12 Unique Dining Experiences in Amsterdam That Will Impress Any Foodie

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Amsterdam’s food scene is a culinary playground that perfectly reflects the creativity of the Netherlands. From cozy canal-side bistros to innovative dining concepts like greenhouse restaurants and floating riverboat eateries, the city offers experiences that will blow any foodie away.

While famous for Dutch classics like stroopwafels and bitterballen, Amsterdam also shines with global flavors, Michelin-starred delights, and unique local twists. Imagine indulging in Indonesian rijsttafel or savoring freshly caught seafood in a buzzing market setting.

These 12 unique dining experiences showcase the Netherlands’ rich food culture and Amsterdam’s vibrant, innovative spirit. Get ready to explore the city’s tastiest corners and discover why it’s a foodie hotspot!

👉 Pro Tip: Hungry to explore Amsterdam’s culinary gems? Try the Jordaan District Food Walking Tour! This 2.5-hour guided adventure takes you through the charming streets of Jordaan, one of Amsterdam’s most picturesque neighborhoods. Taste Dutch classics like herring, Gouda cheese, and stroopwafels while learning the history behind these iconic dishes. Perfect for foodies, this tour blends delicious bites with a scenic stroll, giving you a true taste of the Netherlands!

Unique Restaurants in Amsterdam: 12 Best Places in Amsterdam to Eat

Are you ready to discover the best restaurants in Amsterdam? There’s a large variety of eateries to explore here, from dining in innovative settings to quaint, tucked-away cafes. Join me as we uncover the best places to eat in Amsterdam.

Are you excited for an amazing dining experience, like enjoying top-notch meals while looking over Amsterdam from a high-up, spinning restaurant? Or maybe you want to try real Dutch food in a warm, old house by the canal? No matter what kind of unique dining adventure you’re looking for, Amsterdam has it all. Here’s your essential guide to the most unique restaurants in Amsterdam. Let’s dive in!

1. MOON

• 📍 Location: Amsterdam Noord (Top of A’DAM Tower)
• 💲 Price range: $100 – $200+ per person
• 🍽️ Cuisine Style: Fine Dining / Modern European
• 🔥 Standout Features: Revolving restaurant in A’DAM Tower, stunning 360° city views, refined seasonal menus, chic atmosphere.
• 🎯 Perfect For: Ultimate city views, special occasions, romantic dinners, impressing visitors, and fine dining with scenery.

Dine amongst the stars at MOON, the revolving restaurant atop the A’DAM Tower. As you savor exquisite food, the restaurant slowly rotates, offering breathtaking panoramic views of Amsterdam’s canals, architecture, and harbor – pure magic!

Expect sophisticated Modern European cuisine. Tasting menus showcase seasonal ingredients like delicate North Sea fish preparations. Perfectly cooked Dutch lamb or inventive vegetarian courses using local produce are also highlights.

2. Ctaste

• 📍 Location: Near Amstel Station / Rivierenbuurt Area
• 💲 Price range: $70 – $110+ per person (Prix-Fixe)
• 🍽️ Cuisine Style: Mystery Multi-Course / Sensory Dining (Dining in the Dark)
• 🔥 Standout Features: Dining in complete darkness, service by visually impaired staff, sensory focus, unique concept.
• 🎯 Perfect For: Adventurous eaters, unique dates, sensory explorers, icebreakers, and memorable dining adventures.

Ready to explore flavor without your eyes? Ctaste offers the unique experience of dining entirely in pitch-black darkness. Guided and served by visually impaired staff, you’ll navigate a surprise multi-course meal using only your senses of taste, smell, touch, and hearing.

The surprise menu might feature a creamy cauliflower soup to start. For mains, perhaps tender braised venison with a textured vegetable medley, or delicate pan-seared cod. A complex chocolate and fruit dessert could finish the meal.

👉 Personal Recommendation: The All-Inclusive Amsterdam Canal Cruise with Drinks and Dutch Bites is hands-down the most fun way to experience the city’s iconic canals. For just $30, you’ll be gliding through Amsterdam’s historic UNESCO-listed canal ring on a small, open boat (max 20 people, so it stays personal and friendly). Heineken beer and wine, as well as typical Dutch bites are included. The city’s golden-age mansions, hidden bridges, and storybook streets unfold right in front of you. A must-do in Amsterdam IMO!

3. Beulings

• 📍 Location: Centrum (Near Nine Streets)
• 💲 Price range: $100 – $180+ per person (Tasting Menu focus)
• 🍽️ Cuisine Style: Modern Dutch / Fine Dining
• 🔥 Standout Features: Intimate (5 tables!), chef-driven tasting menus, seasonal Dutch focus, exceptional wine pairing, open kitchen view.
• 🎯 Perfect For: Foodie splurges, intimate fine dining, tasting menu lovers, special occasions, and extraordinary wine pairings.

