Amsterdam - Where to eat, what to do?

Are you planning a trip to Amsterdam and you have no idea where to go, what to eat, and what to expect? 

I’ve been to Amsterdam once before around 5 years ago and at the time, I ate everything and anything. I also didn’t get to do much as the weather was incredibly cold and my friends were night owls which meant they partied all night and slept in till 1pm. However this time around I got to explore not only the city and its beautiful roads and museums but the vegan food scene too. This list includes a lot of plant based and gluten free friendly restaurants which will perhaps come in handy if you have the munchies. :)

I was there for only 2 nights and 2 days so I didn’t get to go to all these restaurants and visit all these different places but thought I’d share them nonetheless. For those of you who aren’t plant based or gluten-free this list also includes restaurants for you! 

Restaurants & Bars in Amsterdam:

1. Mastino

All vegan and gluten-free pizza! I loved this place so much I wish they would open this in London! It was good pizza, fresh ingredients, cute place, and they had the option to have dairy for those of you who love their cheese!

Definitely recommend this place for non-vegan lovers too! 

You can tell by my face I was really enjoying my food here.

2. Beter & Leuk

I love finding places where the locals go to eat instead of the regular touristic places. I really loved this place for brunch. Their pancakes were vegan and gluten free. They had non vegan options too such as this baked egg and cheese dish. On my end I ordered their breakfast mango and pitaya bowl and shared the buckwheat pancakes. Highly recommend this place! 

3. Vegan junk food bar

I personally found this place to be very cool. For those who are both vegan and gluten-free, the menu is a lot smaller, and seems less exciting. For vegans only, this place will probably be your favorite! I had the flashy kapsalon as well as these chickpea truffle fries. YUM! (super heavy though)  

4. Mr Stacks Tea & Pancakes

In my opinion, this is the best combination: tea and pancakes. Pancakes are my favorite guilty pleasures, especially on a Sunday and this place did not disappoint.

I got the banana pancakes and I did not want the experience of eating it to end.

If you’re a pancake lover, check this place out for sure! It’s all vegan pancakes but if I’m not mistaken they have a chicken pancake option and they have gluten and non gluten free options

5. Momo

This would probably be the Zuma or Nobu of Holland. The music was cool, the setting was very nice. It was recommended to me by several people so I went to check it out. Maybe because I don’t eat their specials, I thought the food was decent. I mainly ordered vegetables and rice so wasn’t so exciting.

 6. Conservatorium Hotel

I checked this hotel out and the design inside was so beautiful. I wish I stayed there for lunch or dinner or even to stay the night. From what I heard, they have the best bitterballen croquettes (which I don’t eat of course but you might!) 

7. Mook Pancakes

We went there thinking they had gluten-free pancakes but they didn’t. They did however have vegan and non vegan options and their pancakes looked amazing. We had to leave though as they had no gf options. 

8. Sla

If you’re looking for a salad and a healthy plant-based restaurant. Most dishes can be made gluten free!  

9. Foodhallen

I went to this food court, which is the biggest one in Holland, the first time I went there 5 years ago. It’s food heaven for those that can eat everything and anything. As I didn’t go this time, I can’t tell you for sure how good the food is but last time I went I absolutely loved it. Also, it seems from reviews and several websites that they have gluten free and vegan options but don’t take my word for it. 

10. Coffee & Coconuts for breakfast

Didn’t get to go but seems to be a beautiful space from what I saw online. They had a very limited amount of options for gf and vegan but if you’re looking perhaps for coffee and juices only, this place could be it! 

 11. Breakers Beach House

From photos, the places look stunning! If I had more time, this would have been next on my list. It has great reviews and is mostly a seafood restaurant but their website shows they have gluten-free, vegan options. 

 12. D’Antica

Italian restaurant that is meant to be the best Italian in the city. From what I gather, famous people have dined there. Have absolutely no idea about their vegan and gluten free menu unfortunately.  

 13. Izakaya

Japanese Restaurant with South American influences. Seems to be another Nobu/Zuma type restaurant. I had a booking there for Friday night but then opted to eat pizza instead. It has good reviews and seems to be on the more expensive side. 

 14. The Oyster club

Oysters are a hit and miss for me. I didn’t check this out because I’m not currently into them. Maybe next time I’m there I’ll want to check this place out. 

15. Visaandeschelde

Another fish restaurant with good reviews online. 

16. Lion Noir

A French/European restaurant with excellent reviews online. The interior design looks so beautiful and it’s meant to be on the more “glamorous” end. It seems to be a good cocktail bar too if you choose not to have dinner there. 

17. Mr Porter & Tales of Spirits

There were the 2 bars I got recommended. I don’t really drink so I didn’t check them out. I tend to like to sleep earlier so I can wake up and explore during the day. I just wanted to share these 2 in case you may be different to me and you’re more of a late night kind of person. From what I gathered, Tales of Spirits is one of the best/most beautiful bars in Amsterdam. Some reviews agree with this statement, some don’t but seems to me it’s worth checking this place out. 

