The 17 best restaurants in Amsterdam (2024)

Amsterdam is first to mind when it comes to many things – beautifully preserved canal houses, perilous biking, vintage shopping, techno and tasty beer. But food, historically, has not been one of them.

While visitors to Amsterdam will encounter a steady stream of canal-side terraces and gorgeous modern interiors, the Dutch cultural capital’s culinary scene is still relatively nascent. In layman’s terms? It’s expensive and easy to step a foot wrong.

But there are still plenty of gems to be found. Amsterdam is a truly international city, and nowhere is this better represented than in the city’s best restaurants — no offence to those offering more traditional fare. And while the Netherlands has some of the best bar snacks in the world, bitterballen, cubes of gouda and kaastengels alone won’t sustain a day of biking in the rain. Trust me, I’ve tried.

Here are 23 of the best restaurants in Amsterdam right now.

Cafe Binnenvisser

A laid-back dinner spot in Amsterdam-West, Cafe Binnenvisser serves natural wines and seasonal plates. Dishes such as yellow beets with pistachio, buttermilk and smoked trout sit alongside raw halibut and bone marrow on the daily-changing menu. The food is good, and most dishes are vegetarian-friendly, but the winner here is definitely Binnenvisser’s atmosphere – a rustic, unfussy space with a large terrace on a quiet neighbourhood corner that always seems to catch the sun… yes, even in the Netherlands.

Area: Amsterdam-West
Price: ££
Dish to order: The menu changes daily, but our recommendation would be to try the five-course “menu binnenvisser” dinner.
Website: binnenvisser.nl

Cafe-Restaurant Amsterdam

A spacious restaurant housed in a former engine room near Westerpark, Cafe-Restaurant has all the buzz of a bustling Parisian bistro, along with an air of old-school grandeur despite its industrial, stripped-back interiors. Serving an expansive pan-European menu for lunch through to supper, expect lots of excellent seafood dishes, and an impressive range of puddings, from freshly baked madeleines to apple pie.

Area: Westerpark
Price: ££
Dish to order: Shrimp Croquettes – Gambas with Aioli
Website: cradam.nl

Little Collins

Make sure to get to either of Little Collins’ locations in De Pijp or Oud-West early on a weekend, as the queue here often winds around the block – for good reason. You’ll find speciality coffee and intriguing flavour combinations on their brunch menu, such as kimchi and gruyere scrambled eggs or roasted peach French toast. Come back in the evening for a tasty supper menu, where you can sample Mediterranean-inspired sharing plates such as Padron peppers and labneh, or fresh burrata and tomatoes.

Area: De Pijp (brunch only), West
Price: ££
Dish to order: Brisket with Beets and Garlic Kefir – Ricotta Gnudi with tomato, almonds and pangrattato
Website: littlecollins.nl

Tolhuistuin

Tolhuistuin sits in an unusual space. Just north of Centraal Station and a short ferry ride across the IJ River, this restaurant is part of a cultural centre that also hosts a movie theatre and concert venue. The open-plan restaurant itself offers a huge menu with seasonal small plates, the influence of which jumps around the globe. Make an evening of it by paying a visit to the Eye Film Museum, mere minutes away from Tolhuistuin, which also has its own cinema.

Area: Noord
Price: ££
Dish to order: Chicken Satay – Pizza Fritta
Website: tolhuistuin.nl

De Kas

The Dutch are known for their casual style – the better for biking in! Similarly, you won’t find that many haute cuisine restaurants in the city, and De Kas is one of the few. This modern organic restaurant is tucked away in a garden conservatory in Park Frankendael, serving a Mediterranean-inspired menu with ingredients grown onsite. Patrons to the restaurant can choose between a three- and four-course lunch menu, or a five- to six-course supper menu. It may require a mortgage, but each dish is created as a piece of art.

Area: Oud-West, Zuid
Price: £££
Dish to order: The menu changes seasonally
Website: restaurantdekas.com

Bird Thais

Many Amsterdammers avoid De Wallen, home to the city’s largest Red Light District, in the same way New Yorkers skirt around Times Square. But many will make an exception for Bird Thais, a casual Thai restaurant that has been serving the locals in the city’s oldest neighbourhood for 25 years. Don’t be intimidated by the huge queues (or stag dos) typically blocking the entry – the restaurant is large, and its line moves quickly. But if you do find yourself short for time, Bird’s sister Snack Bar is right across the street.

Area: De Wallen
Price: ££
Dish to order: Spare Ribs – Drunken Noodles
Website: thai-bird.nl

SORA Sapporo Ramen

It may not look like much from the outside, but this spot is serving the city’s most mouth-watering ramen in a style native to Sapporo, Japan. Grab a table, a Sapporo beer, and tuck yourself in between SORA’s slurping customers.

Area: De Pijp, West
Price: ££
Dish to order: Karaage Chicken – Shoyu Ramen
Website: ramensora.nl

Pesca

For a truly unique experience, Pesca treats dinnertime like a trip to the theatre. Upon entering, visitors choose from the day’s fresh fish and seafood from a brightly lit “stage”. After choosing how they would like their seafood prepared, they move to the next room and fill up a bucket with their drinks of choice before taking a seat. It’s camp and pricey, but there’s nothing quite like it.

