WHAT shall we eat today in Amsterdam???

Amsterdam is full of the most delightful restaurants in the world. The only problem you are faced with is one of choice!

Tell me your preferences in food, atmosphere and I am only to happy to direct you to the restaurant that will fulfil your highest expectations.

Dutch food is on the whole, rather bland, (don’t tell any one you heard this from me!) But seriously, Dutch food is definitely that which you need after a few weeks travelling and eating in fancy restaurants, where the exotic garnishes decorating your plate, begin to pall after a while.

This is the time to enjoy a simple meal of wholesome good food, no frills attached.

Here are just a few of my own favourite restaurants in Amsterdam, all within walking distance from Clemens Hotel

Haesje Claes Dutch
Spuistraat 275
Telephone 020 624 99 98

Excellent food, wonderful service and a good selection for both carnivores as well as vegetarians Did I mention the prices are also very reasonable?

Lucius Fish restaurant Fish
Spuistraat 247
Telephone 020 624 18 31

I do so enjoy a good Fish restaurant! Lucius is really very special, but on the pricey side. Definitely worth a visit if you have a celebration!

Kantjil & the Tiger Indonesian
Spuistraat 291
Telephone 020 620 09 94

Mouth watering spicy dishes at reasonable prices
You really should try the traditional Rice Table, this is a dish with as many as 60 side dishes, you decide yourself how greedy you are!
Chicken Sate, grilled pieces of chicken on a stick with peanut sause (sounds disgusting, I know!) but oh, mouth-watering delicious,
Don’t pass this one!

Tempoe Doeloe
Utrechtsestraat 75
Tram 4
Telephone 020 625 67 18

Indonesian food, for the experienced palate, very authentic, more upmarket than the previous restaurant mentioned

Casa di David Italian
Singel canal 426
Telephone 020 624 50 93

Definitely my favourite Italian restaurant, those waiters look good enough to eat! Only joking! Back to the food, authentic Italian, very good prices. If possible, reserve ahead and ask for a table upstairs at the window.

Here you have the most romantic view of the Singel Canal.

Snacks
Good idea, before you go out for dinner, is to stop off at a typical Dutch Brown Café for drinks and typical Dutch Borrel Hapjes (snacks).

Whether beer is your choice of drink or not, stepping into a brown café in Amsterdam will give you an insight into how the Dutch live and play.

On almost every street corner in most neighbourhoods, the brown café is difficult to miss. Once inside, the smoky dark atmosphere unique to most Dutch cafes will welcome you further inside!
Good place to meet the locals and enjoy a typical Dutch Borrel Hap such as a plate of cheese squares, served with sharp mustard & pickled cucumbers, or a round of bitter ballen, creamy, succulent meat balls fried in bread crumbs,

Looking for an inexpensive lunch idea?

Garry’s Muffins
Raadhuisstraat

Bagels, muffins and horrible weak American coffee. However I do recommend the food, nothing to beat a poppy seed bagel filled to bursting with cream cheese and smoked salmon!

Supermarkets
Albert Heijn Supermarkets are dotted all over the city
They have delicious ready made snacks & ready meals, and will heat them up for you

Stock up on a picnic lunch, rent a canal bike at the water opposite the Anne Frank House and go loose yourself in the maze of canals!

Stands
Actually my favourite idea of a fun lunch is to pop over to the church square (Wester Toren) (next to the Anne Frank Museum, and there you will find food stands selling freshly fried fish and french fries. Choose you lunch and take a pew on one of the large benches positioned on the square and watch the people.
Beats going to the zoo. Although, having said that, Artis, our popular zoo, is to be reached by tram 9 from the Damrak and well worth a visit.
Close by are also the Botanical Gardens, a sight to behold. There are also some excellent small restaurants in Artis.

Well, that was that then, just a few ideas to start you off. However, I find that no conversation about food is ever truly ended without a mention of the most wonderful, divine, delicious, decadent chocolate shop just 5 minutes walk from Clemens
Puccini even the name melts in the mouth!
Do not miss a visit to this shop with it’s spectacularly designed interior and and antique table loaded to the gills with hand made chocolates!

Now that was all, folks, I am not writing a guide book here! However I am available every day in the hotel for a chat and any advice you might require. We also have guide books to lend you should the need arise...