Being an avid foodie, wherever I go, one of my main priorities is finding the best places to eat. Amsterdam isn’t just famous for its canals and museums – it’s a hotspot for food lovers too.
From cozy neighbourhood cafés to buzzing street food spots and world-class restaurants, there are food options for everyone.
Hunting for the perfect stroopwafel or craving a delicious bagel? Maybe you just want a great brunch with a canal view.
I want to show you a few places that I consider my top 10 from my most recent visit to Amsterdam.
I will disclaim that none of these places are terrible and I would recommend going to each place at least once as everyone’s preferences are different and you may be surprised.
Experiences are better than regrets.
Hungry yet? Let’s dive in.
10. FEBO
FEBO is a popular food chain restaurant in Amsterdam that is the ultimate concept of ‘fast food’. The establishment consists of an open plan building with stacked, heated containers that have small doors (think microwave) which open up to allow you to take the food. On the side of the containers are card readers to allow you to pay for the food. Once the item has been paid for, you press the circular button next to the container you wish to open, the door flap comes down and you can take out your choice of snack.
FEBO caters perfectly to Amsterdam’s notorious ‘munchies market’. The quality is similar to the standard fast food burger joint, but the concept is what draws people in. With instant service and minimal personal interaction, FEBO knows it’s customers with a wide range of deep fried food, open till late with locations all over Amsterdam, it’s easy to stumble across.
On our first trip to Amsterdam, we simply came across FEBO when walking around with its open style entrance, glowing red sign and self-service, unique concept. It really drew us in!
6/10 – It offers a range of croquettes, burgers and small, deep fried deserts. It provides perfect little snacks, easy to get, okay food for a semi-decent price (€5 per snack), however it gives a slightly ‘shameful’ fatty food after-feeling and is a little grotty inside. However, there is also a counter for ordering fries and drinks.
9. Bagelboy
Bagelboy was actually recommended to us by a worker at the hotel and when we arrived, there was a long queue outside. However, I will be honest that the bagel was not all it lived up to be other than an enjoyable breakfast.
The actual place itself was a small, walk in, order and take away kind of establishment. The menu on the wall had few options, with a modern looking counter to make your order and pay for the food. The long queue was deceptive as once we had ordered, we realised this was more due to the slow service.
The menu was basic, with choices like chicken avocado and once again, salmon and lox (this is what we had), however the coffee was very nice.
The food was good, but it was definitely not something to shout home about, and the long wait put us off, despite having a nice coffee to drink in the meantime. I would recommend, but maybe only if service was quicker and I would vouch for other places first.
6.5/10 – The food was nice, although there was too much veg in mine compared to the main meat component. The iced coffees were nice but not loads of options and it was expensive for what it was. We spent about €35 on 2 bagels and 2 coffees.
8. Wowcrab
Wowcrab is a restaurant that sells the infamous Seafood broil. The concept of the restaurant is inviting (if you like seafood) with the trending idea of open table seafood broil dining. You choose from the menu which seafood broil you wish to eat, they then bring the broil to the table, in a big plastic bag inside a bucket and pour it onto a table covered in parchment paper. You are provided with a bib and gloves to eat the various pieces of seafood, sausages, potatoes and corn which are smothered in a seasoned broil sauce.
Whilst the concept is inviting and I had been waiting to do something like this for a while, unfortunately I feel this was not the right place to indulge. Not only was the weather not on our side (it was over 30 with no air conditioning), the condition of the restaurant was not what you would want to see in a seafood restaurant. The service was slow and the restrooms were in need of some TLC.
The actual food itself was nice, however we found that we were spending more time peeling everything than the amount we ate. Good concept, poor execution.
The bucket we had was €65 and there were four slices of sausage.
7/10 – It was all I can describe as ‘meh’ quality. It is a good concept however the meal got quite ‘samey’ quite quickly. It gave quantity over quality and my partner was really put off by the state of the bathrooms, again considering it was a seafood restaurant. I would love to try this again, somewhere else though which is why we scored 7 (I don’t want to lose all hope!)
