Where to eat in Amsterdam: my 28 favourite restaurants
Nobody eats well following the tour buses. These are the 28 restaurants in Amsterdam I'd send a friend to: the cheap neighbourhood place, the one locals keep to themselves, the splurge that's genuinely worth it. No photo menus.
Bord'Eau★ 4.5 · €100-200 · French / Modern European★ Tip: Lunch tasting (€95, 4 courses) is half the dinner price for nearly the same kitchen output. Ask for a window table when booking: non-window seats lose the magic. Directions
Book a TableBox Sociaal★ 4.7 · €15-25 · Brunch / Australian★ Tip: Sundays are a 30+ min wait. Tuesday-Thursday mornings you walk in. Get the corn fritter stack with halloumi. Directions
Book a TableBridges (Sofitel Legend The Grand)★ 4.7 · €80-140 · Seafood · Karel Appel artThe flagship restaurant of the Sofitel Legend Grand, the 17th-century former city hall on Oudezijds Voorburgwal, with a dining room dominated by a vast original Karel Appel painting (the Dutch CoBrA-movement painter). Directions
Book a TableBuurtcafé De Tros★ 4.6 · €15-25 · Dutch★ Tip: Order the 'kopstoot' (literally 'headbutt'): a shot of jenever paired with a small beer. Locals do it standing at the bar; bottoms up the jenever first, chase with the beer. Directions
Book a TableCafé 't Smalle★ 4.6 · €10-20 · Brown café / Canal-side★ Tip: Get a beer + bitterballen and grab one of the three pontoon tables: first-come, no reservations. Avoid weekend afternoons (3-deep at the bar); weekday late afternoon is the sweet spot. Directions
Book a TableCafé Hoppe★ 4.4 · €10-20 · Brown café / Dutch beer★ Tip: Order at the bar, then take your drink outside to stand on the sidewalk like the locals. Friday after-work (17:00 onward) the crowd spills onto Spui, perfect Amsterdam atmosphere. Directions
Book a TableCanela★ 4.6 · €10-18 · Brunch / Bakery★ Tip: Their pastel de nata is the best in Amsterdam: get TWO. They sell out by 2pm on weekends; arrive before noon if you want one. Directions
Book a TableChun Café Berenstraat★ 4.2 · €12-22 · Café / Asian fusion★ Tip: The egg coffee (Vietnamese style: whipped egg yolk over espresso) is the order. Pair it with a kimchi grilled-cheese for the most Amsterdam-2026 brunch on Earth. Directions
Book a Tabled'Vijff Vlieghen★ 4.4 · €45-80 · Traditional Dutch★ Tip: Ask for the Rembrandt Room when booking: the smallest, with original Rembrandt etchings on the walls. The white asparagus with smoked eel in May is the seasonal pull. Directions
Book a TableDe Belhamel★ 4.5 · €40-70 · French-Italian · Canal-sideThe terrace at De Belhamel sits exactly at the corner of Brouwersgracht and Herengracht, the most-photographed canal junction in Amsterdam, and the kitchen has been turning out French-Italian classics since 1986. Directions
Book a TableDe Kas★ 4.7 · €55-90 · Mediterranean / Garden★ Tip: Book the 5-course tasting menu at lunch (€55): same food as dinner for €30 less. Tram 9 from the centre, 12 min ride. Don't skip the cheese course. Directions
Book a TableEetsalon Van Dobben★ 4.4 · €10-15 · Dutch / Sandwiches★ Tip: Order the 'broodje halfom': kroket on white bread with mustard. Eat standing at the counter, the local way. The original location near Rembrandtplein is open till 1am. Directions
Book a TableFabel Friet★ 4.5 · €6-10 · Street food / Fries★ Tip: Get the 'oorlog' (mayo + peanut sauce + chopped onions): that's the Dutch classic combo. The queue moves fast (2–3 min). Best fries in the city. Directions
