The best Amsterdam restaurants

1. Overview

2. Hotels

3. Attractions

4. Restaurants

5. Nightlife

6. Itineraries

From an apothecary shop-turned diner, to a double-Michelin restaurant with high-rise views, and the city's tastiest canalside sandwich joint, Telegraph Travel destination expert, Rodney Bolt, shares his top recommendations for a tasty time out in Amsterdam.

Canal Belt- West

Envy

Enter down a corridor past a long open kitchen, where a buzzing battery of chefs produces some of the most inventive new-Dutch cuisine in town (succulent lobster coupled with beetroot, then given another turn with bittersweet preserved lemon), in four-bite portions. Sharing five or six dishes in haute-tapas style is the way to do it. Italian charcuterie is a speciality, and the Dutch gourmet sausages are an adventure (lavender as a matching flavour for pork took me pleasantly by surprise). The light is dim, the corridor-like space a world of dark wood, black leatherette and chrome, the clientele fadingly fashionable.

Contact: 00 31 20 344 6407; envy.nl
Prices: ££
Opening times: Lunch Fri-Sun, 12pm-3pm; dinner daily, 6pm-1am (kitchen closes 11pm)
Reservations: Recommended
Best table: Ask for a side table when you reserve; the tall central tables with bar-stool chairs are not particularly comfortable.

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Bluespoon

Curious quilted chairs, bulbous baroque table legs, subversive Delftware patterns – design guru Marcel Wanders’ Alice-in-Wonderland dream world demands a star turn from the kitchen too; chef Sander Bierenbroodspot’s cuisine dazzles in response. Think handmade, truffle-touched gnocchi, cosily enfolded in egg yolk and Old Amsterdam cheese, with a tangle of salty Salicornia (a samphire-like dune plant). Or velvety pigeon, laid out like a little sculpture park, with coins of barbequed beetroot, wine-cooked cabbage and chanterelles. A knowledgeable waiter makes adventurous wine pairings, even for the inspirational cider soup and, quince and pine nut pudding.

Contact: 00 31 20 523 1250; bluespoon-restaurant.nl
Prices: ££
Opening times: Lunch daily, 12pm-3pm; dinner daily, 6pm-10pm
Reservations: Recommended

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Goodies

A perennial favourite for a lunchtime stop-off in the Negen Straatjes, between the main canals. Shoppers slip their bags under the tables, and take a break over sandwiches and big salads, with mainly organic ingredients. The vegetarian club sandwich bulges with pumpkin, avocado and grilled peppers and courgettes; the ‘forgotten vegetable’ salad (heritage squash, yellow beet and more) has a deliciously earthy mushroom dressing. There’s a really good line in homemade cakes (including moist carrot cake with cream cheese topping) and puddings, too. Décor is simple – bare tables, bright photographs, bold colours.

Contact: 00 31 20 625 6122; goforthegoodies.nl
Prices: £
Opening times: Lunch Mon-Wed, 12pm-6pm; Thurs, Fri, Sun 12pm-6.30pm; Sat 11am-6.30pm
Reservations: Not necessary
Best table: Go for the window counter, or one of the few terrace tables, for a good spot of people watching

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Jansz.

Through an old apothecary’s shop (its original shelving still intact) find a series of rooms, simply decorated with plain wood floors, grey wainscots and bentwood chairs. Shoppers from the Negen Straatjes quarter appear for lunch, young couples and Amsterdam foodies arrive at night, to savour chef Jeroen Robberegt’s cuisine: robust, big on flavour, full of subtle surprises. Scallops come accompanied by caramelised red onion and pea purée; perfectly cooked salmon with black rice (gently infused with dashi) and a tang of lime leaf. And all this with a canal view – sublime.

Contact: 00 31 20 523 5282; janszamsterdam.com
Prices: ££
Opening times: Breakfast, lunch and dinner Sun-Thurs, 6.30am-10pm; Fri-Sat 6.30am-11pm
Reservations: Recommended
Best table: One table (seating four) is in a room of its own, with cut-out silhouettes on the walls and a view of the canal

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Letting

Squeeze up, keep your elbows tucked in, and settle down to some home-style cooking, for breakfast, lunch or tea. Letting is small, the tables are teeny, and word is getting out about the soups, salads, mega sandwiches, and fluffy omelettes. It’s the soups, especially, that draw me here – perhaps thick lentil or herby tomato (the menu changes daily) served with sourdough bread. Also try the grilled goat's cheese salad, perked up with thyme, walnuts and honey. But breakfasts and brunches (scrambled eggs with smoked halibut) are also popular, as is high tea. It’s worth the wait if there isn’t a table, as turnover is fairly quick.

