When planning your gastro tour, keep in mind that coffee shops in the city are open until 6 p.m., sometimes until 7 p.m. Coffee drinkers Amsterdam will not disappoint – the Dutch (and not Americans at all!) have been topping the list of the most avid coffee drinkers for years, drinking about 2.5 cups a day. Therefore, Amsterdam’s coffee shops are always packed with visitors, especially the Coffee Company, the oldest and most beloved by Amsterdamers, which is 20 years old.
If it’s hard to surprise you with an ordinary coffee, take note of a couple of coffee houses where this drink is brewed with special piety: Bocca, Koko Coffee & Design, Scandinavian Embassy and Espresso Fabriek and Bakhuys Amsterdam.
You can order a full dinner after 16:00-18:00 and in many bars there is no point in going in before 20:00. If you see a three-by-three-meter wood-framed closet behind the door with dark brown glass peeking out onto the street, don’t hesitate to go in – it’s a brown cafe, a Dutch pub. Instead of music and dancing, the bar is packed with customers, usually with a large selection of alcohol and light snacks.
De Drie Graefjes (Eggertstraat, 1 / Rokin, 128) is a bakery with a large selection of cakes, pies, cupcakes and other delicacies. You can eat it all and a sandwich on the spot in the snack bar. Climb the steep spiral staircase to the second floor for a little break. The prices don’t bite.
Break bread with your neighbor in the quaint gastrobar 5&33 (Martelaarsgracht, 5), a restaurant with black walls and marvelous lamps where all meals are served for 2 to 4 people. You should pay attention to pasta with pork ribs, rack of lamb and salad with roasted beets, pecans and tarragon. A hearty breakfast can be had for an average of €8 and Sunday brunch for one costs around €20.
Are you looking for a wide range of healthy options? On the seventh floor of the OBA central library you will find La Place, where you can eat for €10 and enjoy a beautiful view of the city center.
Meat eaters in Amster will have a good time, too. Look for Amsterdam’s best burgers near the red light district – Burger Zaken (Oude Hoogstraat 2) offers veal, chicken and even vegan burgers with a variety of cool extras to choose from. Together with fries, your lunch/dinner will cost € 10-13.
Burgerlijk (Runstraat 1) and Burgermeester (the closest place to the center at Cuypstraat 48) also make good burgers.
Probably the biggest stock of different beers can be found at Gollem (Raamsteeg, 4), near Rembrandt Square. Gollem serves more than 200 beers from all over the world, including as many as 14 draught beers that change regularly. The bar often hosts themed beer weeks, and this attracts a large audience of tourists and locals alike.