All articles by Bart Verbunt (18)

This quite bright and clean looking restaurant masters a wide variety of cuisines. The food you order can be Thai, Chinese, Indonesian, Indian or something in between.

The restaurant is located close to Nieuwmarkt, on the lively Zeedijk. This area on the border of Chinatown and the red light district is worth visiting, especially around the evening when the pubs and the restaurants are filling up.

There are plenty affordable restaurants on this street that serve kinds of food from all around the globe. You can try any one of them, but A-fusion is certainly an excellent choice. The restaurant has a very favorable review from Amsterdam’s biggest restaurant expert, Johannes van Dam, to prove it.

The service is efficient, but the waitresses are nevertheless friendly and more straightforward than I’m used to in other Asian restaurants. The huge meals are served attractively in two connected black bowls.

I am renowned for my ability to gulf up incredible amounts of foods, but a dinner at this place takes all the strength out of me, and when I finished my plate I am truly exhausted and satisfied.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
A-Fusion | Restaurants (Asian) | Main course from € 10.00
Zeedijk 130 | Old center | +31203304068
12:00 – 23:00 daily

The area of the University of Amsterdam (UvA) called Binnengasthuis is usually remarkably quiet. Although you will always be aware of the presence of the students through their bikes that are parked in front of the buildings and alongside the canal-fence, it is also a residential area that is somewhat closed off from the traffic on the busy Rokin street nearby.

Binnengasthuis translates, a bit awkwardly perhaps, to Inner Guesthouse, which refers to the inner-city hospital for the elderly that used to be located in the university buildings.

The old entrances are located at the south ends of the Oudezijds Voorburgwal and Oudezijds Achterburgwal, and they will lead you to a gateway that gives shelters to a small book market. Sometimes the sound of jazz music from a salesman’s radio will float from one end to the other. At the whole hour it will be briefly disrupted by the students rushing in and out, but the quietness quickly returns after the next classes have started.

Another gate in the middle opens onto the courtyard of the faculty of Law. This beautiful little garden-like square is completely closed off from the city, quiet during classes and otherwise filled with students, smoking cigarettes or drinking coffee.

The quietness of the Binnengasthuis can be found

right in the middle of the city’s hustle and bustle. It is strategically located, a perfect start or end of a day of city-strolling, or, if it suits you, a relaxing break in the middle of it.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Binnengasthuis | Art & culture | Free
Binnengasthuis | Old center
Mon – Sat 09:00 – 20:00 (mostly)

Café Crea is located on the grounds of some of the most beautiful buildings of the University of Amsterdam, and it is a haven for students looking for a break. As the place is divided into three smaller parts, the conversations of the guests do not bounce around against the walls, but fill the rooms with a pleasant humming.

Crea is one of my favorite places to go to when I need to study or write, want to drink coffee and read a newspaper, or drink a beer with fellow students. Located in a quieter part, but right the middle of the centre, it is a perfect base of operations to plan your explorations in.

In the meantime you can enjoy a delicious coffee, French toast, a sandwich or a bowl of soup, or even a decent and decently priced dinner between five and eight-thirty. With a different atmosphere in each of the rooms and a small patio on the canal side, you can be sure to find a spot that fits your mood.

The view from the patio is picturesque in a way that is typical for Amsterdam. Since I have been studying at the UvA, I have found the surroundings of Crea very inspiring. You feel very close to the history of the city and the university. When you are there, take the time to enjoy the atmosphere and stroll around between the university-buildings.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Café Crea | Art & culture, Bars, Coffee & tea, Theaters, Restaurants (intern.) | Beer € 2.00
Turfdraagsterpad 17 | Old center | +31205251423
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 01:00, Sun 11:00 – 19:00

Monday night is film night in De Nieuwe Anita, a cozy little bar that used to be run by squatters. The movies are presented by an American dude named Jeffrey Babcock, who’s been a part of the sub-cultural scene of Amsterdam for quite some time.

Not only does he select those hidden, twisted gems that you would not find yourself, he also drags you into the world of the filmmaker. By mixing factual information with juicy details about the often quite eccentric lives of the directors, he creates the right context for the viewer to experience the film in, in all its richness.

