Amsterdam: A Foodie’s Paradise

Amsterdam has become an instant-hit with many millennial foodies. Much like any other large European city, there is such a huge range of places to eat, it can be quite difficult to know where to turn. And that’s where Instagram comes in.

Instagram is the perfect place for foodie inspo, so it’s an absolute must of mine to search for food to try before going on a trip. Does anyone else know what they want to try before they even get to where they are going? No? Just me then…

It’s very easy to make food mistakes when visitng a new city. And who wants to travel somewhere and then eat gross food? Do you get my logic now?

Obviously we all know about Amsterdam’s famous hash brownies, but there is much more to try than just a cheap high.

I’ve done the hard work for you, so if you are planning a trip to Amsterdam and are wondering where is good to eat, read on!

Breakfast

Every day should begin with a delicious breakfast, am I right or am I right? Amsterdam is great for breakfast. Whether you want something sweet, savoury or a combination of the two, Amsterdam will have something for you.

Pluk

Amsterdam is full of concept stores with cafes built in and Pluk is probably the nicest of the lot. Nestled away in the Nine Streets area of Amsterdam, if you want a good all-day long breakfast in Amsterdam and want something Instagrammable (because that is definitely a word) then Pluk is a must-try.

I had seen Pluk on Instagram and was very eager to go there to try one of their acai bowls. Now if you’ve been living under a rock and aren’t aware of what an acai bowl is – it is simply a smoothie bowl, topped with fruits, oats, seeds, nuts, etc. I had the Bali Bowl which was a mixture of banana, papaya and mango topped with granola, passionfruit, banana, blueberries, strawberries, coconut flakes and chia seeds. It was so fresh tasting and I was left surprisingly very full.

Pluk also has lots of other delicious breakfast options to choose from so if you fancy something a bit more traditional like eggs, there is something for you too. The colourful cake selection also left me salivating.

The Breakfast Club

The well-known chain is not just in London – it’s in Amsterdam too! Although it’s lovely to try new places when abroad, sometimes it is also nice to go with what you know and see if it’s any different in different places.

After a long debate of whether I wanted something sweet or savoury, I couldn’t resist the chocolate pancakes. Yes, I said it – chocolate pancakes. They came topped with banana, raspberries, coconut flakes and chocolate sauce. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, this is perfect for you.

Lunch

There are lots of places in Amsterdam where you can grab lunch and go, but if you want somewhere to sit down and eat, Ree7 or The Avocado Show are recommended by me.

Ree7

Whether it’s breakfast, brunch or lunch you fancy, Ree7 is a place to try. Located just along from Pluk on Reestrasse, Ree7 is a cute café with a large menu full of delicious dishes, from sandwiches and salads, to pancakes and muffins.

We couldn’t decide whether we wanted a sandwich or pancakes, so we got both and shared. What a great decision that was. We went for the grilled chicken sandwich and the goats cheese sandwich, both of which were delicious. We also got the red velvet pancakes, because who can say no to red velvet pancakes?! I had never had red velvet pancakes before but I can safely say that these were absolutely amazing.

The Avocado Show

What kind of millennial doesn’t love avocado? What better place to go for some lunch than somewhere entirely dedicated to the stuff? I spotted The Avocado Show on Instagram and as a huge lover of the things, I knew I had to visit.

Not only was the atmosphere buzzing, but the dishes were very unique, nutritious and delicious. I had the roasted vegetable avocado toast, my Mum had the truffle treasure avocado toast and my sister had the mama mango poke bowl. There was absolutely no faults with any of it, everything was delicious and left me wanting more.

So… I couldn’t resist the avocado Oreo cheesecake and wow it was unbelievable. It was so smooth and creamy, it was almost like a mouse rather than a set cheesecake. It was a reasonably-sized portion but I could have eaten it ten times over it was that good.

I would definitely recommend you to arrive early to avoid disappointment. There are often large queues so expect to have to wait. But trust me, it’s 100% worth the wait.

Dinner

So I can't lie, my dinner recommendations are not as Instagrammy as my breakfast and lunch recommendations but if you want something quick and delicious after a long day on your feet, then these are for you.

The Butcher

I had seen The Butcher on Instagram and the burgers looked delicious. Little did we know that it was actually a fast food restaurant, similar to Five Guys. I didn’t realise but it is actually a chain, with restaurants in Berlin, Ibiza and Dubai. It was not the kind of dinner we had in mind, but after walking around the city the whole day, we were happy with anything and we couldn’t resist the smell.

I had The Daddy burger – beef topped with melted Edam, lettuce, tomato, bacon, BBQ sauce and grilled onions, with a side of sweet potato fries and we also shared mozzarella sticks, which FYI, are amazing. I also got the garlic mayo and the sriracha mayo which were both great.

Although it wasn’t exactly the sit-down meal we had intended, after a long day walking the streets of Amsterdam, it was the perfect way to end the day.

Tasca Bellota

This was one of the only food places we went to that I hadn’t actually spotted on Instagram before arriving in Amsterdam.

Our second and last night, we wanted to try something maybe a bit more traditional, but again we were so hungry and tired from walking around all day and the smell of delicious tapas was too good to resist.

I’m a sucker for tapas – I love ordering lots of food and sharing. We had the bruschetta, garlic prawns, calamari, potato cakes, meatballs, chorizo, chicken skewers and patatas bravas. I would highly recommend everything – apart from the potato cakes. My Mum and sister enjoyed them but they were a bit boring for me. But this place has a lovely family feel to it, is very traditional and the food is served really quick! A great find by us.

Sweet Treats

Amsterdam’s love of waffles, pancakes, freak shakes, brownies, pretty much anything loaded with sugar, is also a love of mine. With all of that wandering around the canals, it’s the perfect excuse to stop and grab something sweet – you need to keep your energy levels up after all!

Freakshakes

I am a huge lover of freakshakes. Although they probably weigh in at about 1,000 calories or more, when you’re on holiday, who cares? Not me that’s for sure.

So back to Ree7 it was for the chocolate heaven shake and heavenly it was. Chocolate milkshake topped with a waffle, a donut, a Bueno, a KitKat AND cookies?! I definitely had to share this as there was no way I was finishing it all myself.

Stroopwafels

If there’s one Dutch sweet treat that you should try when visiting Amsterdam, it’s a stroopwafel. You will find stroopwafels all over Amsterdam, but no one does them like Van Wonderen, a specialist bakery in the heart of Amsterdam.

Stroopwafels are made from two thin layers of baked dough (waffles), stuck together with a sweet caramel syrup. Van Wonderen takes this concept up a notch, covering the waffles in syrups, sweets, cookies, fudge, nuts, you name it!

I went for the white chocolate one and it did not disappoint! It was the perfect afternoon snack to polish off whilst sitting by one of Amsterdam’s beautiful canals.

Brownies

You can get your hands on some weed brownies from pretty much anywhere in Amsterdam, but The Bulldog is supposedly the best. Although Amsterdam is known for its legalised weed, this was not something that attracted us and we weren’t interested in trying the stuff. But who doesn’t love brownies? So we felt we should at least try one. It was actually quite dry…I can’t say I would recommend.

Did I expect to go home feeling full from my trip to Amsterdam? Yes. And did I? Yes. A successful trip if you ask me. Whether it’s canal side dining or a hearty brunch, Amsterdam has it all. Top it off with a freakshake and a waffle, there’s nothing better in my books! However, maybe next time I visit I will try some more traditional Dutch food!