Starving In Amsterdam.

[godhed]

I try not to eat junk food which cuts me out of 95% of Amsterdam's so-called cuisine. Greasy, cold slices of pizza; shiny plastic sandwiches which seem to sit for days on the vendor shelves; undercooked, pulpy french fries (nobody does them crisp here); donair meat that has been sitting on a spindle since last my visit last year, horsemeat kipkrokettes, etc. If you have juvenile or suicidal eating habits or if, like a lot of tourists I see, you spend all day drinking alcohol then there's no problem. The eating establishments, like coffeeshops, don't seem to get cleaned much. I wish my cheap hotel had a small fridge in the room so I could buy fresh food without having to eat it all at once or seeing it spoil. Are there any clean restaurants that serve good food with some nutritional value and that have a menu in English in the center or west of Dam? Coffeeshops have English menus because they know there are many tourists here. When will the restaurants do the same? I confess at the end of each day I crawl from my Osdorp hotel room to Van Vliet's Snack bar for my one meal of the day after drinking beer and getting desperately hungry. At least their food is good and the establishment is clean.

[hickeydermot]

you must be eating at sloppy joints because i found the food amazing every time ive been out to eat , if u prefer a resturaunt type meal theres a large irish bar just south of dam square o reillys if i can remember they did an amazing dinner for 9.95 i got stirloin steak mash , greens , and a desert for the price

i'm sure some of the locals will point out others

[Dava]

yeah theres loads of argentine steak houses, and loads of places that offer unlimited BBQ ribs etc.. few mexican restaurants aswell, but there is all sorts so not sure where u have been looking!

[Yossarian22]

There are plenty of good restaurants in the Dam, even if it ain't Paris or Lyon. Check out this website for some good suggestions(there are plenty of places listed in the Jordaan): http://www.spottedbylocals.com/amsterdam/. Decent pizzerias, brown cafes, indonesian and surinamese restaurants, high class organic, french or italian restaurants, etc. There's also Burgermeester and some good Asian cafes in the central Chinatown.

[Kingdoc]

You cant starve there,Simple! .

[Balou]

I think you're percentage is off, by a lot. There are plenty of quality restaurants in Amsterdam. Some have even obtained the coveted Michelin Star. I usually just stop off at Albert Heijn on a daily basis when I don't have access to a fridge. They have some great ready to eat meals that are fresh. I have actually found that most restaurants have either an English version of their website or at least a translated menu posted. If you post what type of you're after I'm sure the forum will have suggestions for you.

Peace,
Balou

[Marco]

even if it ain't Paris or Lyon.

If Amsterdam had food like Lyon, I would never, ever leave

[dpgsoulja89]

the places i kept gooing back to eat were Cafe Pacifico great mexican food cheap beer what more do u want
and the another great place was the kebab house ..http://www.nelso.com/nl/place/246091/photo/216761

[Pala]

We had our concierge make us a reservation at 't Fornuis and had a delicious, affordable meal. Actually never had a bad bite to eat in the 12 days we were in town.

[montypython]

Some have even obtained the coveted Michelin Star. Peace,
Balou

whats the closets michelin stared returant to dam square??

[YourGuru]

Resturant Vermeer in THE Barbizon Hotel Or Vinkeles in THE Ngegen Straatjes area Will be your closest Michelin to Dam Square.

Im goung to add that Ciel Bleu and Yamazato are good as well. and both located in the THE Okura Hotel.


Met vriendelijke groet..
~Ian

But I want to add that these are not the best restaurants in town.. Just highly rated. Zagats is much more comprehensive and accessible than Michelin. Balou was using it as an example because the OP obviously didn't try very hard (at all) to find the quality food we know to be available.

[badbone]

Restaurant Christophe
Leliegracht 46, 1015 DH Amsterdam, Holland

@ YourGuru.... sorry .. you are absolutely right... my fault

[Old Timer]

Ciel Bleu has a Michelin star. If I'm not mistaken, it had two a few years ago.
I was lucky enough to be taken there by a client of mine.
It was absolutely great.

[bleak]

There is good food to be found in Amsterdam. But its hard to find, you must do your research. The original poster does have a point, there is a LOT of bad and/or overpriced food in this city, especially in the most touristic areas.

Compared to my home city of Melbourne, I do also 'starve' a little in Amsterdam. Theres lots of dishes I can't get here, or they are just not cooked well, like the spices are watered down, stuff is microwaved, overcooked, too oily etc. Those have been common complaints for me, and ones I've heard from other visitors too.

I also speak to Dutch people about food quite a lot. The ones who are (like myself) well travelled and take a special interest in food, happily admit that the Dutch simply don't put as much importance on eating as some other European cultures do. This is just an average though, of course there are many exceptions!

Here are some links to find good food in Amsterdam. Its out there!

http://www.dutchgrub.com/
http://maps.google.com/maps/user?uid=21 ... =en&ptab=2
http://www.amsterdamfoodie.nl/
http://www.amsterdamhotspots.nl/eat.html
http://www.eat-amsterdam.com/index.php
http://www.spottedbylocals.com/amsterda ... staurants/
http://www.muntthee.com/tag/food/
http://www.amsterdamcityblog.com/category/restaurants/

[Dava]

you cant go wrong with a frikandelletje oorlog!

mmm satay sauce