Amsterdam! Charming, historic, and a bit naughty, it’s always been a popular place to visit.
The city also has a unique and interesting food and beverage scene worth checking out.
However, there are a lot of food and drink tourist traps in Amsterdam. The traps are avoidable – if you know what they are and how to steer clear of them.
Here are seven ways to make your food and drink experience in Amsterdam more authentic.
1. Dine on Dutch Food Away from the Main Tourist Drags
There are a lot of restaurants in the central part of the city, near many of the attractions and the red light district.
Don’t eat there. Just a few minutes’ walk away you’ll find the restaurants that the locals go to and often have traditional Dutch food on the menu, such as mashed potato-based hutspot and smoked eel. These are the places where you’ll hear more Dutch spoken. A few of our favorites include Brasserie Van Speyk, located in an old warehouse, cozy Restaurant ’t Zwaantje in the “nine streets” district, and the Pantry, not far from the art museums.
2. Sample the ‘Grab and Go’ Food
Amsterdam has a number of shops that specialize in street food, also called “grab and go” food. One type that I highly recommend you try is herring from one of the city’s herring stands. It’s sold in different ways, including plain with onions or in a sandwich. Fun!
Amsterdam is also well known for its fries, served in a cone, usually with a choice of sauces. If you don’t see a stand-alone fry stand, pop into a doner kabob shop for fries.
Arguably another “grab and go” food in Amsterdam are pastries, as most shops are carryout only. Indulge in something chocolate or a warm stroopwafel.
Another local authentic grab and go dish (although you might want to eat this one sitting down) is kapsalon, which means “hair salon.” Invented by a hair stylist, the dish is a combination of fries, meat, melted gouda cheese, lettuce, vegetables, and sauces, and looks like a hairdo gone wild. It’s huge, messy, and yummy.
3. For Beverages, Go Local
Sure, lots of people like going to the “Heineken Experience” or the “House of Bols” distillery tour. They’re fun, although they’re mostly advertisements for their products and very touristy.
To get a more authentic flavor of Amsterdam, go to smaller, less crowded breweries or distilleries. My favorite is Wynand Fokkink, a distillery dating from the 1600s on a side street not far from the Royal Palace. Its tasting room is tiny, but there are at least 50 different Dutch genevers (gin) and liqueurs, some of which have fanciful names, like “bride’s tears” and “boy in the basement.” You can buy bottles in the store next to the tasting room. Go before word gets around.
There are also other local liqueurs, like Nobeltje, and local beers, such as Hertog Jan.
Another authentic, local experience is to go to a “brown bar” (“café bruin”). These little pubs, brown both from their dark interiors and centuries-old tobacco smoke stains, are dotted throughout the city and are an important part of Dutch culture. They focus on coffees and drinks, although they may also serve some food.
But try to avoid the ones that have been featured in the major guidebooks; they get a lot of tourists, which affects the atmosphere (and the locals aren’t fans of the increased crowds). Instead, try a place more off the beaten path and/or less well known.
For instance, Café 't Papeneiland, in the residential Joordan neighborhood of West Amsterdam (near the Anne Frank house) dates from 1641 and is renowned for its apple pie, which the Dutch often eat for breakfast.
4. Take a Longer Canal Cruise on a Smaller Boat
I highly recommend taking a canal tour to see the city from a different perspective. And many of the tour operators offering canal cruises include food and/or drinks.
But if you opt for a one-hour cruise you’re not seeing much of the city – and not getting much out of the food. I suggest instead booking a longer boat ride so you can savor the trip more, and on a smaller boat for a more personalized experience.
We were very happy with our two-hour cruise on a small (12 people maximum) boat with Captain Phillip of family-owned boat operator Rederij de Wester. We not only had traditional snacks and cheese and an open bar with genever, wine (red, white, and mulled), hot chocolate, and beer, but Phillip also made a pit stop to pick up fresh bitterballen, another local favorite. Plus, we saw a lot more of the city.
5. Shop Around for your Rijsttafel
One of the unique aspects of Amsterdam’s food scene are the restaurants that specialize in food from the Netherlands’ former colony, Indonesia. The showcase of this cuisine is rijsttafel (literally “rice table”), a huge array of different foods eaten with rice. It can be a highlight of a visit to the city.
However, we’ve learned that these restaurants vary quite a bit in quality, and our old favorite did not live up to expectations the last time we visited. Again, the better ones will be further from the crowds. You should definitely sample rijsttafel, but ask your hotel and some locals for recommendations before you make a reservation.
6. Research Cheese Tastings Before Booking
The Netherlands is known for its cheese, and one of the best ways to sample different cheeses is via a cheese tasting. They normally last about an hour, and cram a lot of information (as well as cheese, and usually wine or beer) into that time.
But do your homework. Some of the tastings are kitschy (think costumes and videos), and only offered in large groups, although the cheese is still excellent.
If you opt to take a food tour, a cheese tasting may already be on the itinerary and will likely be more authentic because it will be less commercial and with a smaller group. Our food tour through the Joordan neighborhood with Mark of boutique tour operator Amsterdam Food Tours included a private cheese tasting in a non-commercial shop catering to locals. Delish!
I hope that these seven ways to make your food and drink experience in Amsterdam more authentic help you plan your next trip to this wonderful city. Proost! (“cheers” in Dutch).
What other ways can a traveler make an experience more authentic? Please share! We’re at info@winewithourfamily.com.
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