Discover refined Dutch cuisine at Beulings. Tucked away near the Nine Streets, this tiny gem (just 5 tables!) offers an extraordinary set tasting menu showcasing seasonal Dutch ingredients with ingenious flavor combinations and skill. The cozy atmosphere allows for direct contact with the chef.

Expect dishes like perfectly fresh white asparagus with hollandaise when in season. A sensational duck breast with local cherries, or delicate North Sea crab preparations, are also highlights.

👉 Where to Stay in Amsterdam for Foodies: These hotels in Amsterdam’s De Pijp neighborhood are within walking distance of the city’s top restaurants. My second favorite foodie district is Jordaan.

4. Pllek

• 📍 Location: NDSM Wharf, Amsterdam Noord
• 💲 Price range: $25 – $50 per person
• 🍽️ Cuisine Style: Global Comfort Food / Cafe / Bar (Veggie-Forward/Sustainable)
• 🔥 Standout Features: Urban beach setting (containers/sand), great IJ river/city views, sustainable/local sourcing, 75% veggie menu.
• 🎯 Perfect For: Relaxed hangs, city beach vibes, waterfront drinks/food, sustainable dining fans, and NDSM Wharf exploring.

Chill out with amazing city views at Pllek, a super cool urban beach spot on the NDSM Wharf. Built from shipping containers and boasting a sandy patch overlooking the IJ river, this place has fantastic views and a seriously relaxed vibe. They’re all about sustainable food.

Their menu is impressively plant-forward. Flavorful dishes like a hearty lentil burger on a sourdough bun are popular. Their seasonal vegetable platters or creative vegan curries contribute to a better world without sacrificing taste. Grab a local beer and soak in the atmosphere.

5. De Kas

• 📍 Location: Oost (Frankendael Park)
• 💲 Price range: $80 – $150+ per person (Set Menu)
• 🍽️ Cuisine Style: Farm-to-Table / Mediterranean Influenced / Plant-Forward
• 🔥 Standout Features: Dining inside stunning renovated greenhouses, ingredients grown on-site/nearby farm, seasonal set menus, beautiful setting.
• 🎯 Perfect For: Farm-to-table lovers, beautiful settings, special occasion lunches/dinners, garden enthusiasts, and fresh/seasonal food fans.

Dine surrounded by your food’s origins at De Kas (“The Greenhouse”). Located in renovated early 20th-century greenhouses in Frankendael Park, this unique restaurant grows many of its own vegetables and herbs right on site. The focus is entirely on seasonal, ultra-fresh ingredients.

Expect elegant, plant-forward set menus. Dishes like a vibrant tomato tart in summer are incredible. Delicate root vegetable preparations in winter, or freshly picked garden salads with edible flowers, taste amazing. Dining in the light-filled greenhouses is magical.

6. Moeders

• 📍 Location: Jordaan / City Centre West
• 💲 Price range: $25 – $50 per person
• 🍽️ Cuisine Style: Traditional Dutch Comfort Food
• 🔥 Standout Features: Walls covered in photos of mothers, kitschy/cozy decor, traditional Dutch food (“stamppot”), unique theme.
• 🎯 Perfect For: Trying Dutch comfort food, unique/quirky vibes, cozy dinners, family visits, and home-style cooking fans.

Get ready for a hug from grandma at Moeders (“Mothers”). This wonderfully quirky and cozy restaurant is famous for its walls being absolutely plastered with framed photos of customers’ mothers – bring one to add! The decor is delightfully mismatched and homey.

They specialize in hearty, traditional Dutch comfort food. Diving into a comforting bowl of stamppot (mashed potatoes with vegetables like kale or sauerkraut, served with smoked sausage) is a must. Hachee (beef and onion stew) or draadjesvlees (slow-cooked beef) are also fantastic.

7. REM Eiland

• 📍 Location: Houthavens (Western Harbor Area)
• 💲 Price range: $80 – $150+ per person (Restaurant Tasting Menu)
• 🍽️ Cuisine Style: Modern European / Fine Casual Dining
• 🔥 Standout Features: Restaurant on former broadcast platform, harbor views, Chef Bobby Rust tasting menus, unique/playful decor (robots/disco!).
• 🎯 Perfect For: Unique locations, harbor views, special occasion dinners, impressing visitors, and modern fine-casual fans.

Dine on a higher level at REM Eiland! Housed in an iconic former broadcast tower in the Houthavens, this spot offers dinner with serious wow-factor views. Let Chef Bobby Rust blow you away with his fantastic 5 or 7-course tasting menus.

The vibe is “gastronomic easy/casual fine dining” with playful decor. Expect refined food like pan-seared cod with seasonal vegetables. Delicate scallop preparations or creative vegetarian courses are also highlights. Or, just hit the bar for relaxed drinks.

