Before we travelled to Amsterdam over the Jubilee weekend I had done my research on top places to eat in Amsterdam, made a short list and booked at least one restaurant for each day. Bruce thought I was mad but knowing how busy it would be, with many places also still struggling with staffing levels I wanted to know we were in the places we wanted to be in. Leaving a few spaces for “ooh that looks good” spontaneousness.
I am not known for my spontaneous meal eating, and I am known for checking out menus online the second a place is booked and knowing exactly what I am having the second I walk through the restaurant. Which is why you might find it strange that I picked the first place on this list
Hotel de Goudfazant
This is on the Northern side of Amsterdam, over the River Ij, just a five minute free ferry ride away from Centraal station and well worth the trip in my opinion. When this place was suggested to us I immediately looked for their website: its a single page with very little info on it. Google reviews or to find a menu and you will struggle. This made me slightly hyperventilate but it shouldn’t have done, the food was incredible. Keep your eyes peeled for a separate review of this, because it deserves its own page. Service was a bit slow but it was packed and we are all being a bit more laid back these days about these things aren’t we. The food was superb. Definitely on my list to visit again.
Bar Sociaal
A great spot, right by a tram stop so really easy to get to, and perfect for brunch. It isnt the most scenic of places to sit but the food more than makes up for that. Almost half the menu is vegetarian and all of it sounds delicious. I particularly liked the sound of “mortgage on toast” which comprises of smashed avocado, tomatoes, roasted corns and onions, pesto, jalapeños and spicy feta. I had the above, a breakfast sandwich which is packed with sausage, bacon, a fried egg, a hash brown, cheese and home made ketchup. Bruce had chicken tacos which also looked amazing. Locals eat here too which is always good sign for me.
Feebo
Come on you can’t come to Amsterdam and not eat at Feebo, they are everywhere. And famous for serving up food in a vending machine. Neither the most appetising nor nutritious but when you just need a burger and you need it now, who you gonna call?
Slagerij de Beurs
What can I say? I licked the plate clean. We think this is a restaurant that has recently opened as we couldn’t find anything about it online, having booked it one afternoon when we walked past it on the way home from Bar Sociaal. If you like your steak then this should definitely be on your list. Service was slow, and it wasn’t busy but we have pretty much just accepted that this is the way things are now. The food was superb and the drinks weren’t bad either. They offer a five course tasting menu for 57 Euros and some of the dishes include pate en croute / chickpea fries with leek stew and leek and brown butter broth / lamb roulade / rhubarb and creme anglaise. Go hungry!
Van Stapele
Not a restaurant, not even a cafe, but just the best cookies in Amsterdam, possibly the world. I didnt even know about this place until we saw the queue outside it one day and I thought “I need to see what all the fuss is about”. The fuss is one type of cookie (not that type of Amsterdam cookie) made from the best chocolate, baked to perfection with white chocolate chips inside and sold for 2 Euros. They only make 3000 of them each day so when they are gone they close and that could be lunch time on a busy Saturday. Go early and be prepared to be addicted after just one.
Gollem
We go to Gollem like some people go on a pilgrimage to a sacred place. It isnt one of the top places to eat in Amsterdam, they dont do food. What they do do though is beer. Lots of it. From all over the world, in a bar that is tiny but steeped in atmosphere and history. This is the nearest you will get to feeling like you are in a place like Cheers. They wont necessarily know your name but you will leave feeling like an old friend. Bruce used to drink in here when he was living in Amsterdam so it holds very many fond memories. If you are in Amsterdam please go, have a beer and send us a pic.
Pont Neuf
If you love your chips (if you dont I am not sure we can be friends) then you have to try Pont Neuf which regularly appears on the best places for chips in Amsterdam lists. Head to Centraal station and go out to the ferry point, it takes less than five minutes to cross the river and you can smell the chips as soon as you get off the other side. Organic, sliced on site and fried in soybean oil they are crunchy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, served with enough mayonnaise to make it more like gravy than a dip, and you eat them out of the paper cone sitting on the grassy area next door to the cabin. Heaven
Cannibale Royale
Yes that really is the steak that arrived when I ordered the tomahawk at Cannibale Royale Noord when we visited. It was so huge the table of lads next to us cheered before I even started eating it. What other restaurants lacked in efficient service this one more than made up for, but to the extent it almost felt like we were on a conveyor belt. Orders were punched into tables worn around the their bodies meaning the bar or kitchen had it within seconds and it then arrived just a few minutes later. At times we hankered after the more relaxed and laid back approach of other restaurants. The food however was superb. There is a heavy emphasis on meat so not really the place come if a member of your group is vegetarian. Headings on the menu include “meat” and “bones” so you get my drift. If wagyu is your thing you can get wagyu steak here but you do need to order it 24 hours in advance.
To find out more on each place, click on the links on the headings for each restaurant
Those are some of my top places to eat in Amsterdam, but if you want a more general guide to Amsterdam then here is my Ultimate Guide to Amsterdam written a few years ago after a similar trip.