Area: Jordaan
Price: £££
Dish to order: Whatever the chefs recommend from the daily catch
Website: pesca.restaurant

Flo’s Appetizing Amsterdam

After growing up between Boston and New York, I’ve been on a search for delicious European bagels ever since, and none have come close. There’s a good reason for this – bagels’ texture relies heavily on the water in which they’re boiled, the composition of which differs hugely between countries and cities. Styled after a New York deli, I won’t argue that Flo’s are as good as Russ and Daughters’, but they are definitely tasty. Visitors should not miss the Hot Mess bagel, complete with egg, hot sauce and pickles – it's what makes this one of the best restaurants in Amsterdam for a grab-and-go bite to eat.

Area: Oud-West, Jordaan, De Pijp
Price: £
Dish to order: Hot Mess Bagel
Website: flosappetizing.nl

Gitane

You can’t swing a stick in a European city without hitting a natural wine bar. And while they definitely vary in quality, natural wine bars often follow a similar template when it comes to design (warm and Scandi), menu (small plates) and price (an eyelash short of eye-watering). And yet there is something comforting about new-kid-on-the-block Gitane’s chic interior and sparkling bottles of pét-nat. Gitane is open for brunch, dinner or nibbles, and has an unsurprising yet tasty menu of steak tartare, burrata, crudo and côte de boeuf.

Area: Oud-West
Price: ££
Dish to order: Lamb rump
Website: restaurantgitane.nl

Restaurant DS

Techno lovers flock to Amsterdam from all over the world, eagerly lining up for its festivals and infamous clubs. So it makes sense to create a venue that combines great food with the city’s love of raving. Meet De School, a technical school-turned-club, restaurant, gallery and gym. Its restaurant features a modern kitchen focused on fermented foods and vegetables cooked in an open-fire brick barbecue, all set in a former workshop. Restaurant DS’s set menu has also earned it 14 points from French restaurant guide Gault & Millau.

Area: West
Price: £££
Dish to order: Seasonally changing five-course menu
Website: deschoolamsterdam.nl

Choux

Located a mere stone’s throw from Centraal Station, Choux’s farm-to-table dishes are as tasty as they are beautifully decorated. Its menu is modern French, predominantly vegetarian and sprinkled with edible flowers, turning a stack of fried potatoes into a veritable bouquet.

Area: Centrum
Price: £££
Dish to order: Seasonally changing five-course menu
Website: choux.nl

Bar Centraal

The ever-cosy bistro Bar Centraal has been quietly loved by locals for years. Expect moody lighting, delicately arranged plates, an extensive natural wine menu and a battle for a terrace seat.

Area: De Baarsjes
Price: £££
Dish to order: Halibut, ‘nduja and fennel – Dark chocolate, caramelised hazelnuts, olive oil, Maldon salt
Website: barcentraal.nl

Nnea

Nnea earned a place in many locals’ hearts during the pandemic, when the relatively new pizzeria quickly pivoted to frozen and “portafoglio” to-go pizzas. And since lockdown has lifted, it continues to rocket, with its Neapolitan pies earning attention and acclaim on the global stage. When it comes to pizza awards, there are not many that have earned more than Nnea – this year alone, it has been named one of the best Italian restaurants by food and wine magazine Gambero Rosso as well as being awarded #9 by 50 Top Pizza, a guide to the best pizzerias in the world.

Area: De Baarsjes
Price: ££
Dish to order: 'Nduja Tonnata Pizza
Website: nneapizza.com

Pizza Project

When it comes to the city’s Neapolitan pizza, most are familiar with the trendy and much-lauded Nnea Pizza – but locals will tell you the lesser-known Pizza Project right around the corner is giving it a run for its money. Started in a backyard in 2018, Pizza Project creates pies in the Neapolitan tradition, letting its dough rise for more than 48 hours before baking, resulting in beautifully fluffy pies. Stop by on the weekends for a selection of Neapolitan sandwiches.

Area: Oud-West, Zuid
Price: ££
Dish to order: Pepperoni and Spicy Honey Pizza
Website: pizzaproject.nl

Cornerstore

For a truly cool atmosphere, Cornerstore serves up an Asian-influenced menu set to vinyl in trendy Amsterdam Noord. Pour yourself a glass of sake and tuck into corn on the cob with burnt chilli butter, fried chicken wings and pork neck with sea buckthorn caramel.

Area: Noord
Price: ££
Dish to order: Fried chicken wings – Malt ice cream, kumquat and brioche crumble
Website: csnoord.com

Venus & Adonis

What’s better than a fillet steak, medium rare, paired with a glass of red and a view of the Prinsengracht canal? Venus & Adonis may not be Amsterdam’s best-known restaurant, but its modern baroque interior and location may make it the prettiest. Its menu boasts surf and turf classics from rib-eye and côte de boeuf to fresh oysters, scallops and swordfish.

Area: Jordaan
Price: £££
Dish to order: Gnocchi with kimchi, samphire and crayfish – Fillet Steak
Website: venusenadonis.nl