Like every city, Amsterdam is full of wonderful places to eat and drink! Every restaurant, cafe, and bar offers mouth-watering cuisine and views that will encourage you to slow down and take it all in! You truly cannot go wrong no matter where you decide to wet your whistle or fill your stomach. Below are, in our opinion, the best places to eat and drink in the city of Amsterdam, in no particular order!
Protip: Looking for things to do while visiting Amsterdam, head over to our post 11 Best Things to See and Do in Amsterdam.
Foodhallen
Lunch/Dinner
Foodhallen, started in 2014 in an old tram remise, is home to a wide variety of cuisine and has been a popular attraction for both locals and tourists since the beginning. Similar to Reading Terminal in Philadephia, Mercado de San Miguel in Madrid, Mackie Mayor in Manchester and so many others, Foodhallen celebrates different flavors while offering a variety of food selections daily.
Picky about food? Don’t worry! As we said before, Foodhallen has a variety of cuisine options for every palate.
Foodhallen Stalls & Cuisine
- Bulls & Dogs- offering you guessed it, hot dogs
- De Ballenbar
- Fento- offering Asian Mexican cuisine
- Dim Sum Thing
- Le Big Fish
- L’entrecote
- Maza- offering Mediterranean cuisine
- Jabugo Bar Iberico
- Lima- offering tacos
- Mr. Temaki- offering everyone’s favorite, sushi
- Padron- offering vegetarian food
- Petit Gataeu- offering dessert
- Vietview- offering Vietnamese cuisine
- Pita
- Renatos- offering pizza
- Rough Kitchen
- Shirkhan- offering Indian cuisine
- The Butcher- offering burgers
- Txosta- offering tapas
- Yoghurt Barn
- Pastrami
BurgerBar
Lunch/Dinner
Local to Amsterdam with six successful franchises is BurgerBar. BurgerBar is famous for “bringing back the original hamburger.” Though we are not exactly sure what the original hamburger is, we can honestly say their burgers are nothing short of delicious.
BurgerBar offers a variety of gourmet burgers such as the Irish beef burger (made with Irish beef), the Angus burger (made with Angus beef), the wagyu burger (made with what many believe to be the “highest quality beef in the world!”), the vegaburger (for all the vegetarians out there), and much more more!
Don’t like any of the burgers on the menu that’s okay! BurgerBar allows customers to create their own custom burgers, while also offering a number of delicious side dishes to choose from.
Albert Cuyp Market – Home of the Original Stroopwafel
Snack
You must try an original Stroopwafel while visiting Amsterdam! Located at the Albert Cuyp Market just a few blocks behind The Heineken Experience you will find “Rudi’s Original Stroopwafels” food truck. This food truck has been baking the original “Goudsche Siroopwafels,” according to the traditional recipe, for generations and it is simply delicious!
The Pancake Bakery
Breakfast
While visiting Amsterdam you must try a tasty and traditional Dutch pancake at The Pancake Bakery. Located in the former VOC Warehouse on Prinsengracht 191, The Pancake Bakery is a very popular breakfast spot, so get there early!
The Pancake Bakery serves pretty much every breakfast food you can think of; eggs and croissants, omelets, yogurt, traditional pancakes, and of course their specialty pancakes! The specialty pancakes come in both sweet and savory depending on your taste buds and your craving. Though we ordered savory pancakes while we were there, the banana, rum, and whipped cream pancake looked and smelled amazing so we would recommend trying one of each!
Ham & Cheese Pancake 
The Pancake Bakery Menu
Pizzeria IL PALIO
If you are looking for a good cheap meal while sightseeing then head over to Pizzeria IL PALIO. Pizzeria IL PALIO is located on Leidsekruisstraat 23 not far from Vondelpark. During lunch, Pizzeria IL PALIO offers both pizza and pasta dishes for only 5 euros. Kevin and I recommend ordering the white pizza; it was delicious, perfect for two, and only 5 euros!
In addition to good food, Pizzeria IL PALIO has good service and the servers are quite friendly! Definitely worth a stop whether your budget-conscious or not.
