Amsterdam Food

For some reason, when we think “Northern Europe,” we don't think “awesome food.” Now, that's a little bit prejudiced, but it's telling that in the vast world of Amsterdam restaurants, very few of them actually serve Dutch cuisine. (Here's a quick run-down of what that looks like: pancakes, cheese, herring, and various meat-and-potato combinations.) Instead, most of the terrific food you'll find comes from the cuisines of all the others who, just like you, have been drawn to Amsterdam by its reputation of awesome. Large immigrant populations have brought Indonesian, Surinamese, Ethiopian, Algerian, Thai, and Chinese food to the banks of the city's canals. There are also many Italian, Spanish, French, pan-Mediterranean, and other nouveau-European fusion combinations that range from the homey to the ultra-chic. Finally, Amsterdam has this thing with sandwiches—they are everywhere, and they tend to be really, really good. Vegetarians and vegans should have no problem finding a meal, as there are quite a few exclusively vegetarian restaurants and most other places have plenty of veggie options.

De Pijp, Jordaan, and the Nine Streets in Canal Ring West boast the highest concentration of quality eats. De Pijp is the cheapest of the three. If you really want to conserve your cash though, Albert Heijn is the largest and most visible chain of supermarkets in the city (find your nearest location at www.ah.nl). For even cheaper eats, the basic budget store Dirk van den Broek (Marie Heinekenplein 25☎067 393 93 www.dirk.nl h Open M-Sa 8am-9pm, Su 10am-7pm.) can keep your wallet and stomach full at the same time. On the other end of the spectrum, the Natuurwinkel (Haarlemmerdijk 160-165☎062 663 10 www.natuurwinkel.nl h Open M-F 8am-7pm, Sa 8am-6pm, Su 11am-6pm.) chain of stores sells organic produce and other yuppie-ish natural products at fairly high prices. Keep in mind that most supermarkets close around 8pm. If you need groceries late at night (we can only guess why), try De Avondmarkt near Westerpark.

By Neighborhood

Zeedijk is overwhelmingly packed with restaurants of all shapes and sizes, so be careful to compare menus when selecting a place to eat, since some can be touristy rip-offs. Don't cross the neighborhood ...more