Contact: 00 31 20 627 9393
Prices: £
Opening times: Daily, 8.30am-5pm
Reservations: Recommended

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Canal Belt - East

Bouchon du Centre

A tiny restaurant, where Hanneke Schouten runs the show entirely on her own. You sit on bentwood chairs at one of a handful of tables covered with cheerful checked cloths, as if you were in her home kitchen and take pot luck – from the breads and saucisson, to pork-neck confit and coq au vin. By Hanneke’s own admission, it is food that is not for picky eaters, or vegetarians. This is a spot for long, luscious lunches and although open in the evenings, Hanneke likes an early night, and last orders are at 6.30pm.

Contact: 00 31 20 330 1128; bouchonducentreamsterdam.com
Prices:  ££
Opening times: Lunch, dinner Wed-Fri, 12pm-3pm, 5pm-8pm (last kitchen orders 6.30pm); Sat lunch, 12pm-3pm
Reservations: Essential

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GIN Neo

GIN Neo has a subterranean feel with partially painted walls, shadowy, white tablecloths in pools of low orange light. No, it’s not a gin joint – the name refers to owner-chef Jin Hu, the Dutch-born son of Chinese restaurateurs, who has branched out on a culinary adventure of his own. His 'neo-bistro' cuisine combines tastes and ideas from his Sino-Dutch youth with sensitive, imaginative forays into new flavours and combinations—try scallops given a ginger zing, softened by an earthy touch from Jerusalem artichokes and shiitake mushrooms. The set menus change completely every month, with weekly adjustments along the way.

Contact: 00 31 20 42 83 632; ginamsterdam.com
Prices: ££
Opening times: Dinner Mon-Sat, 6pm-10pm
Reservations: recommended

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Librije's Zusje

Amsterdam’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel occupies a stretch of six of the city’s grandest 17th-century canal mansions. The hotel has lured one of the Netherlands’ top chefs into town to establish a restaurant looking out into the garden at the back. From the langoustines with kimchi, magnolia and tulip bulbs, through carrots with fermented garlic, caraway and morels, to duck with bergamot-flavoured yoghurt, and then nori nougat, Sidney Schutte’s cooking represents all that is inspired and adventurous in Dutch cuisine. Try his cheeky take on the classic Waldorf salad: the same ingredients (walnuts, apples, celery) transformed into a surprisingly scrumptious dessert.

Contact: 00 31 20 718 4643; librijeszusje.com
Prices: £££
Opening times: Dinner Tues-Sat, 6.30pm-10pm
Reservations: Essential

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Lion Noir

Dimly lit, with dark wood, deep-green walls, bright prints, flashes of foliage, and the odd bit of surreal bric-a-brac such as a stuffed peacock. Staff  are friendly and efficient, and without a bristle of pretentiousness that such a venue seems normally to inspire. The chef is unafraid of big, unfussy flavours – duck with parsnip cream, carrots roasted with cumin, chicory, shiitake mushrooms and almonds; and sauteed sea bream with lemon risotto, purslane and crayfish tortellini. Vegetarian dishes aren’t wimpy either: truffle humus with smoked beetroot and roast chickpeas.

Contact: 00 31 20 627 6603; lionnoir.nl
Prices: ££
Opening times: Lunch Mon-Fri, 12pm-2.30pm; dinner daily, 6pm-10pm
Reservations: Recommended
Best table: Try for a table in the courtyard garden, beside the building’s supremely elegant rear façade

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La Rive

A stalwart of Amsterdam fine dining: La Rive offers crisp linen and silver service beside the languid River Amstel. Chef Rogér Rassin shows a fine touch when it comes to classic flavours (such as seabass with creamy bagna càuda), coupled with an insouciance and daring that results in dishes you’ll remember for months; it will take me even longer than that to forget the bittersweet, crunchy marinated tomato amuse on ginger sorbet, or grated dehydrated balsamic vinegar giving a cheeky kick to raw scallops, ceps and veal tartare. Sommelier Ted Bunnik makes imaginative wine matches, and though the atmosphere is formal, it’s by no means stuffy.

