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I would appreciate your restaurant suggestions for Amsterdam

My wife and I will be visiting Amsterdam for a few days later this year to meet with some friends from the U.S., and I would like to invite those who are familiar with the city to suggest restaurants, describing why you recommend them.

We're not particularly concerned with budget, and I think the four of us are pretty open to unusual suggestions. That said, don't think I'm necessarily looking for "out there" or highly expensive experiences. Good, traditional Dutch or Asian restaurants would be as welcome as trendy, cutting edge places.

All comments are welcome. Share your knowledge!

Thanks!

Posted by
380 posts

I ate at Cafe de Pels on the Huidenstraat between Herengracht and Keizersgracht. Great, bruin cafe atmosphere and really good Dutch food. Bitterballen and I had a lovely fish dish. Cute, friendly place. Price was moderate.

Posted by
3112 posts

I liked De Reiger in the Jordaan. Ate there twice, having a fish dish one night and a meat dish the other. Both meals were excellent, as was the service.

Be sure to also look at the Hotels & Restaurant Reviews for Netherlands. It includes several Amsterdam restaurant reviews and recommendations.

Posted by
3776 posts

We ate 2 nights at The Pantry. Tradional dutch food, including smoked eel. We were 4 people and ate the eel as an appetizer both nights.

Posted by
258 posts

Thanks to both of you.

Barbara, you don't have to convince us on the attractiveness of eel. It's been a favorite of ours at sushi restaurants for a very long time.

Posted by
489 posts

If you do nothing else go to Winkel 43, in Noordermarkt for their apple pie with cream... You will have died and gone to heaven. We also had a very good dutch meal near the train station. The restaurant is near a canal and is booked full with local and other Dutch people.

Posted by
985 posts

Cote Ouest has reasonably priced food in an intimate setting. We enjoyed it greatly and will eat there again this fall. My favorite though? Cafe Bern for entrecote and cheese fondue. Reservations needed unless you arrive early enough to sit at the bar. Have fun on your trip.

Posted by
3776 posts

Don't forget to have some street food, specifically poffertjes, small Dutch pancakes topped with butter and powdered suger. I had the m on my first trip to Amsterdam in 1976. When we were returning in 2015, it was the first thing I had to find. I ate them everyday we were there and they were just as good as i remembered.

Posted by
12 posts

I agree with the earlier suggestions of Moeder's and Winkel; my husband and I visited Amsterdam last month and loved both places. Our favorite was Jun, an Indonesian restaurant in the Jordaan neighborhood. http://www.restaurantjun.nl/en/

Posted by
1224 posts

Foodhallen. Its an experience, and all the choices are yummy. Its an indoor food stall place. On weekends there is (or last year there was) a DJ and ping-pong tables set up outside (which is still indoors, just outside the big area where the stalls are) for anyone. My 13yo thought the weekend night was too much, I thought the energy was fun. We went there twice. The food was amazing (google it for a better idea)
Also, in the Leidseplein there is a rijstaffel restaurant called Puri Mas. Obviously you have to have a rijstaffel once while there (Indonesian).

And Burgermeester in the Jordaan has yummy, gourmet, eclectic burgers

Posted by
52 posts

Van Speyk (Spuistraat 3a - across the street from the Renaissance Hotel) is an Amsterdam style brasserie with traditional Dutch dishes and French flavors. The quality is so high that we actually dined there 3 times on our recent 8 night Amsterdam trip. It is a restaurant with limited seating. So be sure to make your reservation as far in advance as possible. The Dutch beef stew is my favorite.
http://www.vanspeyk.com/en/

For an even more fine dining and intimate atmosphere, I would recommend Chez Georges (Herenstraat 3). They specialize in the best multi-course Belgian dining. Be prepared to spend 2.5 - 3 hours of your time dining here because the emphasis is on taking the necessary time to prepare quality dishes. I chose the three course "Menu of the Chef" and thought it was amazing. The atmosphere has character and the restaurant is perfect for a date or special occasion. There are few tables and it is a small restaurant. So again, reserve as far in advance as possible.
http://www.chez-georges.nl

Both of these restaurants feature the ability to make reservations on their respective websites. However I actually reserved them on the OpenTable app. Just to let people know, for Chez Georges it is not enough to simply make the reservation online. To guarantee your table, they require you to call their restaurant by noon the day of your reservation to reconfirm. I found this out when OpenTable emailed me this requirement the morning of the date we dined there. I am glad I checked my email!

Posted by
258 posts

All -- there's no way on this forum outside of private messages to thank you individually, but I really appreciate that you've shared your experience and knowledge. I'm certain it will enrich our visit, and for that I am forever grateful.

Thank you!

Posted by
9 posts

My husband and I loved this restaurant while in Amsterdam last year with friends. Enjoyed it so much we are going back later this month while in the Netherlands. The staff is friendly, food is wonderful, ambience is great. Dutch food with a twist! Do add it to your list.

http://restaurantcornelis.amsterdam

Posted by
35 posts

Thank you everyone for suggestions. I'm using them for our upcoming trip too!