Best Places to Go for Great Food & Drinks in the Jordaan

Dinner in the Jordaan area

Eating out is popular in Amsterdam so make sure to book your restaurant well in advance. Click the pictogram to go to the Google business page.

Café Parlotte

French

This restaurant offers French bistro classics served with excellent wines in a cozy and casual setting. Choose from a variety of small plates to share or go for the three-course menu that changes daily.

Duende Dos

Spanish

Admittedly, this Spanish restaurant is officially located a few steps outside the Jordaan. However, the tapas here are so good that we don’t want you to miss out on them.

The Good Companion

Fish

This is a small seafood restaurant that you could easily pass by. Yet for many years now they have been serving delicious fresh fish, oysters and shellfish, all from European sources. They focus on local and sustainable products, and whenever possible, the fish and seafood is sourced from Dutch waters.

Toscanini

Italiani

Toscanini is one of the most famous Italian restaurants in Amsterdam. They serve classic Italian cuisine (no pizzas) in a modern but cozy setting. They have a relatively small menu
that changes frequently.

Café de Reiger

Bistro

Established in 1896, De Reiger is one of the oldest gastropubs in the Jordaan district of Amsterdam. This atmospheric café-restaurant on Nieuwe Leliestraat is known for its old-fashioned hospitality and the Burgundian honesty of its French and Dutch cuisine. Reservations by telephone only: +31(0)20 624 74 26 (during opening hours) or +31(0)6 546 549 69 (outside opening hours).

Drinks in the Jordaan area

Here are our favorite places to have a drink and enjoy some of those typical Dutch borrelhapjes (snacks) like bitterballen. Most also have terraces, but when the weather is good it can be hard to find a seat.

Café Thijssen

No, this pub has nothing to do with our founder Thijs van Royen, but we can assure you that he spent a lot of time here, like most Amsterdam locals. It is a typical example of a Dutch pub that also serves simple breakfasts, lunches and snacks.

Café de Blaffende Vis

Like Café Thijssen, this café is popular with locals for an after-work drink, but it is a little more lively. In the evening you can order a simple but good meal.

Café 't Smalle

On our tour, you will get to know the concept of the Dutch bruine kroeg (brown pub). Café Papeneiland is our favorite, but ‘t Smalle is a close second. If you can get a seat on the canal-side terrace, you are like royalty in Amsterdam.

Breakfast or Lunch in the Jordaan area

Finding a place for an early breakfast can be difficult in Amsterdam, as many businesses do not open until 10 am. However, you can go to one of the many excellent delis for a freshly made sandwich. Some cafés also offer a breakfast menu. A truly Dutch breakfast is the uitsmijter (literally: bouncer), which consists of fried eggs with ham or bacon, cheese and tomato on white bread.

Eating lunch in a restaurant is less common in the Netherlands, although you will find many restaurants in the city center that offer a lunch menu. A good local custom is to stop at one of the many delis or sandwich shops to buy a gourmet sandwich and eat it outside, hopefully in the sunshine.

JWO

Delishop

Our favorite delicatessen in the Jordaan. JWO has been our food partner for over 6 years. Join the locals for a fresh baguette and a great cup of coffee in a beautiful setting. Open
from 8am (Sunday 10am).

Comestibles

Sandwich shop

Like JWO, Comestibles is a household name in the Jordaan with great food, but of average quality, so prices are slightly lower. Opens at 7am (Sunday 9am).

Kessens

Lunchroom

This place resembles both a lunchroom and a restaurant, and that’s the intention. The owner, a descendant of the famous Amsterdam pastry family Holtkamp, serves the famous kroket (croquette) sandwiches and many other delicious breakfast and lunch dishes in a modern and stylish setting.