It must be mid-December, because I’m back with my annual roundup of the best restaurants in Amsterdam!
10 Best Restaurants in Amsterdam – the 2024 Edition!
And now, without further ado, let’s sink our teeth into 2024’s best eats… Cheers, happy holidays and until next year!
Romance by candlelight: Watergang
Occupying arguably one of the most romantic little canal houses in Amsterdam, restaurant Watergang makes efficient use of its diminutive space. We were sat tucked up on the mezzanine level, overlooking the rest of the restaurant below (perimenopausal women be warned: this can get warm). There’s no menu: just five fixed courses, plus wine pairings if you like, although dietary restrictions seem to be easy to accommodate (within reason). I thought all the dishes were very accomplished, and the wine pairings were absolutely spot on. But my favourites were the salmon tartare with a herby beurre blanc, and the pork belly with mussels and a Thai coconut milk broth. The latter paired perfectly with the aptly named “Par Amour” white wine: an Auxerrois (lesser known grape that does well in cool climates) from a French region I’d never heard of: Champlitte. It was mineral and delicate but with a juicy full body that really offset the spice and sweet savouriness of the dish. This charmingly rickety, candlelit restaurant is definitely one to keep in the back pocket for a special date!
If you’re feeling romantically inclined, read my article on the most romantic restaurants in Amsterdam.
Brunch by the Bosphorus: Belly Pepper
I love Turkish food at any hour, but Turkish breakfast has to be perhaps the best meal of the day. Belly Pepper in Amsterdam West has a lovely curated menu of half a dozen or so brunch dishes, including a hearty wrap filled with sucuk (sausage), eggs, cheese and avocado, with chilli-dipped potatoes on the side. But for big flavours with a smaller appetite, order the borek: whirls of light pastry are filled with spinach and feta, served topped with a perfectly poached egg and surrounded by a small lake of yoghurt with chilli butter. Delightful with a glass of homemade lemonade.
For more morning eats, take a look at my article on the best brunch spots in Amsterdam.
All Greek to me: Ikaria Park
First of all, let’s talk about Ikaria Park’s charming location: nestled into the Bilderdijkpark, this window-clad cabin gives way to tight-knit tables and twinkling fairy lights. A perfect spot for a Greek culinary enclave, complete with an extensive Greek wine list. We kicked off the meal by sharing a few pitas and dips: taramásalata (white, not pink), smoked aubergine dip, and tirokeftiri (spicy feta dip). The rest of the menu was designed to be shared, too: we ordered more obviously Greek dishes like saganaki (fried Kefalotyri cheese), keftedakia (meatballs) and dolmas (stuffed vines leaves), as well as less typical dishes like gambas in tomato and feta sauce and grilled chicken. But let’s face it, I was here for the kleftiko: my all-time favourite Greek dish of marinated, slow-cooked lamb in parchment paper. In Ikaria Park’s case, it comprised shank of lamb, slow roasted with potatoes, tomatoes and half an oregano bush, drizzled with an unexpectedly creamy sauce. I’ll be honest and say it did not immediately transport me to the kleftiko of my Greek holiday memories. But it still tasted good, especially with a glass of Assyrtiko from Santorini. And the whole experience generally brought a ray of Greek sunshine to an otherwise grey day in Amsterdam.
More than Mediterranean: Massalia
A mashup of Marseille and Greece is what Restobar Massalia purports to be – the sister restaurant of Gitane, which I’ve not been to but had heard good things about. It’s on the Beukenplein, opening in August 2024 to replace a former pizza restaurant, and has a spacious terrace and air-conditioned interior. The menu is largely small plates to share, but they felt like relatively good value by Amsterdam standards. BBQ-ed artichoke was smoky and savoury, matched with a creamy green puree “a la polita”. The taramá was delicious – served with wild garlic oil and mopped up with a ring of sesame studded Greek bread (koulouri). I also enjoyed the savoy cabbage-based dolmas, which were fragrant with preserved lemon and dill. The wine list featured plenty of wines by the glass, many of which were natural but only one of which was Greek. That said, the evening we dined there, they had a couple of extra bottles open, so we actually ended up with a fabulously aniseedy, violet-floral Xinomavro (red) from Naoussa. The service was still a little rough around the edges, but Massalia had only been open a couple of weeks so I assume they’re still smoothing things out.
For more Greek food recommendations, head over to my roundup of Greek restaurants in Amsterdam.
