Amsterdam (Rough Guide) - Martin Dunford [122]
Bussia
Eating and drinking | Restaurants | Grachtengordel west |
Pancakes
Pancake Bakery Prinsengracht 191 020/625 1333. Located in the basement of an old canal house, this long-established restaurant offers a mind-boggling range of fillings for its pancakes. Very popular with tourists; pancakes for around €9. Daily noon–9.30pm.
Eating and drinking | Restaurants | Grachtengordel west |
Thai
Top Thai Herenstraat 28 020/623 4633. Popular restaurant serving some of the best, spiciest and most authentic Thai food in the city – no mean feat given the quality of the opposition. Main courses average around €12. Daily 4.30–10.30pm.
Eating and drinking | Restaurants | Grachtengordel west |
Vegetarian
Bolhoed Prinsengracht 60 020/626 1803. Something of an Amsterdam institution, this popular vegan and vegetarian restaurant features New Age decor and a daily changing menu, plus organic beer to wash it all down with. Main courses around €15. Daily noon–10pm.
Bolhoed
Eating and drinking | Restaurants |
Grachtengordel south
Eating and drinking | Restaurants | Grachtengordel south |
African
Axum Utrechtsedwarsstraat 85 020/622 8389. Small and inexpensive Ethiopian café-restaurant offering a wide choice of authentic dishes. Daily except Mon from 5–11pm.
Eating and drinking | Restaurants | Grachtengordel south |
Dutch and Modern European
Kitsch Utrechtsestraat 42 020/625 9251. Flower power goes over the top in this retro restaurant, with old movies projected on the wall and cushions in every thinkable design. The menu is less adventurous, ranging from a simple hamburger to lobster at reasonable prices. Tues–Sat 6–11pm.
Piet de Leeuw Noorderstraat 11 020/623 7181. Arguably Amsterdam’s best steakhouse, an old-fashioned, darkly lit, wood-panelled affair dating back to the 1940s. Doubles as a local bar, but the steaks, served in several different ways and costing around €16, are excellent. Mon–Fri noon–11pm, Sat & Sun 5–11pm.
Eating and drinking | Restaurants | Grachtengordel south |
Fish
Le Pêcheur Reguliersdwarsstraat 32 020/624 3121. Smart, pastel-painted seafood restaurant with a lovely garden terrace in the summer. The fish arrives daily from the port of IJmuiden and defines both the menu and the daily specials. Prompt and efficient service. Main courses average around €25. Mon–Fri noon–3pm & Mon–Sat 5.30–11pm.
Eating and drinking | Restaurants | Grachtengordel south |
French and Belgian
Bonjour Keizersgracht 770 020/626 6040. Bistro-style French restaurant in a cosy basement setting; particularly good charcoal-grilled dishes. Mains around €18. Wed–Sun 5–11pm.
Le Zinc… et les autres Prinsengracht 999 020/622 9044. Wonderfully atmospheric little place decorated in rustic style and featuring imaginatively prepared French “peasant” food. Main courses in the region of €26, plus a particularly good wine list. Closed for renovation at the time of writing.
Quartier Latin Utrechtsestraat 49 020/622 7419. Split-level, intimate, bistro-style restaurant serving up a (broadly) French menu – for example, tournedos with Roquefort sauce. Main courses €18–20. Tues–Sun 5.30–11pm.
Van de Kaart Prinsengracht 512 020/625 9232. Excellent French/Mediterranean basement restaurant decorated in minimalist style and featuring an inventive menu, with stand-out dishes including poached lobster, home-cured bacon and mushroom risotto. Main courses for €28.50. There’s a good cellar too. Mon–Sat 6.30–10.30pm.
Eating and drinking | Restaurants | Grachtengordel south |
Indian
Shiva Reguliersdwarsstraat 72 020/624 8713. One of the city’s best Indian restaurants in terms of quality and price, with a good selection of dishes, all expertly prepared. Vegetarians are well catered for too. Main courses from as little as €12.50. Daily 5–11pm.
Eating and drinking | Restaurants | Grachtengordel south |
Indonesian
Bojo Lange Leidsedwarsstraat 51 020/622 7434. One of the best-value Indonesian