Last week Sean & I hit Amsterdam up for a few days of generally wandering & eating everything we could… with only 3 nights on hand we were strategic about the places we chose to eat, basing said choices around the areas we would be in to see certain attractions or doing whatever we wanted to do.
A hell of a lot of research combined with advice from the ‘gram fam lead me to the below places… they didn’t disappoint.
We stayed on Javastraat which was an amazing location for phenomenal food, knowing we’d be ready for lunch after flying in I wanted a great place close to our apartment and Bar Basquait met the criteria. With funky decor (standard in Amsterdam eateries), chill staff and a great menu I knew it’d be the best place to kick the holiday off.
We ordered from the breakfast & lunch menus with the plates being generously portioned and food being perfectly seasoned. Beers were had as we sat in the outdoor area which provided plenty of space to enjoy the meal & take in the sights of our new home for the few days.
Being honest, its only been about 6 months since I would even consider adding an Italian restaurant to my list of places to try because I’d had enough mediocre ‘Italian dining experiences’ over the years to put me off for life! Thankfully since Sean started working for an amazing Dublin-based Italian restaurant (Sean runs a social media marketing company for those who don’t know) I’ve had to opportunity to experience authentic Italian dining & its put Italy firmly back on my food map!
Gallizia didn’t disappoint with great sharing platters and a small but perfectly balanced pasta menu. The pasta was fresh with phenomenal toppings, the staff went above & beyond for us & this decor was informal but well though out… a great little spot if you’re in the area.
Pleek
On day 2 we hopped the ferry to Noord and went in search of a shipping container that also happened to be a restaurant… not an easy task in a shipping yard, especially when you discover it from the back & it resembles nothing close to a restaurant whatsoever (think Sean was seriously questioning my research at this point!)-
Thankfully once inside we were very pleasantly surprised as this beautifully bright, open space which offers food, yoga, movies & more… it offers a sort of Neighborhood focal point for various events & just happen to serve delicious food to top it off. We both went for decadent sounding sandwiches from the menu and decadent they were… Very filling, very fresh, very delicious. Pleek may be hard to find but, its worth searching for.
I wanted a restaurant within walking distance of the Canvas rooftop bar that came highly recommended so chose The Pool based on their interesting menu and locality to the rooftop cocktails I was already dying to get stuck in to.
The Pool has a swimming pool theme (as any Sherlock may have guessed) but the theme was not overwhelming… in fact, I, who thoroughly enjoys a theme actually felt a touch disappointed that we weren’t required to be in togs & caps while we ate or, served our food on floats ect ect… I would likely be their only customer if they went that strong with their approach so a bit of swimming related decor littering the restaurant was the only sniff of any theme to be had.
The Pool offers a brilliant tapas menu which was perfect for us as we’d stuffed our faces with those lovely Amsterdam chips & sweet mayo en route to dinner (‘we’ll buy them to try & just have a few…’) but still wanted to indulge in the night’s offerings. They have a great variety of flavours & price points on the menu with the restaurant’s vibe owed to the cocktail bar waiting area and bustling crowd, a brilliant spot for food & drinks.
We hit the Canvas rooftop bar after some drinks at The Pool and were immediately impressed by the set up… the weather was a bit dodge when we arrived so, after wandering through the outdoor section we decided on an inside table before ordering from the cocktail menu…
I gotta be honest & say my cocktail tasted like pure shite, like, it tasted identical to the smell of TCP (and that aint cute!) buuuuuut, with Sean’s cocktail being nice, the decor and views being gorgeoes and this spot coming so highly recommended I felt it needed to be added to this list antiseptic cocktail or not!
This place was the ‘must try’ brunch spot of Amsterdam’s foodie scene, we rocked up to a bustling cafe but it wasn’t too long before we got a seat in the outside area. The menu was amazing combining all the cult classics with plenty more adventurous fare (I opted for the green shakshuka which was unreal!) with great cocktail choices to top it off.
I was so impressed with the diversity on this menu and the staff were attentive despite how hectic the cafe was… definitely worth putting this place on your list.
Vondlepark aint a restaurant, its a park, BUT we enjoyed an experience in there thats most definitely worth a mention in this post. There are a few really cute cafes dotted around this gorgeous park serving food and drinks so we popped into one on our final evening with a few hours to spare & ordered prosecco & enjoyed the sunshine… this is a lovely thing to do in Vondelpark as its a really open space where you can watch the world (& bikes… many, many bikes!) go by!
As the cafes closed we decided to wander out of the park where we found a market & stocked up on some impromptu picnic goodies to accompany us on watching the sunset… the perfect way to spend an evening in Amsterdam.
This eatery wasent where I’d originally planned on trying out on the Friday night but, some friends had just landed in Amsterdam for a festival so we thought we’d catch up with them somewhere they recommended… Los Pilones is where they suggested. We rocked up to a potential 90 minute wait (t’was a Friday night after all) but with that relaxed holiday vibe allowing us time to chill we took a seat on a nearby step & settled in for the wait. The staff were really sound serving us cocktail to our unofficial waiting area & it wasn’t nearly that long before we were at a table scouring the menu.
The strawberry daiquiris are an absolute MUST in this spot (as are the mango ones/…all the daiquiris they’re offering!) & the menu had ‘standard’ Mexican choices on offer as well as seemingly less familiar (therefore likely to be more authentic!) options too. The food was delicious, atmosphere was great & service was spot on.
The pricing was a liiiiittle steep for the portion sizes I must say but then again, we were somewhat surprised at how pricey the Amsterdam food was in general… yea, you can get a kebab for a fiver but anywhwre even vaguely decent was on par with if not more expensive than Ireland.
This corner gem felt reminiscent of a proper New York brunch spot from the vibe to the menu options and quirky decor. We ventured here on our last morning before flying home & it was the perfect chill little eatery to end out foodie adventure on. We sat outside as we had in most places over the weekend… us Irish are known for basking (… then complaining about how hot it is…) after all.
Eastside had great brunch options with the ‘so Cali’ catching my eye as the ‘kinda healthy but not so healthy it sucks’ sort of choice… perhaps eaters guilt was catching up with me or, perhaps it was the distinct waddle I felt as we made way to the restaurant that morning. Sean opted for a brunch option that had sort of amalgamated sweet & savory choices which is ideal for those who lean towards the pancakes but decide againt them in favour of something savory… serving pancakes on the side of the savory dish makes the best of both worlds & it something we noticed on offer in Bakers & Roasters too (Dublin Brunch spots, take note!)
Eastside is the perfect spot to kick your day off to a chill start or for a tender weekend brunch.
Well, thats it guys, what 3 days of good eating looks like in Amsterdam! Really hope you enjoyed this post and if you venture anywhere from the list be sure to tag me, I’d love to see xx
Recent Comments
I hope you had a lot of fun in The Netherlands (a.k.a. The country I live in)! Too bad you guys didn’t have the time to go to The Hague. But reading this, you had a lovely time in Amsterdam, the pictures are lovely by the way!
Aw, thank you so much Laxmi, pity we didn’t get to go to so many places! I would’ve loved to do & see so much more but I can safely say we tried to fit as much sights (& food!) in as possible. Thanks for taking the time to comment xx