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Amsterdam restaurants and boat tour

Looking for recommendations for eateries offering good food and fun atmosphere--don't have to be the fancy places. Staying near the Nine Little Streets Shops on the Herengracht Canal--but willing to branch out for a good dining experience.
Also, we booked a boat cruise with ThoseDamBoatGuys, but our weather forecast looks rainy. They offer free cancellation up to 48 hrs before but they also say they offer "protection" from the rain. My question is: if it's only a light rain--not a torrential downpour--is it worth it to brave the inclement weather? Hard to predict of course.

Posted by
3961 posts

We were in Amsterdam 2 weeks ago. We stayed in the Museumplein area and enjoyed a French Restaurant called Bouf. It was our favorite meal. We also had lunch at Renzo's. Great Italian menu. We ate there twice. Our B & B host recommended a boat cruise from www.stromma.com. It was a Hop on Hop off boat. We did not book in advance. It was a gorgeous day and we just stayed on the boat for the entire 1.5 hrs. It was a great way to see Amsterdam from the water. It also has protection from inclement weather.

Posted by
11579 posts

You are staying in a wonderful area of Amsterdam! I am traveling and without my restaurant notes for Amsterdam so sorry I can’t offer any help. We stayed at L’Ambassade, same area as you.

Posted by
227 posts

While I can't personally recommend restaurants yet, we are going to be in Amsterdam in late October. We booked at Martine's Table (highly rated) and are really looking forward to enjoying the four course meal with wine pairings that she and her husband cook in their own home. According to several sites, it is one of the top experiences in the city. We also booked with Those Damn Boat Guys and are hoping for a dry day. We will definitely still go in light rain. Fingers crossed for blue skies.

Posted by
1266 posts

We booked ThoseDamBoatGuys and had a wonderful time. If I remember correctly there were only 10 people on our boat. Also they allow you to bring adult beverages on their tours

Posted by
2 posts

Hi Ronnielago,

Nice restaurants: Venster33, Fish restaurant: John Dory, Restaurant Johannes, Seafood Bar Spui, Toscanni, Zaza's , Restaurant Vinkeles. There is a nice restaurant also at the Amsterdam Lookout attraction. (Amsterdam North)

ThoseDamBoatGuys are definetly fun, and have some great captains with a good sense of humour.
Another option for a boat trip would be to look at http://www.boatnow.com for a private boat, depending on the number of persons you travel with this could be a bit more expensive/cheaper. They have several boats called 'classic boats' which have a roof and heating.

Kind regards,

Freek

Posted by
380 posts

If you like seafood, I second Seafood Bar. There are a couple of locations. We went to the one within walking distance from the museums. It's quite popular, but you can easily make reservations online. We went to the museum in the morning then walked over for lunch. We had the grilled seafood platter for two. It was plenty of food. Good food and good service.
If you want traditional home-style cooking, I highly suggest Moeders (mother's). Delicious, big portions and friendly staff. Again, best to make reservations.