Author: Martin Eisma, Sins of Sal

Amsterdam, the city of sin, the city of love, the city of endless rain and massively appreciated rays of sun (when it finally comes out) and the city with more bicycles than humans.

For me, who grew up in a tiny village in the Dutch countryside, it was and still is a city of creativity, a city of opportunity, and a city of adventure. A place where you can choose to be as famous or anonymous as you want to be. Basically, it’s a village that feels like a multicultural metropolis.
Ever since I moved here eleven years ago, I’ve seen a big change in our city. More culture, better food, and definitely a massive improvement in our bar scene. What’s cool about the industry in Amsterdam is that it’s constantly moving and evolving. New trends, new openings, new people – there is always something new to discover.
Even though this might be a very unpopular opinion, I believe that our lack of great tradition in cooking or cocktail culture is actually helping us now in our race to make our mark on the global map of gastronomy and bartending. It keeps us liberated from dusty rules and regressive thinking; it makes us free to create and bravely succeed or fail horribly. I think there is a lot of beauty to that.

It was hard to make choices, but hopefully this list will help you avoid the failures and experience the best (in my humble opinion) Amsterdam has to offer. Only certified bangers…

Fort Negen bakery

Location: Amsterdam Oud-West (Baarsjes), Jan Evertsenstraat 31
Don’t miss: Croissant soft serve

Let’s talk about bread. Dutch people absolutely looooove bread. Most of us have it for two of our three meals a day, sometimes even all three. Luckily, the yuppification of Amsterdam in the last decade has also brought with it the arrival of some of the best bakeries of artisanal bread in Europe. This means that I definitely wanted to highlight my favorite out of all of them: Fort Negen.
This amazing bakery opened a few years ago in the west of Amsterdam and has become a staple in the world of doughy goodness. Boasting an open workplace, where you can observe the bakers doing their thing, and focusing on working with local farmers to make sure they have the best ingredients to start with, I think this is the best bakery in Amsterdam.

Aside from their great loaves along with croissants and its relatives, they get creative with weekend specials that change every week, which all consistently just slap, but definitely don’t skip their croissant soft serve.

If just plain spectacular pastry or bread is not enough for you and you crave something more complete, you’re in luck. They recently opened Fort Negen Sandwich Bar down the street from their bakery.

nu koffie & delicatessen

Location: Jordaan, Tweede Egelantiersdwarsstraat 13
Don’t Miss: Tosti Bolo

Coffee, a bare necessity for any bartender (or human for that matter). Aside from our love for bread and pastries, the Dutch and inhabitants of Amsterdam are obsessed with coffee. So much so that we’re actually the second most coffee-consuming country in the world. We’re literally a city fueled by coffee, which made it really hard to select the place I wanted to highlight here.

When it comes down to it, there are a ton of nerdy coffee places all around the world and they’re all very similar to each other, so I thought I would highlight one of the most genuine and unique coffee places in Amsterdam.

Located just a few blocks away from Sins of Sal, in the center of the cute Jordaan area of Amsterdam, you’ll find nu koffie & delicatessen. Started by two young guys who really know their sh#t. Great coffee, amazing homemade snacks and treats, and an 80s playlist coming from the speakers. Really, what’s not to like?!

Funnily enough, even though it’s very good, they’re not known for their coffee, but for a grilled cheese sandwich: the epic Tosti Bolo. A humble toasted sandwich composed of great bread, Dutch cheese, and a thin layer of delicious homemade ragù alla bolognese (a great one, I might add). Served simply with some ketchup and dried Italian herbs, absolutely banging.

For people looking for more nerdy caffeinated liquids, I’d recommend you check out Fuku Cafe or Uncommon.

Bar Centraal

Location: Amsterdam Oud-West, Ten Katestraat 16
Don’t miss: Just order the whole food menu

If someone asks me just one place to visit for food in Amsterdam, this is always the one that pops up in my mind first. Yeah, I know, it’s yet another small plate restaurant / natural wine bar, but Bar Centraal is one of those places in Amsterdam that was just way ahead of the curve when they opened almost a decade ago.

