Leave next Friday to spend about a week there. Not into the nightlife scene with the wife being pregnant and whatnot, but I’ll obviously be partaking in the local shrubbery.

 

Recommendations on good restaurants? We’ll do a couple nice dinners, but we’re really more into hole in the wall lunch spots and tasting rooms where you can have a more casual interaction with the people and the local cuisine.

 

Places to visit other than what’s in the big travel guides? Part of our goal with the small food places mentioned above is finding locals who have a friend that can get you behind the roped off areas around the city. That works best if we already have an idea of where that tends to be more doable. Also, any ‘can’t miss’ things? Music venues, shows, etc?

Watch out for the blue light district. Food is great everywhere in the city. If your wife can walk enough take a day bus to Appledorn and check out the monkey zoo.

train ride to arnhem is an hour. you see countryside on the way, and then in arnhem is both the airborne museum and cemetary. the cemetary is enclosed by these huge trees, so serene.

 

We’ll do a couple nice dinners, but we’re really more into hole in the wall lunch spots and tasting rooms where you can have a more casual interaction with the people and the local cuisine.

 

Example?

Edited May 11, 20188 yr by tantric superman

if you, your wife, or the to be child like scotch - the Whiskey L&B is probably my favorite bar in the world.  https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g188590-d6454641-Reviews-Whiskycafe_L_B-Amsterdam_North_Holland_Province.html

museums of course. they are good.

food is weird in AMS. the good food will not be anywhere near the red light district. but the bar scene is great. recommendation - DO NOT eat at any of the million Argentinian steakhouses. 

music is great here. i am sure you can find a calendar of sorts online and do some searches for live music, festivals, etc for the time you are there. 

 

Edited May 11, 20188 yr by staboner

https://www.songkick.com/metro_areas/31366-netherlands-amsterdam

https://www.iamsterdam.com/en/see-and-do/whats-on/music

https://www.iamsterdam.com/en/see-and-do/whats-on/music/pop-and-rock-concerts

https://www.apenheul.com/  Monkey Zoo

http://www.brouwerijhetij.nl/?lang=en Windmill Brewery and they do a great tour. If the weather is nice its a great spot to sit and have a drink or 4. 

https://www.het-elfde-gebod.nl/ Het Elfde Gebod, one of my favorite bars in the city. Close to the Red Light District. 

The Heineken tour is actually pretty cool even though the beer is mediocre. 

 

Rijstaffel at an Indonesian restaurant is a good dinner.

The problem with Dutch local cuisine (except the Indonesian part) is that Dutch cuisine sucks.

 

What part of town are you staying in?

There's a restaurant called de Waag in an old city gate turned weigh station turned offices etc. at the Neiuwmarkt. Rembrandt used to hang there. Nice dinners, good fairly cheap lunches. Cool building. The Neiuwmarkt has a weekly market day. I don't remember WHAT day, but coordinate it if you can. Lots of touristy crap but lots of everyday stuff also.

There's more of a local's market in the Jordaan on a different day. It's  a little farther out but worth it if you're into those sorts of things. (I def am.)

Ask around for a good Indonesian restaurant and have the Rijsttafel. It will be memorable.

You'll do a lot of walking - watch out for the damned trains! Especially if you rent bikes.

The Rijksmuseum and the van Gogh Museum are almost next to each other but too much for a pregnant wife to do both in one day. Probably.

I'll bet she'll like the Flower Market.

Artis is the city zoo. Very old world style.

Edam is nearby and very quaint.

Haarlem is a little farther but has a great old downtown area.

Beer's good. There's a cool little bar behind the Nieuwkirk just off Dam Square across from the very ornate Postal Station called CornerBar. Has some outdoor seating but we had some great evenings at the bar inside.

Almost everyone speaks English.

I'm jealous.

 

 

 

 

14 minutes ago, pantone159 said:

Rijstaffel at an Indonesian restaurant is a good dinner.

The problem with Dutch local cuisine (except the Indonesian part) is that Dutch cuisine sucks.

 

you don't like herring on a hotdog bun with pickles and onions?

It's not a foodie city. Stick to french fries with mayo and the occasional stroopwaffle. 

32 minutes ago, pantone159 said:

Rijstaffel at an Indonesian restaurant is a good dinner.

The problem with Dutch local cuisine (except the Indonesian part) is that Dutch cuisine sucks.

 

I think the best Dutch cuisine we had were the bitterballen. 

I would definitely hit up the Foodhallen. There's a quite good place for bitterballs here, as well as food from all over the world.  It is part of a larger complex (Den Hallen) with a bunch of shops that used to be an old train station.  http://foodhallen.nl/standhouders/

Kantjil  & De Tijger is a good Indonesian place. https://www.kantjil.nl/en/

 

Also Delft is nice side trip. 

On tapa, so not dealing with multi-quotes, but to answer a few questions...

Pregnant wife still does CrossFit everyday so walking isn’t an issue at all. Staying near the city centre by the War Museum, and we’ll walk anywhere within a 5-10 mile radius.

Neither of us will drink much, so breweries are out. A winery that does a solid food pairing isn’t off the table.

Appreciate the links, those will be handy.

