Eat your way through Amsterdam!
3 December 2018
Food is part of everyone’s day to day, so we are bringing you a few options to spice up what you eat! Make sure to read what food Amsterdam can offer you. We recommend these five places that are all from a different continent. We have found the most diverse places that are good options for brunch, lunch, dinner or drinks. These places are great if you want to experience a new scene in Amsterdam. Make sure to find out what options you have to eat out in the city.
Eat Europe
Tapas Bar Duende brings the Spanish feel and is located in the Jordaan-area. Enjoy a variety of tapas and sharing in Spanish style and budget! With only two items on the menu over 10€, you can try plenty of different foods and share with your friends or family. You can eat plenty of traditional Spanish dishes. Such as tortilla, which you can find a recipe for in our blog, to pollo al ajillo and calamares. Dive in in the depths of the Mediterranean cuisine.
Duende has been the center of the Dutch flamenco scene for plenty of years and offers flamenco concerts every first Saturday of the month. They also offer flamenco concerts in a more theater-like setting every last Sunday of the month. Not only does this restaurant offer live music but you can sign up for dance classes if you are interested.
Eat Asia
You might not have heard of this small snack bar in the middle of Amsterdam’s small Chinatown that has been around since ‘93. Thai Bird Snackbar (not restaurant) is a great place to go with a friend or two, as it barely has place for more than 20 people. Not only is the vibe very cozy but also you can watch the food being made right next to you.
The menu has plenty of options if you are craving meat, fish or a vegetarian. The starters are very budget friendly! The dished might be a bit more expensive. But I personally find that two people can perfectly share a dish and be more than satisfied with the amount that they have eaten. If you decide to have a drink the price per person is about 12€ for a nice big traditional Thailandese meal.
Fun fact about Thai Bird is that the restaurant and the snack bar used to be owned by a couple that later separated. So if you need to go to the bathroom don’t go to the restaurant because they won’t let you in. If you kindly ask in the snack bar if they have a bathroom, they might let you up to the owner’s flat that is right above the snack bar to use the toilet. Best of luck!
Eat Oceania
Bakers and Roasters will give you New Zealand Café vibes combined with a dose of Brazil. Created by two young men that decided to bring their favorite dishes from their mothers and homelands. This café has a great brunch menu such as the Kiwi Brekkie or Navajo Eggs, as well as plenty of bowls. If you are not in the mood for brunch you can try their great coffee with cakes or their sweets.
The menu’s variety is huge and they even offer some boozy drinks. However, Bakers and Roasters is open from 8.30 am to 4 pm. If you are the kind of person that likes to study in a nice café with the sound of coffee machines, food being made and light conversation I recommend you check this café out.
Eat Africa
This Ethiopian/Eritrean “eetcafé” called Abyssinia, is located on the corner of the Jan Pieter Heijestraat and the Overtoom. The interior design of the restaurant is very true to its origin. The menu has loads of variety for meat lovers and vegetarians. There are plenty of different dishes, that range from not spicy to very spicy, so make sure to ask your waiter before you order.
True to traditional style, you do not use knife and fork but make use of injera, a type of yeast pancake. You can accompany with a mango, coconut, pineapple or banana beer, which are surprisingly good! If you are not the biggest beer fan you can try some wine important straight out of Ethiopia.
The staff is incredibly kind and welcoming. The atmosphere is very cozy, due to the African music and Ethiopian jazz from the 1930s. Make sure to reserve on Thursdays and Sundays, as these are their busiest days.
Eat America
Calle Ocho presents to you a Latin mix of cultures, from Cuban to Mexican and from the Caribbean to Tex-Mex. This menu is Miami food truck inspired and can be enjoyed by one or more.
Try Ceviche, Quesadillas or a huge variety of special and unique cocktails. The ambient and decoration of this Albert Cuypstraat located restaurant will give you the most Latin feels in Amsterdam. Thanks to the new metro line you can even enjoy the restaurant even without a bike.
Calle Ocho opens every day from 6 pm and on Fridays and Saturdays the kitchen closes at 24 pm and the restaurant closes at 4 am. During the rest of the week, the closing times of the kitchen and restaurant are one hour earlier. Meaning that you can enjoy this restaurant that turns into a bar every day of the week.
If you are not in the mood for going out, try one of these international recipes and make a delicious meal yourself!