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't Blauwe Theehuis
This functionalist teahouse from 1936 is a wonderful multilevel building that serves coffee, cake and alcohol; its terrace and balcony are great for a beer on a sunny day, even in winter when the heaters are on.
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A Tavola
Overlooked by most tourists, this authentic Italian restaurant near the Shipping Museum serves a small but well-chosen menu of meats and pastas that cry out for a selection from its excellent wine list. Even if the service can be a little iffy, the quality of the cooking is consistent and strong. Reservations are a must.
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Abe Veneto
Sometimes you just want a corner place with decent food at honest prices. The pizza menu tops out at around €11 and has 45 choices - the gorgonzola pizza puts this stinky cheese to excellent use. Other options include pastas, salads and meat dishes. In summer, a terrace is set up by the canal.
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Albert Cuyp 67
If you're looking for stylish surrounds, turn away now. If, however, you're after quality examples of Surinamese food, take a seat. A colossal portion of roti kip (chicken curry, flaky roti bread, potatoes, cabbage and egg) is a fine replenishment after a couple of hours at Albert Cuypmarkt.
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Bagels & Beans
Join the crowds for bagels with all the usual toppings, plus some new-fangled ones (smoked chicken with avocado and pesto). Top it all off with a slice of dense fig cake; it goes exceedingly well with coffee. It has another branch in De Pijp (Ferdinand Bolstraat 70).
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Bakken Met Passie
Say your sweetie hates ethnic food but you desperately want something exotic on the Albert Cuyp. This quietly fancy shop bakes the appropriate bribes like yummy Valrhona chocolate tart (around €5 per slice) or lemon cake (around €8 per small loaf).
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Bark
A quick hop from the Concertgebouw, this genteel, old-line place does a big pre- and post-performance business. For starters, choose from a long shellfish menu or try the blinis of smoked oilfish. For mains, we like the grilled tuna steak with bacon and balsamic sauce.
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Barney's
Ever-popular Barney's is more famous for its enormous all-day breakfasts (the traditional Irish is the most popular) than its quality weed and hash. Go figure. Nonsmokers can just go for the food at its café down the block.
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Bazar Amsterdam
Beneath a golden angel in the middle of the Albert Cuypmarkt, this one-time Dutch Reformed church has fab-u-lous tile murals and 10,001 Arabian lights to complement the cuisine: from Morocco through Turkey, Lebanon through Persia. Even the plates are gorgeous and exotic. Breakfast and lunch are served all day, or just come for a beer or coffee, baklava or apple pie.
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Betty's
Some consider it the top vegetarian restaurant in the country. The menu's small on any given day, but there's always something new. It's rounded out by tiny tables and a decent wine selection, and everyone says to save room for dessert.
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Blauw Aan De Wal
Originally a 17th-century herb warehouse, this white-washed, exposed brick multilevel space still features old steel weights and measures, plus friendly, knowledgeable service and contemporary French- and Italian-inspired cooking. Order the chocolate brownie for its molten centre. In summer, grab a table in the romantic garden.
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Blender
Way out west of the Jordaan, Blender's cheeky, curvy, 1970s airport-lounge interior (think lots of orange swivel chairs) is just the place to sip cocktails, sample inventive French-Med food and socialise as DJs spin deep house and soul. People love it and hate it for the same reason (self-conscious hipness), but there's no doubt it's a scene.
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Bloem
You've always wanted to see those lovely buildings of the Entrepotdok from the inside? Now you can, at this dark and cosy café-restaurant. Amid the brick and beams, enjoy a beer or coffee, and meals are better than they need to be.
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Bojo
After a night on the town, there's nothing like a little Indonesian. Bojo is a late-night institution. Clubbers come for sizzling satays, filling fried rice and steaming bowls of noodle soup. The quality may be uneven, but the food is certainly well priced.
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Bordewijk
Other places may have grander reputations, but many locals consider Bordewijk to be the best feed in town. The interior here is so minimal that there's little to do but appreciate the spectacular French/Italian cooking.
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Brasserie Harkema
This cavernous ex-tobacco factory started its career as a restaurant in fine fashion a couple of years ago. Now the hype has subsided, it's just a very good stylish brasserie, with a simple lunch menu and staples such as Caesar salad and entrecôte for dinner.
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Broodje Mokum
With several tables and outdoor seating, it's larger than your average broodjeswinkel (sandwich shop) but has a great workaday feeling that may remind you of your favourite burger or chip stand at home. Our strategy for ordering: point at what you want, and the staff will tell you how much it is.
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Broodje Van Kootje
This is Amsterdam's longest-running sandwich bar, although you'd never know it by its appearance (Micky D's has more charm). Still, it stays open for late-night munchies, the quality is solid and you can't beat the two locations (second branch at Spui 28), right in the heart of the pub 'n' club zone.
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Buffet Van Odette
Not a buffet but a sit-down café, Odette and Yvette show how good simple cooking can taste when you start with great ingredients and a dash of creativity. Soups, sandwiches, pastas and quiches are mostly organic, and you might find smart little extras like pine nuts in your quiche. Sit by the window for one of the city's prettiest canal views.
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Burger's Patio
Despite its name, this is no hamburger joint. Rather, an air of easy-going cool permeates the modern interior, and the namesake patio is a fun hideout. Meats are free-range, pastas are popular, and touches like crudités, aïoli and tapenade make the prices seem more reasonable than they already are.
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Café Bern
Indulge in a fondue frenzy at this delightfully well-worn brown cafe. People have been flocking here for nearly 30 years for the gruyère fondue as well as the entrecôte. It's generally closed for a large part of the summer, but do you really want fondue in hot weather anyway? Reservations are advised.
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Café De Pijp
De Pijp, the restaurant, is a fitting emblem of De Pijp, the neighbourhood: bright, young, cheerful, colourful, reasonably priced and good-looking both outside and in. You might see skinny young things digging into enormous plates of fish paella or tempura-style shrimp.
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Café Het Molenpad
This place attracts a nice mix of artists - some of whose work adorns the walls of this gallery-café - students and tourists. Lunch is the standard sandwich-and-salad affair, but dinner dishes are more interesting, with a mix of Dutch and Mediterranean flavours.
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Café Morlang
Grab a fashion magazine, order tomato soup or tarte tatin, or choose from a rotating menu with influences from Italy to Thailand. The canalside terrace is fab in warm weather; indoors enjoy the high ceilings and gigantic portraits of staff members painted on the back wall. Friday nights it's a low-key gay hangout, so low-key that you may not realise it.
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Café Vertigo
Bonus: this is both a theatre café (at the main hall of the Filmmuseum,) and, in nice weather, a great place to linger outdoors watching the cyclists and families go by in the Vondelpark. Try the uitsmijter Vertigo (egg sandwich with bacon, mushrooms, tomato and melted cheese, around €9 ).