Italian stallion: Brio
By the same team behind Little Collins, Brio has brought Italian food to the spot once occupied by Bar Fisk in de Pijp, opening in summer 2024. I stopped by for dinner with five hungry friends, which meant we managed to work our way through most of the menu (not to mention a chunk of the wine list, too!). Everything was spot-on, which is going to make it hard to pick out just a few dishes to mention. On the antipasti front, bruschetta may sound simple, but in this case the excellent focaccia was topped with earthy Jerusalem artichokes, finely sliced whole lemons and shavings of comté cheese: a usually summery dish made wintery. Loved it. You could just pop into Brio for a plate of pasta and a glass of wine (in which case you’d spend a lot less than we did!). If you like it spicy, I’d recommend the stellar fettuccine with salsa piccante, burrata and basil: a bright, sparkling, pick-me-up of a dish. The pappardelle with a meltingly slow-cooked beef ragu was also dreamy (in the foreground below).
There were only two secondi on offer – one meaty pork Milanese with stewed quince, one seabass with mussels and puttanesca sauce – both of which were wolfed down, despite the fact that we were quite full by this point. And then there was just enough room for a hearty wodge of tiramisu. The wine list leans heavily Italian, as you’d expect, and we were big fans of the Pecorino from Marche and the Nebbiolo from Langhe in Piemonte. All in all, a fantastic Italian feast.
Sandwiches to savour: Dough Studio
Speaking of Italian feasts, I was very happy to discover Dough Studio, which opened in 2024 just down the road from me behind the Weesperzijde, serving up enormous schiacciata (aka Italian sandwiches). We ordered the porchetta with truffle pecorino, rucola, mayo and caramelised onions, and split it because it was so big (which made it good value at €11 between two). Both the fillings and the bread itself were fabulous!
For more Italian fare, look no further than my article on the best Italian restaurants in Amsterdam for every occasion.
Indian-inspired: Miri Mary
I love brunch. I love Indian food. So it’s hardly surprising that I loved the Indian-inspired brunch fare at Miri Mary. There were two menu items that jumped out at me immediately: the Butter Chicken Benny and the Goan omelette. The first was (as you might have guessed) a take on eggs Benedict, with the requisite poached eggs and brioche bun, but with butter chicken instead of ham and hollandaise. It absolutely worked (albeit the sauce could have been a little warmer). The second dish I liked perhaps even more: the omelette was perfectly cooked, filled with an interesting combo of coconut and goat’s cheese, and it came swimming in a spicy curried sauce, ready to be mopped up with soft flatbreads. Prices were the same you’d see for brunch anywhere in Amsterdam, but the quality and thoughtfulness of the dishes made Miri Mary feel like far better value for money.
Looking for more Indian inspiration? Read about the Indian cuisine scene in Amsterdam.
Modern Mexican meets vegan: Madre
Touting modern Mexican dining, MADRE makes no mention of its vegan credentials on the menu – only that it aims to be sustainable, inclusive and respectful. Which is probably why I didn’t even realise I’d eaten a fully vegan Mexican meal until I came to pay the bill at the end. We ordered the Chef’s Choice: a good-value selection of six dishes to share, although all dishes are available a la carte if you’d prefer your own thing. From the spicy beetroot tostadas to the earthy ancho-tahini-ponzu green beans, everything was full of Mexican-fusion flavour. On the taco front, I couldn’t get enough of the artichoke barbacoa – grilled artichokes, spiced with mojo de ajo, topped with guasacaca salsa, served on blue corn tortillas (pictured). I was also mesmerised by the “3D printed pork” tacos with a smoky dipping broth. I have absolutely no idea how they did it, but the texture was pure pulled pork. I even loved Madre’s funk-free natural orange wine – a Grüner Veltliner from Austria’s Niederösterreich region. The meal was magic – almost literally.
You’ve guessed it by now: I have articles on both Mexican tacos and vegan restaurants in Amsterdam, too.
Nordic but nice: Kafe Kontrast
According to Kafé Kontrast’s website, it has Swedish roots but takes inspiration from Indonesia as well – an intriguing combo. Of the dishes we tried, the gravlax tartare was the only one that was recognisably Nordic (to me at least) but the rest were no less delicious. 72-hour slow cooked pork belly was meltingly tender, with creamy, comforting cannellini beans, lemon-zesty kale and an umami-rich jus. Aubergine balado was a textural delight: crunchy hazelnuts, spiky chilli, creamy feta and a Nordic nod from the rye bread croutons. All round, I loved the food – including the crispy baby potatoes with spicy mayo.
Wine not: Shiraz Jardin des Vins
Perhaps because it’s so close to Amsterdam’s touristy Leidseplein, I had overlooked wine bar Shiraz Jardin des Vins until very recently. But that was a mistake on my part, as it’s a gem of a bar with comfy lounge chairs and a candlelit atmosphere of romance. I tried two of their bubbles – a Crémant de Luxembourg and a Cava Brut – both of which were high in quality. I also very much enjoyed a portion of crunchy, savoury shrimp croquettes alongside a moreish orange wine from Valencia in southern Spain. Bring an old flame or a new love interest – Shiraz is full of romantic sparkle.