If you need explaining afterwards, or want to know more about the filmmaker, you can strike up a conversation with the host, who’s probably hanging around having a beer in the living room like café as well.

The films at De Nieuwe Anita are not for the faint-hearted, but rather for those who like to be stunned, baffled or shocked. If you are open to it they can offer a momentary escape to a realm that can be perverted but beautiful, or terrifyingly philosophical.

Cinemanita takes place every Monday night at 20.30. Be there at least half an hour in advance, as the seats are usually quickly filled.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Cinemanita Nieuwe Anita | Art & culture, Bars, Cinemas | Ticket € 2.50
Frederik Hendrikstraat 111 | Westerpark | +31641503512
Mon 20:30

This brown colored pub on the Kloveniersburgwal was here when my father was studying in Amsterdam. It is supposed to be a literary café, a place where you can read a book or newspaper in peace, but I usually find it quite lively.

It has a layout that is typical for Amsterdam: quite narrow and deep. There is only sunlight in the front, but bars like these are not supposed to be bathing in light. The crowd is usually positioned in the narrow space in front of the bar, in the smoke free area back you can sit down in relative peace; take a look at the photos that are exhibited, or play a board game.

This place has an atmosphere that you will not find in newer bars, but what is more, they serve beers that you will not find anywhere else in Amsterdam. It is not a beer café per se, but the beers they have on tap are exquisite. I would not know where to find a tastier beer in this city.

During the day you can have a tasty lunch, served on proper, thick slices of bread. After five in the afternoon you can pick your dinner from the small menu written on a chalkboard in front of the bar. The food is tasty and far from expensive; the meal of the day will set you back about Euro 8.50. It is no haute cuisine, but it is good and healthy and you can flush it away with a delicious drink.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Engelbewaarder | Bars, Restaurants (Lunch and dinner) | Beer € 2.20
Kloveniersburgwal 59 | Old center | +31206253772
Mon – Thu 12:00 – 01:00, Fri – Sat 12:00 – 02:00, Sun 14:00 – 01:00

Photography Museum Amsterdam is located in a stately looking building on the Keizersgracht, close to the Vijzelstraat. The interior is quite modern, and it has the airiness and bland look that you need to facilitate different exhibitions. There are always people inside, but it rarely feels crowded. You will not feel pressured to rush through the three or four varying exhibitions.

Photography is a matter of taste, but I have found something I liked every time I went there. There is usually a good mix between the works of upcoming talents and established names such as Henri Cartier-Bresson or James Nachtwey, and the content of the photos ranges from celebrations of life, to testimonies of human decay and suffering. Sometimes you will find it all in one exhibition, or even in one picture.

I have been touched by what I have seen in Foam many times, in different ways. I find that Foam has a skillful pick, offering different esthetics and different stories, thereby appealing to different visitors or moods.

If you need to gather your thoughts after you have seen a intense exhibition, you can visit the small coffee bar, which has a pleasant atmosphere and sells excellent coffee and homemade cakes.

A small sidenote: Foam is one of the most dynamic museums in the city. They sell signed and limited prints in the attic and they regularly organize events. It might be worthwhile to ask what they have planned when you are there.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Foam | Art & culture | Entrance € 7.50
Keizersgracht 609 | Canals | +31205516500
Sat – Wed 10:00 – 18:00, Thu – Fri 10:00 – 21:00

In a colorful little street that connects Westerstraat and Egelantiersgracht you will find a little sandwich shop called “Kaasboer”.

There is usually a big line, but you will be served quickly and with attention. The people behind the counter always seem to be in a good mood and while you’re waiting they stuff you with for example an asparagus ham that arrived this morning.

I myself am originally from the south of The Netherlands, and when I am in places like this one, I am reminded of the love and attention that you will find in Catholic Belgium or France for all the pleasures in life, but most importantly for food. The sandwiches that you get are rich and delicious, and the people that are running the shop seem to have a lot of care for the products that they are selling.

Inside the shop there is no opportunity to sit down, but when it’s sunny, you can sit back in front of the shop. Nobody is rushing in the heart of the Jordaan, but there is plenty to see in the cozy streets of this beautiful neighborhood.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Kaasboer | Snacks | Big sandwich € 2.75
Tweede Tuindwarsstraat 3/W | Jordaan | +31206248802
Daily

Located in front of one of the bigger branches of the UvA (University of Amsterdam) the café is swarmed by students during the day. Their continuing presence shows that the hours in between classes are longer than the classes themselves. The UvA students spend their free time drinking lattes, cappuccino’s or the occasional espresso, reading a newspaper, or, I see this quite often, studying.

