Food hotspots in Amsterdam

I’ve lived in Amsterdam for 4 years and I still visit it very often. I’m always checking out new food hotspots in Amsterdam. On this page I’ve listed my favorite healthy and vegetarian (or vegan) friendly restaurants and at the end I’ve added a few nice things that you can do in the city. If you’re looking for hotspots in other cities in the Netherlands you can click here.
If you like vegetarian burgers, you can check my top 10 of best veggie burgers in Amsterdam here.

Box Sociaal


The name sounded a bit strange to me at first, but don’t let the name stop you from going there. Once you’ve entered Box Sociaal you’ll understand what I mean. The waiters are one of the friendliest in Amsterdam. They welcome you with a positive energy that is very contagious. Box Sociaal is open for lunch and dinner and their menu is quite extended.
For lunch they have some lighter dishes like a fresh fruit platter and more heavy items like their Hangover Breakfast Sandwich. Click here to read more about Box Sociaal.

Corner Bakery

corner bakery amsterdam
Corner Bakery is not only vegetarian friendly, it’s also very Instagram friendly! The dishes are all made up nicely and you get a colorful placemat as the perfect background for your snapshot! As you can see they top their dishes with many colorful ingredients. They’ve got many healthy options of which quite a few vegetarian ones. They’ve got many smoothie bowls with for example acai or dragon fruit, sweet options like pancakes or french toast and sandwiches with all kinds of toppings. Pictured is their yogurt with homemade granola and an abundance of fresh fruit.

Dignita
Dignita Amsterdam

Dignita is probably your healthiest option for lunch in town. Dignita started with one restaurant near the Vondelpark, but they now have three locations in Amsterdam. They’ve got a healthy all day brunch menu with many vegetarian and vegan options. They have great poached eggs, but my favorite is the Earthworks Salad Bowl. A vegan dish that’s different every time, because they use ingredients from the Lindenhoff gardens. Besides the seasonal vegetables, it always has avocado, wheat free grains and gluten free seed loaf. This dish is vegan and gluten free.

Oaxaca

If you want to eat authentic Mexican food, you don’t have to fly to Mexico anymore. At Mexican restaurant Oaxaca on the Spuistraat you can eat real Mexican dishes like homemade tortillas, ‘saosados,’ ‘tatemados,’ and pre-Spanish ‘moles’ and stews. The guacamole is freshly made at your table and they’ve got 32 kinds of Mezcal. Don’t be fooled by the touristic street they’re located on, this is authentic Mexican food on a higher culinary level.

Foodhallen

One of my favorite healthy hotspots is the ‘Foodhallen’. It’s an old tram building which now hosts several food stands.

Maza foodhallen amsterdam

If you like middle eastern food as much as I do, you should stop by at Maza. Here they serve great vegetarian food like falafel and hummus. They have a falafel wrap, but you can also order a platter with pita bread and several dips. The Maza hummus is also for sale in many Dutch supermarkets. Did you know that hummus is very easy to make yourself? Check my Foodie section for the recipe: http://annetravelfoodie.com/savoury-snacks/

Fento Foodhallen Amsterdam
Another great stall is Fento. They serve healthy Asian/Mexican fusion. Like this vegetarian tostada with black beans and mushrooms. Fento shows that eating healthy is delicious and I couldn’t agree more of course!
If you like Dim Sum, you should definitely visit Dim Sum Thing all the way in the back. They have a nice mixed platter and also have many meat free options.
Also worth the try is Viet View, where they serve authentic Vietnamese street food like Banh Mi and Spring Rolls. I’ve been to Vietnam and I loved the food there, you can read my blog post on Vietnam here: http://annetravelfoodie.com/vietnam/
You can read more about food at the Foodhallen on this page.
Do you like food courts? Amsterdam has another foodcourt, less known by tourists. Read about Market 33 in Amsterdam Zuid here.

