{"id":21993,"date":"2025-01-11T01:33:04","date_gmt":"2025-01-11T01:33:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/amsterdam\/10-best-restaurants-in-amsterdam-the-2024-edition\/"},"modified":"2025-01-11T01:33:04","modified_gmt":"2025-01-11T01:33:04","slug":"10-best-restaurants-in-amsterdam-the-2024-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=21993","title":{"rendered":"10 Best Restaurants in Amsterdam \u2013 the 2024 Edition!"},"content":{"rendered":"


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It must be mid-December, because I\u2019m back with my annual roundup of the best restaurants in Amsterdam! Each year for the past decade, I\u2019ve selected the city\u2019s restaurants that impressed me the most. And this time, they range in style from fine dining to simple sandwiches, and in geographical inspiration from Marseille to Mexico.<\/pullout> Some of these restaurants opened in 2024; others have been around for longer but it took until recently for me to visit them. As always, this list is completely subjective: it\u2019s just one Amsterdammer\u2019s experience (albeit that of a writer who has been covering food, wine and restaurants in the city for almost 20 years).\n\nUsually, I use this annual top 10 as a bit of a plug for my Amsterdam Restaurant Guide<\/a>. This year, however, I\u2019m behind on updating it \u2013 so I\u2019m planning to bring out a 2025 edition early next year. In the meantime, if you enjoy my writing and are interested in wine as well as food, you might like to subscribe to my other publication \u2013 The Wine Edit by Truffles & Tannins<\/a> \u2013 over on Substack.<\/p>\n

My Top 10 Amsterdam Restaurants<\/strong><\/h2>\n


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And now, without further ado, let\u2019s sink our teeth into 2024\u2019s best eats\u2026 Cheers, happy holidays and until next year!<\/p>\n

Romance by candlelight: Watergang<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Occupying arguably one of the most romantic little canal houses in Amsterdam,\u00a0restaurant Watergang<\/a>\u00a0makes 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\u2019s 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\u00a0beurre blanc<\/em>, and the pork belly with mussels and a Thai coconut milk broth. The latter paired perfectly with the aptly named \u201cPar Amour\u201d white wine: an Auxerrois (lesser known grape that does well in cool climates) from a French region I\u2019d 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!<\/p>\n

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Canal-side cosiness at Watergang<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you\u2019re feeling romantically inclined, read my article on the most romantic restaurants in Amsterdam<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n

Brunch by the Bosphorus: Belly Pepper<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I love Turkish food at any hour, but Turkish breakfast has to be perhaps the best meal of the day.\u00a0Belly Pepper<\/a>\u00a0in Amsterdam West has a lovely curated menu of half a dozen or so brunch dishes, including a hearty wrap filled with\u00a0sucuk<\/em>\u00a0(sausage), eggs, cheese and avocado, with chilli-dipped potatoes on the side. But for big flavours with a smaller appetite, order the\u00a0borek<\/em>: 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.<\/p>\n

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Turkish borek at Belly Pepper<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For more morning eats, take a look at my article on the best brunch spots in Amsterdam<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

All Greek to me: Ikaria Park<\/strong><\/h3>\n

First of all, let\u2019s talk about Ikaria Park<\/a>\u2019s 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: taram\u00e1salata\u00a0<\/em>(white, not pink), smoked aubergine dip, and\u00a0tirokeftiri<\/em>\u00a0(spicy feta dip). The rest of the menu was designed to be shared, too: we ordered more obviously Greek dishes like\u00a0saganaki<\/em>\u00a0(fried Kefalotyri cheese),\u00a0keftedakia<\/em>\u00a0(meatballs) and\u00a0dolmas<\/em>\u00a0(stuffed vines leaves), as well as less typical dishes like\u00a0gambas<\/em>\u00a0in tomato and feta sauce and grilled chicken. But let\u2019s face it, I was here for the\u00a0kleftiko<\/em>: my all-time favourite Greek dish of marinated, slow-cooked lamb in parchment paper. In Ikaria Park\u2019s case, it comprised shank of lamb, slow roasted with potatoes, tomatoes and half an oregano bush, drizzled with an unexpectedly creamy sauce. I\u2019ll be honest and say it did not immediately transport me to the\u00a0kleftiko<\/em>\u00a0of 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.<\/p>\n

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Kleftiko: Greek-style slow-cooked lamb in parchment paper<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

More than Mediterranean: Massalia <\/strong><\/h3>\n

A mashup of Marseille and Greece is what\u00a0Restobar Massalia<\/a>\u00a0purports to be \u2013 the sister restaurant of Gitane, which I\u2019ve not been to but had heard good things about. It\u2019s 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 \u201ca la polita<\/em>\u201d. The\u00a0taram\u00e1<\/em>\u00a0was delicious \u2013 served with wild garlic oil and mopped up with a ring of sesame studded Greek bread (koulouri<\/em>). I also enjoyed the savoy cabbage-based dolmas<\/em>, 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\u2019re still smoothing things out.<\/p>\n