Contact: 00 31 20 520 3264; restaurantlarive.nl
Prices: £££
Opening times: Daily, 6.30pm-10pm
Reservations: Essential
Best table: Ask for one at the riverside window

Tujuh Maret

A favourite spot for an Indonesian rijsttafel – a feast of tiny, spicy dishes served with rice and relishes. The restaurant is simple and homely, and the service has delightful, personal touches (such as a basket of reading glasses, for those who have forgotten theirs at home.) Elsewhere, rijsttafel dishes can be a set of barely distinguishable curries, but here each is subtle and different. You can order courses individually, but the Rijsttafel Minahasa is recommended for its bounty, and subtlety of flavours. You'll end up stuffed: consider skipping lunch if you’re coming for dinner.

Contact: 00 31 20 427 9865; new.tujuhmaret.nl
Prices: ££
Opening times: Lunch and dinner daily, 12pm-10pm
Reservations: Recommended

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Museum District and De Pijp

ARC

Named after the former city archive in which it is housed, ARC is anything but fusty. The décor is sleek and quietly contemporary (black marble table tops, metal-framed chairs with soft grey upholstery), and the cuisine is – literally and metaphorically – spectacular. Thinly sliced octopus comes with membrane-slim radishes, micro herbs (some caught between two single layers of millefeuille pastry) and a shower of mini grape-like tapioca crisps hiding all sorts of secret, surprising flavours. Then pigeon, gently smoked over pine leaves, or succulent carabineros prawn, with bisque and flavours of coconut and lime. Heavenly.

Contact: 00 31 20 220 6902; arc.amsterdam
Prices: £££
Opening times: Daily, lunch and dinner, 12pm till late
Reservations: Recommended

Auberge Jean & Marie

Among the foodie flummery and über-hip eateries in the dining quarter of De Pijp comes a calming breath of classicism – and a sweet breath it is, too, if tinged with a little garlic. Auberge Jean & Marie offers traditional French cuisine and superb wines in a fresh and modern interior with pale grey walls and white-clothed tables decorated with a single rose. Indulge in delicate prawn bisque poured over lightly stewed fennel; slow-cooked cheek of veal with salsify (a root vegetable with a distinctly oyster-ish tast, fried and home-pickled) and a perfect risotto.

Contact: 00 31 20 845 2005; aubergeamsterdam.nl
Prices: ££
Opening times: Lunch and dinner, Tue-Sat, 12pm-11pm; Sun 12pm-8pm
Reservations: Recommended

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Ciel Bleu

Wunderkind Onno Kokmeijer, who picked up two Michelin stars in quick succession in his early thirties, comes up with delightfully wayward creations such as oysters with elderflower, green apple and celery, or pigeon with pistachio cream and smoked beetroot, in a full silver service, classical setting. Well-heeled, well-dressed epicures rub shoulders with business folk on fat expense accounts. There’s an excellent wine list, worth exploring for its odder corners. The restaurant, on the 23rd floor of one of the tallest buildings in town, offers a rare unrestricted view across the entire city.

Contact: 00 31 20 678 7450; okura.nl/en
Prices: £££
Opening times: Dinner Mon-Sat, 6.30pm-10.30pm
Reservations: Recommended
Best table: Ask for a table at the window, on the northern side for the best views

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Couscous Club

Just couscous, and only three types to choose from, but made with fine ingredients, in the traditional manner (with the couscous being steamed over the bubbling vegetable stock), and served in convivial surrounds. The Couscous Club does indeed have a clubby feel – a relaxed, neighbourhood place, full of regulars, popular with groups of friends getting together to chat, grab a bite, and enjoy a couple of bottles of wine. The vegetarian couscous is varied, subtle in flavour, and hard to beat. The couscous ‘Royal’ with succulent lamb and a touch of spicy merguez is what most people come for.

Contact: 00 31 20 673 3539; couscousclub.nl
Prices: £
Opening times: Tue-Sun, 5pm-10.30pm
Reservations: Recommended

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Elements

A training restaurant for students in their final year at hotel school, diners might expect to encounter the odd wobble, but most will never be disappointed here. The dishes are refined, well-presented and a real treat – not to mention easy on the pocket. Try the successfully adventurous dish of mussels with coconut and Franco-Indian vadouvan spices, and then farm-kitchen veal with aubergine and Marsala sauce. The kitchen closes early (7pm), but the restaurant is only a short walk from the Concertgebouw, making it an ideal for a pre-concert meal.

