Amsterdam

Check out the usual booking sites such as www.booking.com or www.hotels.com , Amsterdam is not cheap for hotels compared with other European Cities, particularly in the summer when the city is very busy.

The Alp Hotel, De Clercqstraat 52, www.alphotel.nl was our choice on our most recent visit and it is in a great location, helpful staff and a very good breakfast one word of warning is that like a great many hotels in the city there is no lift and the stairs are very steep.

A new hotel in the lovely Jordaan area is the Linden Hotel www.lindenhotel.nl this has been very well designed, the staff are very friendly and helpful and the location is excellent. There are a variety of rooms on offer to suit most budgets.

Room Mate Aitana,  IjDock 6 1013MM, www.aitana.room-matehotels.com is a brand new hotel owned by the Spanish chain Room Mate. It is only ten minutes walk from Central Station and handy for the buzzy Haarlemmerstraat with lots of small independent shops, restaurants and bars and also for the Western Canal Belt and the Jordaan. Rooms are large, the staff young, friendly and enthusiastic.

Foodhallen, Bellamyplein, is a fairly new addition to the Amsterdam eating scene. Modelled on similar places in cities such as Madrid and Lisbon this is situated in an old tram depot in the Oud-West area of Amsterdam, which is rapidly becoming a cool area in the city. Easily reached by tram the building has been well designed taking the best of some of the other markets such as plenty of seating areas, a wide variety of food and drink with most at reasonable prices, and there is also a restaurant and brasserie. Notable stalls we tried were Viet View and also a Pie Stall with scrummy choices. Visited on our most recent stay in the city and still very good and there are more places that have opened up in the surrounding streets.

5 Brothers Fat Xampaneria West, De Clercqstraat 56,  almost next to the Alp Hotel, this became our local haunt on our rcent visit, it is a Cava bar with Tapas, and of course wine, beer & cocktails. They ship the cava from Can Paixano, our favourite cava place in Barcelona. Great drinks, food & super friendly service. They have another branch in the Oud-Zuid part of the city and one in Haarlem.

De Reiger Nieuwe, Leliestraat 34, Jordaan is an excellent brown bar and restaurant, this used to be a locals secret but it now gets a mix of regulars and visitors. They do not take reservations so you may have to wait at the bar for a table, but it is worth the wait. We always make a point of eating there and the blackboard of meat, fish and vegetarian daily specials always offers a great choice, on the most recent visit both meat dishes were excellent. The prices are average by Amsterdam standards, the quality never fails to impress and the service good and friendly. Returned on our most recent visit and as ever as good and popular as ever.

The Good Companion, Westerstraat 264, had read good reports and booked this for a late Saturday lunch on our most recent visit. We were impressed with the food and service, when it first opened it did mainly fish & chips but now does other fish dishes, mussels & oysters with a happy hour on oysters on Saturday 3pm – 6pm.

Restaurant Daalder, Lindengraacht 90, time for another confession, we have not eaten here but have been popping in for a number of years for a drink at the bar. It would seem that we have been missing out on eating at an excellent restaurant as it came highly recommended by a local wine merchant who is also a “foodie”. Also we have seen the plates being served and it is a definite for our next visit.

Restaurant Vlaming, Prinsengracht 193, this was highly recommended by locals and did not disappoint for a Saturday night dinner with Amsterdam friends. Excellent service, very good food and everyone enjoyed the modern style of the design. If there are any small gripes it was the short menu and the fact that mains did not come with vegetables but all in all a great choice. They also have another less upmarket location Lindengracht 95.

De Belhamel, Brouwersgracht 60, is a beautiful canal side restaurant with excellent food, booking is advised and needed at weekends, the only downside is it is rather cramped and can be a bit on the warm side.

Worst Wijncafe, Barentzstraat 171, situated in the Western Docklands this is a gem of a place, we were lucky to get a seat at the bar for lunch, at night booking is essential. They have a variety of dishes including terrines and amazing sausages and a fantastic wine list. The chef owner is very helpful and he has the restaurant Marius next door only open for dinner and where reservations are essential, a must for the next visit.

De Gouden Reael, Zaanhoek 14, also in the Western Docklands we only stopped for a drink but were impressed with the service and the look & feel of the place. Gets good reports so one for the future.

Sluizer, Utrechtsestraat 41 & 45, is in fact two restaurants, one specialising in meat the other fish , but both do have both meat & fish choices. They both have a modern style and there is also a beautiful conservatory upstairs above the meat one. Excellent menu, great quality food and good service

Tempo Doeloe, Utrechtsestraat 75, a very smart Indonesian restaurant supposed to be the best in Amsterdam where booking is essential. Very helpful service, an upmarket wine list but quite happy if people stick to beer. They now have a cheaper version next door which is less formal.

