Restaurants in The Netherlands
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A
Oriental City
This huge Hong Kong-style restaurant with the requisite red lanterns is always lively. Join gaggles of local Chinese for daily dim sum (11:30 to 16:30; we like the meaty, flavoursome cha sieuw bao pork buns) and a 24-page menu (!) of classic Canto cuisine.
reviewed
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B
Bazar Amsterdam
In a glorious former Dutch Reformed Church, the light-filled, Middle Eastern-style decor matches the Middle Eastern-style food. Fish and chicken dishes please meat eaters; aubergine and portobello mushroom dishes gratify vegetarians. Breakfast and lunch are served all day.
reviewed
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Pata Negra
Tapas and only tapas. The alluringly tiled exterior is matched by a vibrant crowd inside, especially on weekends, downing sangria by the jug and all those small plates (the garlic-fried shrimps and grilled sardines are standouts). Margaritas are made with freshly squeezed lime juice, as they should be. Arrive before 6.30pm or reserve.
reviewed
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C
Los Pilones
Owners Hector and Pedro consistently set the standard among Amsterdam’s handful of Mexican restaurants. If you’re looking for wonderfully grilled bistek (beefsteak), crispy chicken rolls and fruity margaritas, you’re definitely in the right place. A few shots from the 60-plus tequila list, and you’ll be ready for a hat dance.
reviewed
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D
Japanese Pancake World
If the Dutch are famous for pancakes of meat, seafood and vegies, so are the Japanese. At the continent’s only shop specialising in okonomiyaki (literally ‘cook as you like’), you’ll get yours in a hot iron dish with your choice of fillings, topped with flakes of dried fish. There’s a J-pop backdrop and barely two dozen seats.
reviewed
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E
Pancake Bakery
This basement restaurant in a restored warehouse features a dizzying 79 varieties of pancakes, from sweet (chocolate) to savoury (the ‘Egyptian’, topped with lamb, sweet peppers and garlic sauce). There are also omelettes, soups, desserts and lots of tourists given its proximity to the Anne Frank Huis.
reviewed
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F
Thais Snackbar Bird
Don’t tell the Chinese neighbours, but this is some of the best Asian food on the Zeedijk – the cooks, wedged in a tiny kitchen, don’t skimp on lemongrass, fish sauce or chilli. The resulting curries and basil-laden meat and seafood dishes will knock your socks off. There’s a bit more room to spread out in the (slightly pricier) restaurant across the street (No 72).
reviewed
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G
Van Dobben
It has been open since the 1940s, the venerable Van Dobben has white tiled walls and white-coated counter men who specialise in snappy banter. Traditional meaty Dutch fare is the forte: try the pekelvlees (something close to corned beef), or make it a halfom, if you’re keen on that being mixed with liver. The kroketten (croquettes) are the best in town and compulsory after a late-night Rembrandtplein booze-up.
reviewed
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H
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).
reviewed