Book a TableFEBO★ 4.2 · €3-7 · Dutch automat · KrokettenThe most Dutch eating experience there is: a wall of small glass-fronted compartments containing hot kroketten, frikandellen, kaassoufflés, and hamburgers. Directions
Book a TableFoodhallen★ 4.5 · €12-25 · Food hall / Various★ Tip: Order from at least 4 different stalls and share. The Disco Dolly bitterballen and the Petit Gateau dim sum are the local-favorite stops. Cocktails at the central bar. Directions
Book a TableMaoz Vegetarian★ 4.2 · €7-12 · Falafel · VeganThe falafel-pita-with-an-all-you-can-add salad-bar chain that started right here in Amsterdam in 1991 before spreading across Europe and the US. Directions
Book a TableMR. Brasa★ 4.5 · €20-35 · Brazilian★ Tip: Go hungry: it's all-you-can-eat once you flip the colored card to green. Pace yourself: the first picanha cut is the best, save room. They close between lunch and dinner (16:00–17:30). Directions
Book a TableNonna★ 4.2 · €20-35 · Italian★ Tip: The carbonara is the order, hands down: they make it correctly (no cream). Pair it with their house Trebbiano (€6 a glass).🚫 Closed Directions
Book a TableRestaurant Daalder★ 4.4 · €60-100 · Modern Dutch · 1 Michelin starA Michelin-starred Jordaan restaurant in a beautiful 17th-century canal house on Lindengracht. Directions
Book a TableSpectrum at the Waldorf Astoria★ 4.7 · €150-280 · French · 2 Michelin starsThe two-Michelin-star fine-dining room inside the Waldorf Astoria's 17th-century canal-house complex on Herengracht. Directions
Book a TableThe Avocado Show To Go€15-22 · Brunch · All-avocadoThe all-avocado brunch concept that started in De Pijp in 2017 and now has outposts in five countries. Directions
Book a TableThe Pancake Bakery★ 4.3 · €10-18 · Dutch pancakes★ Tip: Go savory not sweet: the bacon-and-cheese or the ham-cheese-mushroom are the order. Sweet pancakes on the menu are for kids. The lemon-sugar-and-rum is the local classic. Directions
Book a TableThe Seafood Bar★ 4.7 · €35-60 · Seafood★ Tip: The €25 lunch deal (Mon –Fri until 17:00) is the move, soup + fish-of-the-day + dessert + glass of wine. Locals come for that; tourists come for the platters. Directions
The SIREN★ 4.6 · €45-80 · Mediterranean · Japanese★ Tip: Go late and sit downstairs if you want the night-out version, upstairs and early if you actually want to talk. It is five minutes’ walk from Dam Square, which makes it the rare central restaurant that is neither a tourist… Directions
Book a TableThe White Room by Jacob Jan Boerma★ 4.7 · €130-220 · French · 2 Michelin stars · KrasnapolskyInside the Anantara Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky on Dam Square, chef Jacob Jan Boerma's two-star fine-dining room sits under an extraordinary 1885 white-and-gold stuccoed ceiling. Directions
Book a Tablevan Wonderen Stroopwafel★ 3.2 · €4-7 · Street food / Dessert★ Tip: Skip the elaborate toppings: get the plain warm wafel for €3.50. The pure caramel-and-cinnamon-syrup IS the point; toppings just distract from it. Directions
Book a TableVisaandeschelde★ 4.6 · €50-85 · Seafood · Modern DutchAmsterdam's most respected seafood restaurant: a 30-year-old institution near the RAI convention centre, far enough from the tourist drag that the dining room stays locals-heavy. Directions
Book a TableVleminckx Sausmeester★ 4.5 · €4-7 · Belgian-style fries · FrituurThe oldest friet shop in Amsterdam: opened in 1887, still in the same tiny alley next to the Spui (Voetboogstraat 33), still with a queue down the block every afternoon. Directions
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