What looks like a café during the day, feels more like a pub at night. With the candles lit, the music turned up a bit, and a friendly beer drinking crowd, I dare to say that Kriterion is the only cinema in Amsterdam that has a real pub in it. You can go there just to drink a beer, or just to see a movie, but for anybody that wants to combine these two experiences, Kriterion is the perfect place. It is one of the main things that attracted me, since I like to think of going to the movies as going out. Besides, the conversations about the movie seem so

much more insightful when you’re gulping down a cold beer.

If you’re from abroad you will not feel a stranger, since a large part of Kriterion’s clientele consists of foreign students or memb

er of our international community. You can easily blend in with a very diverse crowd of moviegoers, students from all over, and the quite eccentric individuals living in the neighborhood.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Kriterion | Bars, Cinemas | Movie € 8.00
Roetersstraat 170 | Plantage/Oost | +31206231708
Sun – Thu 10:30 – 01:00, Fri 10:30 – 03:00, Sat 12:30 – 03:00

If you decide to go shopping in Amsterdam there are some places I would advise you to go to, and some you should definitely avoid. The Kalverstraat, running from the Dam to the Munt, is one that fits into the latter category. It is always overcrowded and it is unlikely that you will find any shops there that you cannot find in another place in another country.

If you are on the Dam, don’t go there; take the Damstraat in eastern direction instead. After about half a kilometer it changes into the Nieuwe Hooghstraat, which is lined mostly with smaller clothing shops.

You won’t find any retailers from the big chains there, or in the Jodenbreestraat that crosses it at the end, but independent shops offering their wares to different niches in the market. You can find shops that just sell hats, designer shoes, equipment for jugglers, and so on. I buy most of my clothes in the second hand shops in this area.

If you know your way around you can go to a specific shop to find a specific item. It is perhaps more fun not to look for anything in particular. You just might come across that perfect piece of clothing, and if you do it is likely to be something that you wouldn’t easily find anywhere else.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Nieuwe Hooghstraat, Jodenbreestraat | Shopping | Free
Nieuwe Hooghstraat, Jodenbreestraat | Old center
Depends

The old film academy halfway on the Overtoom is now one of the underground cultural hotspots of Amsterdam.

With hardly any investments made in the interior, graffiti art on the wall, and not too much lighting, the place gives an industrial feel. It has quite a lot of empty spaces that can be used for festivals, regular movie nights, live music or clubbing.

OT301 used to be run by squatters, but it turned at least somewhat professional a while ago. You can find information about irregular events, the Tuesday movie night: Cinema Derive, the Friday and Saturday club night and the Tuesday Ping Pong Bar.

The crowd on a club night is a mixture between the alternative and the hip, but they have a love for partying in common. People are easygoing, so there is a pleasant atmosphere. Check out the OT301 website to see if there is anything planned that tickles your fancy.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
OT301 | Art & culture, Music | Beer € 2.00
Overtoom 301 | Oud-West
Fri 22:00 – 03:00, Sat 23:00 – 03:00

The big branch of the public library near the river IJ has been there for only a few years, but it already fits into the cityscape naturally, as if it’s been there forever.

If you feel like taking a break from all the impulses that the city is constantly shooting off, this is the place to explore. The front of the building is turned towards the city-centre, the opposite side faces the passing trains, and the whole of it is surrounded by water. The architect has created a lot of intimate spaces in its interior, filled with designer chairs that will sooth your aching back and legs.

Nevertheless it feels spacious everywhere, and as there is a lot of light coming through the big windows, you are constantly aware of the surroundings. At a little distance from it, you will be able to observe the city in all its glory, without being absorbed by all its tumultuousness. For the best view of Amsterdam you need to make your way to the balcony of the restaurant on the top floor.

