Going Dutch: what to eat in Amsterdam.

Ok, so I know that the unidentifiable lumpy, green sludge above doesn’t look particularly appetising. I’m not going to lie, it is hard to make something that resembles a bowl of sick look good. But, it is a national Dutch dish, so when in Amsterdam and all that…

The Netherlands were the last country I travelled to in 2015 as part of my 12 countries in 12 months challenge. My friend TJ and I went to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Amsterdam. It was the first time I’d been to The Netherlands, and TJ’s first time in Amsterdam (her grandmother lives in Eindhoven, so she’s been to the country quite a bit). We had a great time exploring the city and saw in the New Year at a party in Zindaam, a suburb of Amsterdam.

Unlike other countries I went to last year (most notably Colombia), I think it’s fair to say that the Netherlands isn’t particularly renowned for its cuisine. And with such an eclectic mix of people living there, when you want to eat there’s a diverse range of restaurants to choose from. This made it pretty hard trying to find somewhere that served typically Dutch food.

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There are over 1.1 million people living in Amsterdam, and more than 4 million tourists visit the Dutch capital every year. According to the 2012 census, 49.5% of the Amsterdam population were Dutch, and 50.5% were of foreign ancestory, with over half of these being Indonesian – TJ’s grandmother is actually included in the 35% of Indonesians in the city.

So, it’s not a surprise that the city’s restaurants range from Indonesian, Chinese and Surinamese to Turkish and Mediterranean. In fact, when we were roaming the Red Light District we ending up eating in a Spanish tapas bar, of all places. Amsterdam is made up of over 170 different nationalities, which makes it one of the most diverse cities in the world – so what the heck should you eat when visiting Amsterdam?

What to eat in Amsterdam. 

If you’re looking for something quick and easy, you can’t get any faster than the hole-in-the-wall “cafés” that are dotted all around the city. Head into any Febo to find an array of hot snacks, including hamburgers, kroketten and frinkandellen, all steaming behind glass doors. Put your euros into the slot and dinner is served. Yum. The experience should definitely be on your list of Dutch must-tries, for the novelty value alone. It’s not Michelin star by any means, but it beats the spaghetti bolognese (if you can even call it that) from a vending machine that we were offered on our first night in Zaandam.

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Food from The Netherlands may not be as well-known as French or Chinese cuisines, but there are a few dishes that are typically Dutch. These were some of our favourites:

Erwtensoep: pea soup.

Erwtensoep, or “snert” as it’s also known, is a very thick soup made of split peas, celery, leeks, carrots and pork. The waiter at the De Roode Leeuw restaurant explained in great detail about how this dish is popular in the winter, eaten with slices of rookworst (smoked sausage) piled high in the middle, and a slice of rye bread topped with a sliver of katenspek (a type of Dutch bacon which has been cooked first and then smoked) on the side.

The Dutch consider a well-made erwtensoep to be thick enough that a spoon stays upright in it. That is why it’s often eaten the next day, when the flavours have had a chance to blend and the soup thicken.

As a big fan of soup, this is not a claim I make lightly: it was the tastiest, most flavoursome soup I’ve ever had. It was thick, hearty and just what we needed to get over our New Year hangover. Here’s TJ and a massive bowl of erwtensoep, mmm… Apparently erwtensoep is traditionally eaten on New Year’s Day – coincidently that’s just when we ate it.

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Stamppot: mash potato.

Another for cold winter evenings, stamppot is the ultimate Dutch comfort food, not dissimilar to the old British classic, bubble and squeak. Translated literally as ‘mash pot’, it’s a traditional dish of potatoes mashed with other seasonable veg. It’s usually made with various combinations of sauerkraut, carrot, endive, onion or kale, and served with a big sausage.

My main course at the De Roode Leeuw restaurant was a big helping of sauerkraut stamppot, served with two ginormous slices of rookworst (honestly, they were about an inch thick, each),  two thick slabs of “bacon” and a sweet, red wine gravy. I might have been able to finish it, had a I not polished off a huge bowl of erwtensoep before.

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Pannenkoeken: sweet and savoury Dutch pancakes.

Pancakes are common around the world, and not really specific to any country. But Dutch pancakes are a lot larger than American and English pancakes, but thicker than a French crêpe.