Contact: 00 31 20 579 1717; heerlijkamsterdam.nl
Prices: £
Opening times: Mon-Fri, lunch from 11.30am, dinner from 6pm (arrive before 1pm for lunch; before 7pm for dinner)
Reservations: Essential

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La Falote

More traditionally Dutch ambience and food would be hard to find. Setting the tone is a folksy interior, hearty blonde waitresses, and a chef who can sometimes be persuaded to come out and play the accordion as the evening wears on. The cooking comes from an earlier generation: pots of mussels, cooked ham and mustard, steak with tomato and melted cheese and a North Sea prawn cocktail. And it wouldn’t be Dutch if you couldn’t round it all off with a good wedge of homemade apple pie. The restaurant is busy around 6pm, but eases up later in the evening.

Contact: 00 31 20 662 5454; lafalote.nl
Prices: £
Opening times: Dinner Mon-Fri, 3pm-9pm; Sat, 5pm-9pm
Reservations: Recommended

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Little Collins

Australian owner-chefs rev up the dining scene at one of this popular spots in De Pijp. It’s brisk and busy and emanates no pretensions with a 'it’s the food that matters' atmosphere: plain walls, scrubbed wood, jars of home-made pickles. Top-quality ingredients and imagination and style go into dishes such as grilled stilton bruschetta with pears, and saffron-pickled mackerel. The idea is to share dishes tapas-style. Brunch (highly hip in Amsterdam) is big at Little Collins, with such stalwarts as kedgeree and eggs hollandaise joined by the likes of oysters with tequila-lime granita.

Contact: 00 31 20 753 9636; littlecollins.nl
Prices: £-££
Opening times: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Wed-Thurs, 10.30am-10pm; Fri-Sun, 9am-10pm; breakfast & lunch Mon, 9am-4pm
Reservations: Recommended

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Mamouche

One of the first restaurants to begin propelling De Pijp neighbourhood towards foodie heaven, Mamouche produces refined Moroccan cuisine. The traditional dishes are there – an excellent chicken tagine, with artichokes, green olives and preserved lemon, and subtlety sweet bastilla (chicken with almonds and sweet spices in filo pastry) – but I prefer the menu’s wilder shores: fig, goat cheese and avocado millefeuille with an orange dressing; duck confit with pureed sweet potato and cinnamon sauce. The interior is dark wood, soft lighting, decorative brass candlesticks; the service warmly friendly; the crowd young professional.

Contact: 00 31 20 670 0736; mamouche.restaurant
Prices: ££
Opening times: Dinner daily, 5pm-11pm
Reservations: Recommended
Best table: In good weather they sometimes put a few tables outside – try to book one of those, as the restaurant is in a spot with great street life.

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Maydanoz

Splendidly patterned Turkish tiles line the walls, light glints through the coloured glass of lamps and lanterns, and from the kitchen come prime grills and Turkish cuisine. The old favourites are there – baba ganoush, homemade with smoky, wood-grilled aubergine and crisp filo börek stuffed with feta. But there are more adventurous dishes, too, such as rocket salad with pomegranate dressing. The grilled fish, fresh from the nearby market, and a real treat. There’s a mixed crowd – Maydanoz gets its share of hip De Pijp diners, but it is also a popular neighbourhood hangout.

Contact: 00 31 20 676 1195; maydanoz-amsterdam.nl
Prices: ££
Opening times: Lunch and dinner, Tue-Sun, 1pm-10.30pm
Reservations: Not necessary

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Moksi

Moksi is the epitome of good, old-fashioned 'mamma-cooks-best' food found in the heart of hyper hip De Pijp. The décor is basic; you might even find catering equipment piled on the table next to you, and the place has limited, and often erratic, opening hours. But if you can get past that, you’ll be rewarded with the best Surinamese cooking in town. The kitchen is ruled by a matriarch (the frequent closures happen when she’s catering for a party), who comes up with superb curries, sate and roti dishes – her wild duck roti is my personal all-time favourite.