7. Zoku
Zoku is described as an open kitchen, living style dining experience. Not only do they have a rooftop restaurant, but they also provide living style ‘apartments’. The concept promotes a unique experience with higher-class food.
I would say Zoku is a bit on the expensive side, we indulged in a €60 per person, 7-course meal. The food was very delicious, however the restaurant itself was not what it lived up to and the service could have been much better.
Our starter dishes were homemade pita breads with also homemade hummus and babaganoush. Not something I usually enjoy, but this was very delicious.
We then had an assortment of grilled vegetables, all also very nice, followed by a small fish dish and seasoned charcoaled chicken. Also very nice. The portions were decent considering the richness of the food. We each had a Spritz, I had an Elderflower and my partner had limoncello – also recommend.
However – the actual restaurant felt more like a hotel bar. Although this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it wasn’t the idea that was sold to us. We were sat by a window so we could watch the sunset, but it was quite casual and we were not attended to appropriately. We felt kind of scrunched in a corner.
When we were trying to get our bill, we made multiple attempts to address the waiter, but he was unfortunately busy with the other, larger tables. It kind of ruined the experience, as well as the bare foot man that at one point walked through the restaurant to grab a glass of water.
7/10 – The food was very nice, lots of options and very flavorsome, however the service wasn’t great, and we ended up being there for 2 hours, even though we were only actually eating for about 45 minutes. The experience was underwhelming, and it was a bit overpriced for what it was, however still worth the visit.
6. Bagels and Beans
Amsterdam has a wide range of locations of the infamous Bagels and Beans. Judging by the name of the place, you can probably tell their specialty is Bagels and Coffee (beans).
Bagels and Beans is a little like your average franchise coffeehouse – on most corners of Amsterdam. They have a variety of options including cream cheese bagels, meat bagels, veggie bagels and the very typical but delicious, cream cheese and lox bagels.
The price range is a little on the expensive side ranging from €7-10 a bagel, but average for the type of cafe and what they sell.
The vibe of the cafe is calm and casual, they do eat in and take out, but it’s of a typical coffee shop aesthetic.
We had the typical cream cheese and lox bagels as well as a carpaccio bagel. The bagels are nice and convenient for what they are and the coffee is nice.
7/10 – It is more of a ‘chain’ restaurant, the food and drinks are nice but it is a little expensive for a repetitive place. The locations and restaurants are nice to sit in with a good atmosphere.
5. Lucca Due
Lucca Due was a small, what I assume is an independent Italian restaurant we found on one of our nights. This was more of a ‘let’s find somewhere to eat’ kind of night, but actually worked out quite well.
The restaurant itself was of an average Italian aesthetic, but quite large with a good atmosphere. We had a sharing dish of garlic bread and dips, then a pizza and pasta dish for main. We also each had a glass of red wine, which was a nice addition to the meal.
The service was decent considering how busy the place was and allowed for a fun little date night at the end of our holiday. The price was very fair, I believe we spent about €60 for the both of us, which we didn’t think was awful considering we had a starter and a glass of wine each.
I would recommend this for a casual, but enjoyable date night if you want a local, independent Italian meal on your trip away. We were lucky to be sat in a good space, under one of the windows, where we could see out and into the kitchen, which added to the experience of the evening.
8/10 – It was a decent Italian (if that’s what you like), the portions were good and the food was flavourful. The service was okay and wine was alright, overall it was good value for money.
4. Lova
Lova was one of the *many* brunch places we went for some food.
I will start by saying this is a very typical, indie style brunch place. You can imagine what is on the menu, ranging from eggs Benedict, to a full cooked breakfast. The food was actually very nice and most of the dishes had a personalised touch to them.
We ordered their ‘Sanduba’ club sandwich and a breakfast dish with hash browns made from Cassava (an Amazon root vegetable). The hash browns were delicious and the sandwich, with the twist was definitely worth it. They had added a few ingredients, but namely the marinated chicken thighs and corn puré added a tasteful, personal touch.
