Amsterdam is a great city to visit and explore its food culture. Here are a few food tips from my recent visit.
First of all take a Walking Food Tour – we went with Secret Food Tours and, as it happened, had the guide to ourselves. The idea is that you get to experience a range of local food and meet producers but at the same time you have an historical tour of part of the city too. Ours was based in the Jordaan area.
We tried the local speciality of herring, ‘kibbeling’, a traditional cheese shop, bitterballen, weiss beer, traditional meatballs, local gin and pancakes.
Bitterballen
The best pancakes turned out to be at Pancake Amsterdam (right next to the Anne Frank Huis) including the famous Poffertjes
Brown Cafes are really old pubs, some dating from the 17th Century that serve really traditional food – they don’t look much from the outside but well worth seeking out. Try Sonneveld for the food or Cafe Hoppe for the history.
Best place to stay? The Canal District or 9 Streets for charm and character.
Best Chocolate shop?
Urban Cacao by far – they have 2 shops and make lots of the products on site
Last but not least – don’t miss going to the Food Hallen at Bellamyplein – a lovely food hall with lots of independent businesses
