- The Avocado Show
- This place opened its doors after an extraordinary build up and on a sunny Summer day, the hype has ensured you’ll still find a queue outside. Notching up over 100k fans on Instagram and a similar number on Facebook as well as features in Conde Nast Traveller, Elle Deco and swathes of other international media all before they sliced and diced their first avo, this Instagrammer’s fave is top of every visitor’s food safari wishlist. Based in the ever popular Pijp and serving….yeah, duh!….bloggers are going crazy with stunning #instacado updates at Europe’s first dedicated avocado eatery. Expect breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as late night treats, and even ice cream and chocolate smoothies all made from the green stuff. Due to the hype, this is a tourist Valhalla (they’ve even put in rose-coloured banquettes for the perfect backdrop) but don’t count that against it, it’s one of those places that probably has to be ticked off must-do Amsterdam list.*Breaking News…they’ve just opened a new branch called The Avocado Boutique out on the Williamsparkweg. Its more of a local area (there are a few nice boutiques in the area too) so the queues are likely to be shorter”*
- Rijsel
- Rijsel is the Dutch name for the city of Lille and provides the inspiration for French/Flemish food at this super-popular eatery based in a former domestic science school just off the Amstel river in South East Amsterdam. With a simple retro/industrial but still cosy interior and large open kitchen it is always packed with locals in part due to the affordable and crowd-pleasing menu. Those in the know say the rotisserie poussins are like no other, others swear by the bavette steak. Bookings are essential and I’m definitely heading there next time – mostly to enjoy what has been coined by The Netherlands’ leading newspaper as ‘Nouveau Ruig cuisine’ meaning rugged and affordable food…made by men with beards (I’m delighted to provide evidence below)
- Guts and Glory
- I’m dying to try out Guts and Glory which attracts loads of buzz on the Amsterdam dining scene. It’s quite high-concept, delivered by a pair who run some the city’s best eateries, but by all accounts despite its theming, it is unpretentious and ultimately all about the food. The menu is a surprise – you pay by the number of tasting courses you opt for (this time it’s a heady 5, 6 or 7) – and they reinvent themselves with a new theme every few months. Listed in “chapters”, previous themes have included Italy and Latin America, and in the last few weeks they’ve unveiled the latest chapter – Spain. It’s a special, gourmet dining experience and one I’m hugely looking forward to checking out.
- Worst Wijncafe
- The award for the best named eatery in Amsterdam is a slam-dunk for the brilliantly wonderful ‘Worst Wijncafe.’ Perhaps its a tactic to keep the tourists out because what you actually need to know is that Worst means sausage rather than being a pejorative description and that this cosy little wine bar serving amazing home made sausages (including their infamous lobster) and with a sensational wine list, is an insiders fave. Located up in the quiet little residential streets of Zeeheldenbuurt well away from the tourist thrash, we cycled past when we were staying at Yays and I’ve made Marc promise that we’ll head back for dinner “a deux” soon.
- Kessens
- I’m not sure how come I haven’t yet eaten at Kessens. Launched by Caspar and Anna Holtkamp, its got all the ingredients for a great breakfast or lunchtime spot. Anna’s from Stockholm and the menu which includes Gravad Lax and Toast Skagen hints heavily at her Scandi heritage. Caspar is the son of the Holtkamp family, purveyors of the very finest patisserie and croquettes (to the royal family no less) so you can be sure that everything served at this little spot in the heart of the lovely Jordaan and just steps away from the Anne Frank House and the Pulitzer Hotel will be perfectly executed and simply delicious.
- Rijks
- I haven’t recently had an occasion that demands a smart fine-dining lunch or dinner in Amsterdam but if I did, I think Rijks is where I’d head. Based in the museum complex and run by a chef who has experience at some of the city’s finest michelin establishments it is by all accounts a fabulous (if pricey) place to dine and has recently earned its first star.
- De Plantage
- This beautiful restaurant in the gardens by Artis Zoo looks like a wonderful place for a Summer lunch. Bistro food, flamingo lake nearby. Seriously, why I haven’t I been already?
- De School
- As you might have gathered by now, Amsterdam has a bit of a thing at the moment about tasting menus. I’m not the biggest fan particularly when they make a point of being veg heavy, BUT there’s a place that opened recently which might make me want to reconsider. Right now, it’s probably one of the city’s hippest spots, based in an old technical college in the West. Their ambition is to be a round-the-clock venue (it has a 24 hour license) so you can party in the club downstairs until 10 in the morning, and then head straight into work at one of the onsite creative businesses. Of interest to me is the restaurant which has received a great deal of blogger love of late and the venue is by all accounts fantastic.
- The Harbour Club
- Another mecca to fish. This time of the highest quality by the sound of it. Vast canal-side terrace terrace at the junction of Amsterdam’s 5 major canals in the posh Old South part of town. Busy at lunchtime with businessmen sealing their deals and ladies who lunch, it’s sashimi, oysters and black cod ahoy!