Contact: 00 31 20 676 8264; moksi.nl
Prices: £
Opening times: Dinner, Tues-Thurs, 5pm-10pm; usually closed over weekends, but worth phoning to check
Reservations: Not necessary

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Pomorosso

Two young Sicilians with a passion for cooking join up with a band of Italian expat friends to create a restaurant that might have been beamed in from Naples. Chatter and banter fill the air, Claudio suggests a wine, Tony tosses the perfect pizza dough, Elio is cooking up a storm and Francesca emerges from the kitchen with a steaming plate of tagliatelle with mushrooms and sausage. Pastas are homemade with most ingredients sourced direct from Italy, and those pizzas are thin and perfectly crusty. I can never resist the antipasto grande – multiple platters of warm and cold starters.

Contact: 00 31 20 379 0453; pomorosso.nl
Prices: £-££
Opening times: Dinner, Wed-Sun, 6pm-11pm
Reservations: Essential

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Rijks

Star chef Joris Bijdendijk, still in his twenties, glitters in this small restaurant found beneath the Rijksmuseum. There is a delicate, sophisticated touch given to his dishes: wild duck with sweet-and-sour fennel; pumpkin, aromatic with fresh porcini and hazelnut. This is by far the best cuisine to be had near the big museums, and well worth a special lunchtime treat. As befitting a restaurant at the national museum, Bijdendijk sources mainly local and traditional products. Try one of the Dutch white wines such as Apostelhoeve Riesling – they are surprisingly good.

Contact: 00 31 20 674 7555; rijksrestaurant.nl
Prices: ££-£££
Opening times: Lunch and dinner Mon-Sat, 11.30am-10pm; lunch Sun, 11.30am-3pm
Reservations: Recommended

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Serre

Serre offers a scaled-down selection of past signature dishes from the chart-topping Ciel Bleu restaurant upstairs at The Okura Hotel. Try the seabass tartare with crispy oysters and anchovy kadaifi, and grilled lamb with polenta and garlic-and-sage jus. The three-course Bibendum Menu is especially good value, or you can simply drop by for a club sandwich in this pared down setting: muted beige upholstery is offset by a bold blue ceiling; tables are well-spaced and the tree-shaded canalside terrace (with no traffic thundering by) is one of the best in town.

Contact: 00 31 20 678 7450; okura.nl/en/culinary/serre/
Prices: ££
Opening times: Daily, 12pm-3pm, 5.30pm-10pm
Reservations: Recommended

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Sinne

Small tables within just-squeeze-by distance of each other; bare bricks, white walls – and a nightly crowd of food enthusiasts in the know. Sinne is in the thick of De Pijp hip dining quarter and has an unpretentious atmosphere. All energies hone in on the food: marinated oysters in a smoky citrus dressing, with lime and radish and other startling turns of flavour that shoot across your palate; pumpkin and macadamia nut ravioli, with tones of Jerusalem artichoke, in a smoked garlic sauce. Dishes are exquisitely presented, and the price tag nowhere near as big as you might expect.

Contact: 00 31 20 682 7290; restaurantsinne.nl
Prices: ££
Opening times: Dinner Wed-Sat, Sun, 6pm-9pm; lunch Sun, 12pm-2pm
Reservations: Recommended

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De Taart van m'n Tante

High camp confectionary among vintage bric-a-brac, 'My Aunt’s Cake'’ is the lovechild of Siemon de Jong and Noam Offer, famed for their creations – cakes with stripes and spots, with gaudy colours and frosted flourishes, sporting marzipan fruit and naked men. But they restrain themselves too, and come up with more conventional fare: cheesecakes, fruit tarts and sponges – all in a setting of old designer chairs and flea-market furnishings. It’s all great fun for afternoon tea if you’re in De Pijp, worth a detour if you’re not. The chocolate tart is (probably quite literally) to die for.

Contact: 00 31 20 776 4600; detaart.com
Prices: £
Opening times: Lunch Wed-Fri, Sun-Mon, 10am-6pm; Sat 10am-7pm
Reservations: Not necessary

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Vondelpark3

Occupying part of a grand 1870s pleasure pavilion on the edge of Amsterdam’s most popular park, Vondelpark3 has an indoors area as well as an extensive terrace under the trees. It’s a great place for a leisurely (albeit late) breakfast, healthy lunch, or languid supper on a long summer’s evening. The fare ranges from trad (club sandwich; Caesar salad) to the super-healthy, with a wide range of raw and vegan options (a wrap with quinoa, avocado, black beans and little gem), all really well-prepared, with top-quality ingredients. You can also drop by simply for a coffee, or sundowner with snacks.