18. MaMa Kelly

since we now live in the Instagram era, places like MaMa Kelly are a popular place for Instagram photo opps. I did not go as I checked the menu and there weren’t many vegan, gluten free options. On top of that, the reviews were okay-ish. It does look super pretty and pink though for those that are looking for their next Instagram photo! 

19. Dignita

An all-day brunch restaurant with 2 locations in Amsterdam. I did not get to go there and from the menu it seems that there were a couple of vegan/gf options. 

20. Staring & Jacob

This was recommended to me by a friend and I did not get the chance to go there. It also doesn’t have many plant-based, gluten-free options except for the mighty vegan brunch dish so I did not want to risk it. 

 21. Eat a cookie at Van Stapele koekmakerij

Doesn’t seem these are gluten free or vegan but apparently worth it since I received several people messaging me about this! 

22. Winkel 43

Supposedly the best apple pie :)

Places to see and things to do:

1. Visit canals

I guess this one is a no-brainer? There are canals on every street almost so even if you’re not looking to see them, you will. Although they can look similar, each one does have its own charm. However I didn’t find my favorite canal there so I can’t recommend a specific one. This blogger I follow mentions the Bloemgracht being her favorite one.

2. Moco Museum

Funny enough on this trip, I discovered that I love museums. The Moco in particular is a modern museum and it has a range of different contemporary artists such as Banksy, Yayoi Kusama, Andy Warhol ,… It also had this really cool art installation right at the exit of the museum. It was so cold that day but I took off my coat thinking I would get to sit on the couch and take a photo. Instead the couch was all wet so I had to stand up instead.

3. Van Gogh Museum

I went to this museum 5 years ago and I remembered absolutely nothing. (I think you can put 2 and 2 together on this one). Anyway, this time around I was truly amazed at the story of this artist. I knew he cut his ear off, but didn’t realise it was because he got into a fight with his flatmate that ended up leaving the house. I also didn’t know that he was someone that struggled so much with his mental health that he ended up committing suicide at the young age of 37 years old. What also really hit me was how he had worked so hard all his life, creating over 2,000 artworks and only got recognised for his creativity and paintings only after he passed away. It shows you that sometimes the rewards can come after you pass away and that recognition will not always happen in the way you imagine it. 

4. “The Nine Streets” also known as “Negen Straatjes”

These are 3 streets that intersect with 3 canals which is where the number 9 comes from. This is the go-to area for shopping at local Dutch stores. They offer both vintage and designer boutiques and have cute cozy cafes to grab lunch. 

5. The Joordan area 

Very trendy area in Amsterdam full of shops and bars. 

6. Rent a Bike

This was something I truly wanted to do but it was so windy and rainy that we didn’t get the chance to rent one. Next time I go to Amsterdam, I’ll plan on going during the spring or summer so that I can check this off my list. If you do rent a bike, make sure you buy a lock for it as bike theft happens quite often. 

7. Anne Frank House

Probably one of the most popular things to visit in Amsterdam and I unfortunately didn’t get to go. They require you buy tickets way in advance especially if it’s high season and the tickets were all sold out the weekend I went. If you know you’re going to Amsterdam, I’d recommend buying tickets ahead of time as this one should be on your list for sure. 

6. Red Light District 

I went once last time I was there, didn’t check this out again. Definitely something to see if you’re in Amsterdam but I just didn’t think it was necessary to go twice. 

8. Bloemenmarkt

Never been, not sure if I would go if I’m only there for a couple of days. It’s a flower market but from what I’ve read online, there aren’t many flowers on display or maybe it just depends on the seasons or the time of the week. I think I’ll go next time I’m there as you can also buy seeds to bring back home with you if you want to plant your own flowers and plants.  

9. Keukenhof Tulip

Something I noticed in Amsterdam were how beautiful their flowers and plants were. Truly one of the most beautiful ones I’ve seen. In the winter this probably isn’t the place to go to but in the spring it’s one of the most beautiful places to check out. It is the largest and most famous flower park in the world and the best time to go would be April or May. Best to buy tickets in advance. 

10. The Rijksmuseum Library

I really wanted to check the library out on this visit but I honestly didn’t get the chance to. It’s an arts and history national museum and for those whol love architecture this place is meant to be beautiful from the inside. The photos I’ve seen do look amazing but you can’t always trust what you see and beauty is in the eye of the beholder so again, don’t take my word for it. 

11. Damrak 

This is supposedly the most instagrammed photo spots in Amsterdam. I didn’t get to go as this time around I tried to do less touristic things … 

12. Coffeeshops:

Greenhouse coffee shop and Bulldog were recommended to me. However there were literally coffee shops everywhere so they’re not hard to find. Note that in Amsterdam, coffee shops are smoke shops and cafes are where you go to grab coffee!