If you happen to leave the library late in the afternoon or early in the evening, be sure to notice how the nearby Central Station is radiating in the sunset. Made up of elements of the old city and the groundwork of the new buildings arising on the construction site, this area has an almost utopian glow in the sunset. I find it one of the most magical places in Amsterdam.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Public library | Art & culture | Free
Oosterdokskade 143 | Waterfront/North | +31205230900
10:00 – 22:00 daily

Kriterion’s (check the Kriterion article) Sneak Preview is supposed to be the oldest in Europe. Whether this has got anything to do with it or not I don’t know, but this Sneak is unlike any other film experience I know.

Every Tuesday night around nine in the evening the bar quickly fills up with a consistent crowd of real movie fanatics. As they have seen a lot of “Sneaks” before, they either are, or consider themselves to be, film buffs. This has some consequences for the way you yourself will sit through the movie… You should, surely, expect that: 1. Many people will leave the film room at the beginning, in the middle, or even right before the end. 2. Your neighbors will feel at liberty to state their opinion out LOUD. 3. You will see a lot of (heated) discussions about the movie afterwards.

You might either be pleasantly surprised by the movie itself or very disappointed. I can assure you the latter will not spoil your night; just join in on the booing and feel free to laugh at moments when you are not supposed to.

The movie that you will see in the Sneak Preview has not premiered yet, but will do so in the next weeks or months. The title is closely guarded secret, but when you tell somebody of the staff which languages you speak, he or she will give you a go or a no go.

Be there early if you want to be sure to get tickets.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Sneak Preview | Cinemas | Movie € 5.00
Roetersstraat 170 | Plantage/Oost | +31206231708
Tue 22:15 until around 00:00

At the beginning of the twentieth century Amsterdam was, like many major European cities, under the spell of progress. The first changes that took place were legislative: in 1901 the government passed the Housing-Law. The quality of the housing for low-income families had to be increased drastically. Twenty years after the finishing of the poorly constructed neighborhood “De Pijp”, some new blocks for the working man were built by graduates from the Amsterdamse School (Amsterdam School of architecture), most notoriously by Michel de Klerk.

The blocks are tucked away at the border of the city. In the Spaarndammer neighborhood (Spaarndammerbuurt), above the Westerpark, you will find three big complexes that can rightly be described as palaces for the working man. They are worth visiting.

The neighborhood is nothing more than a residential area, yet the buildings you find there are reminiscent of Gaudi, created with unbridled imagination. Entire blocks flow into a whole that is far more organic than you will find in the Art Nouveau cityscapes of Budapest, Paris or Brussels. Especially the block in which “Museum ‘t Schip” (a museum about the Amsterdamse School) is located, seems to have been cast out of stone, rather than constructed by piling bricks on top of each other.

Go there if you want to be surprised by stunning architecture. Bear in mind that the buildings were foremost meant to provide residence to people with little money, and that they are still doing so. This is applied art at its finest.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Spaarndammerbuurt | Art & culture | Museum € 2.50
Spaarndammerplantsoen 140 | Westerpark | +31204182885
18:00 – 01:00 daily

Quite far in the eastern part of the city you find a cinema/club/pub/restaurant rolled into one. Studio K is located prominently on the Timorplein, in a building that used to be a school for craftsmanship. The building has been beautifully renovated and it looks airy and fresh. The large building houses a budget hotel, and a number of offices for small companies. Studio K is an ambitious project, meant to create a cultural and creative center in a neighborhood that has otherwise very little to offer.

It is located in a part of the Zeeburg quarter that was already quite decent, but in my opinion this little oasis is working its magic on the rest of the district, drawing more creative initiatives to the neighbourhood.

I would not know another place in Zeeburg that is as suitable as Studio K to have a drink or enjoy a movie, but I would in fact take the effort to make the trip to this part of the town to enjoy a beer or a proper meal in a beautiful bar, served by a friendly staff, and to watch a movie if I feel li ke it.

Their selection of films is usually good, although it often includes some reruns. I do not always feel like being in the midst of the rumor of the city and Studio K has all the atmosphere that you need in a quieter part of town.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Studio K | Bars, Cinemas, Coffee & tea, Festivals & events, Restaurants (International) | Coffee € 1.70
Timorplein 62 | Plantage/Oost | +31206920422
Check programming

Between the canals bordering the Jordaan, you find an area with shops, restaurants, lunch bars and pubs called “Negen Straatjes”, which translates into Nine Streets. These nine streets are: Reestraat, Berenstraat, Runstraat, Hartenstraat, Wolvenstraat, Huidenstraat, Gasthuismolensteeg, Oude Spiegelstraat and Wijde Heisteeg. They are all located in between the Singel and the Prinsengracht, running in a ninety degrees angle to the canals.

