This past spring Josiah and I spent a week in Amsterdam and had the best time ever! We loved the culture so much! I wanted to put this list together and I hesitate to call it a guide because there is no way I can sit here and tell you I know the ins and outs of all there is to know about Amsterdam, but I can tell you a lot of awesome places we went so that you can add them to your list when you are planning your next trip! So think of it more as an inspiring outline of what we did while we were there and a little guidance to get you started. If you have any additional recommendations I would love to hear them!
COFFEE
BLACK GOLD
This trendy, hipster's dream of a coffee shop-record shop combo was so fun to visit. It worked perfectly for the coffee-lover in me and my record-enthusiast husband. It's a former laundromat that is naturally lit with a neutral color palette and as you would expect from any vinyl shop, eclectic decor. I ordered an oatmilk latte (which was basically my order at every single coffee shop in Amsterdam) and grabbed a seat in the back where I was surrounded by greenery in a cool bench area in a cutout window while Josiah flipped through all of the records.
De Koffieschenkerij
This is actually a coffee shop we didn't get to visit when we were visiting, but it has really great reviews and it is in one of Amsterdam's oldest buildings so I am certain it will be on our list the next time we are there. Below you can see their outside patio area and it looks so, so cute,
White Label Coffee
This place had one of the most unique coffee shop set ups I had ever seen. When you first walk in you will immediately notice that the shop is broken up into multiple levels with the barista station being at the very top (see picture below). It was such a fun vibe and the coffee was so amazing. A lot of restaurants around Amsterdam carry White Label coffee, but I definitely recommend going to the shop to get the full experince of their brand.
Scandinavian Embassy
This coffee shop served up an amazing oatmilk latte! It's located right off of an adorable little park that Josiah and I spent a beautiful afternoon hanging out in before grabbing a little caffeine pick-me-up. My favorite part about this coffee shop was the fact that we could easily find a seat and didn't feel rushed to leave. Scandinavian Embassy boasts an award winning barista which was super fun to see too!
FOOD
Hearth
I don't think Josiah and I are being dramatic when we describe the dinner we had at Hearth as one of our favorite meals we have ever eaten. This innovative, vegan restaurants really made us think differently about vegan cuisine. We had vegan sushi that quite literally blew out minds! The sushi consisted of quinoa, cucumber, roasted red bell peppers, and avocado rolled up with seaweed and topped with a spicy vegan mayo. We also tried a vegan pasta dish that consisted of ravioli-like pasta pieces filled with eggplants, red bell pepper, and zucchini served with a potato sauce and parlsey compote. We finished of our meal with a vegan tiramisu that we tried to eat as slowly as we possibly could. No matter how slow we went, it still was gone too quickly! I can not recommend this place enough!
The Meets
This was one of the many places that came up when I searched "healthy eats in Amsterdam" so naturally it made my list of "must visits". When we arrived here the first time we were kind of still full from breakfast, but not quite ready for dinner so we ended up getting what they called "the meets platter" which consisted of falafel, beet bites, and sweet potato chips with a few different dips. We also ordered a slice of cashew acai cheesecake because when you're dairy free it's impossible to not be tempted by any and all treats you can have. We also made a second visit for dessert another evening during our trip because I HAD to try the vegan twix. Although we only tried a very small portion of their menu I definitely would highly recommend this place!
CT Coffee & Coconuts
If you go to Amsterdam and can only visit one restaurant/coffee shop, this is the one to go to. It's located in an old movie theater that was built in the 1920's and brings funky, chill island-like vibes together to create a relaxing and entertaining experience. First, their drink menu alone is incredible! They have a million smoothie options along with some incredible coffee and cocktail options. My favorite was the coconut coffee. It's basically espresso blended with a banana, coconut milk, and chocolate. It's so dreamy and maybe eventually I can recreate a version to share here. Oh also it's three stories and it's GORGEOUS! We went here twice during our visit and if time would have allowed you better believe there would have been a third.
Lavinia Good Food
This was hands down our most frequented place during our visit in Amsterdam. It was definitely delicious, but it was also convenient from where we were staying and included a ton of gluten-free and dairy-free options on their menu. Their service (despite what a lot of yelp reviews said) was so amazing! It was fun to have the same waitress every single morning that we went there for breakfast and she was a total gem. I absolutely loved the flatbread pizza that we got here and their avocado toast with lox was so, so good. I love that their menu included a lot of items that both tasted amazing and left you feeling great!
Parallel
This place was recommended to us by our air b and b host as a nice place to go for a slightly fancy, but not too fancy dinner and she could not have been more spot on. We ordered five different tapas and all of them (except maybe one) were gluten-free and dairy-free. I loved how vegetable forward the dishes were and how they presented ingredients in a way I would never have imagined! They had a whipped coconut cream horseradish dip served with vegetable spears that I still think about all the time. This place was so fun and I would for sure go back again the next time we are in Amsterdam.
The Avocado Show
This place made it to my "must-see" list before we left because my mother sent me a link to it and I immediately knew I had to go! As the name might lead you to expect, their menu is full of all things avocado. They have so many unique uses avocado that it makes this place a really cool experience. I got the avocado toast and Josiah got the avocado matcha pancakes (served with avocado between the pancakes!). It was super good! Fortunately we went during the week at an atypical meal time (2pm), but during the weekend and brunch hours it can be a multople house wait!
Bagels and Beans
This place might rank so high with me personally because it was the first place we ate in Amsterdam. After our long overnight flight it was the place that provided the caffeine I so desperately needed as well as a delicious breakfast. Although I was caffeine deprived and would probably have been thankful for even a dunkin' donuts coffee, I was blown away by how good their coffee was! I think almost twelve times while we were there I exclaimed how amazing it was! To eat, I ordered a prana bagel (low traces of gluten) with avocado, hummus, sprouts, dukkah, and lettuce. It was so delicious and I'm actually sad that we only made it here once during our visit. There are multiple locations throughout the city. There are so many in fact that I started to wonder if it was the starbucks of Amsterdam. Whether it is or isn't, their food and coffee are damn good and I highly recommend it.
