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Akitsu
Several locals swear that this no-frills Japanese restaurant in the Jordaan neighborhood serves the best sushi and sashimi in all Holland; even the chef of the Okura hotel’s acclaimed Japanese restaurant has reportedly been spotted here. Service, as in many...
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Bak Restaurant
Located on the third floor of a former warehouse overlooking the water, Bak offers a seasonally-influenced menu that changes daily. (Rather than ordering à la carte, guests choose from set menus of three or six courses at lunch and six...
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Balthazar’s Keuken
For incredible food and a cozy atmosphere, Balthazar’s Keuken cannot be beat. The charming restaurant, housed in a former blacksmith workshop, features an open kitchen and rotating 3-course menu that changes according to the chef’s whimsy (with a choice of...
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Blauw
Lauded by the New York Times as the “Best Indonesian Restaurant in the Netherlands,” Blauw takes its menu seriously but couples it with a low-key atmosphere. The hip spot features contemporary décor with life-size black-and-white images covering the walls. The...
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Blue Pepper
Bandung, Indonesia–born chef Sonja Pereira moved to the Netherlands in 1985, and, having been disappointed with the mediocre Indonesian restaurants in the city, opened Blue Pepper in 2002. An Amsterdam establishment, the romantic restaurant is located in the bohemian Amsterdam...
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Bocca Coffee
Pioneers of the specialty coffee industry in the Netherlands, Menno and Tewis Simons began roasting beans in their garage in the early 2000s, and quickly grew into one of the largest coffee supplies in the country. In 2014, Bocca was...
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Bordewijk
Innovative French cuisine is the star at this restaurant, considered by some to be the best in the city. The canal-side location in the charming Jordaan neighborhood is lovely as well. During the warm months, request a table on the...
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Breda
One of many Amsterdam restaurants to offer a fine-dining experience at a reasonable price point, Breda opened in 2015 in an elegant, canal-side space in the posh Jordaan neighborhood. Patrons choose between three set menus (“basic,” “extra” or “the full...
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Buffet van Odette
This is a nice place for breakfast or lunch if you’re heading from the city center towards the Museum District. The menu, written on a blackboard, is seasonal. Breakfast is simple: croissants from the local Pâtisserie Pompadour and frothy cappuccino....
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Café de Jaren
This bright, multilevel café-restaurant with beautiful canal views is a perennial favorite and buzzes all day. In the morning (De Jaren opens at 10 A.M.), you’ll find locals who come every day and linger over one of the many papers...
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Café de Klepel
A bar since the 1970s, Café de Klepel became a full-on restaurant in 2013. Now the neighborhood bistro is one of the most charming places to dine in the posh Jordaan, especially for those looking for classic fare and a lovely...
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Cafe Droog
Unsurprisingly, the second-floor café at Amsterdam's high-design mecca Droog is one of the most stylish spots to grab a bite and coffee in the city. The airy café features a chic blue-and-white color scheme, with cement floors, navy blue exposed...
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Café t’ Smalle
Amsterdam is famous for its “brown” cafés, traditional café-pubs. The Café t’ Smalle, in the Jordaan neighborhood, is one of the oldest and most authentic, with a polished dark-wood interior and stained-glass windows. During the warm months, tables spill onto...
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Choux
After the overwhelming success of his two pop-up restaurants, Foyer and Reperé, chef Merijn van Berlo opened Choux, his first brick-and-mortar restaurant, in 2015. Despite its obscure setting along the banks of the IJ river and a few blocks from...
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CT Coffee & Coconuts
Behind its towering Art Deco façade, CT Coffee & Coconuts is a bustling, three-story café/hangout space that teems with De Pijp locals from open to close. Located in a former 1920s cinema, the hipster watering hole is decorated with earthy...
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De Gouden Reael
A bit of an insider’s secret, De Gouden Reael has the feel of one of Amsterdam’s quintessential brown cafés (Dutch pubs) but with elegant French cuisine. With friendly service (a rarity in Amsterdam) and a charming location within a former...