To this day, they continue to impress with their creative veggie-driven dishes, amazing wine collection, and great service, while staying a genuine and humble place that I could visit every week and leave absolutely delighted. My favorite thing about this venue is that it’s as casual as you want it to be; you can choose for yourself if you wanna go crazy or just come in for a glass of wine or sake and a snack.

It helps that they’re also importers of most of the wine they serve, making it possible to try some really dope stuff at a fair price.

Honestly, just ask for their suggestions, get pampered, treat yourself. You deserve it.

Fuku Ramen

Location: Amsterdam East (Oosterpark), Ingogostraat 14A
Don’t miss: Social Sundays

Hidden on an inconspicuous corner in the middle of a living area around Oosterpark, you’ll find one of the best dining experiences Amsterdam has to offer.

Fuku Ramen is a special place, a unicorn among ramen joints. Probably because it’s anything but a classic ramen place. You should see it more like an Omakase experience, that just happens to serve a delicious ramen course.
Chef Kuba and his partner Aleksandra form an amazing Polish tag team serving up some of the most delicious food in Amsterdam combined with genuinely welcoming service.

Normally, the only option you have is to go for their six-course menu (which is definitely worth it at the fair price of 77 euros), but on Sundays they host their Social Sundays. Where they offer an extended lunch, serve bowls of ramen and small izakaya-style dishes. Just a little industry inside tip ;-).

Europizza restaurant

Location: Amsterdam Noord, Gedempt Hamerkanaal 79
Don’t miss: Bone marrow and bottarga pizza

Even ten years ago, the north side of Amsterdam, across the IJ river, was a place solely reserved for the working class or struggling artists who couldn’t afford to live in and around the center of Amsterdam. I often compare it to what Brooklyn used to be to Manhattan in New York City, before it became the “cool” place to be.
You see something very similar happening now in this former industrial part of Amsterdam, especially since they installed a free ferry service that goes all night between the central station and Noord.

Noord is booming, and a lot of the young creatives are moving here now to open their venues, purely because the rents in the center are just ridiculously high. This has led to the opening of new creative hospitality hubs at relatively affordable prices and some of the best underground clubs in Amsterdam like Garage Noord, Skatecafe, and the natural wine bar / club Murmur.
Around the corner from all of these places is one of the most creative and best price-for-value restaurants in Amsterdam: Europizza restaurant.

With the name inspired by the cheapest variety of frozen pizza in supermarkets in the Netherlands, Europizza has been hitting hard with great small sharing dishes and lavishly topped sourdough pizza, combined with a banging wine list and remarkably decent cocktails.

Dope stuff without the frills and the perfect pit-stop before a long night of dancing.

Taste of Culture

Location: Amsterdam Center (Leidse Square), Korte Leidsedwarsstraat 139-141
Don’t miss: Peking Duck

If there is one thing our food scene is missing in Amsterdam (especially for bartenders with special working hours), it’s late-night food. Virtually every restaurant in Amsterdam closes their kitchens between 10 and 10.30 p.m., leaving you at the mercy of dodgy snack bars and average kebab-slingers. Not that there’s anything wrong with either of those, but for those who crave something delicious and nutritious, there’s luckily another option.

Taste of Culture is as O.G. as it gets. A brightly-lit treasure trove of MSG-rich dishes and, due to its late opening hours, a true hidden gem, often frequented by chefs and other industry professionals of every level.

Located in one of the most touristy areas in Amsterdam, this beacon of hope has been serving late-night Chinese deliciousness for as long as our industry can remember. Don’t skip their Peking Duck, but also don’t miss out on staples like their steamed scallops, Hong Kong beef, and dim-sum selection.

As a small last little advantage, across the street from Taste of Culture, you’ll find L&B Whisky Bar. Open daily till 3 o’clock in the morning and boasting a whiskey collection of over 1,500 rare bottles at very reasonable prices.

I hope this list will make you curious and let you fall in love with Amsterdam as much as I have over this last decade.