Eat the city: Amsterdam

Over the past few years, Amsterdam’s food scene has quietly blossomed, nurtured by a mix of tradition and innovation. Young chefs are skilfully infusing the best of Dutch culinary heritage with a plant-forward focus, creating a dining experience that feels both familiar and new. Here’s where to dine out.

1. Choux

Unpretentious yet scrumptious, the plant-forward Choux is one of Amsterdam’s hidden gems – just a five-minute bike ride from Centraal Station but tucked behind the train tracks on a residential street.

Vegetables are the star of the show here, although fish and meat are served as tasty side dishes. Choux happens to be French for “cabbage” – traditionally considered a poor man’s food – but is also a type of pastry, an expression of refined cooking. Aptly, then, Choux pairs the earthly and the sophisticated for maximum taste and enjoyment.

2. Café Beurre

Café Beurre doesn’t take its name lightly. Owner and head chef Kim Jongbloed is a champion of butter, mixing it with herbs to create a rich – though never overpowering – flavour palette. While the menu of vegetarian dishes made from organic ingredients frequently changes, signatures like the leek terrine with fermented egg yolk remain in constant demand. Although situated in Amsterdam’s city centre, this café has the feel of a cosy neighbourhood haunt: petite, with a Frida Kahlo-blue exterior and candles everywhere. You wouldn’t necessarily notice if no one told you.

3. Toscanini

Amsterdam is no stranger to food crazes, with new concepts frequently cropping up. But if you’ve had your fill of novelty, its antidote can be found at Toscanini , an Italian restaurant located on a picturesque street in the trendy Jordaan neighbourhood, framed by canals. At Toscanini, you’ll find well-executed classics made with ultra-fresh ingredients, such as ravioli with ricotta and spinach, and buffalo mozzarella served with seasonal vegetables.

4. Restaurant Europa

To the north of the river IJ, in Amsterdam’s old industrial quarter, an interesting food scene is emerging. Among the warehouses, you’ll find many exquisite dining establishments, including Restaurant Europa . Here, diners can enjoy tasting menus featuring dishes like venison with venison sausage and tamarind gravy, or langoustine with monk’s beard, wild garlic and koji. While seated at the expansive turquoise bar, you can watch and interact with the chefs as they prepare the dishes and serve them to you. After the meal, head further down the street to Benelux Bar for drinks and dancing.

5. Paon Bali

The Netherlands’s shared history with Indonesia has resulted in many Dutchies of Indo-Dutch heritage (this writer included), who have in turn shaped the country’s gastronomic landscape. You’ll find many great Indonesian eateries around Amsterdam, but one that stands out is Paon Bali , a warung (or takeaway joint with a few seats available) in the east of the city. The menu changes daily, but it’s consistently traditional Balinese. Dishes are freshly prepared in clay pots with quality ingredients, like the Iberian pork shoulder used to make the delicious satay.

6. Bak

The Michelin-recommended Bak is located within an inconspicuous warehouse called Het Veem and accessed via an old wooden staircase. It boasts a cosy setting and beautiful views over the river IJ. The three- course menu is devised weekly from a selection of local, seasonal products, and might include dishes like fresh, buttery apple cream and salt-cooked celeriac, a cassoulet of forest beans from Frisland (in the far north of The Netherlands) with pulled pork and roasted cockles, and chicken carcass with stir-fried wild garlic.

7. Vuurtoreneiland

Vuurtoreneiland – which translates to “lighthouse island” – offers a dining experience like no other. Guests are ferried from the Lloyd Hotel in east Amsterdam to this island in Lake Markermeer, where you’ll be treated to a delectable four-course dinner set while seated inside a glass pavilion on the waterfront. In the autumn, Vuurtoreneiland moves underground into repurposed barracks, made cosy with blankets and a crackling fireplace. Dishes here lean heavily on the use of local, seasonal products like mackerel, wild duck, endives, peas and potatoes, which are mainly prepared over an open fire and cooked with age-old methods such as fermenting, pickling, smoking and roasting.

8. Men Impossible

Ramen might not be the first dish you think of when visiting the Netherlands, but Men Impossible is no ordinary ramen joint. This intimate spot in the city centre, run by ramen aficionados Atsushi Ishida and Akihiro Hara, has the entire city hooked on its vegan noodles. The menu includes other plant-based dishes like mochi made from potato and takoyaki made with lentils, and a soy-based crème brûlée with matcha. Reservations are a must, as Atsushi prepares the broth in advance. A meal here is a delightful in-and-out affair, contrary to the Dutch concept of lang tafelen – lingering at the table for hours.