5 Best Restaurants in Canal Rings, Amsterdam

Hidden in plain sight down an alleyway in the crook of the Canal District, this small insider's secret serves up a six-course seasonal chef's menu year-round. The atmosphere is intimate, the cooking supercreative, the service warm and personal, and the wine pairings an experience not to be missed.

What started as Librije's Zusje, the elegantly understated sister restaurant to the three-Michelin star Librije in Zwolle, northeast of Amsterdam, has since become a renowned two Michelin starred restaurant in its own right. The colorful and subtly Dutch-inflected dishes using local ingredients are beautifully presented and often include imaginative flavors. The 10-course tasting menus are the way to go, though you can also order à la carte. Save room for the cheese course—it's always spectacular here. Service can be on the stiff side, though it befits the Waldorf Astoria locale.

Tasting menus are an enduring trend in Amsterdam, and this intimate 15-table eatery in a historic canal house with a minimalist decor—wood-beam ceilings and white walls spruced up with black-and-white portraits—ups the ante by keeping the monthly menu a surprise (à la carte plates are also available). You can be assured, however, of beautifully presented dishes that blend a light French cooking style with international ingredients and flavors. The only decision you'll need to make is whether to pair your four-, five-, six, or seven-course menu with their delicious selection of wines. 

This intimate and softly lighted restaurant follows the Slow Food philosophy, paying respect to unique heritage foods and small local farmers and producers. The set menus of three to seven courses, including vegetarian options, are a sure bet and may include brandade with tomato and asparagus or tortelli pasta of ancient grains filled with Swiss chard and smoked ricotta cheese. The pasta, like the bread, is made fresh on the premises from organic ingredients.

Named after a market town in the south of the Netherlands where its chef-owners were born, BREDA offers frequently changing Franco-Dutch chef's menus and novel preparations in a simple brasserie-like setting. Dishes are heavy on meat, fish, and seafood—Dutch staples like smoked mackerel and cod often make appearances, with subtle twists—and vegetarians beware: the restaurant offers no meat-free variations. Although there's no written menu, diners can select from three-, four-, or five-course tasting menus at lunch and more extensive options at dinner.