Best Lunch Spots in Amsterdam
Lunch-wise, we prefer to live in Paris, where no eyebrows are raised when asking for a Chardonnay. Or Hongkong, where 3-course lunches are served in under 60 minutes.
Here's a list of the best lunch places in Amsterdam. Below I've listed breakfast/bread-lunch places. If you're looking for a treat, check out the best high tea salons in amsterdam!
Fa Pekelhaaring
Cuisine: Italian
Ambiance: Casual, lively, homely.
Why we love it: Rustic Italian pasta and other dishes, meaning lots of fresh and pure ingredients. Kind service, free wifi and board games, 10 cents per hour parking, ‘small/large’ option for dishes, no lunch/dinner menu - everything is available from 10-22u.
Where: Firma Pekelhaaring, Van woustraat 127-129, De Pijp, Amsterdam.
Pricing: A plate of pasta E9.
Bistrot Neuf
Cuisine: French
Ambiance: Modern, trendy, romantic and suitable for a business lunch.
Why we love it: Classic French dishes served without frills, extensive wine list (by the glass) and overall good price quality ratio.
Where: Bistrot Neuf, Haarlemmerstraat 9, Jordaan, Amsterdam.
Pricing: 2 course daily lunch special E17.50
Good to know: Like a wine you've tasted here? Then hop next door to buy the bottle at Chabrol Wines (one of Amsterdam's best wine shops).
L'Invité
Why we love it: French brasserie, quality food (real food, no sandwiches), rapid service.
Where: Located on one of the most beautiful canals in the Jordaan: Bloemgracht 47, Amsterdam.
Pricing: 2-course lunch E25
Impressions of L'Invite, click image to read full review of Life in Amsterdam.
Gustavino
Ambiance: Modern, trendy, suitable for a business lunch.
Why we love it: Friendly service, charcoal oven for pizzas and pretty good food and wine list. It’s our favourite place in the WTC area, where you a 2 course menu can be enjoyed within an hour’s lunch break.
Where: Gustavino, Gustav Mahlerplein 16, Zuid WTC, Amsterdam.
Pricing: Daily special 2-course business menu E27.50.
Good to know: More pizza places with real wood ovens.
De Ysbreeker
Cuisine: International
Ambiance: Casual, trendy, lively, modern and suitable for an (informal) business lunch.
Why we love it: The ambiance is stylishly casual and the food surprisingly good. Since the (beautiful) renovation, the place is huge and very ‘now’. It’s an all-day place: from breakfast till late-night drinking, De Ysbreeker is a fusion of a coffee house, local meet up spot, restaurant, work spot (free wifi) and Amsterdam bar with pool table.
Where: Cafe Restaurant De Ysbreeker, Weesperzijde 23 (along the Amstel river), Amsterdam.
Pricing: How about a Sauteed cod with anchovy butter, chard, cauliflower and truffle potatoe for E16.50? Of course, all regular Dutch lunch dishes are also on the menu.
Good to know: Great place for cute-Dutch-guys-spotting (Thursday to Saturday evenings).
Nooch
Cuisine: Asian
Ambiance: Modern, casual and fresh.
Why we love it: Friendly service and a fine spot to have a quick Asian lunch. Dim sum is always good, as are the noodle dishes.
Where: Nooch, Reestraat 11, 9 straatjes, Amsterdam.
Pricing: Pad Thai for E14.75.
Good to know: For sushi, we recommend these places.
Dauphine
Cuisine: International
Ambiance: Modern, trendy, suitable for a business lunch.
Why we love it: Table-wise and parking-wise it’s a great business meet up place. However, it’s got very popular and it may not always be easy to get a table. Food-wise it is OK, not special, but better than at an ‘eetcafe’. A definite place-to-be-seen for the entrepreneurial minded.
Where: Dauphine, Prins Bernardplein 175, opposite Amstel station, Amsterdam.
Pricing: Hamburger XL or Vegaburger with fries for E13.50
Good to know: Every Friday Dauphine turns into a club from 20h15 till past midnight.
Wagamama
Cuisine: Asian
Ambiance: Modern, casual, lively.
Why we love it: Fast, fresh and simple. A quick hazzle-free lunch of warm noodles. Yum.
Where: Wagamama, Max Euweplein (near Leiseplein), Zuidplein (at Zuid WTC) and Amstelstraat (Rembrandtplein).
Pricing: Fried noodles & noodle soup as of E11.95
Good to know: The branches in the center also have a sushi bar. For better sushi, we recommend these places.
Restaurant Open
Cuisine: French & Italian
Ambiance: Modern, trendy, suitable for a business lunch.
Why we love it: Stunning location & views. Absolutely frill-free and all focused at serving freshly prepared beautiful dishes.
Where: Restaurant Open, Westerdoksplein 20 (next to the bridge), along ‘t IJ, Amsterdam.
Pricing: 2 course daily lunch special E17.50
Good to know: Arriving by boat? There are docks under this restaurant.
Kira
Breakfast / Brunch / Sandwich Lunch places in Amsterdam
Having a brunch with friends in the weekend is a popular activity and many head to the 9 little streets. Lunchrooms that royally decorate their sandwiches, serve with a smile, or are special in any other way are listed below.