8. Mediamatic ETEN

• 📍 Location: Oosterdok (Biotoop Dijkspark)
• 💲 Price range: $25 – $50 per person
• 🍽️ Cuisine Style: Plant-Based / Sustainable / Experimental
• 🔥 Standout Features: Located in cultural center/urban farm, focuses on aquaponics/fermentation/local sourcing, greenhouse dining, sustainable concept.
• 🎯 Perfect For: Sustainable food fans, plant-based eaters, unique settings, experimental food explorers, and eco-conscious diners.

Explore the future of food at Mediamatic ETEN, connected to the Mediamatic Biotoop, an arts and technology center focused on sustainability. They utilize ingredients grown on-site using innovative methods like aquaponics, alongside fermentation and hyper-local sourcing.

Expect creative, primarily plant-based dishes. Their wood-fired pizza from their oven using unusual toppings like fermented kimchi or foraged mushrooms is a standout. Dishes featuring seasonal vegetables from their aquaponic garden or unique fermented creations offer a fascinating glimpse into sustainable food.

9. Pasta e Basta

• 📍 Location: City Centre (Near Leidseplein)
• 💲 Price range: $50 – $90 per person
• 🍽️ Cuisine Style: Italian
• 🔥 Standout Features: Singing waiters perform opera/pop classics, lively/theatrical atmosphere, classic Italian dishes, dinner & show combo.
• 🎯 Perfect For: Fun group dinners, celebrations, dinner & entertainment seekers, lovers of music/theatre, and lively Italian meals.

Get ready for your pasta served with soaring high notes at Pasta e Basta! This lively Italian restaurant near Leidseplein is famous for its talented singing waiters and waitresses. Throughout the evening, staff perform opera arias and pop hits right amongst the tables.

Expect reliable Italian favorites. Fresh pastas, like a classic spaghetti carbonara or lasagna Bolognese, are popular. Antipasti platters with cured meats and cheeses, or meat/fish entrees like veal saltimbocca, are also good choices. It turns dinner into a full-blown show!

10. Paleis van de Weemoed

• 📍 Location: Near Red Light District / City Centre
• 💲 Price range: $60 – $110+ per person
• 🍽️ Cuisine Style: French / International Dinner Theatre Menu
• 🔥 Standout Features: Dinner theatre with live cabaret/jazz/burlesque shows, intimate/vintage decor, French-inspired food, unique entertainment.
• 🎯 Perfect For: Dinner & show lovers, cabaret/jazz fans, unique date nights, atmospheric evenings, and experiencing vintage vibes.

Step into a world of vintage glamour at Paleis van de Weemoed (“Palace of Melancholy”). Located near the Red Light District, this unique venue combines a restaurant with a small stage hosting live cabaret, jazz, chanson, or burlesque-style shows.

Enjoy a French-inspired or international set menu dinner. You might find dishes like duck confit with potato gratin. A classic beef tenderloin with a red wine sauce, or delicate fish preparations, complement the intimate performance. It’s a sophisticated blend of dining and entertainment.

11. Castell

• 📍 Location: Near Leidseplein / Museumplein Area
• 💲 Price range: $50 – $90 per person
• 🍽️ Cuisine Style: Steakhouse / Grill / Ribs Specialist
• 🔥 Standout Features: Famous for amazing spare ribs/steaks, dark/cozy/classic steakhouse vibe, open fireplace, long-standing favorite.
• 🎯 Perfect For: Ribs fanatics, steak lovers, cozy/classic dinners, meat eaters, and satisfying comfort food cravings.

Carnivores, rejoice! Castell is a legendary Amsterdam institution famed for its incredible grilled meats, especially its fall-off-the-bone spare ribs. Located near Leidseplein, this spot has a dark, cozy, almost medieval castle-like vibe inside, with a crackling fireplace.

Their legendary spare ribs, marinated and grilled to perfection, are an absolute must-try. Perfectly cooked steaks, like a filet mignon or a T-bone, or their flavorful lamb chops, are also excellent. It’s straightforward, high-quality grilling.

12. Foodhallen

• 📍 Location: Oud-West (De Hallen Complex)
• 💲 Price range: $15 – $40+ per person (Varies by vendor)
• 🍽️ Cuisine Style: Diverse Global Street Food / Food Hall
• 🔥 Standout Features: Upscale indoor food market, multiple high-quality food stalls, central bars, lively/social atmosphere, renovated tram depot setting.
• 🎯 Perfect For: Trying diverse foods, casual group hangs, indecisive eaters, lively atmosphere seekers, and pre/post-movie bites (next door).

Can’t decide what you’re craving? Head to Foodhallen! Housed in a renovated former tram depot in Oud-West, this bustling upscale food hall brings together a fantastic selection of high-quality food stalls offering flavors from around the globe all under one roof.