Xtracold Icebar Amsterdam
Drinks
Sure Amsterdam has a lot of go-to bars and breweries, however, one of the most original bars is Xtracold Icebar Amsterdam. Xtracold Icebar Amsterdam is made completely of you guessed it, ICE. Everything from the bar to the drinking glasses is ice, even the walls! That being said you can only stay in the “ice bar” for 30 minutes.
Tickets for Xtracold Icebar Amsterdam should be purchased online in advance. With your ticket you will receive three free drinks, one in the “warm bar” before entering the ice bar and two in the ice bar. You will also receive jackets and gloves to wear once you are inside the bar. So for those not necessarily dressed for winter, it is okay!
Tickets & Hours of Operation:
Xtracold Icebar Amsterdam tickets are 20.50 euros per person and the bar is open daily from about 11:45 am until 1:00 am.
For a full list of hours please visit 11 Best Things to See and Do in Amsterdam.
Bakers & Roasters
Breakfast/Lunch
You’ll definitely want to check out this New Zealand style cafe while wandering around the streets of Amsterdam. Bakers & Roasters, started by two young Australian and Brazilian gentlemen, serves up some of the tastiest treats and coffee in Amsterdam. In addition to amazing food, the atmosphere and hospitality are one of a kind!
Wondering what is on the menu? Everything from eggs to french toast and waffles to fruits bowls and salads. Don’t forget about their cakes either because the raspberry cheesecake is nothing short of mouth-watering!
Check out The Heineken Experience
Drinks
10/10 recommend unless you don’t like beer of course! The Heineken Experience is located on Stadhouderskade 78, only a few blocks from Albert Cuyp Market, inside the original Heineken Factory and is something you’ll definitely want to make time for while exploring Amsterdam.
The Heineken Experience is a 90-minute tour educating guests on how a small Amsterdam brewery grew to become one of the world’s most popular beers. Each tour guide at The Heineken Experience is well-educated on the brewery and able to answer any and all questions while making the experience very enjoyable. In addition to learning about the business, the brewing, and the beer, The Heineken Experience ends in quite an exciting fashion…with beer samples!
Not interested in learning about the brewery, the brewing process, or the history of Heineken beer in general…no problem. The guides are more than willing to allows guests to walk through the tour at their own pace. Whether you want to listen to the information or just get downstairs to the free beer the option is completely yours!
For ticket pricing and hours of operation check out 11 Best Things to See and Do in Amsterdam.
Proeflokaal Arendsnest
Drinks
If you are looking for the best local Dutch brewery, check out Proeflokaal Arendsnest!
There are over 400 breweries in the Netherlands and Proeflokaal Arendsnest serves only beer from these breweries! At any given time, Proeflokaal Arendsnest has 52 or more beers on tap and over 100 different choices for those hoping to drink out of a bottle.
If you are not sure what you would like, don’t worry, the staff at Proeflokaal Arendsnest are very knowledgeable on each and every beer and will help you find one that is right for your palate. This brewery even offers beer tastings to those interested in learning more about the brewing process and each particular beer.
In addition to beer, Proeflokaal Arendsnest also serves ciders, liqueurs, gins, and whiskeys!
The Breakfast Club
Breakfast/Lunch
With several locations scattered around Amsterdam, you cannot go wrong eating at The Breakfast Club. Open until about 6:00 pm daily, The Breakfast Club serves all-day breakfast as well as some delicious lunch options. In addition to breakfast and lunch, The Breakfast Club also serves up some of the best coffees, teas, freshly made juices, cocktails, and more!
Though every location is delicious, Kevin and I recommend the Sloterdijk address is one of a kind with fun outdoor seating!
Summary
So there you have it, above are, in our opinion, the best places to eat and drink in the city of Amsterdam. Each one of the restaurants and bars had wonderful service, great atmospheres, and delicious food.
- Foodhallen
- BurgerBar
- Albert Cuyp Markt – Home of the Original Stroopwafel
- The Pancake Bakery
- Pizzeria IL PALIO
- Xtracold Icebar Amsterdam
- Bakers & Roasters
- Check out The Heineken Experience
- Proeflokaal Arendsnest
- The Breakfast Club
Did we forget your favorite restaurant or bar? Please let us know. Leave a comment below with the best places to eat and drink in the city of Amsterdam in your opinion, so we can check them out on our next visit!
