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A Taste of Amsterdam with Awesome Food Tours

Contrary to the common stereotype that the Dutch food is boring and plain, we want to assure you that the local Amsterdam cuisine will surprise you with a full range of flavors and ingredients. You just have to know the right places to go and the best food items to try so that to feel the deliciousness of the food here and want to have more. Specially for those who like to discover cultures through food, we’ve prepared a list of cool food tours around Amsterdam.

Dutch Food Tour

Combine typical Dutch food with a historical experience in the most beautiful areas of Amsterdam- the Jordaan and Canal belt and dare to try all the local specialties. This tour won’t limit you to good old cheese and freshly made stroopwafels, but will indulge you with 6-7 tastings, including the raw herring and other yummy surprises. You will be trying Dutch cuisine both on the go and seated, while the whole tour will take 2.5 hours. It’s a great opportunity to learn more about local culture with your taste buds and see the most charming neighborhoods of the city. Your participation comes at a price of €49, of course all the food and drinks included.

dutch food tour

Street Food & Drink Tours with Hungry Birds

Hungry Birds attract the guests of Amsterdam by their personal and fun approach to food tours, as they make you feel like a visiting friend rather than a tourist. Their focus on street food make them stand out from other tours. Top it up with not only Dutch food but also ethnic/colonial specialties brought in by the migrant birds, and you get a super authentic experience in Amsterdam. These guys ask you to come hungry, as you will be tasting 8-10 different local foods and drinks for 3.5-4 hours. The places depend on whether you choose the Market Birds option (exploring the delights of the Albert Cuyp Market) or the City Birds tour, when you will be flying around small family businesses. Both choices are €69 each per person, while their Thirsty Birds tour around the local bars will cost you €79 per adult.

street food tour

Jordaan Food Tour

Get off the beaten path in the Jordaan revealing hidden courtyards, narrow back streets and awesome personalities of the local folks with a great sense of humor. Eating Amsterdam Tours will take a good care of you, introducing you to friendly shopkeepers, telling funny stories and presenting you with a high quality selection of 12 food tastings. During the 4-hour tour you will discover the delicious flavors of such must-try Dutch specialties as the home-made apple pie (in a 400-years old café!), Amsterdam’s tastiest smoked sausage, borrelhapjes that go so well with the authentic beers and mouthwatering desserts. This food trip will be €77 per adult and leave your stomach full and happy.

jordaan food tourAmsterdam’s Favorite Food Tour

If you prefer a more personal experience with a local, then this food tour in the heart of the hippest neighborhoods of Amsterdam De Pijp might be the right decision. Not only you will explore the vibrant part of the city with the cosmopolitan market, chilling locals and stunning architecture, but you will experience the true taste of Amsterdam. Fried fish from the market stall, new collective café, Surinamese-Javanese restaurant and 5 tastings are just a few from the things you can expect from this 2.5-hour tour. Guided by big foodies or even professional chefs, you will pay €44 per person.

favorite amsterdam's food

Prefer to eat alone?

Would you rather not join the food tour, but taste the local cuisine on your own? Then this City Food Routes might be handy for you to explore the neighborhoods of Amsterdam, trying the best what they have to offer, getting the freshest ingredients to cook at home/in the hotel or checking out the greatest cafes in the areas all over the city. You might need the help of Google-translate for this site, but the places you’ll discover will be worth it.

city food routes

So what’s the taste of Amsterdam for you? Is it the sharp taste of old gouda cheese, the sweet taste of stroopwafels, the pickled taste of herring or the smoked taste of a Dutch sausage? No matter what it is, we’re sure you would like it!

Do You Fancy an Ice Cream in Amsterdam?

If you’re lucky to find yourself in Amsterdam on a hot summer day, then most likely you’ve already thought about getting an ice cream or maybe even two.  Unexpectedly this cold delight can be exceptionally good in the Netherlands, you just have to know the right spots where to get it from. We’ll reveal our favorite ice cream stores in Amsterdam specially to you, but don’t have too much of the delicious gelato! You’ll be surprised with all the innovative flavors and yumminess of the Dutch IJs!

Monte Pelmo

This tiny ice cream place is a true hidden gem of the Jordaan, where you see a happy kids smile on the locals’ faces, including the men that you didn’t think were capable of smiling at all. Monte Pelmo amazing gelato has been one of the most loved ones in Amsterdam since 1957, and you can tell from a huge queue in front of it. How about a tiramisu ice cream, passion fruit sorbet or crazy blue Smurf taste? Try them all and enjoy while strolling the coziest neighborhood in the city.

2e Anjeliersdwarsstraat 17Gelato Monte Pelmo Amsterdam

Pisa IJs

The best real Italian-style gelato often served to you by Italians themselves can be found at this small stand next to the RAI convention center. It’s worth a bike trip from the hotel, as Pisa IJs has up to 60 flavors per season, and no other places can beat it in variety. Go for Bounty one or After Five (mint with pieces of chocolate). Recently they’ve also opened a new location in the center close to Albert Cuypmarkt.

Scheldeplein t.o. nr 10 and Eerste van der Helststraat 62-B pisa ijs

Koel

Do you prefer frozen yogurt to regular ice cream? Then how about an innovative idea of a self-service shop in the heart of Chinatown in Amsterdam? All you need to do is to pick your size, fill it up with delicious frozen yoghurt, add some toppings and indulge yourself!

