No Herring, Please. A Not-So-Typical Food Tour of Amsterdam
By Pia Mileaf-Patel
Pia Mileaf-Patel is the New York City high school student behind the food blog Nosh To Meet You. She recently went to Amsterdam and decided to explore the food scene as if she were a native of the city, rather than a tourist. Here’s what she saw and ate.
Walking through Amsterdam, you can see groups of people on food tours stopping at famous herring carts for pickled fish, or tasting different kinds of salted licorice at the old candy shops. Instead of taking that well-worn route, I decided to visit the places a girl my age would go if she were a native of the city. I imagined that instead of living in an apartment building in Manhattan, I inhabited a beautiful houseboat, where every morning the canal glistened just outside of the windows.
As it turns out, even the locals told me not to seek out traditional eats. Like the man who works at Droog (the ultra modern concept store where I spotted a lamp filled with fat that melts as the light heats it up). He warned me that I wouldn’t be trying the most interesting food the city has to offer, but rather loads of food that people eat for nostalgia’s sake. On the other hand regarding Dutch food, the FEBO fast food kiosks, unique to Amsterdam, came highly recommended by a waitress I met. She said they are the destination for a perfect greasy midnight snack. Just what you want on your way home from a night out, she said.
One thing about the restaurants in Amsterdam, which I wish were true back home in New York, is that they were calm, and festive without being trendy. Outside of Bakers & Roasters, for example, people patiently sipped cappuccinos, browsed the menu, and talked to their friends while waiting for their brunch tables at the popular and crowded spot. Perhaps everyone was chill because they walk and bike everywhere, but in any case, it was just the right atmosphere for enjoying a meal.
The slideshow above features some of my favorite cafes, coffee shops, and restaurants in Amsterdam. Each is a perfect place to stop when you need a break from walking along the dazzling canals, admiring the Vermeers at the Rijksmuseum, or riding your bike with the rush hour crowd.
More on how to eat like local with Yahoo Food:
The Do’s and Don’ts of Eating Good, Cheap Food in Europe