We’ll do a couple nice dinners, but we’re really more into hole in the wall lunch spots and tasting rooms where you can have a more casual interaction with the people and the local cuisine.

 
Example?


Not sure I understand your question. But to clarify my post... a place where it’s mostly locals, but also not someplace that finds tourists annoying. Hard to describe, just something you know when you find it.

I will post some photos from tapa, but wanted to send this post from my computer.  

I have spent some time in Amsterdam, and I have the following recommendations.

1.  Go have a croquette at Patisserie Holtkamp.  They are famous for the veal and the shrimp.  When I was there, they also had lobster, which was great. (https://www.patisserieholtkamp.nl/nl/croquetten)

2.  The pancakes at Pannenkoekenhuis Upstairs are fantastic.  The place is teeny tiny, so make a reservation.

3.  Go get a stroopwafel at Confectionery Lanskroon.  Seriously best in the city.  Amazing.

4.  Winkel 43 is the place to go for amazing apple pie.  

5.  Tomaz is really good traditional Dutch food, specifically the Stamppot (or Mashpot).

6.  Others here have mentioned the Indonesian places.  I will throw out Tempo Doeloe and Indonesian Kitchen as options as well.

7.  There are some great other non Dutch restaurants in Amsterdam.  One of my favorites is Pata Negra (Tapas).  Some absolutely amazing food there.  The octopus was exceptionally tasty.  In addition, there is Eetcafe Ibis, a great Ethiopian place.  

8.  Vlaams Friteshuis Vleminckx for fries.  Absolutely best in Amsterdam.  Get it with Mayo and Sambol.

Edited May 12, 20188 yr by PenelopeWitherspoon
Forgot about the fries!

 

Fries at Vleminckx

Stroopwafel and coffee at Lanskroon

Veal Croquette from Holtkamp 

Veal Croquette from Holtkamp 

Pancake at Upstairs Pancakes

Edited May 12, 20188 yr by PenelopeWitherspoon

Great pics of great food. 

Stop biting your nails. 

1 hour ago, DoobieWah said:

Great pics of great food. 

Stop biting your nails. 

Thanks.  Those photos are from 2015.  I have stopped biting my nails.  It only took almost 40 years to break the habit.

Doner kebab with hot sauce and Fanta is a must. 

Also if you're drunk stumble into a FEBO - like a large vending machine fast food restaurant. We went in there stoned and giggled like little girls as we watched the food come out.

https://www.thrillist.com/eat/amsterdam/best-menu-items-at-febo-power-ranking-the-febo-automat-s-wall-of-food-thrillist-amsterdam

On 5/11/2018 at 12:11 PM, Mack Tripper said:

I think the best Dutch cuisine we had were the bitterballen. 

I would definitely hit up the Foodhallen. There's a quite good place for bitterballs here, as well as food from all over the world.  It is part of a larger complex (Den Hallen) with a bunch of shops that used to be an old train station.  http://foodhallen.nl/standhouders/

Kantjil  & De Tijger is a good Indonesian place. https://www.kantjil.nl/en/

 

I think Kantjil etc. was the place I went a couple years ago - not entirely sure, but it looks familiar. I do remember it was fan-fucking-tastic, though.

On 5/12/2018 at 6:43 PM, 6th Street said:

Doner kebab with hot sauce and Fanta is a must. 

Also if you're drunk stumble into a FEBO - like a large vending machine fast food restaurant. We went in there stoned and giggled like little girls as we watched the food come out.

https://www.thrillist.com/eat/amsterdam/best-menu-items-at-febo-power-ranking-the-febo-automat-s-wall-of-food-thrillist-amsterdam

If you've smoked a bit of Amsterdam's finest, those burgers from the machine, eaten on the train, are quite possibly the most delicious food in the world.

I enjoyed rijsstafel from Indrapura in the Rembrandtplein.   

+rep to PenelopeWitherspoon

 

I would add going to Boom Chicago to the list.  It's in the Leidesplein Theater and is always great.  

and eat at Mr. Hot Potato

Edited May 15, 20188 yr by Lazarus Bocanegra

2 minutes ago, Lazarus Bocanegra said:

+rep to PenelopeWitherspoon

 

I would add going to Boom Chicago to the list.  It's in the Leidesplein Theater and is always great.  

 

Just recently got back.  I'd steer clear of the city center.  Insanely crowded.  Must have been 1 billion tourists.  Rather, spend time in Jordaan, Oud-west and Oost.  My favorite meal was Cafe Binnenvisser.  Book Ann Frank tickets well in advance if you want to go to the house.

I went back in 2001 a couple months before 9/11,  the only place I remember is the grasshopper and have no idea how it actually is, so this hits pretty far from home

Just recently got back.  I'd steer clear of the city center.  Insanely crowded.  Must have been 1 billion tourists.  Rather, spend time in Jordaan, Oud-west and Oost.  My favorite meal was Cafe Binnenvisser.  Book Ann Frank tickets well in advance if you want to go to the house.

I would go to the Corrie Ten Boom house in Haarlem over Anne Frank.

Anne Frank House

Way to skip the line - I only found this out by accident because we didn’t book tickets in advance. There’s like a 2 month wait which is insane. 

It closes at 9pm or something. Go 30 minutes before it closes on a weekday. The line will be gone and you can walk right up and buy a ticket. You may walk through it a tad quicker than most but no line or book in advance. 

Do go

One of the most powerful things I’ve ever seen

 

Edited May 26, 20188 yr by Neonmoon

Good thread, I leave tomorrow for a week stay. Going to Brussels for Tuesday/Wendsday as well. I'm pretty excited, it's my first time in Europe. 

Im surprised there’s not more Surly info on this amazing city. Spending a couple of days on the back end of a work trip. The rijsttafel suggestions were followed.

Amazing spread. I have not been able to repeat that rijstaffel experience anywhere else.

I think there's another thread ADAM-related thread but I haven't seen it in a long time. - found it https://www.surlyhorns.com/board/topic/3370-brusselsamsterdam/

Lived there for a year. I still dream of the steak, fondue and red wine at Cafe Bern. Talk about a great dive.

Edited January 18Jan 18 by Chopper

On 1/18/2026 at 3:36 PM, Chopper said:

I think there's another thread ADAM-related thread but I haven't seen it in a long time. - found it https://www.surlyhorns.com/board/topic/3370-brusselsamsterdam/

Lived there for a year. I still dream of the steak, fondue and red wine at Cafe Bern. Talk about a great dive.

Yeah, I was gonna say . . . I know there's another thread on Amsterdam because I reviewed and posted on it before going there in 2019 and did a trip report afterward. Rijstaffel at Tujuh Maret was really good. Can't believe it's now been more than six years since we went there.

38 minutes ago, Carl Spackler said:

Yeah, I was gonna say . . . I know there's another thread on Amsterdam because I reviewed and posted on it before going there in 2019 and did a trip report afterward. Rijstaffel at Tujuh Maret was really good. Can't believe it's now been more than six years since we went there.

Small world, err, city! My picture is from Tujuh Maret.

7 minutes ago, PantsTent said:

Small world, err, city! My picture is from Tujuh Maret.

You chose well, good sir.

Bitballen

I was there less than two weeks ago. Arrived with snow and ice all over the ground. On the 5 block walk from the bus to my hotel carrying my backpack I slipped and ended up on the ground. Luckily it was largely melted by the end of the next day. Hit the Van Gogh again (hadn't been in 5 years) and then the holidy canal light festival which was cool. I did get food poisinging from eating seafood at a very nice well reveiwed and popular restaurant. I assume it was the mussels or clams or some type of crustation that got me. My travel to Antwerp and the rest of that day was spent in misery but some meds from pharmacy got me rolling again.

49 minutes ago, midtown said:

I assume it was the mussels or clams or some type of crustation that got me.

The what now?

😆

3 minutes ago, DoobieWah said:

The what now?

I work in money. I'm not an english teacher

If you’re looking for someone to do your proofreading, I’m available.

😘

Any more advice?

Going next month to get the youngest setup for a semester abroad at the University of Leiden.

That pankaken and strop (sp) that PW posted earlier looks very similar to the banana pancakes I had on my arrival. There used to be a place called Sheeba's that had some magical hot chocolate. But I think it's long since closed. But I recommend any place that has magical hot chocolate. For a diner-type breakfast, Barney's was tasty. Some close friends highly recommend Supper Dining & Club for dinner.

https://supper.nl/

Edited July 16Jul 16 by dcbc

My kids just left an Amsterdam hostel a few days ago. My youngest smoked some weed for the first time ever there and I’m sure he’d recommend the place to your kid if that part hasn’t been figured out yet. Other than that, Rudi’s for stroopwafels, Winkel for Dutch apple pie, and Screaming Beans for coffee.

19 hours ago, ShaggyBevo RIP said:

Going next month to get the youngest setup for a semester abroad at the University of Leiden.

I've heard there are three red light districs and the one near De Pijp is more for locals and is filled with eastern europeans and costs 50 euros. Or so I've heard

On 7/15/2026 at 6:57 PM, dcbc said:

For a diner-type breakfast, Barney's was tasty. Some close friends highly recommend Supper Dining & Club for dinner.

My first trip to Amsterdam was late September, 2001 just after 9/11.

We went to both SupperClub and Barney's Breakfast Bar.

SupperClub was weirdly cool.

Barney's was highly entertaining.

Ask around for the current best rijstaffel, an Indonesian feast. Amazing.

Have fun, I'm jealous.

On 7/17/2026 at 8:49 AM, DoobieWah said:

My first trip to Amsterdam was late September, 2001 just after 9/11.

We went to both SupperClub and Barney's Breakfast Bar.

SupperClub was weirdly cool.

Barney's was highly entertaining.

Ask around for the current best rijstaffel, an Indonesian feast. Amazing.

Have fun, I'm jealous.

Username and such. We sat at the bar for Barney's for breakfast. I watched the dude working the griddle who also made a huge portion of scrambled eggs in a bowl in the microwave. And I 100% knew that dude cut his teeth in the lots of Grateful Dead and Phish shows in the 80s and 90s. The guy was a machine.