Hummus in Amsterdam

I’m a huge hummus fan, you can also see my hummus recipes on my foodie page or read about my trip to Israel on my travel page. Luckily Amsterdam also has two great hummus restaurants.
IMG_20150811_160518
You’ve got Sir Hummus in the nice area called ‘De Pijp’.
Sir Hummus is run by 3 Israeli’s and they make real authentic hummus. You can choose between a big or small portion, white or whole wheat pita’s and they have optional toppings like beef or aubergine. You can also buy your hummus and pita bread ‘to go’.

.Hummus bistro D&A
In the Jordaan area there’s Hummus Bistro D&A, where they don’t only have hummus but also serve baba ganoush (eggplant dip), shakshuka and labane (yogurt cheese). Their whole wheat pita’s are the best, nice and fluffy.

Koffie ende Koeck

koffie en de koeck amsterdam
Koffie ende Koeck is a little heaven for vegans. This all vegan restaurant near the Westerpark serves breakfast, lunch and high-tea’s from Tuesday to Saturday. Besides that everything is 100% vegan, they also work with as many organic ingredients as possible. Their vegan cream cheese is delicious and the sweet potato hummus with dukkah (Egyptian nuts and spices) is a must-try! Pictured is the gluten free corn cracker club with avocado and grilled bell pepper.

Click here for my recipe for vegan lemon poppy seed loaf from the Koffie ende Koeck cook book.

Mana Mana

mana mana amsterdam
I already told  you that I love hummus and you probably also know that I don’t eat meat. Are you also a vegetarian hummus lover? Than you should really go to Mana Mana. They started in the Pijp area, but now have 3 restaurants in Amsterdam. They’ve got great hummus, falafel or vegetable dishes served with pita bread. And they’re willing to cook vegan for you! All dishes are made to share, so you can just pick around 2 dishes per person and see how your table gets filled with delicious vegetarian dishes. I recommend the baba ganoush, this grilled aubergine spread is super tasty!

Meatless District

vegan sandwich meatless district amsterdam
The name Meatless District already suggests that there isn’t any meat on the menu, but this restaurant is even 100% plant based! Everything on their menu is vegan and they have some delicious options for either lunch or dinner. For lunch you can go for one of their big sandwiches, like the one I had (pictured) with walnut and mushroom pate, cucumber, mango chutney and crushed walnuts. They also serve dinner, their MD burger is famous!

Kim’s So Korean Fusion

Kim’s So Korean Fusion is the sister of Kim’s So Koren Food that you might know from the city center of Amsterdam. This second restaurant serves a mixture of Korean food and Western cuisine and they have many vegetarian and vegan options. One of my favorites is the Golden Golden Congee; smashed pumpkin, apple and onion with milk served in a steamed pumpkin. They’ve also got very tasty vegetarian Korean ‘fried’ chicken and several different desserts.

MOOK

mook amsterdam annetravelfoodie
Pancake restaurants in Amsterdam can be rather tacky and touristic. Luckily there’s Mook in Amsterdam West. Mook is light and spacious and a little bit hipster. They serve delicious pancakes all day long (and some avocado dishes if you’re not into pancakes). Mook has got both sweet and savory pancake dishes on their menu. They can make your pancakes vegan or gluten free without an extra charge!

Ninour

Ninour amsterdam
Ninour is the perfect love child of a foodie and a fashionista. This perfectly decorated shop and deli sells designer items from around the world, and they serve delicious healthy food. All their dishes are vegetarian, refined sugar free and where possible organic and locally produced. The menu has Moroccan influences as you can see in their couscous dish with hummus and avocado. This wrap with homemade parsley hummus and grilled vegetables is delicious. And you should also try their ‘skinny dipper’, a big plate with homemade hummus and various spices served with Lebanese bread. Ninour is owned by a young couple and by the beautiful color combinations of the walls and the tables, you can tell that one of them has a history in fashion!

Ree7 and Pluk


Ree7 and Pluk are two lunchrooms in the same street from the same owner. The menu is also the same, with all you favorite brunch and lunch dishes. From healthy avocado toast with poached eggs to super-sweet over the top freakshakes. Both restaurants are very popular and you can’t reserve your spot. So you might have to wait a little while.