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De Ijsmakerij Amsterdam

Some ice creams are so good in Amsterdam that you need to put an effort to find them. The example is the creative flavors like 3 peppers or lemon-basil sorbet of de Ijsmakerij that can be tried at Noordermarkt  on Saturdays or at local cafes like MOES or BRET on any other days. Their cold desserts are made of organic milk from a closeby farm and fresh ingredients.

Metropolitan

This shop might be a bit too touristy and all their pastries and chocolates look better than they taste, but that could be a fine spot to grab an ice cream while sightseeing downtown in Amsterdam. It’s great that everything is homemade here, but the highlight is the beer sorbets made together with the local beer brewery. That can count as an unusual flavor, can’t it? Or would you rather taste their gin & tonic sorbets?

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Banketbakkerij van der Linde

This tiny ice cream shop will surprise you with having only one type of their signature delight, which is half ice cream and half whipped cream. The coolest part is that you can’t even tell a difference from the look at it (it seems to be a regular ice cream from a machine), and discover which side is which only after tasting it. Next time you shop in the heart of Amsterdam, don’t miss this thick, creamy and most importantly original ice cream.

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Banketbakkerij van der Linde

IJsmanschap

Are you done with all these typical ice cream places in Amsterdam and want to see something completely different? Then first in the city spot that sells gourmet handcrafted ice lollies is waiting for you. IJsmanschap introduces this idea of lollies made in sorbet and gelato flavors that go perfectly well with chocolate or nuts topping.

Van Spilbergenstraat 2 hs

The Singing Neighborhood of Amsterdam: the Scenic Jordaan

Many songs have been sung about this most famous in the Netherlands and finest in Amsterdam neighborhood called the Jordaan. Everything that you’re looking for in the city can be found here, accompanied by local charm, gezellig (you have to learn this word!) vibe and trendy residents.

What’s in a name?

When you discover the wonderful gardens of the Jordaan, you have no doubts that the neighborhood takes its name from the French word “jardin,” which means “garden.”  But the truth is that most of the streets there are called after flowers, such as Rozengracht, Anjeliersdwarsstraat and Goudsbloemstraat.

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The history of the Jordaan starts at the 17th century, when it was a singing but quite poor neighborhood of immigrants and the working class living in small houses. If you think that it’s not really how the modern Jordaan looks like, you’re absolutely right! In sixties it has gone through major changes and a grand reconstruction, which came together with gentrification and therefore, new residents. Today the Jordaan is full of young entrepreneurs, artists and wealthier students, who fill in lots of new galleries, brown cafes and hip stores. What once was the district of the folksingers Johnny Jordaan and Andre Hazes, the painter Rembrandt van Rijn and the writer Theo Thijssen, is now a great combination of a narrow streets labyrinth and canals of the past and the contemporary chic of the present.

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Secret courtyards

The beauty of the very special Jordaan is enhanced by the large amount of inner courtyards (the Dutch call them hofjes) with gorgeous gardens and old little houses. Lots of them date back to the 17th and 18th centuries, when they were offered for older women as a sign of protection and charity. You can find the Jordaan courtyards behind the buildings at the street side so all you need to do is to check whether the door is open. If it is, don’t hesitate to come in, but please be respectful and nice towards local community there. Although some of the inner gardens might be closed, they will be open for public on Open Monuments Days or for free hofjesconcerts on Sundays in summer. Some of the prettiest courtyards of the neighborhood are Looyershofje at Nieuwe Looiersstraat 20-40, Sint Andrieshofje at Egelantiersgracht 105-141 and monumental Venetiaehofje at Elandsstraat 104-142. Make sure to sneak in these hidden gems of the Jordaan.

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Interesting finds at the market

When strolling the old streets of the Jordaan, make sure to stop by its scenic authentic markets. When you see a remarkable Noorderkerk (the main church of the neighborhood), you know that you are on the right spot. You will find an inspiring flea market on Mondays and an organic local farmer’s market on Saturdays, which is perfect for trying all good Dutch foods and delicacies. You should also discover a general market on the Westerstraat on Mondays and a very old neighborhood Lindenmarkt on Saturdays, where you can find all you can think of.

You are what you eat

Some of the best traditional Dutch cafes can be found in the Jordaan, where you can still often hear the sing-a-longs and try some nice local cuisine. The brown Café Nol is packed with locals at night, so you have a nice chance to mingle with them there. The choice of good restaurants of the Jordaan ranges from the most affordable Piqniq (great for a Dutch style lunch) to almost Michelin starred dining at Daalder with its unique 7-course surprise chef’s menu. And of course, you cannot leave Amsterdam without visiting cozy

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The artsy Jordaan

There are numerous art galleries in the Jordaan for all tastes and preferences, where the local artists share their creations for admiration or sale. Many art studios are also located in the neighborhood, and the good news is that you can come inside and meet the artists. A special “Open Studio Event” is about to take place from 14 to 16 May, when the creative bourgeoisie will open their doors for public. It happens only once per 2 years, so make sure to use this opportunity! And if you leave your heart in the Jordaan, the must visit event is The Jordaan Festival this summer (from 26 to 28 August), when you will see the real singing district with lots of Dutch folk music and locals having a good time.