Good food in Amsterdam

Read this in: German

If you think of Amsterdam, everyone probably thinks of something else. This city does not just have a unique sale point. For some it is the beautiful canals, the feeling that in most corners of the city you do not feel like you are in a big city, the cultural offer and hand on heart, some attracts the Coffee Shop Tourism and the Red Light District. So you find yourself in a strange mix again. Especially now in the beginning of 2019 it was very strange to find and orient oneself somewhere between party tourists and Instagram selfie snaps. Amsterdam has been felt to be more crowded than usual, it’s a popular spot on Instagram.

Amsterdam and the food

My husband and I were back for the Amsterdam Light Festival and have finished this as planned. The year before, I had a strain, so walking was more difficult. However, the subject of the blog post is food, good food and bad in Amsterdam. Of course, our research is only a fraction of the diversity of such a rich city. But it is an important momentum in Amsterdam. You go past all the shops and especially the Ice Bakerys with their sweet scent and colorful displays full of macarons …

Stay away from the Ice Bakery

Yes, Ice Bakeries can be found in every corner of Amsterdam. But mass is not the same class. Anyone who has eaten Laduree or other Parisian Macarons will not be happy with the dye bombs from Amsterdam. They taste sweet and full of flavor. Maybe these businesses are buzzing like that, because coffee shop visitors spend their food flashys there? In any case, I was there with my former partner as well as with friends and husband and never came “Wow, that tastes great.”

If all of us are totally wrong then tell us yourself if you’ve already had some positive events with Ice Bakery shops scattered all over the city. But it’s very interesting that the closer you get to the parts of the city that are not so touristy, the more and more the Ice Bakeries become.

Spain in the Netherlands

A great development of the last two years, is that there are churros in more and more cities and countries. But churros from Spain are not just churros everywhere. As a vegan, I do the parts very, very seldom myself. But there are also good and bad shops in Amsterdam. Directly on the overcrowded and for me very annoying Dam there is then in the direction of the Red Light District such a Churroladen and there is always a long line. There are probably some battle for sweets or there are also many Asians who want to try something European. However, the churros are not recommended there. They are overpriced and do not taste cross enough and inside they are still raw dough.

Churros do not have a particularly high eyecandy factor. On the contrary, they look like failed fries with powdered sugar. And yet they are enjoying more and more popularity not only in Spain or in Amsterdam.

Definitely, you should avoid the tourist eating outlets in general. Better to buy churros from the street market, the Albert Cup Market, there is only one older gentleman offering this at about the middle of the market. Not only do the churros cost half, no, they are also fresh and tasty, and to the point perfect and crisp. If you really want to enjoy the whole spanish, churros will take care of your refurbishment and dip them into warm chocomel or hot cocoa, which you can also get for 1-2 euros on the market, depending on the stall. So you have the perfect taste experience, although my husband solo does not like the Chocomel so well. But it’s a bit of a national drink in the Netherlands and you see a lot of people with their chocomel in the morning instead of coffee, because the Dutch just like it sweet.

Chocomel can be found in every corner of the Netherlands. My husband did not enjoy it so much as hot chocolate. However, she tasted good with the churros.

Tasty nuts and fresh juices

Anyone who is already at the street market, must not miss the wonderful fresh and sometimes very, very healthy goods in any case. If you are a cheese lover, you will probably have to go through all the choices completely. And there are several stalls with delicious, fresh juices, which you get from just 1 euro. In fact, I usually prefer the vegetable juices and my husband loves the beetroot juice, which really tastes like a spicy beetroot soup.

Also, a big recommendation from me is to try it out in Amsterdam with the nut dealer of confidence in the market. We buy smoked almonds every year. 200 grams cost a cheap 3.95 euros given the current nut prices and it tastes so incredibly good.

Already at the beginning of the market there are several stalls with freshly squeezed juices.

Another delicacy on the street market are poffertjes, small pancakes with different toppings. When traveling in a group, it is best to buy a lot of different things on the street market. Then everyone has the opportunity to try everything without getting a sugar shock.

Traditional Dutch waffles

The Dutch and the Stroopwaffle. A love that I personally do not understand. These waffles are also available in Germany in our supermarket, sometimes as honey waffles, sometimes as caramel waffles. In Amsterdam you can find them fresh in many places. My husband, who honestly was also skeptical, was allowed to test the waffles fresh from the street market. The shops, where you can find the waffles filled with warm chocolate or caramel sauce in Amsterdam, are numerous. Often you can even stop them with chocolate or mini marshmellows. But there are often long lines at these fancy shops. The street market, however, there are numerous Stroopwaffelstände and no one has to wait particularly long, even on the weekend you get to a few minutes off. So if you are a sweetie, you should not miss these waffles.

Who wants his Stroopwaffel traditional and cheap, which should buy them at the street market. If that’s not instagramable enough for you, head to one of the downtown shops. Some waffles with chocolate or minimarshmallows also found their way to Instagram.

There are a few shops that I visit every year and that includes Labeled with trust, formerly Trust. Every year we are surprised again.

No cashier of trust anymore

Unfortunately, there are not only positive things to say about the world of food in Amsterdam. In 2014, I was the first time in the city, then as a couch surfer and my then host had recommended us Trust, a bistro with regional products, where you get breakfast and lunch in vegetarian and vegan. That does not sound so exciting so far. The special thing about Trust was that you could pay what you want, what the food was worth. The following year, when Jonah was there for the first time, he was so enthusiastic about the creative atmosphere and the food and the concept that he paid a whopping 28 euros for his lunch. Simply, because the food was worth it there.

