Madelien Schippers (1985)

I discovered this small Mexican Restaurant in the Jordaan a while ago. A friend of mine told me that this was one of the best Mexican restaurants and I do agree! Good food, nice ambiance, affordable prices and delicious margaritas!

Especially the fresh mango margarita is a must, I already added it to my list of cocktail favorites. Although I’ve never been to Mexico I did get a taste of what Mexico might be like, due to the bright yellow bar, the warm loud colors on the wall and the music!

The restaurant is a bit small and could fill up quickly, to make a reservation can be a smart idea or show up late like we did. The menu is simple and offers soft tacos, enchiladas and salads in different varieties of beef, pork, chicken or shrimp. Every meal comes with rice, a salad or the traditional black beans. I tried the beef taco which was nice with the guacamole and the portions were more than enough!

They have a variety of good Mexican beers, and many tequila’s! I had a good time here and because of its location it’s a great start for a night out to discover the many bars the Jordaan has to offer.

Their webshop is already a favourite of many fashion lovers, but last year I Love Vintage opened up a boutique along one of the canals in the city centre. This cute, but bright and organized store is really a must if you are looking for some nice vintage leather boots or pumps.

Next to the big collection of vintage shoes and bags from the 50′s till the 90′s, they also have a nice mix of dresses and cardigans. But not everything is vintage, you will find new stuff as well like the cool collection of accessories.

The back of the boutique is also used as studio where they have photo shoots for the website and as storage for all the items on the site. So before you come to ILV you can write down the items you will like to try on or you can search through the whole collection on a touch screen in the store. Just give the details to one of the friendly employees and she will get the item for you.

I like to visit the store once in a while for some new inspiration and to score a unique item!

This idyllic place in the Flevopark will soon be one of my favorite spots for the summer. They turned this old water pump station into a distillery/café. Here they produce the traditional Dutch ‘jenever’, a strong liquor which is popular in the Netherlands and Belgium. I’m not a big fan of the taste of traditional jenever, but I can recommend the fruit (apple & raspberrry) jenevers.

The guy who worked here was so kind to give me a small tour in the distillery, and explained a bit more about the whole process. But every Friday they give an official guided tour around 16:00.

When you sit outside on the terrace, looking at the pond and the green garden, you get the feeling you are anywhere but near busy Amsterdam. Which is a bit true because it is located in Oost, but definitely worth the bike trip or when you’re a little lazy, the tram. The perfect place to relax after a busy week with a special beer, wine or organic soda. See you there!

This new five star hotel near the museum district opened its doors in the former Conservatory of Amsterdam. The beautiful old building was totally renovated and is a welcome addition to the hotel scene in the city. Ever since I was a child I’ve loved hotels, especially the ones which combine old architecture with contemporary design. The Italian architect Piero Lissoni did a great job in combining the past with the present for this hotel.

When entering the hotel from the Van Baerlestraat entrance, make a right to find your way to the classy hotel bar Tunes. If you want to start your night in Amsterdam in style with a good glass of wine or cocktail, I definitely recommend this place. The bar is not too big, which creates an intimate but urban atmosphere.

The crowd is mixed, but everyone in general is well dressed since it’s an upscale venue. Do realize the drinks won’t come cheap, but hey, sometimes you just have to spoil yourself and spend it!

This small place in the heart of the Jordaan offers true Italian delicacies and good coffee. Established about two years ago by two Italian friends who wanted to create a place where locals and travelers, could have a place to meet, eat and share ideas. A friend of mine recommended this place for me to check out, and I was very pleased I did!

Most of the products they use for their homemade pizza’s and focaccia’s are organic and fresh, I tried the pizza with vegetables and it was good! Everything they serve is also available for take-away, next time I will try one of their grandmother’s recipe pasta’s. The vibe at Talia is relaxed, downstairs they created a sort of living room with couches were they also organize several jam sessions monthly.

A great extra service they offer at Talia is for travelers, when you arrive in Amsterdam you can drop off your bag free of charge to explore the rest of the city immediately! Another reason I like this place are the very reasonable prices, where in Amsterdam will you find an espresso for € 1 or a good cappuccino for € 1.80?

A nice place to check out any time soon! The expat Italians already know their way to Talia, since they also sell specialties (wines, vinegars, chocolates) imported from Italy that are difficult to find elsewhere.