Dining Out
With a restaurant or eating establishment on nearly every street corner, in Amsterdam, you are never far from a place to eat. Amsterdam's cultural diversity is well portrayed in the huge variety of restaurants representing every international cuisine. No matter what your palate desires, you'll find it here.
If you fancy Italian cuisine, the best in Amsterdam is Ristorante-lo-stivale-d-oro, at Amstel 49. This is a family run place where fresh is the word. Packed to the gills every night from 5 pm to 11 pm.
Reservations are accepted, but you can also just arrive and take a chance. There is a little bar across the street where you can sit and watch for a table to come free. A slightly more upmarket place is "Gusto's" on Kloveniersburgwal, number 7, No Pizza here! And no reservations are needed.
Pancakes Anyone?
You cannot come to Amsterdam and not have some pancakes. For a quickie, head to "Renes's on Damstraat and get their Poffertjes, Mini Pancakes, Delicious!
For a sit-down meal type Pancake, Pancake at Berenstraat 38. Vegetarians are fairly well catered for also at such places as ‘De Kas’ restaurant, where the ingredients used are homegrown in their own biological garden, and Green Planet, a great place with good food and great prices.
Although the Dutch are not renowned for their culinary excellence, there are some places such as The vijf Vliegen offering traditional Dutch food.
Kitchens close early in Amsterdam, around 10 pm to 11.00pm.
Most restaurants do not cater for the breakfast trade that is usually eaten in one of the eetcafes or lunch cafes dotted all over the city.
A typical Dutch breakfast consists of bread with cold meat, jam, cheese, honey or sweet sprinkles called hagelslag. Beschuit, which is a type of rusk and ontbijtkoek, a spiced cake. Most of these cafes, particularly in the city centre, cater for the English bacon and egg type breakfast as well.
For dinner with a difference, try The Supper Club, where anything can happen and usually does. The food is to die for, and you certainly won't be bored.
The show and dinner start 8 pm sharp (ouch!), and when dinner is over the restaurant turns into a nightclub with Europe's top DJ’s banging out the best tracks.
Brought to you by the same folk behind the Superclub, ‘Nomads’ one of the in places to be seen. Asian restaurant with great food. Reservations are a must.
Nightlife
If you would like to meet the local Amsterdammers, visit one of the many "brown cafes", brown from smoking (soon to be banned in July 2008). Most famous one is "De Hoppe" on the Spui with sawdust on the floor.
Amsterdam is known for its crazy nightlife, with it's many bars and grand cafes as well as the new Escape cafe next door to the famous Escape Club which is well worth a visit.
After the bars start winding down people head for the night clubs, the most famous ones being the ‘Paradiso’ and the ‘Melkweg’ both around the Leidseplein square area. Both have live music and host many of the world's top bands.
Other top clubs in Amsterdam are
Supper Club http://www.supperclub.nl
Club Panama http://www.panama.nl
Club NL http://www.clubnl.nl/NL.asp
Jimmy Woo's http://www.amsterdamhotspots.nl/club.html#jimmywoo
Escape Club
Amsterdam's most famous club, maybe not the best but the biggest. Usual bouncer shit applies, No trainers, No male groups. Not easy for males alone to get in. Ask a girl in the line if you can go in with her.
Drinking Alcohol in the street is forbidden.
Cycling a bike without a light, gets you a Euro 38 fine.
When exploring the city by bike, make sure you use the bicycle lanes all over the city. Avoid cycling on the pavements /
footpaths and always make sure you have working lights back and front if cycling at night.
Bike theft is rampant so you will need at least two good locks to avoid your bike going missing at soon as you park it.
top}Amsterdam Restuarant Guide | Cultural tips Amsterdam | Amsterdam Nightclubs {top}
{bottom}Where to eat out in Amsterdam | Amsterdam clubs | Amsterdam Coffeeshops {bottom}