Don’t miss trying authentic Dutch bitterballen from De Ballenbar. Gourmet burgers from The Butcher, fresh Vietnamese summer rolls from Viet View, or delicious Spanish pintxos are also popular. Grab bites from different vendors and hit the central bars.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Unique Restaurants in Amsterdam

Searching for more information to help you decide where to eat in Amsterdam? Here are some common questions (and answers) I get asked a lot about Amsterdam’s best restaurants.

What is popular to eat in Amsterdam?

In Amsterdam, you’ll find tasty local foods like herring, often eaten raw with onions, and stroopwafels, sweet waffles with caramel. Bitterballen, fried meatballs with mustard, are also a favorite. These are best tried at street vendors or local cafes. Besides Dutch food, Amsterdam has many restaurants serving food from all over the world.

How expensive is a meal in Amsterdam?

The cost of a meal in Amsterdam can vary widely depending on the type of restaurant and its location. Here’s a general idea of what you might expect to pay:

• Budget Dining: For budget-friendly options such as fast food, street food, or a simple meal at a casual café, prices typically range from €5 to €15 per person.
• Mid-Range Restaurants: A meal at a mid-range restaurant, which includes many of the city’s popular eateries, can cost between €15 and €30 per person. This would typically include a main course and possibly a drink or dessert.
• Fine Dining: At a high-end restaurant, especially those in tourist areas or with a renowned chef, prices can start from €30. A three-course meal at such a restaurant could cost anywhere from €40 to over €100 per person, depending on the establishment and the chosen dishes.
• Drinks: The cost of drinks can add up. A beer or a glass of wine in a restaurant can range from €4 to €8, while specialty cocktails might be more expensive.
• Tipping: Service charges are often included in the bill in the Netherlands, but it’s common to round up or leave a small tip (5-10%) for good service.

Keep in mind that prices can vary based on the location within Amsterdam, with tourist-heavy areas typically being more expensive. Also, ethnic and specialty food restaurants (like Indonesian, which is popular in Amsterdam) might have different price ranges.

Where can I eat local food in Amsterdam?

For real Dutch food, head to Moeders. It’s famous for dishes like stamppot (mashed potatoes with veggies) and suddervlees (slow-cooked beef). Foodhallen is another great place, offering a range of Dutch foods in a fun market setting. These spots are perfect for tasting traditional Dutch flavors.

How can I eat on a budget in Amsterdam?

Foodhallen is a top spot for cheap eats in Amsterdam. It has many different foods at good prices. Street food is another cheap option, with tasty Dutch sandwiches and mini pancakes. Also, check out local markets like Albert Cuyp for affordable and delicious food.

What are 3 famous foods in the Netherlands?

Three famous foods from the Netherlands include:

1. Stroopwafels: These are thin, round waffle-like cookies made from two layers of baked dough with a caramel-like syrup filling in the middle. They are often enjoyed with a cup of tea or coffee, where they are placed on top of the cup to warm up and soften the syrup inside.
2. Haring (Dutch Herring): This is a traditional Dutch snack, typically served raw and garnished with onions and pickles. The herring is often eaten by holding the fish by the tail and lowering it into one’s mouth. This delicacy is especially popular during the herring season, which traditionally starts in late May with the arrival of the “Hollandse Nieuwe” or “new herring.”
3. Bitterballen: These are savory deep-fried balls. They’re made from a thick stew of beef or veal (though there are also vegetarian versions), thickened with roux and breadcrumbs. They are a staple at Dutch pubs and are usually served with mustard for dipping. Bitterballen are a popular snack at social gatherings and are part of the traditional Dutch “borrel” culture, which refers to casual social drinks.

Do you tip waiters in Amsterdam?

While tipping is not as customary in Amsterdam as it is in some other countries, it is still appreciated for good service. In restaurants, it’s common to round up the bill or leave a small tip, typically around 5-10% of the total. For exceptional service, a larger tip is always welcome. In casual dining settings like cafes or bars, leaving the change or rounding up is a nice gesture.

Recap: Unique Restaurants in Amsterdam

Amsterdam’s dining scene is extraordinary, and each restaurant we’ve talked about is a gem waiting to be discovered, showcasing that unique Amsterdam charm. These eateries don’t just serve food. They serve experiences that linger in your memory long after the last bite. If I had to pick just one unique restaurant in Amsterdam that you absolutely can’t miss, Moeders stands out. Its quirky interior and excellent local Dutch food is a winning combination!

From the sky-high delights of MOON to the interactive fun at Pasta e Basta, there are plenty of incredible Amsterdam restaurants waiting to greet you when you fly to Amsterdam. Each restaurant on this list brings its own flavor to the table. When you’re here, every meal is an opportunity to create a story you’ll be eager to share.