Amsterdam Food Finds

I just spent 6 days in Amsterdam and they were probably the best 6 days of my life. Loved it so much and I will definitely be going back. I chronicled all of the restaurants and foods I tried there to help any interested people when they go! 3 stars means must try, 2 means I liked it, 1 means eh, wouldn't go back. If you try anything, please let me know what you think!

1. Free Food Walking Tour***

My friend and I are huge foodies, so the first thing we did after dropping off our luggage was join the 10:30 free food walking tour. We got to try many of the traditional dutch foods including poffertjes (little puffy, round pancakes), pickled herring with onions and pickles (better than expected), lots of cheese (they pronounce gouda "how-da"), bitterballen (fried meatballs - I didn't try, but my friend loved them), and stroopwaffles (thin waffles with a cinnamon-caramel syrup). Turns out traditional dutch food is great drunk food (we were sober though) and very delicious. The tour is free, but it's expected you tip your guide at the end.

2. VleminckX**

For "lunch" we had traditional thick cut dutch fries with mayo and onion from this place that our food tour guide, Jannes, recommended. They were just the thing to fuel our tired, jet-lagged bodies to make it back to the hostel for a much needed nap.

3. Ramen-ya**

After our restorative nap we were ready to feast again. For dinner we went to a ramen place that was surprisingly good (I had low expectations). The chicken in my ramen was actually the best I've had, nice and tender. It wasn't as spicy as I'm used to, but nothing a little chile sauce couldn't fix!

4. De Lachende Javaan***

After going to the famous Keukenhof Tulip Gardens (highly recommend going early), we took a little trip to the city of Haarlem near Amsterdam. There, we had the dutch-indonesian traditional dish, Rijsttafel, which translates to "rice table." It is presented as a big serving of rice with a lot of savory side dishes including different preparations of tofu, chicken, and beef. Go hungry! A must-try when in the Netherlands. They have a lot of Indonesian restaurants in Amsterdam as well where you could find this dish.

5. Kibbeling***

Kibbeling is another traditional dutch food. One of my favorites, actually. It is white fish, usually cod, battered and fried and served with a tartar sauce. We had kibbeling twice during our trip, once at a food stall in Haarlem and once at the Albert Cuyp Market in De Pijp. Both times were really tasty. You can find places that sell it all over Amsterdam.

6. Sweet Bob*

After going to the Anne Frank House (essential) and Amsterdam Cheese museum (not essential), we decided to try Sweet Bob, a Brazilian sweetshop highly recommended on trip advisor. They sell Brigadeiro, an intensely rich ball of sugar. I could feel cavities forming as I ate it. I had a baileys one, and my friend got dark chocolate. The owner was very nice and the desserts were cute. Just too sweet for me.

7. Adam Lookout Restaurant**

The Adam lookout was simply wonderful, one of the super highlights on a trip full of highlights. When we went I was getting hangry, so we decided to eat at the restaurant there. It was surprisingly good and fairly priced! I got a colossal arugula, zucchini, goat cheese toast (was craving something green after all the sweet and fried foods), while my friend got a burger and fries. The waiter also accidentally gave us truffle croquettes which were delightful.

8. La Zoccola***

If you try none of my other recommendations, you must try this one!!! After our canal cruise, I decided I was craving pizza, so my friend found this place on yelp selling traditional Italian pizza. I had low expectations because, well, it's Amsterdam and not Italy. We ordered the salami burrata pizza and I am not exaggerating when I say that I cried. Best pizza I've ever had in my life. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

9. Albert Cuyp Street Market**

After the Heineken experience (eh), we went to the Albert Cup street market to feast. There was a food stall selling traditional street food from Kazakhstan. It was kind of like a masala dosa mixed with a crepe, filled with potatoes, feta, and spinach. Delicious. We also got kibbling, poffertjes, calamari, and Yeri got some raw salmon. yum!

10. Moeders***

For my friend's last day, she really wanted to try a traditional dutch dinner. Upon a quick yelp search we found "moeders," which means mothers. The restaurant was completely covered in pictures of customers mothers that they'd brought in. It was a very popular place, so I recommend making a reservation. We both ordered stamppot. I got vegetarian (mashed potatoes and beets with grilled zucchini, tomato, and cheese) and she got traditional (mashed potatoes and spinach with meat and gravy.) Both of us thoroughly enjoyed our meals. It was a lottt of food. We also tried traditional dutch pea soup which was nice.

11. Bakers and Roasters***

This was my first meal alone on the trip. My friend, Erin, who studied abroad in Amsterdam recommended this place. It was nice for a first solo meal because they had a little breakfast bar, so I wasn't taking up a whole table by myself. I got a baguette with shiitake mushrooms, zucchini, and cashew mayonnaise. It was quite a delightful and a great start to the day.

12. De Bakkerswinkel Oud-Zuid***

My first lunch alone was at De Bakkerswinkel, another place recommended by Erin. I made my way over here after going to the Rijksmuseum and moco museum (highly recommend both). It was a cute little shop with good prices and good food! For a little over 10 euros, I got a small salad, potato cashew soup, and toasts with roasted pumpkin, feta, and cartelized onions. Yum! Also got a slice of raspberry cheesecake to go and ate it in Vondelpark. SO good.

13. Coffee and Coconuts**

I made a friend on the first day at the food walking tour, and I met up with her again at this little cafe (also recommended by Erin). Really cute environment with two stories and nice ambiance. We got there at 10am, and shortly after it was packed with a long line. Early bird gets the worm! Delicious hot chocolate.

14. Bulls and Dogs at Foodhallen*

On my last day I made the trek to the foodhallen as I love a good millennial-friendly gathering of food stalls! I tried bulls and dogs, which is a gourmet hot dog stand. I don't eat red meat, so I got their chicken dog which came with mayonnaise, pickles, and fried onions. Delicious, but very unhealthy haha. Would definitely go to the foodhallen again, but try a different stall.