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De Kas
If you have one only night in Amsterdam and want to celebrate with a delicious tasting menu in a special setting, take a taxi to De Kas, in south-eastern Amsterdam. The restaurant is in a soaring glass conservatory, making it...
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De Plantage
The dining room at De Plantage is housed in a beautiful atrium with high, arched ceilings. The bright, fresh atmosphere is mirrored in the menu, which emphasizes locally sourced produce and ingredients. Highlights include the long list of tartines, the...
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de Silveren Spiegel
Occupying two buildings dating back 1614, de Silveren Spiegel embraces its old charm, with wide plank wood floors, Delft tiles and candle-lit tables. The Dutch-inspired menu features meticulous dishes that feel at once fresh and complex.
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Gartine
A total insider pick, this charming small place near the Amsterdam Museum and the Rokin area opened in 2007 and has become a favorite with Amsterdammers. Owners Kirsten and Willem-Jan Hendriks prepare organic fare fresh from their own garden or,...
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George WPA
This airy French bistro serves beloved classics in a casual but chic dining room. The menu offers the expected—think sole meunière and steak tartare—as well as some more exciting dishes, like the restaurant’s signature tuna pizza. The spacious alfresco patio...
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Gertrude
An intimate, vintage-style restaurant (very popular among locals) featuring small plates along with a large wine list.
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Hangar
Located in the up-and-coming Amsterdam Noord, Hangar opened in late 2015 on a barren stretch of waterfront surrounded by warehouses and car dealerships. However, the restaurant’s beautiful interior design and French- and Italian-inspired menu—not to mention the alfresco terrace overlooking...
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Hannekes Boom
When the weather turns warm, Amsterdam’s hip young things head to Hannekes Boom, an historic beer garden that is tucked away on a pier near Central Station. Rows of wooden picnic tables sit under a trellis of Christmas lights and...
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Happyhappyjoyjoy West
The first Happyhappyjoyjoy restaurant in Amsterdam (there is a second in Amsterdam East; Oostelijke Handelskade 4; 31-20-344-6424), this neighborhood eatery is a favorite for locals looking for a lively night out. A true Asian-fusion restaurant, Happyhappyjoyjoy specializes in street food...
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Hemelse Modder
Hemelse Modder—meaning “heavenly mud,” a reference to its signature chocolate mousse dessert—serves Dutch fare with international influences (particularly French) in a bright dining room located on the broad Waalseilandsgracht canal. The popular eatery offers three-, four- or five-course menu options...
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Izakaya
This restaurant in the Sir Albert hotel is as reliable for a lively night out as it is for it’s excellent Asian fusion cuisine. The hip spot churns out inventive Japanese tapas and craft cocktails; favorites include the wagyu and...
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Jansz
The main restaurant at Hotel Pulitzer serves international cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner and is accessed by either the main entrance or through an historic apothecary, one of just two protected stores in the Nine Streets district. The restaurant...
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La Perla
This gem of a restaurant serves what many locals think is the best pizza in Amsterdam. The tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella are imported from Italy, ensuring their Neapolitan pies (the spicy salami is a favorite) are as authentic as can...
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Lion Noir
Featuring over-the-top, eclectic décor—think deep green walls, antique furnishings and accents like mushrooms in glass containers and a stuffed peacock mounted on one wall—Lion Noir feels more like Paris’ acclaimed taxidermy shop Deyrolle than one of Amsterdam’s most upscale restaurants....
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Lotti’s
Opened by Soho House & Co hospitality ahead of The Soho House Amsterdam arrival (which is scheduled for early 2017), Lotti’s provides a dose of the private club’s signature cozy-cool aesthetic from its home in the Hoxton Hotel. The all-day restaurant...
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Mamouche
Warm touches like silver tea cups and Oriental-style rugs exude friendliness at this neighborhood Moroccan spot, which serves specialties like chicken tagine and steamed lamb as well as inventive cocktails. The terrace is lovely on a warm summer night.
