Everybody loves Amsterdam and there’s even more to fall in love with inside the Dutch capital’s eclectic restaurant scene.

This cool and trendy city has a cool and trendy restaurant scene to cater to its highly cosmopolitan residents. From classic institutions to fashionably chic locales to wine and dine in, here are our favorite restaurants in Amsterdam to seek out among the canals for delicious bites and good times!

 

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We love when style and function come together and that’s the perfect way to describe Grand Cafe Restaurant 1e Klas, inside Amsterdam Centraal train station. The grand majority of travelers will have to pass through Amsterdam Centraal train station at some point, which is why having an excellent dining option inside the station is a godsend on a hectic travel day.

Grand Cafe Restaurant 1e Klas is located on the 2^nd floor of Amsterdam Centraal Station (the staircase to the restaurant can be hard to find as it’s tucked away in the vestibule between the platforms and the main entrance). The space which the restaurant now occupies has been there since the station’s inauguration in 1889, as part of the original design. It was originally the waiting room for first class passengers in the station’s west wing and the restaurant maintains the lavish turn-of-the-century ambience. The main dining room is grand and ornate, with soaring arches and high windows, decorated by Dutch Golden Age paintings. The restaurant also branches into smaller rooms with walls that are beautifully hand-painted with whimsical floral and forest motifs.

Whenever you’re looking for a cool cafe space with amazing food, FACTORY GIRL is that girl. Tucked away among the cozy streets of trendy De Pijp, FACTORY GIRL is the place to go for a midday pick-me-up.

FACTORY GIRL is a cruelty-free vegan and vegetarian destination, as any of their dishes can be made without animal product. Whether you’re a vegan or omnivore is irrelevant because the food is so damn tasty. FACTORY GIRL offers bold and flavorful Mediterranean-inspired dishes that will leave you feeling full and enriched.

Turk’s Mom is every health nut’s fantasy of poached eggs, sauteed mushrooms, spinach and mixed salad on a bed of rich homemade yogurt and tomato plant-based butter sauce with toasted sourdough on the side. The menu has a solid list of other original cafe dishes like the Turkish Brekkie and Freaking Dirty Benedict that are similarly loaded with healthy goodness like hummus, fresh herbs, paprika spread and lots of runny eggs. Don’t leave without trying the Nana Borek, which is seriously one of the best borek’s you’ll ever taste. The perfectly crisp phyllo is laid with fluffy feta and yogurt, red chili butter sauce, spinach, alfalfa sprouts and walnuts. The cafe also offers a variety of vegan pastries, coffee, juices, smoothies and even wine and beer.

The Amsterdam location of the international steakhouse, MR PORTER, is set on the top floor of the ever-trendy W Amsterdam in the bustling Centraal/Canal district. As expected from the high-end steakhouse brand, MR PORTER can always be relied on to impress, whether it’s for a date, clients, friends or family. The restaurant is split into a chic bar lounge, trendy minimalist dining room and a vast, extensive terrace overlooking the entire stretch of Centraal district to the east. If you can snag a table outside on the terrace, that’s definitely the place to be!

MR PORTER offers a fabulous array of menu items for the international jetset crowd that will feel familiar but with an exciting and creative touch. Everything on the menu leads with bold flavors and gorgeous presentation, starting with the house focaccia that’s perfectly crispy and fluffy and served with a garlicky yogurt sauce that’s finger-licking good. Then move on to any of the starters like the Spicy Yellowtail Sashimi served on crispy lotus root chips or the Jumbo Prawn salad with grilled corn, avocado and a dried chili dressing which definitely has some good kick in the heat department.

Of course, the meat is what you came for and MR PORTER lives up to the hype and expectation. Meat lovers can order anything from a 200g filet mignon to a 1,100g Porterhouse, and the menu even includes the option for Japanese Wagyu A3. The rib-eye was tender and heavenly to chew into, with the perfect level of masterful marbling on the sides. The menu offers more sought-after meat options like chateaubriand with foie gras, lamb rack with roasted fennel or slow-cooked lamb ossobuco, for those who wish to enjoy meat that’s not in steak form. The sides are absolutely delightful as we highly recommend having the whole roasted leek bathed in a sweet glaze, plus the spicy pile of tomatoes to go with your steak.