Contact: 00 31 20 639 2589; vondelpark3.nl
Prices: £
Opening times: Mon-Thurs, 10am-6pm, Fri-Sun, 10am-8pm (and from Mid-March, daily 10am-10pm)
Reservations: Recommended

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Central Amsterdam

Bird

Crush up at the window counter or grab one of the handful of small tables for tangy Thai food, cooked while you wait. Dishes are basic, and turnover is quick – this is really just a snack bar – but for authenticity and flavour, the cooking is hard to beat. I especially love the squid with basil and chilli. Though Bird restaurant across the road is run by the same people, is more comfortable and has a more sedate ambience, I’ve always found the food disappointing in comparison to a lively meal at the snack bar.

Contact: 00 31 20 420 6289; thaibird.nl
Prices: £
Opening times: Lunch and dinner, Mon-Wed, 1pm-10pm; Thurs-Sun, 1pm-10.30pm
Reservations: Not possible

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5&33

A hidden (literally: you can’t see it from the street) gem near Centraal Station – an area otherwise arid of good eateries. 5&33 sits between an open kitchen and a large open hearth, in the depths of the designer-savvy art’otel. You sink into comfortable chairs at widely spaced tables to share delectable dishes such as homemade tagliolini with truffles, chewy wild red rice salad with broad beans, or pork shank with honey-lemon jus. The food is top-rate, portions really are sufficient for two, and staff are thoughtful and honest in their recommendations (no upsell or pushing dud dishes).

Contact: 00 31 20 820 5333; 5and33.nl
Prices: ££
Opening times: Sun-Thurs, 6.30am-1am; Fri-Sat, 6.30am-2am (last food orders at 10.30pm)
Reservations: Recommended

Bougainville

Quietly detached from the hectic life on the Dam, in a cocoon of rich fabrics and sumptuously soft upholstery, at convivial round tables you can succumb to a succession of delicate, finely tuned dishes from executive chef Tim Golsteijn, under inspired guidance of 'signature' chef Pascal Jalhay. Local products and unalloyed natural flavours predominate, with a nod to the Netherlands’ trading past: pork belly and langoustine, with different preparations of pumpkin and just a waft of vadouvan spices. Inspired sommelier Lendl Mijnhijmer employs his extensive knowledge and fine sense of adventure to alight on wine matchings with pinpoint accuracy.

Contact: 00 31 20 218 2182; restaurantbougainville.com
Prices: £££
Opening times: Tues-Sat, 6.30pm-11pm
Reservations: Essential

The Duchess

Housed in the magnificent former counting house of a bank, built in 1906 and complete with enormous, distant, stained-glass roof, The Duchess became the talk-of-the-town the moment it opened, as much for the space and sumptuous décor as for the cuisine (everything from foie gras-filled donuts to good old beef Wellington). You can toy with cocktails, seated in a sofa in the comfy bar section, then repair to the dining hall beneath a wall of portraits (which turn out to be LED screen projections), for a night out with Amsterdam hipsters.

Contact: 00 31 20 811 3322; the-duchess.com
Prices: £££
Opening times: Dinner Sun-Wed, 6pm-11pm; Thurs-Sat, 6pm-11.30pm; Lunch Mon-Fri 12pm-2.30pm; Saturday 12pm-3pm, Sunday 12pm-4pm
Reservations: Recommended

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Oosterdok and Amsterdam East

Greetje

A portrait of Greetje, the owner’s mother, smiles out at you from the wall amidst wooden wainscoting, Delft blue-and-white wallpaper, and the odd chandelier. And most contented she would be, could she see what was happening in her name. Greetje harks back to good, traditional values in Dutch cooking, to a world of pure ingredients and forgotten flavours, but often with a cheeky twist. Think wolf fish with beetroot and Roseval potato confit. Greetje’s Big Beginning is a must – a magnificent tier of starters: chicken rillettes cooked with orange, veal-tongue terrine, salsify and horseradish soup, and more. 

Contact: 00 31 20 779 7450; restaurantgreetje.nl
Prices: ££
Opening times: Dinner Sun-Thurs, 6pm-10pm; Fri-Sat, 6pm-11pm
Reservations: Essential

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De Laatste Kruimel

Homemade is trending in Amsterdam, and De Laatste Kruimel’s forest-fruit bread puddings, dangerous chocolate cake and comfy scones (like Granny made, with home-made jam and lashes of cream) top the lot. Some of the wilder experiments (courgette and lemon-curd tart) don’t quite do it for me, but this remains one of my favourite afternoon sugar-fix pit stops. It’s small and usually crowded, but the upended wooden fruit-box seats ensure a quick turnover. They do a variety of quiches and other savouries, too, plus good coffee and smoothies to go with it all.  

Contact: 00 31 20 423 0499; delaatstekruimel.nl
Prices: £
Opening times: Breakfast and lunch Mon-Sat, 8am-8pm, Sun 9am-8pm
Reservations: Not necessary

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The Lobby

A long bar, lots of space, comfy leather chairs, and witty designer quirks such as an open hearth suspended mid-air from its own chimney – all these facets make The Lobby at once hip and cosy. Dishes are hearty, healthy and superbly done – try the Pollock with chanterelles and kale. The wine list includes some intriguing, lesser-known bottles, with a good range by the glass. The Flammkuchen – thin, pizza-like Alsace bread, spread with crème fraiche and savoury toppings such as confit de canard and prune – are a must. If you're very hungry, you could manage one as a starter.

Contact: 00 31 20 758 5275; thelobbynesplein.nl
Prices: £-££
Opening times: Lunch and dinner daily, 12pm-10pm
Reservations: Recommended

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Wing Kee

Everyone has their favourite restaurant in China Town, and I will fight Wing Kee’s corner till I drop. We’re talking neon lights, plastic chairs, and sometimes gruff service, but the roast suckling pig (crispy crackling and meltingly succulent meat), and the noodle dishes (delicate stock and subtle, distinct flavours) are unsurpassed. The suckling pig is usually only available over weekends (it is worth checking before you sit down), but then the duck is pretty good, too. Note that there’s no alcohol licence, and that the 'Bring Your Own Booze' concept does not hold in Amsterdam.

Contact: 00 31 20 623 5683
Opening times: Lunch and dinner daily, 12pm-10pm
Prices: £
Reservations: Not necessary

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The Jordaan and Amsterdam West

Foodhallen Amsterdam

A hip, upmarket version of an Asian food hall, with different vendors ranged around a pool of central tables. You can mix and match from healthy wraps and salads, Turkish meze, sushi, chunky Dutch meat grills, Vietnamese springrolls, Mumbai street food, and much more. Or perhaps have just a drink with Dutch cheeses or charcuterie. It all takes place in a former tram depot, in Amsterdam’s most hot-and-happening quarter at the moment, just west of the city centre. Very few of the vendors sell anything soft to drink, and it can be a hassle to wait at the only bar.

Contact: foodhallen.nl
Prices: £
Opening times: Sun-Thurs: food stalls 11am-8pm, bar open until 12.30am. Fri-Sat: food stalls open 11am-9pm, bar open until 1am
Reservations: Not possible

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L'Invité

Pristine white interior, sparkling crystal, linen tablecloths, a black-and-white marble floor, and classic French cuisine (with modern variations). And all this on one of the prettiest canals in town. Conversations boom and burble as confident local professionals pop corks, meet friends and sit down to grilled entrecôte with slowly cooked calf cheek, or chicory tarte tatin. Chef Sico de Moel gives idiosyncratic twists to the menu, such as quail cooked with blood sausage and cloves, but is very down-to-earth when it comes to ingredients: fish from the market, locally farmed meat and fresh produce, most of it organic.

Contact: 00 31 20 570 2010; linvite.nl
Prices: ££
Opening times: Dinner Tues-Sun, 6pm-10pm; lunch Sat-Sun, 12pm-3pm
Reservations: Recommended

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Koevoet

With its dark wood panelling, Tiffany lampshades, wall clocks and assorted bric-a-brac, Koevoet seems every inch a traditional Jordaan café – until you get the menu. The cooking is by a wildly talented Sicilian family who supply homemade pastas, their own sausages (with a smoky fennel tang), and other fine flavours of the south. The artichoke ravioli ranks easily with the best I’ve tasted. The restaurant is hugely popular among visitors to town, dating couples, and local Italian expats, though perhaps more expensive than you might expect given the simple style.

Contact: 00 31 20 624 0846; koevoetamsterdam.com
Prices: ££
Opening times: Dinner Tues-Sun, 5.30pm-10pm
Reservations: Recommended

La Perla

A prime corner spot, neighbourhood conviviality, and wholesome Italian food – La Perla is a favourite hangout in the Jordaan quarter. It’s on a bustling alley of galleries, quirky shops and eateries, and is open all day – great for lunch after the Saturday farmer’s market, or for one of those chatty afternoon coffees that becomes a drink, then dinner. Wood-oven pizzas come with adventurous toppings such as fennel-seed salami with artichokes. There are salads and charcuterie platters, too and the homemade ravioli is a treat – but you will have to come at lunchtime to get it.

