Amsterdam never strays from my thoughts for long. It’s where I spent most of my elementary school years. It’s where my mother grew up, and where she still lives. Rachael and I lived there for almost a year in the brief child-free days after we married. When I speak Dutch, or think in Dutch, my soul plays its tune in a minor key of memories. Thinking about this place moves me to tears.
I’m frequently asked for recommendations. Here’s the map of the places I love in Amsterdam.
It’s a long list, so I’ve boiled it down to some top favorites:
Shopping:
- The University of Amsterdam sells swag at their store on the Spui, which is a charming little square surrounded by bookstores and great bars. European sizes are different. For example, a large sweatshirt is more like a medium here.
- The English Hatter is a cozy shop selling traditional prep and classy gentlemen’s clothes, with a British/Continental vibe. My family has been shopping here for generations. They give you a free bag of licorice allsorts with every purchase.
- Albert Cuyp Market: Pretty much anything you need is for sale at the Albert Cuyp Market, including cheap souvenirs. Don’t miss the stores and restaurants behind the stalls.
- The Kalverstraat (near the English Hatter) is the most expensive shopping street in the Netherlands (as measured by rent). Once you see it, you’ll understand why. I recommend you check out the HEMA. Think of it like a Dutch Target.
- Lambiek is a legendary comics store. Their staff is the friendliest in town, and their knowledge is beyond compare. Even if you’re not a huge comics fan, it’s well worth a visit, since it gets you away from the usual tourist traffic jams, but into a neighborhood with its own interesting sights and shops.
Eating:
- FEBO: It’s an automat! Pay the money, and the food comes out of the wall. It’s perfect when you’re getting hangry after walking for hours, but you don’t have time for a real meal. Try the satekroket (contains nuts). There are lots of locations in Amsterdam. This one is near my mom’s place. Vegetarian options available.
- Vlaams Friteshuis Vleminckx: I get it, you may feel dubious about mayo on fries. But if you spend time in Amsterdam during fall, winter and spring, you will quickly understand your body’s need for an insulating layer of blubber. Order the “patatje oorlog” (fries war). It’s fries with mayo, satay peanut sauce and onions. Just trust me on this one. Window service only, and you’ll be eating these on the street. If you go to the nearby English Hatter first, you can buy a handkerchief.
- Loetje: In 1977 Ludwig ‘Loetje’ Klinkhamer had retired as a butcher, and bought a billiards cafe a block away from where I lived at the time. He wanted to make it a quiet place for old men like him. Unfortunately, he started serving very good beef tenderloin, so Loetje turned into a popular place for business lunches with the local ad agencies, U.S. Consulate staff, etc. Loetje was incredibly tall and gruff. He would yell at you to close the door when you came in on a cold night. Order a biefstuk, and make sure to get vegetables and a salad as well. A plate of fries easily serves two. Reservations recommended. One caveat: This is not a great option for vegetarians.
- Foodhallen: You’re out with a hungry group of people, and no one can agree on where to go for lunch or dinner. This is where you go. It’s all there. It’s all good. There’s booze.
- De Plantage: It’s an upscale restaurant, right next to the zoo. It’s my Uncle Hans’s favorite place to go. The food and atmosphere are both wonderful. There are vegetarian options. Reservations recommended
Drinking:
- Wynand Fockink Proeflokaal and Spirits: Confidently order a glass of “oude” jenever. They’ll serve you a glass filled to the brim. Bow in respect for the liquor and sip enough so you can grab your drink and step away from the bar. It’s a traditional Dutch jenever ritual. “Oude” means old, but that refers to the age of the recipe, not how long it was aged. If you don’t like the taste of jenever (learn!), they have interesting sweet liqueurs.
- Hoppe: It’s a pub that dates back to 1670. There’s probably no place to sit. Just order a beer (“een pilsje, alstublieft”) and enjoy the ambiance.
- Bar Oldenhof: It’s a fancy cocktail bar. I’m including it because it has a relaxed feel, and it’s located in an interesting area.
Appendix A: Mixed recommendations and facts
Museums
- If you want to visit the Anne Frank house, make your reservations months and months before you go. Make them for super unpopular times, and you’ll probably still trudge, trudge, trudge in a long line through a small house.
- On the other hand, if you are truly interested in the Jewish experience in Amsterdam, and learning things you never knew, there’s no better deal than the Jewish Cultural Quarter. It’s a much richer experience. Just remember you’ll definitely need to have a drink afterward, because only roughly 10 percent of Dutch Jews made it out of the Nazi occupation.
- The Rijksmuseum is huge, beautiful, and packed. It will take you days to experience properly. The nearby Stedelijk is the most underrated of the three nearby museums. The Van Gogh museum is a great place for watching tourists.
- My favorite museum is the National Maritime Museum, because I’m besotted with wooden ships (The sails! The cordage! The nautical jargon!).
Opening hours
Sunday is still largely quiet except for the major touristy areas, and even then a lot of shops are closed. Thursday is traditionally “koopavond” (shopping night) and a lot of stores are open later.
On the Dutch
They all speak English, and usually German and French as well. They can usually detect your native language if you try to speak Dutch, and will switch to it right away. But try to speak it a bit anyway! It’s nice. They’ll also correct you, because the Dutch are generally candid to a fault. “Ted Lasso” portrayed them accurately, no doubt because Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt both spent time in Amsterdam with Boom Chicago. The “Sunflowers” episode is a love letter to the city.
The two phrases everyone needs
- Thank you: Dank U (formal) or Dank je (informal, friends). Start with the formal one. It’s pronounced “Dunk Ew” (like you without the “y”). The informal version: “Dunk yuh”. You’ll say it wrong because Dutch vowels are slippery eels.
- Please: Alstublieft, and just have Google Translate demo the pronunciation: https://translate.google.com/?sl=auto&tl=en&text=alstublieft&op=translate This also gets used when someone (e.g. waiter, shopkeeper) gives you something (“If you please”). In the latter case, just say “Dunk Ew"