MR PORTER’s mixology game is also on point, as the bar delivers a cocktail menu full of tantalizing tipples that doesn’t shy away from exotic flavors. Indulge in the Basilique, which mixes gin with basil and bergamot and a touch of orgeat, or the Mexican Punch which boldly infuses Patron Silver with pineapple, celery and shiso leaves. The original Porter Fashioned features peppercorn-infused Maker’s Mark with rosemary syrup, which we’re happy to report still maintains the stiff, classic profile of every cocktail aficionado’s favorite drink.

Whether you have an occasion to celebrate or simply want to treat yourself, MR PORTER is there is deliver mouthwatering steaks and swish ambience in the pulsing heart of Amsterdam!

You truly can’t leave Amsterdam without having some Surinamese food, considering it’s one of the staple cuisines in the Netherlands. As a former Dutch colony in South America, Surinamese cuisine is a rich blend of Chinese, Indonesian, Creole and Indian influences. With a large Surinamese population, the Netherlands is a great place to experience Suriname’s rich cuisine.

Warung Spang Makandra has been open since 1978 and it’s one of the most well-known and comfortable places to enjoy Surinamese in Amsterdam. They have two locations, one in De Pijp and one in West, that you can choose from, though the one in De Pijp is more central and typically busier with both locals and travelers.

Spang Makandra offers a rich menu of bold, flavorful dishes that can easily become comfort foods. You’ll find familiar Indonesian items like beef rendang, satay and gado gado. If you want to try a versatile dish with a lot of different things mixed in, go for the Spang Makandra Special which is a plate of nasi (rice) and noodles piled high with chicken satay, long beans, potato and sambal. Or try the Vegetarian version of the special which is even better as it comes with tofu, tempeh, cabbage, crispy potatoes and an egg. The roti is legendary at Spang Makandra, so don’t leave without trying the curry masala with the option of chicken, beef or lamb, which comes with soft, pillowy roti to tear into on the side.

Breman Brasserie is the fashionable bistro inside The Hoxton Lloyd Amsterdam, located in the up-and-coming Eastern Docklands area. Breman Brasserie offers both indoor and outdoor spaces for patrons to comingle in style, and is a great option for big groups. The outdoor patio is expansive and amazing, with more than enough tables for everyone to enjoy al fresco wining and dining in the summer. The interior of the restaurant is even more fabulous and chic. Set inside an airy space with bright natural light and high ceilings, the walls are generously decorated with whimsical abstract art and bright pops of color everywhere you look.

The food and drink menu are designed for a fun, lighthearted time, as expected from a whimsical space like Breman Brasserie. Expect light, appetizing crowd-pleasers like mussels with French fries, crispy cod sandwiches, lobster rolls and gem heart Caesar salads. There’s a raw bar offering local Zeeuse Dutch oysters with all the trimmings, tuna ceviche, half steamed lobster and caviar.

The cocktail list is made up of highly refreshing and fruity options to match the light mood. We love the Slap and Pickle featuring gin, apricot brandy and dill pickle brine, as well as the fun list of original Radlers like the Yuzu Pop-in with pale ale and yuzu sake. There’s also the current Summer Garden drinks menu which is fabulous and includes a lip-smacking Cherry Sangria featuring orange sherbert and cherry soda, and a Cucumber Bellini mixed with dill and St. Germaine.

When you’re done with dinner, be sure to head over to Barbue on the other side of the hotel as well. Barbue is the Lloyd Hotel’s snazzy cocktail bar which is giving hipster gentlemen’s club, with geometric upholstered lounge chairs and light marble top tables; the perfect spot for a vibey nightcap.