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MOMO
With its walls clad in mirrors, large triangular bar, groovy soundtrack and fashion-model waitresses with an attitude, Momo tries to channel downtown New York City. The attempt at hip feels a little forced, but the restaurant’s spacious corner location near...
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Mook Pancakes
Pancakes have long been an Amsterdam staple, and this all-white eatery is putting an inventive twist on the classic. Located just beyond the canal belt, this stylish café is popular with chic locals who come to work and socialize. The...
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Moon
Soaring high above the IJ river, this revolving restaurant in Amsterdam Noord’s A’DAM Toren offers breathtaking views of the city. Opened in 2016 by esteemed chef Jaimie van Heije, Moon occupies the entire 19th floor of the building and makes...
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Mos
Located on a manmade island that is connected by bridge to Amsterdam’s city center, Mos is an architectural marvel. But the industrial-cool setting is overshadowed by the haute cuisine, delivered by Egon van Hoof, who previously worked at the two-Michelin-starred...
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Pancakes!
When you ask locals what qualifies as typical Dutch food, pancakes top the list, along with fried croquettes and Gouda cheese, making it a miracle that more Amsterdammers are not overweight—must be all that biking. You can sample the delicacy...
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Patisserie Holtkamp
If you're looking for authentic Dutch pastries, beyond the typical pancake experience, Patisserie Holtkamp is a hole-in-the-wall bakery laden with delicious cakes, cookies and biscuits. Once the royal purveyor of Amsterdam's baked goods, Patisserie Holtkamp's decadent treats are named for...
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Pesca
Billing itself as a “theater of fish,” Pesca offers an interactive dining experience. Upon arriving, patrons are escorted to a raw bar that displays the day’s offerings. Once they’ve selected their piece, the chef then transfers the fish to the...
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Pluk
This charming little coffee shop in the Nine Streets quarter is buzzing around the clock with chic patrons who have stopped in for a healthy breakfast, lunch or to-go meal. The airy space, which features ample seating on the lofted...
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Puccini Bomboni
This chocolate and bonbons shop in central Amsterdam is renowned for its innovative flavors and textures (we recommend the apricot marzipan, thyme and coconut saffron chocolates). Puccini's gift boxes make for fantastic souvenirs.
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Ree7
Just across the street from the Pulitzer hotel, the trendy Ree7 is a one-stop shop for avocado toast, Instagrammable milkshakes topped with frosted donuts and excellent coffee. The tiny, cozy café provides a perfect place to rest during a day...
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Rijks
In 2014, a year after reopening from its decade-long renovation, the Rijksmuseum debuted Rijks, an elegant, modern restaurant located in the building adjacent to the museum. By choosing a separate building as its home, the eatery can remain open after...
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Rijsel
Those lucky enough to have surpassed Rijsel’s two-month reservation waiting list can expect a much warmer welcome once actually at the restaurant. (Don’t be surprised if the maitre’d says hello and shakes your hand before offering a glass of champagne.)...
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Ron Gastrobar
The first in the Ron Gastrobar mini-empire, this restaurant was opened by Dutch chef Ron Blaauw in 2013, when the famed toque daringly closed his eponymous, two-Michelin-starred restaurant and opened Ron Gastrobar in its place. Aiming to create a more...
Amsterdam

Courtesy Rijks
Amsterdam may never become a gourmet capital like Paris or London, but if you know where to book, you can eat very well. Particularly famous is De Kas, a beautiful fine-dining restaurant that is located just outside the city in a soaring glass conservatory. Be aware that waiters in Amsterdam do not work for tips, so service can be a mixed bag. Some dining experiences are seamless and professional, while others can verge on the comical or abusive, with waiters so uninterested in diners’ needs that they make their Parisian counterparts seem like charm-school graduates. For an abbreviated list of restaurants, read Top Tables Amsterdam.