Indian summer or not, at the end of the holidays – and the start of a new academic year – the bottom of the stock market is in sight. And all this while Amsterdam catering prices are skyrocketing. Where do you go to eat with your friends or loved one without immediately going broke? Restaurant critic Petra Possel recommends eight relatively affordable addresses where the food is good.
North
The Beef Chief No nonsense Cafe
If you taste beer at the Oedipus brewery, you obviously have to make a base; It is therefore not surprising that they serve hearty burgers – inside the no-nonsense café or outside on picnic benches. We try the classic American double decker with beef, cheese, mustard, pickles and smoky sauces (€13), very juicy, and the toasted brioche bread (€13) with pickled tofu in panko with vegetables, lettuce, kimchi, soy pickles and spicy togarashi and sechuan mayonnaise… wow! Oh yes, the beer (€5) is of course good too. Too bad: if you don’t pay attention, the bill will be increased in advance with a 10 percent tip when you withdraw your card.
North
Order Sichuan Sexyland Authentic Sichuan cuisine
There are four places from one company where you can enjoy original, unadulterated Sichuan cuisine: three of course in the Chinese neighborhood around the Zeedijk and one across the street in Noord, right on the IJ. Common thread: incredibly good food! We feel at home in the creative project of Sexyland in Noord: it is colorful, a bit naughty and vibrant. Shortly after the pandemic we settled here and had a delicious meal. If you ignore the cocktails and natural wines, you will be completely hip and for a reasonable price happening.
Read the 2022 review: Good and spicy Chinese food without concessions on the IJ
South/de Pijp
The Japanese Refined snacks
There are now three branches of the Japanese (including Bilderdijkstraat and Strandeiland IJburg), but we prefer the bar at the Albert Cuypmarkt because it has such an ‘izakaya’ feel to it. Here you can have a drink and taste the most refined Japanese snacks for an evening (between 4.50 and 8.50). Beer and Japanese green tea from 3.50 euros, that’s also nice.
Read the 2018 review: De Japanner: nice food bar with a parade of delicious dishes
Southeast
Asian Fantasy Chinese-Surinamese
Take the metro or cycle to Zuidoost, visit the market in the Amsterdamse Poort and experience life outside the city center. A good address is Asian Fantasy (Chinese-Surinamese) on the covered market, where no expense has been spared in the interior, but the food tastes even better. We taste nasi moksi (12.50) – half the portion goes home – well-filled corn soup (5.50), Chiu Yim (13.50) – crispy pork with chili peppers and red pepper – and spring rolls (4.50). ) and drink spicy ginger beer (€3) and Chinese beer (€3). This is just one of the tasty addresses in the Poort, we spotted Turkish, Antillean, Mexican, Italian and Surinamese places and of course the good old Febo.
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Centre
Barrels of Ramen Classic windows
Vatten Ramen, a Japanese noodle restaurant, is located where it all happens: the Zeedijk. The summer hustle and bustle borders on madness, but inside it is quite zen in a strange way. With many young guests, super friendly service and delicious noodles, we especially liked the classic Vatten Ramen (16.50) based on chicken stock. With the extensive vegan versions (18.50) we miss the savory. We drink Japanese Asahi beer (€4) and European chardonnay (€5), snack on some karaage (fried chicken, €8) beforehand and pay 52 euros.
(Bonus tip: across the street from Vatten Ramen Skek, Zeedijk 4-8, a cultural café with nineties awards. It is the students of the Kriterion Pump Station who set this up and it is also run by students. The prices are low.)
IJburg
Silk Road Kebab House Seductive Uyghur
We were once introduced to Uyghur cuisine in East, but now the business has moved to a fresh and cheerful building on IJburg. The Uighurs are the Turkish-speaking Muslim minority in an autonomous region in China, the country that does everything in its power to silence this minority. We registered in 2021 NRC: ‘The cuisine of the Uyghurs is a beautiful cultural heritage that is protected with love and we understand that. Specialties include manta rays (a type of dumplings), laghman (noodles) and samsa (a type of samosa); Earlier this summer we already ate handmade noodles, a labor-intensive job.’ Well, that labor-intensive work is still being done, if you’re lucky you’ll see it happen right before your eyes. Noodles from 15 euros, also many vegetarian options.
Read the 2021 review: Uyghur dishes, very carefully prepared and tempting
East
Yemen Restaurant simple and good
What a joy to eat here: a cheerful spectacle to see the baker making the bread (even better: tasting it!), large families join in, all activity to serve affordable, simple and good meals. We eat a beautifully opened, grilled sea bream with bread and salad (€18) – a hit – and the most famous dish from Yemen: chicken mandy (€13). The chicken is mildly seasoned and baked in the brick oven and comes with fragrant, colorful rice and lettuce. We drink – no alcohol is served, everything is halal – sweet, fresh mango juice (5) and red tea (2). Top address where many people come; the owner is already dreaming of an even bigger business in the area!
West
Riaz Really good roti
Our all-time favorite is Riaz, a Surinamese-Hindustani-Indonesian business that has been cooking top-notch since 1981. Of course, prices have slowly risen since then, but you can still eat excellent saoto soup (7.50), gado gado (11), roti chicken (11.50) or nasi chicken/ketjap/curry (12.50). Everything is halal, no alcohol is served, so you can’t go wrong.
Read the 2022 review: Comfortable food, prepared with the greatest precision