent reviews, and is very affordable.

Aneka Rasa.

Another Indonesian possibility, again I haven't tried it but reviews are consistently above average. Note that they don't open til 5pm.

takeaway

Nyonya Malaysia Express.

Get a roti canai here and eat it anywhere else but here. This would be the first thing I'd do in the neighborhood, as I've probably already said too many times.

Toko Joyce.

Takeaway Dutch-Indonesian sandwiches and noodle dishes.

Chang Express.

Takeway Surinamese food, a broodje pom or roti lams would be good interesting options.

Also: there's a haring stand on the Nieuwmarkt square, decent place for a haring or some kibbeling (fried cod or pollock).

drinking

't Loosje, Nieuwmarkt 32- 34 (good terrace, good place to find local microbrewery IJ beers on tap)

De Engelbewaarder, Kloveniersburgwal 59 (also a good terrace, my first amsterdam local, just a good place to hang)

Cafe Fonteyn, Nieuwmarkt 13-15 (better on sunny days, but inside is ok too)

Cafe Stevens, Geldersekade 123 (When picturing this bar I always confuse it with Cafe Fonteyn but they're both pleasant...i think i prefer the interior of Stevens)

In 't Aepjen, Zeedijk 1 (no music, good for reading and drinking jenever).

and several more good bars on the northern end of the Zeedijk itself whose names escape me at the moment.

Edited September 26, 2007 by markemorse (log)

[Christopher Haatuft]

Mark....I think I love you!

So I need some advice here. Im on my way to Bordeaux and will have a five hour wait in Schiphol. Will this give me enough time to go to the city and eat somewhere decent? I will be landing around 2pm and leaving at 8.30pm. I also have to add that Im on crutches, so mayby somewhere near a train- or busstation? Im open for any type of cuisine as long as its good

←

Hey Christopher....

That's a pretty tough one...it's not really an ideal time slot, is it...basically you need

to be sitting down and eating between 3 and 6...leaving enough time for someone on crutches to get to and from Schipol (at rush hour).

So this kind of eliminates anywhere "nice" for dinner, most places open at 6pm. And the Central Station area (as in most large cities) is not known for its casual-but-sophisticated eateries. It is pretty easy to hop on a tram or bus at CS and get anywhere in the city relatively quickly...but I'm not going to be the one responsible for sending someone on crutches all over town if it were me I'd try and keep it laid back and on foot anyway.

I think I would stick to the Zeedijk/Chinatown/Nieuwmarkt area. Most of the eateries are open all afternoon, and if you find you have some extra time to kill there are some great bars intermingled with the eatin'. Here are my recommendations:

sit-down eating

A*Fusion

Kind of a pan-Asian place that does a lot of things pretty well. I used to eat here quite a bit but it's been two years or so.

New King.

Good Cantonese...great oysters with black bean sauce (pictured upthread).

Bird.

better than average Thai food, you've got the option of a very crowded snackbar or not-so crowded restaurant (same name) across the street.

Nam Kee.

The most famous restaurant in Chinatown...still affordable, ugly, and indifferent, but good food. I prefer New King by a nose or two.

Wing Kee.

Another good Chinese, not much to look at, but none of them are.

Sukasari.

This is the closest reputable Indonesian to CS I believe, and is located in the center of a hellish tourist street (which I used to live on). If you're looking for a rijsttafel I think this is your best bet, though it's just about at the outer limit of walking-on-crutches distance.

Bunga Mawar.

Much closer than Sukasari but I've never eaten there because I've never seen anyone else eating there. But it does get decent reviews, and is very affordable.

takeaway

Nyonya Malaysia Express.

Get a roti canai here and eat it anywhere else but here. This would be the first thing I'd do in the neighborhood, as I've probably already said too many times.

Toko Joyce.

Takeaway Dutch-Indonesian sandwiches and noodle dishes.

Chang Express.

Takeway Surinamese food, a broodje pom or roti lams would be good interesting options.

Also: there's a haring stand on the Nieuwmarkt square, decent place for a haring or some kibbeling (fried cod or pollock).

drinking

't Loosje, Nieuwmarkt 32- 34 (good place to find local microbrewery IJ beers on tap)

De Engelbewaarder, Kloveniersburgwal 59 (my first amsterdam local, just a good place to hang)

Cafe Fonteyn, Nieuwmarkt 13-15 (better on sunny days, but inside is ok too)

Cafe Stevens, Geldersekade 123 (I always confuse this one with Cafe Fonteyn but they're both pleasant)

In 't Aepjen, Zeedijk 1 (no music, good for reading and drinking jenever).

and several more good bars on the Zeedijk itself whose names escape me at the moment.

←

[markemorse]

Mark....I think I love you!

all in a day's work, my friend...

[IlCuoco]

And for my next question....

Is it possible to find cider (sweet, that is to say non-alcoholic) in Amsterdam? It's just not fall w/out some nice, fresh cider...

-------------------------

Oh, and please all join me for a moment of silence. Last Sunday was the final Gelato day in Utrecht. All the good stands are closed for the winter.

Farewell Roberto, until April/May...

Edited October 14, 2007 by IlCuoco (log)