Otto’s recommendations for Amsterdam!
Welcome to my hometown!
Since I live right in the city center I know this city can be dangerous: loads of tourist traps out there! That’s why I made Otto’s survival guide to Amsterdam.
(My mail = onooitgedacht@gmail.com)
Cheers,
And don’t forget to write me a review here of course 😉
Food / Restaurants
Food / Breakfast / Lunch
Dutch Snacks
Food Markets
Bars
Nightlife
Shopping
Coffeeshops (no coffee, weed!)
Museums
Parks
Things to do
More Free Tours in Amsterdam
Food / Restaurants
Sonneveld
is a nice dutch eating cafe in the beautiful Jordaan area, €13 for real dutch stamppot: hutspot.
Website
Haesje Claes Restaurant
Ornate tiles and wood paneling adorn this traditional Dutch restaurant spread over 6 quaint houses Around €18 for a dish.
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Foodhallen
Indoor food market with 18 stands all kinds of Dutch and international cuisine and street food. Between €5-€15
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Moeders
The way my mom cooks. Photos of mums & antiques line this quirky restaurant with a terrace, serving Dutch classics. Popular, so make sure to reserve +3120 626 7957.
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Silveren Spiegel
Fancy Dutch restaurant in beautiful tilting merchant house that looks like it will fall over any minute. 3 courses €45.
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TerraZen Center
Funky, family-run cafe with communal seating offering vegan versions of Caribbean & Japanese dishes. €10-16
Website
Ocha Thai food
Amazing Thai food for a very affordable price. Warning: No alcohol served and personnel has very strange sense of humor 🙂 12€
Website
Indonesian:
Some say the best dutch food is Indonesian food!
(Yes, sadly because of our colonial past…. )
Kantjil en de Tijger
You can sit down and have the “rice table” where you get tiny dishes everybody can share amazing diversity of taste. I come here often to score the Kantjil To- Go meals. €7 To Go, €28 Restaurant
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Tempo Doeloe
More traditional.
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Cafe Kadijk
Amazing indonesian but with dutch influence
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Seafood bar
Simply great seafood, 35€ for a huge 2 person platter. €20
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Genki- Garden
The best all-you-can-eat sushi place in Amsterdam. Delicious. Make sure to call them and reserve a spot in the garden: +3120 626 3727
Lunch €18/Dinner €28
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Cannibale Royale
For the meat lovers! Amazing steaks and ribs. 15€
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De Prael
This famous Amsterdam brewery is run by the “not-normal”, and has not normal good beer and food! €8- €15
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Bierfabriek
This brewery has 3 amazing home brewed beers, finger licking chicken and unlimited free peanuts.
Chicken €12,50 / Craft beer 3,50
Website
Breakfast/lunch
Dutch Pancake House Upstairs. Only Lunch! open until 18:00!
Budget Italian: Caldi e Fredi
Real Italian cappuchino for just 1,30
Amazing Italian sandwitches for 3,50 and calzones for 2,50
Dutch snacks
Best French fries at Vleminckx Sausmeesters or Frietsteeg. Important: Get Oorlog sauce (peanut sauce, mayonnaise and chopped onion), or Speciaal sauce (ketchup or curry, mayonnaise and chopped onion).
Buy the fresh Stroopwafel with molten caramel on the market for 2 euro (like albert cuyp) or van Wonderen (really expensive)
Try Cheese?
Go to Cheese and more by Henri Willig or the Cheese Museum and try 25 different dutch cheeses for free. Buy cheapest cheese on the market but be careful, not always ready to fly.
Try: Herring at any herring stand (be careful with the amount of unions)
Alcohol: Ask for Jenever or Kopstoot in any cafe (Dutch Gin) or go to Wynand Focking (dutch distillery) or Proeflokaal ’t Kelkje
(Food) markets
There is a big food market on the Albert Cuyp every day except Sunday.
Bars
Shoot a Windmill selfie while tasting the best craft beer of a’dam at: Brouwerij ‘t IJ ((closes around 20:30)
OR
Brouwerij de Prael (Open till late)
Hanneke’s Boom
Hipster hangout with Simple food & good beer looking out over the water
Website
Date? Cafe de Dokter! Cute tiny cafe. Ask the owner why there is dust everywhere (does get crowded).
Cocktailbar Tales and Spirits (order the Splish Splash).
Golem is a cafe good for craft beer.
The Bloemenbar at Spuiplein is open until late, the Poolbar around the same area is aslo a very nice spot.
Live Music usually free entrance:
Nightlife
Look through the agenda what you like, usually you have to buy tickets in advance in Amsterdam.
Shopping
For nice boutique shops go to the 9 streets or the Haarlemmerstraat in the Jordaan area.
For the expensive big brand fashion shops go to the Pieter Cornelis hooft straat between the Vondelpark and the museum square.
All the ‘standard’ shops (like H&M or Nike/Adidas) can be found at the Kalverstraat and the Nieuwendijk.
Coffeeshops (no coffee; weed)
Just to buy:
https://goo.gl/maps/
Museums
Van Gogh Museum
Prefer weekdays because it can get crowded. First watch the movie “Loving Vincent”
Website
Rijksmuseum
You can spend days here, most incredible museum in Amsterdam.
Website
Amsterdam Museum
History of Amsterdam with cool video’s and some historical artwork.
Website
Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder
Secret Catholic church from the 17th century, great to see what the 17th century houses looked like and how they prayed in secret.
Website
For 5€ you can book a tour with this old hippie that created the first museum of fluorescent art and made loads of it himself while on lsd. Mind blowing stuff! Specially if you just had some good “coffee”
Book at least 2 hours in advance
Website
Parks
The Vondelpark. It’s in the middle of the city and always nice to visit. Play some games, make music or just simply light up, lay back and enjoy.
Amsterdamse bos is a nice place and they also have a place where you can cuddle with goats.
Website
Fun activities in Amsterdam
Complete your visit to Amsterdam, by exploring the city on its beautiful canals. For a quality tour with excellent service, I highly recommend
Flag Ship
Mystery city puzzle tour, discover the city and its history by solving a puzzle. Challenge yourself and try it!
Mystery City Escape Game Amsterdam
Go to the hipster area NDSM, an old boat factory that’s turned into an artist hotspot:
– Cross the water to the North with the ferry behind Central Station. (Important: Get the most left ferry to the NDSM wharf)
– Walk around and look at the street art, you can already see the big Anne Frank mural from the ferry!
– Have a beer at the imitation city beach called PLEKK
– Eat good food in an old greenhouse with small garden and waterside view, called Noorderlicht
Join our themed tours!
Did you enjoy our Classic Tour? Dive deeper into the Dutch culture with our Free Alternative Tour or Free Food Tour:
