AMSTERDAM: Searching for GREAT restaurants for foodies
Mar 14th, 2009, 09:53 PM
#1
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AMSTERDAM: Searching for GREAT restaurants for foodies
We are looking for a special foodie restaurant in Amsterdam, preferably French/Italian/Dutch for either lunch or dinner. Hopefully it's something unique or fun, but the most important criteria is great food. We'll settle for a solid comfort food restaurant if there's nothing special.
Mar 15th, 2009, 01:27 AM
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Try Sogno near the Marriott. We had 2 excelllent dinners there a few months ago.
http://www.diningcity.com/amsterdam/.../index_eng.jsp
http://www.diningcity.com/amsterdam/.../index_eng.jsp
Mar 15th, 2009, 04:39 AM
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Amsterdam has a two Michelin star restaurant and two one star restaurants, if you want real foodie stuff. They are: http://www.cielbleu.nl/ (2 stars) http://www.restaurantlarive.com/ and Yamazoto (1 Star). Yamazoto. like Cielbieu is in the Okura hotel, http://www.okura.nl/.
There are other restaurants close to Amsterdam with stars too.
I can't say I have eaten at any of them, but they would be foodie delights I'm sure.
Otherwise I can't really help, I never eat in Amsterdam, only go for day trips.
http://www.amsterdam.info/restaurants/ has a list and short descriptions of lots of restaurants.
There are other restaurants close to Amsterdam with stars too.
I can't say I have eaten at any of them, but they would be foodie delights I'm sure.
Otherwise I can't really help, I never eat in Amsterdam, only go for day trips.
http://www.amsterdam.info/restaurants/ has a list and short descriptions of lots of restaurants.
Mar 15th, 2009, 05:47 AM
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Thanks avalon, we will actually be staying at the NH hotel where Sogno is located, so Sogno is already in our radar. It is indeed very nice and reasonable, I was there last November.
hetismij: Thanks for the amsterdam restaurants website! That is really helpful as I'm also looking for the ideal Pannekoekenhuis. I grew up and love eating Pannekoek with sugar but what else do you think it's best combined with for a brunch? I'll check out Le Ciel Bleu though I prefer to stay within the old town.
hetismij: Thanks for the amsterdam restaurants website! That is really helpful as I'm also looking for the ideal Pannekoekenhuis. I grew up and love eating Pannekoek with sugar but what else do you think it's best combined with for a brunch? I'll check out Le Ciel Bleu though I prefer to stay within the old town.
Mar 15th, 2009, 07:29 AM
#5
Hi; A highly rated French restaurant in the old town is the www.theeboom.com I arranged a dinner for 25 people with a special menu in 2000 for our 40th anniversary. It was a wonderfull meal. iris1745/dick
Mar 15th, 2009, 06:56 PM
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Last time I was in Amsterdam was 2006, and of course restaurants change quickly. But here is an excerpt from a report on Amsterdam restaurants I posted back then.
I wrote in 2006:
BALTHAZAR'S KEUKEN (Balthazar's Kitchen): From a tip here by universitylad, thank you. We checked into our hotel on Friday and inquired about this cafe. Oh, yes, very popular. Called for reservation. ONly open Wed, Thurs, and Fri; we lucked out. Walked there from our Herengracht location and had a delightful meal. Prix Fix with a couple of beers and a glass of wine: about 55 Euro. First course is a trey of appetizers over bread. We had tuna for the entree, best I've had. Check out universitylad's review, he is more eloquent than I.
SAMPURNA: Singel 498 in Bloemenmarkt. Rijtaffel 14 dishes. Not our style. First we've had. Loved the location for people watching. Dinner + couple beers: 68 Euro.
LUCIUS: Best dinner we had in Amsterdam this trip. Spuistraat 247. Fantastic lobster and tarbot. Sat next to a large and beautiful salt water aquarium with many active colorful tropical fish. With couple of beers: 80 Euro
HAESJE CLAES: very old building, Spuistraat 275. billed as 'traditional dutch cuisine". Had excellent salmon and veal steak. With some wine and beer: about 60 Euro.
All had extremely friendly service, and ready conversation with wait staff and other patrons. Loved all four, though we didn't take to the rijtaffel. Too spicey for our tastes.
You can probably do a search and see if these still exist.
I wrote in 2006:
BALTHAZAR'S KEUKEN (Balthazar's Kitchen): From a tip here by universitylad, thank you. We checked into our hotel on Friday and inquired about this cafe. Oh, yes, very popular. Called for reservation. ONly open Wed, Thurs, and Fri; we lucked out. Walked there from our Herengracht location and had a delightful meal. Prix Fix with a couple of beers and a glass of wine: about 55 Euro. First course is a trey of appetizers over bread. We had tuna for the entree, best I've had. Check out universitylad's review, he is more eloquent than I.
SAMPURNA: Singel 498 in Bloemenmarkt. Rijtaffel 14 dishes. Not our style. First we've had. Loved the location for people watching. Dinner + couple beers: 68 Euro.
LUCIUS: Best dinner we had in Amsterdam this trip. Spuistraat 247. Fantastic lobster and tarbot. Sat next to a large and beautiful salt water aquarium with many active colorful tropical fish. With couple of beers: 80 Euro
HAESJE CLAES: very old building, Spuistraat 275. billed as 'traditional dutch cuisine". Had excellent salmon and veal steak. With some wine and beer: about 60 Euro.
All had extremely friendly service, and ready conversation with wait staff and other patrons. Loved all four, though we didn't take to the rijtaffel. Too spicey for our tastes.
You can probably do a search and see if these still exist.
Mar 16th, 2009, 07:12 AM
#8
A couple from our trip in 2007:
Haesje Claes (Spui stop on the #2 tramline) ' recommended by both Frommers and Rick Steves. Here we caved in and tried the raw herring, and it was a split decision. I loved it, laden with onions and pickles, my sister was repulsed. But I eat sushi at home and she does not...is that the difference? I think if you're there, you should try it, and served as an appetizer like this was as good as any. We also had the cheese croquettes, which were made of local cheese and were quite tasty. I had poached salmon with gouda sauce and mixed vegetables, which was very good. I'm forgetting what my sister had. We both had lemon jenever, which was good but not as good as the cherry. The whole meal for 2 was 58E.
Brasserie de Poort (in the Hotel Die Port van Cleve at the Dam stop on the tramline) ' my sister wanted to try this for the best pea soup in Amsterdam (or so says Frommers). She was not disappointed. I had a tomato soup with goat cheese worked into it, which was thick and creamy and absolute heaven. We both had hutspot, which was similar to stampotten, with potatoes, sausages and bacon which was hearty and filling. We finished with poffertjes with egg nog sauce, which was heavenly. Sister had a jenever/champagne cocktail and I had a campari with orange. This was our splurge meal at 87E. The restaurant is beautiful and the wait staff is wonderful. We were slightly uncomfortable going in wearing jeans, but most of the other tourists there were similarly dressed. I'd highly recommend this on any stop in Amsterdam.
Brasserie Restaurant de Roode Leeuw on Damrak, near Dam Square ' Rick Steves recommendation. This was a very good meal, served in a nice, quiet, calm atmosphere. I had a salad with crab and cod cakes over white asparagus (in season and delicious), follwed by stampotten, a traditional Dutch meal that was quite hardy (mashed potatoes topped with bacon, sausage and veal). We were both too full for dessert.
Haesje Claes (Spui stop on the #2 tramline) ' recommended by both Frommers and Rick Steves. Here we caved in and tried the raw herring, and it was a split decision. I loved it, laden with onions and pickles, my sister was repulsed. But I eat sushi at home and she does not...is that the difference? I think if you're there, you should try it, and served as an appetizer like this was as good as any. We also had the cheese croquettes, which were made of local cheese and were quite tasty. I had poached salmon with gouda sauce and mixed vegetables, which was very good. I'm forgetting what my sister had. We both had lemon jenever, which was good but not as good as the cherry. The whole meal for 2 was 58E.