Kantil & De Tijger, Spuistraat 291. is a large and very popular Indonesian Restaurant which is very good value and has friendly service

Nam Kee, this very good and cheap Chinese restaurant is on the edge of Nieumarkt Square, one of its seafood dishes was the title of first a book and now a film in Holland and therefore it is very well known,

New King, Zeedijk 115, is another Chinese with a great name which does not disappoint. In a more modern setting than the Nam Kee, the roast meats are top notch and it is reasonable priced and very popular. Made a point of eating here on our most recent visit and food still very good, as is the service.

Het Paardje, Gerard Douplien 1, De Pijp, in a lovely square near the market we have stopped here many times for a drink, this time we had lunch and it was very good and reasonable value. there are comments about poor service in reviews which we have never experienced.

De Duvel,  Eerste van der Helststraat 59-61, De Pijp, again near the market, we stopped for a drink and were very impressed with the service, it also gets good reviews, we will return on our next visit.

Bazaar, Albert Cuyp Straat 182, De Pijp, is a converted church in the middle of the market street, it specialises in middle eastern cooking and is a fun place with good quality and very reasonable prices.

BurgerMeester, Albert Cuypstraat 48, has excellent burgers, it is a very small place, with soft drinks only but the quality and variety is fantastic, however there is now competition nearby.They have four places now and sell beer & wine in the branches in the Jordaan and Utrechtstraat, they get good reviews.

The Butcher, Albert Cuypstraat 129, in the heart of the market only has seats for a about a dozen people but worth waiting to try their top notch burgers, they also have three other locations in the city. There is a very exclusive cocktail bar on the premises only for those who have booked, personally I will stick to the burgers and go to one of the lovely bars nearby.

Mamouche, Queillinjstraat 104, The Pijp, this is a Moroccan restaurant with a very modern feel and serving some slightly different dishes, it is very popular so I advise booking in advance.

Bars & Cafes

Chris, Bloemstraat 42, Jordaan, is Amsterdam’s oldest bar in the heart of the Jordaan area, it has a very local feel.

T’Smalle, Egelantiersgracht 12, on the edge of the Jordaan has one of the best settings in the city, it is a lovely bar with prized outdoor seating.

Nieuwe Leliestraat, is in the street of the same name also in the Jordaan and is another very local bar.

Cafe de Blaffende Vis, Westerstraat 118, one of the Jordaan’s main streets,  is a friendly local bar that does excellent sandwiches at lunchtime and a small selection of hot dishes as night.

Cafe Tuin, Tweede Tuindstraat 13, also in the Jordaan is another good local bar with a decent selection of drinks and also food.

Spanger en Van Twist, Leliegracht 60, has a lovely canal side bar and has a modern style, it does a wide variety of food.Returned recently and enjoyed the food and service.

Orangerie, Binnen Oranjestraat 15, just off  Haarlemmerstraat is a great local bar and café doing a good selection of dishes which get favourable reports, the staff are friendly and it has an excellent atmosphere.

Café De Waag, Nieuwmarkt 4, is a great building conversion to bar and restaurant, good setting but service can be slow.

Lokaal ‘t Loosje, Nieumarkt 32-34, a lovely local brown café with good beers and prosecco by the glass at a very reasonable price, this bar has a welcoming feel.

Duende, Lindengracht 62, is an excellent Spanish bar with tapas, occasional live music and flamenco in the Jordaan area. Just revisited it and it is still as popular as it was when we first found it more than twenty years ago.

Het Molenpad, Prinsengracht 653, is one of the nicest brown cafes along the canals, it has been given a facelift but has lost none of its atmosphere and the menu has been increased with a number of specials. We had lumchtime soup and a sandwich and they were good quality and decent sized portions.

Hoppe, Spui 18, is not the oldest bar but nearly and a very pleasant old brown bar which does good soups etc. Go in the right hand entrance to the original part of the bar, the left hand side is newer and does not have the same feel.

In de Wildeman, Kolksteeg 3, Central, is towards Central Station has one of the best ranges of draught beers in Amsterdam and is located in what used to be a distillery. Very popular particularly around early evening, if it is not too busy seek out Simon who has worked there for 18 years and is a fount of knowledge on all things connected with beer.

Wynand Focking, Pijlsteeg 31, is an old bar and tasting house, specialising in Genever gin, it is just off Dam Square behind the Krasnapolsky Hotel, worth seeking out and if you like the liqeuers then you can buy them by the bottle at the shop next door. It is only open from 3pm to 9pm.