Pancakes are eaten throughout the day in The Netherlands (though typically for dinner), unlike in the US where they’re only really served for breakfast, or in UK where they’re considered a dessert. Another difference is that a Dutch pancake is more akin to a pizza. The pancakes are covered in toppings, like bacon, cheese, apple or raisins.

Of course we had to have pancakes in Amsterdam, it would’ve been a crime not to. So after we’d queued for hours in the freezing cold to get into the Anne Frank House, we rewarded ourselves by heading to the Pancake Factory on Prinsengracht.

With eyes bigger than our bellies, we ordered a pancake each from the daily specials board, our waitress mocking that we wouldn’t be able to eat it all. They arrived, covered in hot chocolate sauce, stroopwafel pieces, cinnamon ice cream, whipped cream, icing sugar and chocolate curls.

Just 15 minutes later, we sat there in a sugar-induced food coma, feeling sorry for ourselves. We were determined not to let the waitress win, but alas, we were defeated. I blame the boozy hot chocolates we had before the calorific pancakes came.

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If you’ve visited Amsterdam, what did you eat while there? Have you tried any of the foods above? Drop me a comment in the box below – I’d love to hear from you.

103 thoughts on “Going Dutch: what to eat in Amsterdam.”

  2. I was so intrigued by those burger vending machines! I was in Amsterdam last month and we tried Indonesian food which was amazing and visited Foodhallen because I’m veggie and my friend isn’t so it was the perfect compromise! x

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    1. My friend TJ is half Indonesian, so no need for us to try the food – we get it every time we’re at her mums house anyway lol! My Grandma’s a veggie (allegedly), but told me I had to try the smoked sausage in Amsterdam, because the “smell was too delicious” for even her to resist! She’s a rubbish veggie lol xx

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  3. Been to Amsterdam with family – stayed on a houseboat and sustained ourselves with grocery items and simple meals reflective of American cuisine. I wish now we had made an effort to eat out! Rotterdam and Keukenoff Gardens (sp?) were great – still , you’re making me see that we could have made it even better!

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  6. I went to Amsterdam last month and also went to the Pancake Factory. We opted for breakfast as it was always so busy so we got there for opening and had the Dutch pancakes which were very sweet but amazing x

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  20. Those hole-in-the-wall cafes look amazing, what a brilliant idea! I absolutely love the look of stamppot too, it looks like it would be a firm favourite with me. We’re considering Amsterdam for my sister’s hen do next year and you’ve definitely just put a few items in the ‘pros’ column for me x

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    1. I think it was because I was determined to try something Dutch while I was there, so hunted out the places serving traditional food. To be honest, there wasn’t many, but if you look hard enough, you’ll find some x

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  28. I’ve been trying to get over to Amsterdam with my girls for the last year and everyone I’ve spoken to talks about the lack of traditional Dutch food. WHat’s noce to see is that the traditional food you have found looks delicious and even better is probably something my kids would enjoy

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    1. If you can take a trip over there Anthea, do! And even better if you can take the kids. I won’t lie, there is a lack of traditional Dutch eateries in Amsterdam, because the city caters for so many tourists the food choices are vast and varied. But if you do a bit of research I’m sure you can find some good places like we did x

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  30. There’s only one thing I’ve ever been told to try in Amsterdam and it’s not their food! 😂 It’s on my list of places to go and now I’m more excited, the food looks delicious.

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    1. I’m sure I can guess what you were told to try 😉 the food was definitely different to other European countries I’ve been to, but you have to hunt around for something authentically Dutch x

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    1. I’m not sure whether these are halal, and as I’m not religious I wouldn’t spend time researching this. I’m sure there are some restaurants in Amsterdam that are, though I’d be surprised if they served Dutch cuisine that is halal.

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  34. I love Amsterdam. I was last there in the summer, so mostly had drinks and nibbles on a terrace by the canals. I loved the mature cheese and mustard combo. I also ate my body weight in poffertjes when I was there. Ha!

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  36. You see I thought that cover image was delicious looking! Ha, I am a big lover of nice sludge soups though I have to say. I loved this! I have never beeen so it’s really interesting to get a food low-down!

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  37. The vending machine looks so cool, I’d definitely need to try it for the novelty factor. The soup – although it doesn’t look that appealing – actually sounds delicious.

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  47. It all looks delicious, and I especially love the idea of the hole in the wall cafes. Every year I say I must go to Amsterdam and it hasn’t happened yet, maybe next year will be the one

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