SLA

sla amsterdam
SLA (Dutch for ‘lettuce’ ) has 5 branches in Amsterdam, the one on the Ceintuurbaan being my favorite because you can eat your salad in the nearby Sarphatipark. SLA serves juices, soups and of course: salads. You can order one of their favorite combinations, or you can create your own salad with your favorite ingredients. They have many vegetarian and vegan options. Pictured is a vegan salad with spinach falafel balls, spelt couscous, roasted cauliflower and hummus.

Vegan Junk Food Bar

I love the Vegan Junk Food Bar in Amsterdam! They opened up their first all vegan fast-food burgerbar in Amsterdam-West in 2017. It was a big success straight away! By popular demand they opened up 3 more restaurants. On the menu of the Vegan Junk Food Bar in Amsterdam you’ll find exactly that what you would expect: 100% plant-based fast food. The most popular categories on the menu are their burgers and the loaded fries.
Read more about the Vegan Junk Food bar here. 

Winkel 43

The only unhealthy restaurant that I’ll recommend is Winkel 43 in the Jordaan area, where they serve the best apple pie of Amsterdam. Speaking of apple pie, did you already have a look at my recipe for a healthy apple pie?

My other restaurant recommendations in Amsterdam

Amsterdam City Center


In the city center
you can have a high tea in the smallest house of Amsterdam, pancakes at Madam Pancake, Turkish food at Ali Ocakbasi, a fancy lunch at the brasserie of the Waldorf Astoria, a Thai meal at Adam and Siam, a luxury dinner with a Dutch twist at Lt. Cornelis or go for an English breakfast at Greenwoods Tearoom. On Sundays you can have a Mad Hatter’s Brunch at Bluespoon. Love interiors? Check out Restaurant Bridges, Cafe Ons Huis or art-deco cafe Americain.

De Pijp


In the Pijp you could go for tacos at Chiapas Taco Cartel, choose between 100 cereals at Cereal & Chill, or go for a healthy poke bowl at Temakary. Lover of Indonesian food? Mama Makan is the place for you! Right next to metro stop De Pijp you’ll find Happyhappyjoyjoy for Asian street-food.
A great breakfast spot is Dragon’s Delight.

Amsterdam East


In East
you can have delicious sushi at Sushi ‘n Sake, dinner at Frank’s Smoke House, go on a food tour on the Java street, have dinner at the water at Restaurant Nomads, eat rescued food at Instock or go for wonderful Italian food at Impero Romano. The Commons is open for lunch and dinner and you can enjoy affordable food from a Michelin star chef at Café Cliché.
In Amsterdam South-East you can stay at the beautiful QO Hotel and have brunch or dinner at Restaurant Persijn.

Amsterdam Zuid


In South there’s a great food market called Market 33 with pita’s from Pita Queen, a nice hotel with a lobby serving vega(n) food and a great sushi restaurant called Sushilee. You can also have vegetarian Asian food at Wagamama, Dutch cuisine with a twist at Restaurant Joost or be surprised about the high quality at a former garage at Restaurant Atelier.

Amsterdam West


In West you can have a fancy organic meal at MOER, a sweet mini pie at Sticky Fingers or go to Kanarieclub in the Hallen.

Amsterdam activities

The best thing you can do on a Friday night is going to Easylaughs for an improv comedy show. The international cast performs every Friday in English. Tickets are 10euros (4€ if you’re a student).
They also offer workshops every Sunday from 12-2pm. It’s for all levels, so no experience necessary.
You can just show up at the Crea and join in. Check their website for more information or like them on Facebook.

I’ve tried quite a few, but my favorite yoga school in Amsterdam is Yagoy. They have two studio’s, one in Amsterdam West and one in the Pijp. Their studio’s are light and airy, but not too big so you’ll always have small groups. They teach all their lessons in English. At Yagoy you can choose in what kind of mood you are: do you want to sweat? Are you feeling adventurous? Or do you want to find stillness? Yagoy caters to your needs.
You can try a lesson for just 10euros, or buy a ‘try your way’ pass for 5 lessons for 30€.

You might want to take the boat (or bike) to Zaandam to visit the Yada Yada food market and Lab44.

And if you’re staying in Hoofddorp you’ll also have several nice restaurants.


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