Brasserie de Poort (in the Hotel Die Port van Cleve at the Dam stop on the tramline) ' my sister wanted to try this for the best pea soup in Amsterdam (or so says Frommers). She was not disappointed. I had a tomato soup with goat cheese worked into it, which was thick and creamy and absolute heaven. We both had hutspot, which was similar to stampotten, with potatoes, sausages and bacon which was hearty and filling. We finished with poffertjes with egg nog sauce, which was heavenly. Sister had a jenever/champagne cocktail and I had a campari with orange. This was our splurge meal at 87E. The restaurant is beautiful and the wait staff is wonderful. We were slightly uncomfortable going in wearing jeans, but most of the other tourists there were similarly dressed. I'd highly recommend this on any stop in Amsterdam.
Brasserie Restaurant de Roode Leeuw on Damrak, near Dam Square ' Rick Steves recommendation. This was a very good meal, served in a nice, quiet, calm atmosphere. I had a salad with crab and cod cakes over white asparagus (in season and delicious), follwed by stampotten, a traditional Dutch meal that was quite hardy (mashed potatoes topped with bacon, sausage and veal). We were both too full for dessert.
Mar 16th, 2009, 08:25 AM
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Haesje Claes is very much aimed at tourists. The building is wonderful, the food generally less so. I was put off the place when I saw a mouse running through the dining room last time I ate there.
Mar 16th, 2009, 09:06 AM
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From my Amsterdam trip report:
"Amazing dinners at two restaurants in particular:
“Stout!”, at Haarlemmerstraat 73 (www.restaurantstout.nl). Fabulous ‘foamy asparagus’ soup with shrimp, chateaubriande, fresh fish, dessert course, wine list. Very trendy lighting. Great service. We’d gone to the neighborhood in search of a restaurant called “Lof” which we’d seen written up. We didn’t like its atmosphere, but were lucky that Stout! was just across the street.
"Also at “Restaurant Dining Eleven” we had a great dinner. It’s at Reestraat 11. Also trendy and contempory, well-presented and beautifully-served meal.
"Another nice dinner at “frenzi”, at Swanenburgwal 232. Very simple and contemporary. We arrived shortly after 10:00p.m., when most restaurants close in Amsterdam, and persuaded the owner to sell us any left-overs they had in the kitchen! They put together a nice Caesar salad with cooked-in-the-shell shrimp and mango. Very nice.
"Good brunch at a place across the street from frenzi—called “Puccini”. Creative salads and sandwiches. Very nice also.
"Two cafes on the same block as the hotel were wonderful: Café Katoen for a university atmosphere, and Café le Jarden, for great table seating on the canal."
"Amazing dinners at two restaurants in particular:
“Stout!”, at Haarlemmerstraat 73 (www.restaurantstout.nl). Fabulous ‘foamy asparagus’ soup with shrimp, chateaubriande, fresh fish, dessert course, wine list. Very trendy lighting. Great service. We’d gone to the neighborhood in search of a restaurant called “Lof” which we’d seen written up. We didn’t like its atmosphere, but were lucky that Stout! was just across the street.
"Also at “Restaurant Dining Eleven” we had a great dinner. It’s at Reestraat 11. Also trendy and contempory, well-presented and beautifully-served meal.
"Another nice dinner at “frenzi”, at Swanenburgwal 232. Very simple and contemporary. We arrived shortly after 10:00p.m., when most restaurants close in Amsterdam, and persuaded the owner to sell us any left-overs they had in the kitchen! They put together a nice Caesar salad with cooked-in-the-shell shrimp and mango. Very nice.
"Good brunch at a place across the street from frenzi—called “Puccini”. Creative salads and sandwiches. Very nice also.
"Two cafes on the same block as the hotel were wonderful: Café Katoen for a university atmosphere, and Café le Jarden, for great table seating on the canal."
Mar 16th, 2009, 09:34 AM
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Had a very good salad, steak, and fries at Cafe De Prins for about 16 euros. Wife had a sandwich and crepe with cherries that she enjoyed. Around 26 euros all in. It's a brown cafe on Prinsengracht (124)--there are tables next to the water if it's a nice day.
