Amsterdam\u2019s Chinese food scene goes far beyond the roast duck joints and takeaways of Zeedijk, the city\u2019s historic Chinatown. These days you\u2019ll find everything from delicate Cantonese dim sum to tongue-tingling Sichuan specialities and hearty hand-pulled noodles from China\u2019s northwest.<\/p>\n
What are the best Chinese restaurants in Amsterdam?<\/strong><\/h2>\nWhether you\u2019re after a steaming hotpot to share with friends or a leisurely dim sum afternoon tea, here are my curated picks of Amsterdam\u2019s top Chinese restaurants \u2013 tried, tested and foodie-approved.<\/p>\n
Oriental City<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\nIf you\u2019re craving real-deal dim sum, head to\u00a0Oriental City<\/a>\u00a0in the Red Light District. Split over several floors and adorned with decorations that transport you straight to the Orient, the restaurant is well-known for its extensive tea selection and its huge dim sum menu. Much more than just dumplings, Oriental City\u2019s Cantonese dim sum ranges from steamed prawn balls to sweet water chestnut pudding.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.amsterdamfoodie.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Dim-sum-500x625.jpg\")
Not just dumplings: dim sum selection<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSea Palace<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\nAlternatively, if you like your Chinese food with a big helping of kitsch, hop on board the enormous floating\u00a0Sea Palace<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 a boat in the shape of a Chinese pagoda moored just to the east of Centraal Station. You can\u2019t miss it. Sea Palace also serves a good dim sum menu, but they offer other Cantonese dishes, Beijing duck and Sichuan cuisine as well (more on that below). It might look like a tourist trap but the food is actually surprisingly good.<\/p>\nChina Sichuan Restaurant<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\nThe Sichuan province of China is best known for its ultra-spicy dishes that are not for the faint of palate \u2013 taking their heat primarily from dried red chilies and Sichuan peppercorns. If you love to feel the burn, head straight to the aptly named\u00a0China Sichuan Restaurant<\/a>. I was a big fan of their fiery yet silky\u00a0mapo\u00a0tofu and their fabulously named \u201cants on trees\u201d: a spicy combination of minced pork, glass noodles, spring onions and seaweed. But everything I tried was bold, punchy and spot-on.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.amsterdamfoodie.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/China-Sichuan-Restaurant-Amsterdam-500x414.jpg\")
Fiery map tofu at China Sichuan Restaurant<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nYuan\u2019s Hot Pot<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\nFor excellent Chengdu-style hotpot, don\u2019t miss\u00a0Yuan\u2019s Hot Pot<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 now with four locations in Amsterdam. Gather your friends and sit around a steaming vat of broth while you dip assorted skewers of meat, fish or veggies into it until they\u2019re cooked. There are two types of broth to choose from: one spicy and one mild, although you can hedge your bets and opt for half and half. You also get to mix your own dipping sauce from the wide variety of condiments lined up at the counter. Sichuan hotpot is perhaps one of my favourite communal dining experiences.<\/p>\n![\"Yuan's](\"https:\/\/www.amsterdamfoodie.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Yuans-Hot-Pot-Amsterdam-500x382.jpg\")
Yuan\u2019s Hot Pot<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nPeijie Hotpot<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\nMore hotpot, but Peijie<\/a>\u2019s version comes from Chongqing (rather than Chengdu) \u2013 which is purported to be even fierier than its Sichuan rival. And as anyone who knows me knows, my motto is the hotter the better! We ordered the \u201cmedium\u201d spice level for our beef tallow broth, and it was not messing around. Into the fiery broth, we dipped thinly sliced beef (marinated in more chillies), dainty balls of pork and cuttlefish, slices of starchy lotus root and leafy greens \u2013 the latter of which sopped up more of the chilli-laced liquid than anything else. Once cooked, we doused the dipped ingredients into a custom blend of sesame oil, spring onions, garlic and coriander before popping them in our mouths and then reaching for a cooling glass of passion fruit juice. The flavours were fragrant as well as fiery, and we kept going back for more.\u00a0To avoid disaster, I suggest you do not wear your best clothes (you will smell like a hotpot from hair to socks by the end of it) and do take Peijie up on their offer of an apron!<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.amsterdamfoodie.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Peijie-Hotpot-Amsterdam-500x611.jpg\")