Also consider a high tea in Amsterdam.
Sugarless by J&J
why I love it: Sugarless is the first brunch, lunch and high tea room in Amsterdam that is specialized in organic foods and beverages that are refined-sugar-free and additives-free. Everything is freshly (home)made in the morning. To get that sweet-touch, cane sugar, maple syrup and fruits are used. The lunch room is light and homely with girly elements. The warm service by owners Jennifer and Joyce is surprisingly unAmsterdam-like!
good place to: guilt-free indulgence in cakes and muffins! plus take your friend who's got a specific diet. Plus there's free wifi.
approved: the cheesecake with raspberry topping (E4.50), the fairtrade Puro coffee (E2.50).
remember: Most of the menu is suitable for many diets, including lactose-free, sugar-free, and Candida-proof diets.
where: Sugarless by J&J, Bilderdijkstraat 92, Oud-West, Amsterdam. Open from Tuesdays-Saturdays 9h30-17h, Sundays from 11h-17h and closed on Mondays.
Organic delights at Sugarless by J&J
Lust
Why I love it: fresh and wholesome ingredients served in gigantic portions. The interior is also fresh and clean. The staff is friendly and happy-spirited.
Good to place to: take your foreign guests to, when they wish to get introduced to Dutch cuisine, during lunch. In this case, recommend the Old Amsterdam cheese sandwich and the Holtkamp kroketten with bread.
Approved: the club sandwiches (both the chicken-bacon one and the grilled vegetable version, depicted on the photo) and the XL cheese burger.
Remember: skip breakfast if you’re planning to have lunch here.
Where: Lust, Runstraat 13, 9 straatjes, Amsterdam. Open daily from 10-17h.
Van Harte
Why I love it: the rustic, brick wall with waxine lights, the lounge tunes, the bucket seats creates a pleasant homey yet funky feel.
Makes me smile: they serve Thieme’s echte thee, quality teas made accessible for tea enthusiasts (like myself).
Brunch / Lunch menu: the Amsterdam usuals as sandwiches (Old amsterdam, tuna, kroket, filet americain, etc), salads, ‘uitsmijters’, ‘pannekoken’, soups and, of course, tosti’s!
Remember: you can also just have a tea or coffee here.
Where: Van Harte, Hartenstraat 24, 9 straatjes Amsterdam. Open daily from 10 - 23h (also open for dinner).
no name bar, aka wolvenstraat 23
For years this bar without a name, but generally referred to as Wolvenstraat or Wolfje (little wolf), has been an Amsterdam lunch hotspot. Due to the enormous amounts of ‘ongezellige’ laptops appearing on all tables, they stopped providing free wifi.
Breakfast lovers bookmark Wolvenstraat: they happily serve it all day long. Don’t forget to have the berry-yoghurt smoothie - it’s refreshing and a great way of getting your daily dose calcium and antioxidants. The lunch menu offers enough choices to make you smile, provided you are into sandwiches and a soup. The dining menu is (fusian) Asian, but I recommend these Asian restaurants.
As mentioned in the intro, Wolvenstraat has been a hotspot for years. The funky, Charlie’s angels-wise retro interior cannot amaze me for more than 5 years. For newcomers it’s cool. Nevertheless, it’s always gezellig and the vibe remains ‘now’.
Where: bar without name and website, Wolvenstraat 23, 9 little streets, Amsterdam.
Buffet van Odette
Why I love it: truffle omelet, lovely soups, homey ambiance & canal view.
Bread: from Den Hartog
Newsworthy: Just relocated to a larger venue with a terrace.
Where: Buffet van Odette, Prinsengracht 598 nearby Spiegelkwartier, Antique area, Amsterdam.
Lunchcafe Nielsen
Why I love it: serves the best club sandwich in Amsterdam.
Newsworthy: everything is home-made and lots of vegetarian options.
Where: Lunchcafe Nielsen, Berenstraat 19, 9 little streets, Amsterdam centre.
Too busy? Try brunch/lunch-rooms Van Harte (Hartenstraat) or Wolvenstraat (see above), both located in the 9 little streets area.
De Ysbreeker
Why I love it: A local meet-up spot since 1702, that manages to remain a hotspot throughout the centuries.
Bread: Don’t know about the breads, but the chocolate cake is from Van Velze and the Apple pie from Van Kuyt. These are amonst Amsterdam’s best pastry shops.
Newsworthy: Great for integrating with locals on Thursday - Saturday evenings.
Where: De Ysbreeker, Weeserzijde 23 along the Amstel, Amsterdam.
Blue 360
Why I love it: Bread & Bird’s view of the city centre
Bread: Vlaamsch Broodhuys and baguettes from bakery Vanmenno
Newsworthy: Home to the Expatica Speed Dates which I, Kira, host.
Where: Blue 360, Shopping centre Kalvertoren 3rd floor, Singel 457 (end of Kalverstraat), Amsterdam centre.
Greenwoods
Why I love it: whatever can be organic, is organic at Greenwoods! And the ambiance is low-key, urban and friendly… in short: very gezellig.
