An Amsterdam Food Guide: Herring, Stroopwafels, Stamppot and More

By PerkJolt Travel Desk

Amsterdam is a good city for grazing: a fish-stall snack or fresh market waffle can sit alongside Dutch café cooking, Indonesian-Dutch rijsttafel and long, carefully paced dinners. This guide introduces a few foods and gives official-source-checked venue examples across neighborhoods and budgets. Menus, prices, opening hours, market days and reservation rules change; confirm directly before making a trip around a meal.

What to try

Haring is cured raw herring, commonly served with chopped onion and pickles, on its own or in a small roll. Hollandse Nieuwe is a seasonal new catch, and stalls may use a different description outside the season. If raw fish is not for you, try kibbeling, bite-sized battered and fried fish, or a warm fish snack. Stroopwafel pairs two thin waffle layers with syrup filling; a market stall may bake one to order. Bitterballen are crisp, breaded ragout bites, often served with mustard in cafés. Appeltaart is Dutch-style apple pie, usually a generous café slice; poffertjes are small, thick pancakes often finished with butter and powdered sugar.

For a sit-down meal, stamppot combines mashed potatoes with vegetables and is often served with sausage, while snert is thick split-pea soup, traditionally hearty and often made with pork. Recipes and menus vary, and these dishes may be seasonal. Amsterdam’s Indonesian restaurants reflect a long, complicated Dutch-Indonesian history. A rijsttafel (rice table) is a restaurant meal of rice with a selection of small dishes; each restaurant composes its own version, and it can be a substantial shared dinner. Ask about ingredients and heat level rather than assuming two menus use the same set of dishes.

Seven places to use as starting points

Rudi’s Original Stroopwafels — Albert Cuyp Market, De Pijp. This market stand makes stroopwafels fresh on site and recommends eating them warm. The operator places its food truck near stall number 182 and posts hours of 11:00–17:00 Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, with Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday closed. Market schedules and individual stall hours can shift, so check its page before crossing town. This is a small, relatively low-cost snack stop rather than a full meal. Operator’s location and hours · Albert Cuyp Market visitor information.

Vishandel Albert Cuyp — De Pijp. At Albert Cuypstraat 155, this fish shop lists herring by the piece and a broodje haring with onion and pickles provided separately. Its online ordering page lists herring at €3.75 ≈ $4.23 per piece and a sandwich at €4.50 ≈ $5.07 as checked on 27 September 2026; these are current listed prices, not a promise of the in-person menu or final bill. Its contact page lists delivery hours, which may not match counter service hours; check with the shop if timing matters. Fish and shellfish are central to this menu, so ask about ingredients and cross-contact if you have an allergy. Operator’s menu and contact details · I amsterdam’s herring-shop overview.

Winkel 43 — Jordaan. A corner café at Noordermarkt 43, known by its own account for freshly baked appeltaart. It is a simple café stop with breakfast, lunch, drinks and dinner; the operator says lunch changes monthly and dinner daily. It is walk-in only, and Monday and Saturday mornings are busier because of the market. Posted hours run from 07:00 or 08:00 in the morning to late evening, with day-specific closing times; check its FAQ for the current schedule. The café states that the historic building is not wheelchair accessible. Operator’s apple-pie, menu, access and hours notes.

Heemelrijck — Leidseplein, Centrum or De Pijp. This Dutch family restaurant lists stamppot, snert, suddervlees (slow-cooked meat) and wentelteefjes (Dutch-style French toast) among its classics. Its three locations cover different parts of town; the Leidseplein branch is at Lijnbaansgracht 246 and the central branch at Singel 161. The operator describes its pricing as €€, recommends reserving ahead, especially on weekends, and posts separate schedules by branch. Check which branch you are booking and whether the dish you want is on that day’s menu. Snert and other hearty dishes may be more appealing in cool weather. Operator’s dishes, locations, price category and booking details.

The Pantry — near Leidseplein. A Dutch family restaurant on Leidsekruisstraat 21, open daily according to its posted schedule. Its English site describes home-style Dutch cooking; current menus should be checked via the operator before visiting. This is another approachable option for a sit-down meal if you want a menu centered on Dutch dishes. The venue’s current menu and booking system are linked from its site; dietary options and availability should be confirmed with staff. Operator’s menu, address and opening hours.