De Pilsener Club, Begijnensteeg 4, make your way behind the leather curtain for one of the original unspoilt bars, it is near the Beginhof. This is a classic Amsterdam bar and the staff are knowledgeable about the various beers that they sell.

Café De Jaren, Nieuwe Doelenstraat 20-2, is near the Flower Market at the top of Rokin, a great modern café bar with lovely views, a terrace on the Amstel and excellent selection of refreshments and eats

Café Danzig, near the Stoppera Opera House on the Amstel canal has a lovely terrace for a refreshment and snack with however slow service but the view makes up for it

Oosterling Bar, Utrechtsestraat 140, another lovely old fashioned bar and off-licence is not far from the Riijksmuseum, stop in after your gallery visit.

There are a number of really good bars on Zeedijk or close by, although this used to have a bit of a downmarket reputation it has some really lovely traditional bars and places to eat.

In ‘t Aepjen, The Monkey, Zeedijk 1, a lovely brown bar, rated as one of the best traditional bars in the city, it can be very crowded but if you are lucky and get a seat at the bar you will find it difficult to drag yourself away, The staff are always friendly and welcoming.

Almost opposite is De Ooievaar, Sint Olofspoort 1, another gem of a bar, and round the corner another local bar In de Olofspoort, Nieuwebrugsteeg 13.

Het Elfde Gebod, Zeedijk 5, another great bar with a large selection of bottled beers and a decent choice of draught ones. Friendly staff and not as packed as some others nearby.

Drink

Holland does not have the same reputation as its neighbour Belgium for beer, and indeed a visit to Amsterdam for some has to include a visit to the Heineken brewery. There are however quite a number of smaller breweries, one of which Brouwerij t’Ij is in the city and housed in a former windmill and can be visited.

There are some excellent seasonal beers to be tried and lovely fruity wheat beers and of course many of the best beer bars also have a wide range of other beers including many from Belgium.

Jenever or genever, is Dutch Gin, there are two types old and young and the difference is in the distilling, the young has a very neutral taste, the older, more of a smoother aromatic taste. It is still a popular drink with older Dutch drinkers and a great place to sample this and also some lovely Dutch liqueurs is Wynand Focking, see the bar section above.

The area of the Museums,  Rijksmuseum – Old Masters, Stedelijk Museum – Modern and the Van Gogh Museum, are all close to each other with a park area that has shops and bars linking them. The Rijksmuseum recently re-opened after a refurbishment taking 10 years, you can book tickets on line, take the time to try the cafe, the setting is very impressive.

Science Museum NEMO, is on the harbour side by the Shipping Museum, it is very hands on, fun for kids and is in a great setting.

Beginhof, hidden behind the north side of the Spui Square in the centre, is a beautiful collection of houses and churches and a peaceful place to wander around.

The daily market in Albert Cuypstraat is worth a visit and there are lots of good bars and restaurants nearby in Ferdinand Bolstraat and Frans Halsstraat. It is not far from the Museum area. There is an excellent Saturday market along Lindengracht in the Jordaan area.

Utechtsestraat between the Prinsengracht and the Herengracht has some very good restaurants, bars and cafes including some mentioned above.

Before or after a wander round Vondel Park have a walk along Cornelis Schuystraat and Pieter Cornelisz Hoofstraat for some very upmarket shopping and in the former there are some very nice places to eat including Tramezzino an incredibly upmarket sandwich bar.

Haarlem

If you need a break from the crowds, hop on a train from Central Station to Haarlem, there are trains every 15 minutes and the journey time is 20 minutes. The town is lovely almost like a small version of Amsterdam but without any tacky shops. Some excellent bars were recommended by a local friend who knows his beer and bars. Jopen Kerk is a large bar and restaurant with it’s own beers, Cafe Koops is a smaller lovely friendly bar as is Vijfhoek which is close to the centre in an area similar to Amsterdam’s Jordaan. The last recommended bar called Briljant is nearby but sadly was not open when we visited.

On our most recent visit to Haarlem we visited two lovely bars both near the main square and highly recommended.

Proeflokaal in den Uiver, Riviervismarkt 13, was a fish shop and retains some lovely tiles in the bar, it has a great terrace and a good selection of beers.

Proflokaal De Blauwe Druif, Lange Veerstraat 7, is another gem of an old school brown bar, loved the feel of the place and were impressed bu the wines choice as well of course as the beers.

Karmozijn, Gierstraat 69 was recommende by friends who live in the area and the chef owner Ton cooks and serves all the guests. The food was exceptional, for both the quality and the presentation, this is not for those who want a fast meal, this is slow food at it’s best. It is expensive but the quality makes it worth every euro.