This little neighborhood is wellknown, nevertheless it is never really crowded. You have to be on guard for delivery trucks in the narrow streets, but you can walk from store to store in peace.

The little shops are very specialized and they sell the weirdest stuff. If you take your time, you just might find something beautiful.

When I am walking around here, looking at the little businesses, I get the feeling that they are run by people that have quit a boring job to focus on their passion. There might be a big turnover in shops that are so particular, but these streets are so widely known that a lot of them seem to be able to survive.

If you are tired of all the shops you will be sure to find a nice café or lunch bar where you can a coffee or a proper meal.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
The 9 streets | Art & culture, Shopping | Free
9 straatjes | Canals
Daily

In my quest for an authentic pub experience I’ve been stopping by a small pub called “The Minds” quite often lately.

It is small, brown, and what’s more, smoky! Yes, despite the ban on smoking in public places, the clientele is still steadily puffing away over here. It doesn’t matter whether they’d be sucking on a joint or on a cigarette, them smokers do provide this dark and shady atmosphere that even I as a non-smoker have been missing since the ban.

For the health freaks this is obviously not a strong selling point. The alternative, relaxed crowd might be however, just as the stone solid rock music that is constantly being played. From The Doors to Queens of the Stone Age and everything in between. The bartender, who’s been the owner of The Minds as long as anybody can remember, obviously plays just what he likes.

I happen to think that this is the perfect way to attract the people to your establishment that fit in. If you like rock in all its different shapes, tasty, cheap beer and smoking, you should go to The Minds. Don’t mind the interior, it’s all rough edges, but the atmosphere is better than in most other pubs.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
The Minds | Bars | Beer € 1.60
Spuistraat 245 | Old center
Sun – Thu 21:00 – 03:00, Fri – Sat 21:00 – 04:00

At the end of the very lively Haarlemmerdijk you will find the oldest cinema in the Netherlands. The building of The Movies does not look very impressive from the outside, but when you enter it you find yourself in a different era.

The whole interior is in the original, well-preserved Art Deco style. In the café or in the film rooms you feel as if you stepped back into a time when cinema was young and exciting.

The bar inside the cinema is rather large, with a drinking and an eating area. The place feels more like a café than the bars in bigger cinemas, and you don’t feel pressured to go to your seat in the film room. The beer that they serve, from the south of the Netherlands, is one of my favorites.

A delicious, cold beer makes for a very pleasant cinematic experience, and The Movies is certainly a good place to watch a film. Their program usually consists of a mix of art films and more mainstream cinema, so you are likely to find something that suits you. If you are in the neighborhood but you don’t feel like settling in a dark room, you might just want to take a peek at the interior, or have a drink or a meal.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
The Movies | Bars, Cinemas | Movie € 9.00
Haarlemmerdijk 161 | Canals | +31206386016
Check the website for opening times

Although you might as well go to Belgium to try the Flemish fries, it’s a lovely country after all, you can get a taste of them in Amsterdam as well.

At Vleminckx in the Voetboogstraat, near Spui, you can help yourself to a beautiful bag of light-golden fries; thick, crispy on the outside, perfectly textured, slightly crummy on the inside.

They sell no other snacks than these little golden wonders, but you can cover them with a wide variety of Dutch and Belgium sauces.

You do have to wade through a horde of shopping tourists and families to get there, but the reward will be worthwhile.

If you are shopping on the busiest shopping streets of the city, Leidsestraat or Kalverstraat, you can get a quick power boost at this always busy little snack bar.

Don’t be fooled by the line of people standing in front of it; you will be served quickly and efficiently. If you are not in the neighborhood, but happen to be fond of fries, take the trip to have them at Vleminckx.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Vleminckx | Snacks | Flemish fries (medium) € 2.70
Voetboogstraat 31 | Old center
Mon – Sat 11:00 – 18:00, Sun 12:00 – 17:30