Tujuh Maret — Utrechtsestraat / Canal Belt. This Indonesian restaurant’s current online menu lists a small rijsttafel at €35.50 ≈ $40, with 12 dishes, and a Minahasa table at €39.50 ≈ $45 per person, with 18 dishes; the Minahasa option is listed for a minimum of two people. A vegetarian rice table is also listed at €35.50 ≈ $40 per person, from two people. The restaurant is at Utrechtsestraat 73 and posts daily hours of 14:00–22:00. Menus, spice levels, group conditions and prices can change; ask about allergens and the composition of the set before ordering. Operator’s menu, address and hours.

De Silveren Spiegel — historic centre. A higher-budget choice for a multi-course Dutch dinner at Kattengat 4–6. The restaurant’s own contact page says its menus start at €100 ≈ $113 per person and describes an experience lasting about 3.5 hours. It takes reservations online through its booking system, not by phone or email. Posted kitchen hours are Tuesday–Thursday evenings and Friday–Saturday lunch and dinner; confirm the chosen date, menu and current price before booking. This is a meal to plan the evening around, rather than a quick stop between sights. Restaurant’s current booking, hours and price notes · Restaurant website and menu.

Where to eat, by area

De Pijp: browse the Albert Cuyp Market for a warm stroopwafel, fish snacks, produce and other stalls. Stands do not all keep the same schedule, and the market itself has its own visitor information. Jordaan: combine a café pie break at Noordermarkt with a neighborhood walk; market mornings can be busy. Leidseplein: find Dutch comfort-food menus at Heemelrijck or The Pantry, with dining hours that make either a possible lunch or dinner depending on the day. Utrechtsestraat and the Canal Belt: Tujuh Maret is a set-menu option for Indonesian cooking and rijsttafel. Central historic district: De Silveren Spiegel is a reservation-led, multi-course splurge; leave enough time for the meal.

One, two or three food days

One day: keep the route compact. If you are starting in De Pijp, browse Albert Cuyp Market for a fish snack and fresh stroopwafel, then choose an easy dinner nearby or travel once to a booked meal elsewhere. If your sightseeing is central, use a Dutch café for lunch or an afternoon appeltaart break and save an elaborate dinner for a day with fewer plans. Market trading hours and stall participation can vary.

Two days: spend one day around De Pijp and the Albert Cuyp Market, with herring or kibbeling followed by a lighter meal. On another day, explore the Jordaan and Noordermarkt, then have Dutch comfort food near Leidseplein. Swap one dinner for a reserved rijsttafel if a shared, multi-dish meal appeals; check minimum party size and current menu first.

Three days: add a dedicated Indonesian dinner and a longer, booked Dutch tasting menu if that fits your budget and pace. Leave one meal flexible for a café, market or snack-bar choice, and consider weather and season when seeking stamppot or snert. Keep some distance between heavy meals and avoid stacking a market graze, a large rijsttafel and a multi-course dinner into the same day.

Practical notes

Amsterdam’s markets are working public spaces as well as visitor stops. Check market dates and hours before planning a meal around a particular stall, bring a payment method that works for the vendor, and allow room for queues. A market address may identify a row or stall rather than a conventional restaurant entrance. Confirm that the listed venue is serving on your date, especially around public holidays and seasonal closures.

Ingredients vary by venue and recipe. Fish stalls handle fish and shellfish; Dutch snacks and soups may contain wheat, dairy, egg, meat, mustard or other allergens; rijsttafel dishes may include peanuts, tree nuts, soy, shrimp paste, fish sauce, egg or coconut. Ask staff directly about ingredients and shared preparation. A dish name or online translation is not an allergen guarantee, and a kitchen may not be able to prevent cross-contact.

Prices above are the venue’s listed amounts checked on 27 September 2026 and can change; taxes, service, drinks, add-ons and portion choices may affect the final bill. Some venue pages have different language versions or incomplete seasonal details. Confirm the current menu, exact branch, opening schedule, booking conditions and accessibility with the business before relying on them. This guide uses public tourism and operator information; it does not claim firsthand visits, rankings, guaranteed availability or guaranteed dietary accommodations.

Amsterdam food and venue references

• I amsterdam: Dutch foods to try in Amsterdam
• I amsterdam: Amsterdam-specific foods and local specialties
• I amsterdam: herring stalls and fish shops
• I amsterdam: Indonesian restaurants and rijsttafel context