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Massalia\u2019s artichoke \u201ca la polita\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For more Greek food recommendations, head over to my roundup of Greek restaurants in Amsterdam<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n

Italian stallion: Brio<\/strong><\/h3>\n

By the same team behind Little Collins,\u00a0Brio<\/a> 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 comt\u00e9<\/em> 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\u2019d spend a lot less than we did!). If you like it spicy, I\u2019d recommend the stellar fettuccine with salsa piccante<\/em>, 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).<\/p>\n

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There were only two secondi on offer \u2013 one meaty pork Milanese with stewed quince, one seabass with mussels and puttanesca<\/em> sauce \u2013 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\u2019d 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.<\/p>\n

Sandwiches to savour: Dough Studio<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Speaking of Italian feasts, I was very happy to discover\u00a0Dough Studio<\/a>, which opened in 2024 just down the road from me behind the Weesperzijde, serving up enormous\u00a0schiacciata<\/em>\u00a0(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 \u20ac11 between two). Both the fillings and the bread itself were fabulous!<\/p>\n

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Italian porchetta schiacciata from Dough Studio<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For more Italian fare, look no further than my article on the best Italian restaurants in Amsterdam<\/a> for every occasion.<\/em><\/p>\n

Indian-inspired: Miri Mary<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I love brunch. I love Indian food. So it\u2019s hardly surprising that I loved the Indian-inspired brunch fare at\u00a0Miri Mary<\/a>. 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\u2019s cheese, and it came swimming in a spicy curried sauce, ready to be mopped up with soft flatbreads. Prices were the same you\u2019d see for brunch anywhere in Amsterdam, but the quality and thoughtfulness of the dishes made Miri Mary feel like far better value for money.<\/p>\n

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Goan omelette at Miri Mary<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Looking for more Indian inspiration? Read about the Indian cuisine scene in Amsterdam<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n

Modern Mexican meets vegan: Madre<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Touting modern Mexican dining,\u00a0MADRE<\/a>\u00a0makes no mention of its vegan credentials on the menu \u2013 only that it aims to be sustainable, inclusive and respectful. Which is probably why I didn\u2019t even realise I\u2019d eaten a fully vegan Mexican meal until I came to pay the bill at the end. We ordered the Chef\u2019s Choice: a good-value selection of six dishes to share, although all dishes are available a la carte if you\u2019d 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\u2019t get enough of the artichoke barbacoa \u2013 grilled artichokes, spiced with\u00a0mojo de ajo<\/em>, topped with\u00a0guasacaca<\/em>\u00a0salsa, served on blue corn tortillas (pictured). I was also mesmerised by the \u201c3D printed pork\u201d 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\u2019s funk-free natural orange wine \u2013 a Gr\u00fcner Veltliner from Austria\u2019s Nieder\u00f6sterreich region. The meal was magic \u2013 almost literally.<\/p>\n

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Artichoke barbacoa tacos at Madre<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You\u2019ve guessed it by now: I have articles on both Mexican tacos<\/a> and vegan restaurants in Amsterdam<\/a>, too.<\/em><\/p>\n

Nordic but nice: Kafe Kontrast<\/strong><\/h3>\n

According to Kaf\u00e9 Kontrast<\/a>\u2019s website, it has Swedish roots but takes inspiration from Indonesia as well \u2013 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.\u00a0Aubergine balado<\/em> was a textural delight: crunchy hazelnuts, spiky chilli, creamy feta and a Nordic nod from the rye bread croutons.\u00a0All round, I loved the food \u2013 including the crispy baby potatoes with spicy mayo.<\/p>\n

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Wine not: Shiraz Jardin des Vins<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Perhaps because it\u2019s so close to Amsterdam\u2019s touristy Leidseplein, I had overlooked wine bar\u00a0Shiraz Jardin des Vins<\/a>\u00a0until very recently. But that was a mistake on my part, as it\u2019s a gem of a bar with comfy lounge chairs and a candlelit atmosphere of romance. I tried two of their bubbles \u2013 a Cr\u00e9mant de Luxembourg and a Cava Brut \u2013 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 \u2013 Shiraz is full of romantic sparkle.<\/p>\n

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Cosy intimacy at Shiraz wine bar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Do you like a glass of wine but wish you knew more about it? Consider joining me over on Substack for my weekly newsletter:\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>The Wine Edit by Truffles & Tannins<\/em><\/strong><\/a>!<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n