10 Best Restaurants in Canal Rings, Amsterdam

The cozy canalside location of this award-winning wine bar near Leidseplein makes it all too easy to linger over a glass (or three). There's also an extensive bites menu, from oysters and charcuterie platters to Thai papaya salad. If what's in your glass grabbed your fancy, get a bottle to go at the in-house "wine boutique."

This hugely popular sandwich shop from an Italian pizza chef serves up a selection of meat and veggie combos on schiacciata, a crunchy yet spongy flatbread similar to focaccia, using fresh Italian ingredients such as mozzarella di bufala and prosciutto di San Daniele. Meat-lovers can’t go wrong with the Porchetta, roasted pork loin and belly with gorgonzola and rucola (arugula), while vegetarians swoon over the Pomodoro, with Parmigiano Reggiano, red pepper, and sun-dried tomatoes.

A proprietary roastery and bakery ensures that everything's fresher than fresh at this always-jammed coffee bar, which serves some of the city's best sustainable coffee. There's also brilliant banana bread, apple pie, and a mind-blowing espresso brownie (no, not that kind!). There's a second location in the west at  Van Hallstraat 268.

Next to the same-named hotel, this landmark has an authentic Art Deco interior, wood paneling, and a cozy atmosphere that makes it especially inviting when it's cold and wet outside. Expect a satisfying mix of French classics such as steak tartare and escargots along with a few Dutch stalwarts like bitterballen and appeltaart.

The menu at this popular, well-established spot highlights typical café items, from pasta to fish to grilled steak, with a local and organic slant, but the loyal crowd of regulars who frequent it know to check the daily specials (perhaps herb-crusted salmon) before they order. Inside, the space is casually inviting, with dark wood-panel walls and blue velvet upholstery. The main dining room can get boisterous, so if you're looking for a quieter meal, ask for a table in the more secluded and intimate mezzanine or, in the summer, on the terrace.

You’ll be entranced by the smell of freshly baked sourdough wafting from sister bakery Bakkerji Wolf next door even before you see this charming and airy breakfast and lunch café. Dishes make good use of the baked goods on offer, from delicious croissants to rich croque monsieurs, combined with international crowd-pleasers such as shakshuka (poached eggs in a bell pepper-and-tomato sauce and Greek salad.

It doesn't get more deeply Dutch than at this white-tiled shrine to Dutch sandwich culture, where the broodje kroket (a crispy veal croquette on a fluffy white bread roll, served with mustard and pickles) reigns supreme. Amsterdam locals also flock here for Van Dobben's other famous fillings, from meatballs to salt beef, liver, and tartare.

Head to this tiny Lebanese eatery for the freshest griddle-baked flatbreads. The authentic manouche (flatbread) here come slathered with toppings such as halloumi cheese and za'atar (spice mix); labneh (a Lebanese soft cheese) and beef; or fattoush (salad made with fried bread and vegetables) and hummus, after which they're rolled up, and ready to eat. There are two other locations, at Haarlemmerstraat 54 and at Wijde Heisteeg 1, in the Nine Streets.

Freshly prepared Vietnamese classics, relatively brisk service (for Amsterdam), and a relaxed vibe has made O Mai a favorite with young locals. The sparse decor doesn't detract from the main event: watching the bánh mì (a Vietnamese sandwich, available only at lunchtime in traditional pork, spicy chicken, or vegetarian varieties) made from scratch at the tiny preparation area in the center of the restaurant, or ordering soothing hot pho (noodles) or rice noodles chock-full of meat and veggies.

It's hard to go wrong when going out for Dutch pancakes in Amsterdam, but the ones at this 50-year-old stalwart are among the best in town. The 17th-century warehouse has a petite canalside patio near the Anne Frank House, and the mammoth menu has more than 75 choices of sweet and savory toppings, from traditional (with syrup and powdered sugar) to over-the-top globally inspired creations, including an Indonesian pancake with chicken satay and crispy prawn crackers. You can also order omelets, or a convincing take on the folk dish of erwtensoep (a superthick, smoked sausage–imbued pea soup; October–April only). Be prepared to wait: it's popular, and reservations are taken only for groups of six or more.  Bring the kids. Pancakes are seen as children's food in the Netherlands anyway, so the vibe is always very family-friendly.