My happy spicy face at Peijie!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nEditor\u2019s note: I was invited to eat at Peijie Hotpot as a journalist, and I didn\u2019t pay for my meal. Obviously I try to be as objective as possible, but I always disclose when I\u2019ve had a freebie. <\/em><\/p>\nChina Supreme<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
If you\u2019re craving real-deal dim sum, head to\u00a0Oriental City<\/a>\u00a0in the Red Light District. Split over several floors and adorned with decorations that transport you straight to the Orient, the restaurant is well-known for its extensive tea selection and its huge dim sum menu. Much more than just dumplings, Oriental City\u2019s Cantonese dim sum ranges from steamed prawn balls to sweet water chestnut pudding.<\/p>\n Alternatively, if you like your Chinese food with a big helping of kitsch, hop on board the enormous floating\u00a0Sea Palace<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 a boat in the shape of a Chinese pagoda moored just to the east of Centraal Station. You can\u2019t miss it. Sea Palace also serves a good dim sum menu, but they offer other Cantonese dishes, Beijing duck and Sichuan cuisine as well (more on that below). It might look like a tourist trap but the food is actually surprisingly good.<\/p>\n The Sichuan province of China is best known for its ultra-spicy dishes that are not for the faint of palate \u2013 taking their heat primarily from dried red chilies and Sichuan peppercorns. If you love to feel the burn, head straight to the aptly named\u00a0China Sichuan Restaurant<\/a>. I was a big fan of their fiery yet silky\u00a0mapo\u00a0tofu and their fabulously named \u201cants on trees\u201d: a spicy combination of minced pork, glass noodles, spring onions and seaweed. But everything I tried was bold, punchy and spot-on.<\/p>\n For excellent Chengdu-style hotpot, don\u2019t miss\u00a0Yuan\u2019s Hot Pot<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 now with four locations in Amsterdam. Gather your friends and sit around a steaming vat of broth while you dip assorted skewers of meat, fish or veggies into it until they\u2019re cooked. There are two types of broth to choose from: one spicy and one mild, although you can hedge your bets and opt for half and half. You also get to mix your own dipping sauce from the wide variety of condiments lined up at the counter. Sichuan hotpot is perhaps one of my favourite communal dining experiences.<\/p>\n More hotpot, but Peijie<\/a>\u2019s version comes from Chongqing (rather than Chengdu) \u2013 which is purported to be even fierier than its Sichuan rival. And as anyone who knows me knows, my motto is the hotter the better! We ordered the \u201cmedium\u201d spice level for our beef tallow broth, and it was not messing around. Into the fiery broth, we dipped thinly sliced beef (marinated in more chillies), dainty balls of pork and cuttlefish, slices of starchy lotus root and leafy greens \u2013 the latter of which sopped up more of the chilli-laced liquid than anything else. Once cooked, we doused the dipped ingredients into a custom blend of sesame oil, spring onions, garlic and coriander before popping them in our mouths and then reaching for a cooling glass of passion fruit juice. The flavours were fragrant as well as fiery, and we kept going back for more.\u00a0To avoid disaster, I suggest you do not wear your best clothes (you will smell like a hotpot from hair to socks by the end of it) and do take Peijie up on their offer of an apron!<\/p>\n Editor\u2019s note: I was invited to eat at Peijie Hotpot as a journalist, and I didn\u2019t pay for my meal. Obviously I try to be as objective as possible, but I always disclose when I\u2019ve had a freebie. <\/em><\/p>\nSea Palace<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
China Sichuan Restaurant<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Yuan\u2019s Hot Pot<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Peijie Hotpot<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
China Supreme<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.amsterdamfoodie.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/China-Supreme-Amsterdam-500x680.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.amsterdamfoodie.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Jinweide-hand-pulled-noodles-Amsterdam-500x503.jpg\")