The years went by and I had already reported on Trust last year and that it had moved to a new location. Now we came back and it was surprisingly empty. To our astonishment, there are now prices. The food is still very delicious and the selection varied and interesting from matcha cocktail to hot punch – of course without alcohol – and from the snack to the Smoothiebowl. But this reunion with the store, now called Labeled with Trust, which also sells some items such as water bottles, pats, and bags, has lost its magic for a while. Not because there are prices now. Rather, because I thought, considering the prices, that I would have given more for each of these dishes and drinks than there is and for me now an elementary piece is missing.

At Labeled with trust we had a matcha cocktail without alcohol that tasted good, but rather fits in the summer. The Smoothie Bowl with chocolate, banana and granola was a little too sweet for my husband.

My small, fine rice ball

Another constant that fortunately remains with all the changing shops and stores suitable for the Instagram is the trusted onigiri shop. Actually crazy that I reach for Japanese break bread near the Heinecken Experience, which is overloaded with tourists, but let me explain. Of course, there are now many supermarkets such as Albert Hein in the Netherlands or many supermarkets in Berlin, which offer machine-made Onigiri. But the ones at Onigiri ya are twice as big, twice as tasty and cost less than those from the supermarket. You do not believe it, but already 2 roundballs make me parapet for half a day. We usually pick you up for our return journey.

Waiting for the Instagram photo

A rather negative trend for comfortable travel in Amsterdam is that any shop that is only slightly instagrammable becomes time-wasters. If you have any wishes, you should inform yourself in advance if you can make an online reservation or by telephone so that you do not have to spend hours in the dreary winter weather. With Pulk we were still lucky and had to wait maybe 10 minutes and that, although we were only in fourth place. Then it was very pleasant, but also a bit tight up there. All in all, we could not complain to Pluk, because price / performance was right and the waiting time you could easily with the little things that you can buy on the ground floor, distribute.

It looked a bit different at The Avocado Show. Last year we got a nice place directly, where the picture was taken, that you can find here on the blog on the page about me. This year we were right at 10 o’clock in the corner where the shop is and there was a long line in the drizzle, two hours wait minimum. Also in the Ree 7 near Pluk or rather in front of it on the narrow sidewalk you have to expect at least half an hour’s waiting time. This shop is known for its freakshakes, milkshakes garnished with nothing but calorie bombs. Let’s see if I find a vegan variety in Berlin … I’m honestly waiting for a restaurant or café that either has a photo corner or just has a photo service. It would be really funny if you can get a ready-lit image there.

Here at Pluk we were reasonably lucky and could wait in the warm. Elsewhere you can spend hours outside in wind and weather to get a good seat in one of the typical food locations.

American biscuits and crumble for breakfast

American biscuits and crumbs for breakfastWhoever travels to a country should not just go to cafes or restaurants. (Of pizza shops want or fast food chains not to mention.) Pizza shops in Italy are of course something else …) No, even a supermarket has some special and country-specific specialty ready. Who hagelslag or vruchtenhagel not yet know, they should try and form their own opinion. I do not want to take the pleasure of tasting you there.

Another tip is for all friends of American sweets. Downtown Amsterdam has a few shops selling American and international sweets. However, you get at the Albert Hein Dam much cheaper some Oreosorten as Mint, Birthday Cake or Brownie, which one otherwise searches in vain.

This store is currently very often seen on Instagram. Usually with the white bench at the door, but we were rather early in the morning and there was the shop still closed.

These cakepops in conjunction with the Amsterdam canals are a popular Instagram theme. Incidentally, the unicorn cake on the stem is also often mistaken for a kind of mini ice on a stick. For 4 euros you can buy the little treats at Polaberry. For my husband, it was definitely the best cakepop he had ever eaten. Everything was right with this cake, so it’s not just a nice shell, but also a tasty core.

Chocolate strawberries and cakepop unicorns

I have saved the best for the end, because our visit to Polaberry was a small highlight, I must confess. On the day we left we had plenty of time left and walked through the streets in the morning before opening most stores. Polaberry is a small but fine shop – also near Pluk. And maybe you already know the local specialties from Instagram. Even before the shop was opened, two Asian women waited tensely outside the door and excitedly snapped photos of the flower garlands, which turned out to be redecorated mats from IKEA. It was not such a long waiting time as at The Avocado Show. But some people came directly to the opening of the store at 11 o’clock in the morning.

Strawberries with chic chocolate coating can be bought individually, but also in the box in different sizes. For strawberries, however, I recommend you to eat them very quickly, because they dripped pretty much after half a day with us and are also very fragile. So enjoy it in Amsterdam.

Small but nice is the store for chocolate, gifts and cafe therefore. There is not much space inside, but it is enough for a shelter in bad weather.

Actually, we just wanted chocolate berries to give away and buy one of those richly decorated chocolates, but Jonah also laughed at the Unicorn Cakepop. The prices are moderate and everything according to my relatives and my husband delicious, but as a vegan I had to be satisfied with a coffee. My husband even dared to say that this is the Ladureé Patisserie in Amsterdam, so that would be a clear argument that you will visit this shop on your next visit to Amsterdam and convince yourself if you can agree with my husband ,