The best restaurants in Amsterdam
The Netherlands has a rich cuisine and lots of good quality restaurants to enjoy. The Dutch cuisine is heavily influenced by its historical spice trade, former colonies like Indonesia, the German cuisine and the French cuisine. On this page you can find a list of the top recommended restaurants in Amsterdam. We sorted the restaurants by category, so you can get an impression of what type of restaurant it is. If you are looking for a lovely dinner in a good restaurant, then this list can aid you in your search to find some of the best restaurants of Amsterdam.
Dutch restaurants
Restaurant moeders
When you’re in the Netherlands it might be fun to try some Dutch cuisine. At Restaurants Moeders (Restaurant Mothers) hearty dishes are served which can be found in Dutch family homes. Hotchpotch with Dutch smoked sausage, stewed beef, pea soup and many other traditional Dutch meals. The restaurant is located slightly outside of the city center, so you might want to take the bike there. The setting of the restaurant is a cozy and informal one, with pictures of mothers all across the walls.
Haesje Claes
Haesje Claes is a classic Dutch restaurant with a warm homely feel to it. It’s spread out over six connected monumental buildings. It’s a good location to have either lunch or dinner as it has many typical Dutch foods like herring, mackerel, chicken liver, pea soup and hotchpotch. If you wish to eat some hearty Dutch food or wish to taste the culture of Amsterdam then this is a great restaurant to visit.
Asian restaurants
Kantjil en de Tijger
Indonesian food is very prominent in the Netherlands due to the colonial history both countries share. So if you wish to experiment with exotic Indonesian flavours while you’re in Amsterdam Kantjil en de Tijger is a great place to visit. The Indonesian cuisine is rich in flavours and spices and offers something for everyone. This restaurant also offers takeaway food and “rice tables”, which is a Dutch-Indonesian practice to show off the Indonesian cuisine by offering a wide range of small traditional Indonesian dishes originally meant to impress the guest and give them plenty of flavours to enjoy.
Restaurant Sea Palace
Amsterdam has a bond with water. It’s no surprise the very first floating restaurant in Europe was settled here. Sea Palace is a beautiful floating restaurant in Amsterdam. The oriental atmosphere on the inside of the restaurant is as beautiful as the outside. They offer a rich and traditional Chinese menu, with dim sums, Beijing duck, lobster and much more. If you desires some delicious Chinese food then Sea Palace is the place to visit.
Pancake restaurants
The Pancake Bakery
A popular part of the Dutch cuisine are pancakes and poffertjes, which are small fluffy pancakes. You can get both at The Pancake bakery, which offers a wide range of Dutch and international pancakes. The restaurants has a rich menu of inventive and themed pancakes with combinations you never thought possible. The restaurant itself is housed in an old 17th century Dutch East India Company warehouse which has a warm atmosphere to it. If you are looking for a nice dinner the whole family can enjoy you can never go wrong here.
De Carrousel Pannenkoeken Paviljoen
De Carrousel is a fun pancake restaurant build in – you guessed it – a former carrousel. Today it serves as a perfect place to rest your legs and fill your belly. In a comfortable green location you can just sit down and enjoy your meal after a hard day of shopping. De Carrousel offers a fairly wide range of pancakes, poffertjes, waffles and other meals.
The Happy Pig Pancake Shop
The Happy Pig Pancake Shop is a lovely pancake restaurant that prides itself as organic, as even the cutlery is biodegradable. In this restaurant you can choose your own ingredients for your pancakes and waffles. Located in the very heart of the shopping center of Amsterdam you can just sit down here to relax. It’s a great place for your afternoon break. But the busy travelers among us can also order pancakes to go, as they will neatly roll up your pancake.
Pannenkoekenhuis Upstairs
Amsterdam is well known for it’s narrow, yet long and high, houses with incredibly steep stairs. This restaurant fits right in, as they say it’s the smallest restaurant in Europe and it sports exactly those features. With teapots hanging on the ceiling and portraits of royalty and paintings of Amsterdam on the wall this restaurant boosts an informal homely atmosphere. If you wish to get some nice organic pancakes you could visit this lovely little place.
Steakhouses
Gauchos
Gauchos Grill restaurants are authentic Argentinian steakhouses which can be found on multiple locations in Amsterdam. The restaurants offer quality juicy steaks and you can taste the food is made with a passion. Steaks, spare-ribs, gambas and wine is served here among other things. The establishments radiate warmth with their latin American atmosphere.
Black and Blue
Black and Blue is a steak restaurant located in the Jordaan. They promise and deliver delicious custom salads and juicy organic meat with pure flavours right off the charcoal grill. The restaurant is nicely decorated and offer a nice ambiance for a wonderful night out to dinner. If you’re looking for a good grill restaurant then you’ll feel right at home at Black and Blue.
Fast food restaurants
FEBO
The FEBO is a fast food restaurant franchise that you can find all across Amsterdam. Fast food franchises are called snackbars in the Netherlands. And it is here that you can order several of the most popular traditional Dutch fast foods, such as a frikandel speciaal, a kroket with mustard or a patat oorlog with onions. Unique meat based fast food and sauces that include mayonnaise, peanut sauce and onions are typical for Dutch fast food. Another typical Dutch thing about the FEBO is that you can get fast food out of automats, which are vending machines in the wall. These fast food vending machines are so iconic they were even shown in the video game Mass Effect 2. It is fun and quick to just get your food out of the wall, and it’s something you should do at least once, but at Meet The Cities we prefer to order our food at the counter over using the automats, so you can just ask the cashier for the right sauces that match the snacks.
The Burger Bar
Everybody loves a good hamburger. And the Burger Bar offers some of the best ones. The Burger Bar is a fast food restaurant franchise in Amsterdam. If you want a delicious burger with some fries then the Burger Bar is the recommended place to go. Just pick everything you like and create the ultimate burger.
Michelin starred restaurants
Teppanyaki restaurant Sazanka
The hotel Okura is home to several restaurants awarded with a Michelin star. One of them is the restaurant Sazanka, which is an authentic Japanese grill, known as Teppanyaki, restaurant. It’s also the only Teppanyaki restaurant in Europe which has been awarded with a michelin star. It’s a lovely experience to see the chef do his magic right at your table. If you wish to taste the flavours of Japan then Sazanka is certainly a recommended visit.
Interesting restaurants
Supperclub cruise
Supperclub Cruise is an interesting experience that throws all conventions out of the window. The cooks are given full creative freedom to offer a four course surprise menu, which you can enjoy laying down under the enjoyment of some relaxing music. The setting is cozy and informal. During dinner the Supperclub Cruise will sail into the ports of Amsterdam.The real home of the cruise is in Amsterdam North, but usually the boat is located directly behind the Central Station.
Blue Amsterdam
If you want to get some lunch then Blue is your go-to place. Blue is located right in the heart of Amsterdam, near Spui square, and offers a 360 view over the city. This is pretty unique considering there aren’t many tall buildings in Amsterdam. Dutch people tend to lunch with bread dishes like brie with walnuts or two (beef ragout) kroketten with mustard which are available here. This lunchroom is perfect for a panoramic view over the city while enjoying a proper lunch.
Pasta e Basta
The name of the restaurant Pasta e Basta means pasta and that’s it. But in reality that is not quite the truth. Besides the tasty Italian food the restaurant offers a romantic atmosphere and live entertainment with very talented singing waiters. The restaurant also has a wide selection of wines and it has been visited by many international famous people. Note that the restaurant works with two sittings and that reservation is advised.