Newsworthy: OK, it’s got nothing to do with brunching, but the highlight of English cuisine is served here: Full English Breakfast (eggs, sausages, baked beans, etc) and English High tea with organic scone and Deconshire clotted cream.
Where: Greenwoods, Singel 103, Amsterdam Centre.
Letting
Why I love it: Fresh, simple & friendly.
AmsterdamFoodie comments: An omelette is a simple thing, but it’s also immensely easy to screw up. It has to be the right thickness; it has to be runny yet not raw, cooked yet not rubbery; and it needs plenty of whatever type of omelette it is. Eggs alone aren’t enough for me; if it’s a goat’s cheese omelette, I want goat’s cheese in every mouthful. Letting’s omelette was all these things plus toast (of the triangular white variety that’s surprisingly right in context) and green salad, which had seeds as well as dressing.’ read complete AmsterdamFoodie review.
Where: Letting, Prinsenstraat 3, Jordaan, Amsterdam.
The following bakeries also serve fabulous bread lunches :
Gebroeders Niemeyer, listed in best French bakery in Amsterdam, Gebroeders Niemeyer, Nieuwendijk 35, Amsterdam Centre.
Patteserie Kuyt, listed in best pastry shops of Amsterdam. Patisserie Kuyt, Utrechtsestraat 109-111, Amsterdam, Tea room closed on Sundays and Mondays.
Bakken met Passie, listed in best bakeries of Amsterdam. Bakery with lunchroom, Albert Cuypstraat 51, Amsterdam.
Vlaamsch Broodhuys, listed in best bakeries of Amsterdam. most of the bakers have a lunchroom at the shop, Haarlemmerstraaat 108, Vijzelstraat 129 & 198, Elandsgracht 122, 1st C. Huygensstraat 64, C. Schuytstraat 26, Amsterdam.
Not my favourite, but very popular bread-focused chains are De Bakkerwinkel and Bagels & Beans.
Happy brunching!
kira
* the dictionary meaning of BRUNCH is the 'meal' consumed between BReakfast and lUNCH. However, I changed the meaning to the above, as the Dutch:
1. tend to eat the same for breakfast and lunch (namely bread)
2. tend to eat bread for brunch
4. tend to eat brunch at lunch time
Kira
what’s great about it
rustic bistrot-interior and friendly service (yes, really!). Moreover, every dish on the menu is paired with healthy veggies, to get an idea ‘sliced roasted beef, grape mustard, watercress and cucumber on spelt bread (E7.75)’ or ‘crayfish, zucchini, fresh mint and herring caviar’ (E8).
Bar moustache's spring salad (E8)
tasted & approved
large fresh orange juice: it's really fresh
mint tea: served with a petit-slice of homemade cake - yummie
spring salad: watercress, haselnut, tomma-cheese (Italian ‘brie’ - sort of), pear and young onions in balsamic. The wait was a bit long, but suspect that something had gone wrong with our order. The salad was more towards the minimalistic end than the superfluous end on the scale of portion size. This is a pity, as it was tasty and I would have enjoyed having more, but then again, I didn’t have an after-lunch dip at 15h.…
Hot drinks are served with a petit-slice of home-made cake at Bar Moustache.clientele
locals and (trendy) people working in the area
ambiance
pleasant and easy going.
good to know
the bar is open for 10 o’clock breakfasts till after-dinner drinks.
bar moustache, utrechtsestraat 141, Amsterdam centre.
Kira
Zuiderschinkel: lunch / dinner / drinks
Cuisine: European.
Perfect for: A relaxed, low-key dinner with friends, weekend lunch or eve drinks. Good food, no fuzz.
Why I love it: First of all, it's a true local meet up spot in an area that is home to non-snobby city people. Secondly, the price-quality is spot on. The service, menu, wines and chef's qualities are pretty good, certainly higher than what you would expect from a local bar-restaurant. The price for a 2-course lunch with water/wine/coffee is <E30pp.
Ambiance: I was here on a quiet Monday at noon, but whenever I drive past it after 17h it looks busy in a pleasant fashion with many locals from the area. For dinner, I'd recommend making a reservation for Wed-Sat evenings.
Good to know: All people living south of Vondelpark and even those with the 1075 postal code should explore Hoofddorpplein. There's a bakery, butcher, stationary shop, toy shop, kitchen utensil shop and many more shops selling good stuff for decent prices (more decent than at the Cornelis Schuyt). One of the best wine shops is also located here: Ton Overmars. And when you find yourself doing your shopping here: treat yourself to a lunch or drink at Zuiderschinkel!
Off the menu: At the tables outside, I saw two people having something that looked superb. It appeared to be a "Lebanese tosti". Can anyone try it and review it for me?
Pricing: Risotto ai porcini (E13.50) with a beautiful Viognier: Viu Manent Secret Viognier, Chili (E5.20 per glass). Wines are available as of E3.50 per glass and I bet that toasty will be <E5.
Zuiderschinkel, Hoofddorplein 1, Oud-Zuid: Schinkel area, Amsterdam.
Zuiderschinkel - a great addition to Hoofddorpplein, Amsterdam Zuid.
lunch in breakfast-lunch