It was slightly on the expensive side, we spent about €30-40 between us on two meals and two coffees, although it was worth it.
8/10 – A nice little café, good food, however the coffees were small but nice. It was on the more expensive side, but filled the hole and was very flavoursome and original. The actual place was nice to sit in and I am always biased to a brunch café.
3. Restaurant De Belhamel
If you’re looking for a nice restaurant to spend a romantic evening, where you can sit, immersed in the city’s cultural identity, being able to sit right on the canal and people watch, this is the place to go. I would refer to this place as a typical European establishment.
We shared our meals, starting off with seafood bisque and a large Burratta. We then had a boiled asparagus and ham dish and lobster tagliatelle. Whilst the asparagus dish was of an acquired taste, the sauce was full of flavour and the portion was good. The lobster tagliatelle, on the other hand, was delicious and creamy and everything you would want it to be.
We then each had a glass of rose, recommended to us by the waitress.
The service was very warm and welcoming as well as attentive to our needs. The price range was what you would expect of a higher-end restaurant, however being able to sit and people watch on the street, whilst enjoying the lovely weather, food and drinks, definitely made it worth it. The bill was €110-120 for the both of us, however the quality and location definitely reflected this.
8.5/10 – The location was gorgeous, the food was delicious, although I did pick a meal which wasn’t quite what I was expecting. The atmosphere was lovely and the place was very busy. The service was really good and the staff were very attentive. I feel the food was somewhat bland at times, but I do feel this was due to the dish I had chosen, so I would definitely go back.
2. Het Stadspaleis
Het Stadspaleis, translating to ‘The City Palace’, was a delicious lunch spot. Whilst slightly hidden between the road and the tramline, it had a buzzing atmosphere and was definitely worth the find.
All the seating was outside, which on a hot day made it slightly difficult to choose a good seat, however it was very busy and the surrounding area made for good people watching.
We had a delicious Mediterranean style salad (although this is a summer seasonal) and a Hoisin Chicken Toastie. Both were extremely delicious and filling and the dressing on the salad was exquisite. Could not compliment this place more, definitely a go to when we visit again. The staff were slightly inattentive, but the food made up for this. We also had a can of San Pelligrino each, so I would say drink choices were also good. Pricing ranged between €8-10 per dish, which was certainly reflected in the quality.
9/10 – Gorgeous location and place to sit, especially on a spring/summer’s day, delicious food and good selection. The service was okay and pricing reflected the quality. The food was definitely worth the experience.
1. Box Social (Jordaan)
Yet *another* brunch place we visited on our trip to Amsterdam. Box Social Jordaan was one of the best places, food wise, we went. I would put this on very similar par to Het Stadspaleis, despite it being one above.
The actual venue had a good atmosphere inside and was very busy (although hot in the summer) and the food was delicious and once again, full of flavour.
We ordered the Parmy (Chicken Parmesan) and Kim’s Tacos which were small corn tortillas full of delicious in house made salad. I am not a vegan, but these were vegan and I couldn’t even tell, they were so full of flavour.
We also both had a coffee *surprise surprise* which was also very nice. Highly recommend trying this place out, although the actual venue is not very wheelchair friendly or accessible as there were stairs leading up to the main seating area.
The price was a bit more expensive €15-20 per dish, but definitely worth it considering the flavour and quality.
9/10 – Really nice place, good quality food and decent service. The coffee was nice, and the meals were unique with amazing flavour. I would definitely be going back.
All round we had a positive experience regarding restaurants and food places this time round and will definitely be expanding the palette and revisiting some places next time.
It is understandable that Amsterdam is known for it’s little food gems and local places and most of them definitely live up to the hype. Even FEBO, considering it’s greasy spoon style cuisine, is worth the experience at least once during a visit.
I would note that our top three were certainly interchangeable, but these specific visits had a small impact on their position on the scale.
Not only do I hope you enjoy your visit, but definitely let me know what your experiences are in these places if you visit, or suggest some places for us to go next time and I can do a whole other round of reviews for you.
Thanks for reading,
Amy x