Contact: 00 31 20 624 8828; pizzaperla.nl
Prices: £
Opening times: Daily, 10am-10pm (pizzas available from 5pm)
Reservations: Recommended

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De Reiger

Old-fashioned Amsterdam eetcafé ('eating café') dining at its best. With its high ceilings, mahogany bar, wooden wainscoting, Art Deco lamps and old prints, De Reiger dates from the time when De Jordaan was a working-class quarter. The clientele has moved upmarket, but the atmosphere and no-nonsense fare hark back to the Jordaan of old. Daily-changing menus are chalked up on the wall, and might include lamb’s shank with rosemary sauce, and a tarte tatin. Arrive early. You can’t reserve tables, but De Reiger is a convivial place for a pre-dinner drink, and the wait is seldom very long.

Contact: 00 31 20 624 7426; dereigeramsterdam.nl
Prices: ££
Opening times: Dinner Tues-Fri, 5pm-10.30pm; lunch Sat, 12pm-4pm, dinner 6pm-10.30pm, dinner Sun, 4pm-10.30pm
Reservations: Not possible

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Rijsel

A trendsetter in the local move towards no-nonsense ruig (literally 'shagg', or 'rough') cuisine, Rijsel occupies what was the canteen of a former health clinic. In some ways, things have barely changed – bright lights, ceiling fans, noisy conversation, the clink and clash of crockery and cutlery. But there the comparison stops. The food, though hearty and traditional, is subtle, flavourful, perfectly prepared, in dishes such as cod with mussel vinaigrette, and skirt steak with a classic shallot sauce. The rotisserie chicken is superb – and the Anjou pigeon (should it be on the menu) is even better.

Contact: 00 31 20 463 2142; rijsel.com
Prices: ££
Opening times: Dinner Mon-Sat, 6pm-10pm
Reservations: Essential

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Spirit

Large windows let in floods of light and a view of one of Amsterdam’s last remaining windmills. Pale wood, white walls and high ceilings add to the air of brightness and well-being. In the midst of it all, a long buffet table is spread with hot and cold delights – 100 per cent organic, all vegetarian. Flavours venture away from the norm (wild carrot salad with yacon root, hazel nuts and tahini), but there are also old favourites and delicious veg curries. They also do a great chocolate mousse and a wicked range of cakes and pastries.

Contact: 00 31 20 737 1671; spiritrestaurants.nl
Prices: £
Opening times: Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, 8am-11pm
Reservations: Recommended

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Amsterdam North

Stork

A cavernous café and seafood restaurant in a former bottle-making plant, on the banks of the IJ in Amsterdam Noord – this old docklands quarter is experiencing a massive makeover, and emerging with a vibrant arts and café scene. Stork was a forerunner, and is a favourite place to eat where one can sit and watch the boat traffice go by. The atmosphere alone is worth the ferry trip, but for me it’s hard to beat sharing a bottle of bubbly over a mixed crab and shellfish platter as the sun sets.

Contact: 00 31 20 634 4000; restaurantstork.nl
Prices: £-££
Opening times: Lunch and dinner daily, 11am-10pm
Reservations: Recommended

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Outer limits

De School

Out in up-and-coming, multicultural Amsterdam West, De School is housed in what was the teaching workshop of a former technical college – all tiled floors, glass, and bare concrete beams. The setting is industrial, the atmosphere unpretentious, and the food sublime. Think gazpacho made with tart tomatillos instead of tomato, given sweet and savoury turns and spirals by feta, watermelon and pomegranate. De School is a little out of town, and – squeezed in between a public swimming pool and the ring road – is not in a particularly eye-catching location, but is certainly worth the journey.

Contact:00 31 20 737 3197; deschoolamsterdam.nl
Prices: ££
Opening times: Dinner Tues-Sat, 6pm-10pm
Reservations: Recommended

From an apothecary-shop-turned-diner, to a double-Michelin restaurant with high-rise views, and the city's tastiest canal-side sandwich joint, Telegraph Travel destination expert, Rodney Bolt, shares his top recommendations for a tasty time out in Amsterdam.