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Restaurants in Amsterdam's historic center tend to have loads of character but are often filled with tourists. Although it's not the best area to find a gourmet feast, for a casual Dutch-focused meal with a lot of atmosphere, the Centrum's the place to be.
This snug breakfast, lunch, and high-tea favorite is strewn with flea-market finds (such as a gorgeous Portuguese chandelier and charmingly mismatched tableware), but there are only 10 tables, so be sure to make a reservation (even for breakfast). It's worth planning in advance for comforting French toast or pancakes, lovely lunchtime soups, salads, and toast spreads with veggies picked fresh from the owners' kitchen garden, or for homemade cakes, tarts, and quiches.
Fix your morning woes with some of the city’s richest croissants, butteriest brioche, and most perfect pain au chocolat at this artisan French bakery on Nieuwendijk. Or indulge in a high tea you won't easily forget.
One of the city's best-known grand cafés, Luxembourg has a stately interior and a view of a bustling square, both of which are excellent for people-watching. Lunch, when the restaurant fills with locals and tourists, is the best time to come. The classic café menu includes soups, salads, "Luxemburgers" and excellent croquettes (oblong-shape meatballs), here with a cheese, shrimp, lobster, or veal filling. Those with less interest in urban sociology can entertain themselves at the communal table, which is democratically packed with an assortment of Dutch and international newspapers and magazines.
Since its 2019 renovation, this Dutch brasserie has become a beacon on an otherwise uninspiring road; it's one of the few non–fast-food restaurants around packed Dam Square. The Dutch-international fare includes dishes like Zeeland mussels with fries and Dutch beef stew. It gets busy with passing tourists, but this restaurant is worth a stop if you're shopping at the nearby de Bijenkorf department store and need a pick-me-up.
Despite appearances, this precariously crooked building near the solid Round Lutheran Church is here to stay: it's managed to remain standing since 1614, and it should certainly last through your dinner of contemporary Dutch cuisine prepared by talented young chef Yves van der Hoff, whose father owns the place. Inside "The Silver Mirror," wood beams, Delft tiles, and candlelit tables create a romantic mood in which to enjoy local ingredients like Zeeland mussels and Dutch trout, and expertly prepared meat plates like dry-aged Dutch rib-eye steak with potato foam, shallot marmalade, and "grandma's gravy." To sample a little of everything, opt for one of the four- to eight-course tasting menus.
In a 1520 monument groaning with pewter tankards, stained glass, rich gold leather paneling, original Delftware and other curiosa, this restaurant's "Old Holland" vibe and matching menu attract lots of tourists. Expect simple, hearty old-fashioned Dutch fare such as pea soup and a selection of stamppotten (potatoes mashed with veggies and often meat). On cold winter nights, opt for the hutspot, a stamppot of mashed potato and carrot supplemented with steamed beef, sausage, and bacon.
