Restaurants

Stranded in the city centre and need food now?

If you are looking for a lunch- or dinner spot in the city centre right now, I’ve listed my personal top-five picks below. If you’re planning something for later, you can read up on a traditional restaurant or check out my restaurant map further down the page.

Belhamel (€€€)is my favourite spot for both dinner and lunch in the city centre. Service is great, interior is stunning, and the area is breathtaking. The food is excellent, too. Downside: it’s not cheap. But in a country that has an exasperatingly difficult history with lunch culture, they are excellent at serving a midday meal. Dinner here has been a highlight for many Amsterdam visitors. Make sure to book a table in advance.

Phu Thai (€)is an unpretentious, family-owned Thai restaurant just outside the Red Light District. It’s not the prettiest building, it’s not in the prettiest street, and there is no canal view either. But for an authentic budget-friendly curry, this is a great find.

FuLu Mandarijn (€€) is a super authentic Chinese restaurant, a stone’s throw from the Dam.

Bistro Berlage (€€–€€€) is often overlooked as a lunch spot because it’s part of Amsterdam’s historical stock exchange and not easily recognisable as a restaurant. But the interior is spectacular, adorned with mosaic tableaus by one of the Netherlands’ leading Art-Nouveau artists. The stock exchange itself is also an architectural masterpiece. I recommend sitting inside to really enjoy the museum-like interior. If you are looking for some no-frills French cuisine – steak, burgers, Ceasar salads, and maybe a risotto for the vegetarians – near Dam Square, this may just be your place.

Toko Dun Yong (€) is the best Ramen restaurant in the city centre. It has received rave reviews from otherwise picky food critics. It’s also budget-friendly, so win-win. You can access the restaurant via the Chinese supermarket on the ground floor.

Traditional Dutch Food

For anyone who is not from the Netherlands, it’s helpful to know that, unlike the French, Spanish, and Italians, the Dutch rarely feast on national cuisine when they go out for an evening meal. The most traditional meal imaginable is probably stamppot, followed by hutspot, two mashed potato varieties served with either smoked sausage or stewed beef. Another wintertime favourite is erwtensoep, a chewy pea soup that also contains smoked sausage. The thought of these dishes will bring back warm, nostalgic memories for most Dutch people. However, ordering them in the centre of Amsterdam in a restaurant not aimed at tourists will be next to impossible.

If you want to try Dutch food in Amsterdam and don’t mind the sometimes somewhat touristy nature of such places, try Eetcafe Sonneveld, which is located in a beautiful area of the Jordaan. This cafe will also have all sorts of other Dutch delicacies, such as bitterballen (deep-fried, breaded balls with a ragout filling), frikandellen (deep-fried minced meat sausage), and kaassoufles (a deep-fried cheese pastry). Another restaurant in the city centre that offers Dutch cuisine is Hap-Hmm. This small eatery has won many prizes for its traditional cooking. Anyone interested in Dutch food from the nineteen fifties (boiled potatoes with apple sauce, stewed beef, meatballs, schnitzels, boiled Brussels sprouts) should look no further. If you’d like to visit either of the restaurants mentioned above, it’s best to make a reservation. They are small and can, therefore, be busy.

Indonesian and Surinamese

The Netherlands’ colonial history has caused Amsterdam to be full of restaurants specialising in Indonesian and Surinamese cuisine. These restaurants come in all sorts of price ranges. Sampurna is a solid choice for those looking for a reasonably priced rice table in the town centre. A slightly more luxurious but also more expensive rice table can be found at Restaurant Blauw. The Hapjeshoek, meanwhile, probably offers the most budget-friendly and tasty introduction to Surinamese food. The restaurant is located in the Waterlooplein subway station but don’t let the location fool you; the food is excellent. This open secret was recently emphasised again by the food columnist of Amsterdam’s leading newspaper.

Restaurant’s on the Map

If you just want a good or even great restaurant close to where you are staying. You may wish to consult the list provided below. It’s a Google map I have compiled over the years. Note that the numbers do not rank these places from good to bad; they’re simply there to make it easier to find them on the map. The colour coding is not so easy to understand for outsiders, so here is the explanation: blue is for good restaurants, red is for quick and easy take out spots, orange is for Indonesian and Surinamese specialities, yellow is for fancy places, green is for drinks outside, black is for old sailor bars, purple is for coffee and work spots, dark green is for pastries, and dark purple is for unusual places to eat.