Just to say: De Basis is one of my fav spots in Amsterdam – It was a love-at-first-sight encounter – and if you are following my blog you know the kind of places I like. So freshly improvised, it looks like they had something like 500 Euros left and asked the guy with the screwdriver to build them an interior. Unvarnished triplex. And instead of throwing the waste material to the garbage he used it to build a giant tree that extends from the basement floor (some 60′s chairs and a vintage table) to the ceiling of the main floor.

Nice people, good music – bit more up-beat than my other spots, refreshingly energetic, less alternative, and so is the crowd: you feel the beat of the city, and you can’t help to get that Berlin feeling. Even though the guys behind the bar pretend not to be claiming that feeling, actually claiming the opposite: this is Amsterdam, not Berlin. Right so, who wants to always be identified in comparison with someone else? As if that co-existence is your only right to exist at all.

No, I am sure this place will be home for the young and hip, the artistic avantgarde, for some time to come.

Ad: bring your own food. That means literally: order on-site from a delivery service or just head across the street, get something from Albert Heijn, and heat it up in one of their microwave ovens… You are cordially invited to supply your own dinner!

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Basis Amsterdam | Bars, Restaurants (Delivery!) | Beer € 2
Vijzelstraat 66 | Center
Sun – Thu 16:00 – 00:00, Fri – Sat 16:00 – 03:00

Across the canal from the cultural centre of the University of Amsterdam and around the corner of its Law faculty, this bar was really one of my favorite spots when I was a student. A bit old-fashioned, but snugly decorated, the place still breaths some genuine Amsterdamnes. This is even more reinforced by the owners and the residential cat (Kasper, almost 17 years old).

Check out their hamburger for lunch! It can, in my humble opinion, compete with the hamburgers at the more famous burger bars: unknown in its simplicity but très delicious. It’s also on the menu as a main dish and then comes with fries and a little side salad. The rest of the menu is a bit plain, with chicken kebab, spareribs and steak, but here the same device is at place: simple, but good.

Next month, from the 8th of June till the 1st of July, the bar will show both inside as on their terrace football matches of the European Championships. As advertising they came up with a cool lottery. The TV screen they’ve specially purchased for this will be raffled, with a lot of other stuff (a bike, shirts etc), at a party at the end of the championships. You’ll get a lottery ticket with every € 10 you spend.

If you wanna try something other than the trendy bars or lunchrooms I suggest you to hop in a place like ‘t Gasthuys.. and please don’t forget to pet the old cat.

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‘t Gasthuys | Bars, Restaurants (Diner) | Medium hamburger € 5.75
Grimburgwal 7 | Center | +31206248230
10:00 – 01:00 daily

If you don’t feel like going for some drinks to the city centre, try Zola in West. Here they serve some nice sandwiches for a good lunch when you drop by after checking out the shopping street ‘Kinkerstraat’ and the ‘Ten Kate market’.

When the weather allows it is very comfortable at the terrace which is conveniently situated to the waterside. The furniture inside looks fresh with the wood and typical light purple color on the walls.

Dinner is pure and simple, I like to go for one of the salads or the spicy Thai fish cakes. They serve some good cocktails at the bar and on Friday night you can enjoy yourself till late with the special night: Drink & Dance. It could get pretty busy on the Friday nights. 

When it gets busy the service can be a bit chaotic, but other than that this place is an all-rounder, its suitable for pre-dinner or after work drinks, lunch and dinner!

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Café Zola | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants (Fusion) | Main Course € 15
Kinkerstraat 87 | West | +31206183858
Mon – Thu 15:00 – 01:00, Fri – Sat 11:00 – 03:00, Sun 11:00 – 01:00

There is something about the Linnaeusstraat between the Mauritskade and the intersection on the other side of the Oosterpark. On not even half a mile you’ll find six totally different bars, with their own atmosphere and audience. If you like the variation it’s definitely worth a pubcrawl.

First in line is East of Eden (Linnaeusstraat 11-A), a neighbourhood bar opposite the Tropenmuseum. The different sitting areas are ideal for small groups. When it’s crowded it can take a while before they take your order.

Next is café Museum (Linnaeusstraat 29), an old fashioned “bruincafé”. On Saturday between 15:30 and 18:30 they host a Jazz jam session. The place is nothing fancy, but enjoyable enough for a couple of drinks.

The third bar is the trendy Spargo (Linnaeusstraat 37-A), a spot where a lot of yuppies hang out. They serve both a huge lunch and dinner menu. Decent quality, decent prices… and there’s always crowd there.

Next you’ll find Pata Negra (Reinwardtstraat 1hs), a Spanish tapas place. It can be very crowdy and noisy, especially in the weekends, but that’s what gives it this typically Southern temperament.

The fifth place is called Boom (Linnaeusstraat 63), a small place which focusses more on dining. This spot is a bit more considerate than the rest, making it  perfect for a serious chat and a good glass of wine.

The final spot located at the intersection is caffe Milo (Linnaeusstraat 71hs). This bar is especially known as a lunch place, but they serve a good dinner as well. And you’re always welcome for drinks too.

Six places, six different experiences!

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Linnaeusstraat | Bars, Restaurants
Linnaeusstraat | East
09:00/10:00 – 01:00/03:00 daily

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.

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Los Pilones | Bars, Restaurants (Mexican) | Taco dish € 15.50
1e Anjeliersdwarsstraat 6 | Center | +31206200323
16:00 – 00:00 daily

If you want to take your girlfriend out in style, a pretty good spot to go would be Bo Cinq: stylish interior, and, if you are a smoker – they have definitely the most beautiful smokers lounge in whole Amsterdam. If you are on a budget, they have a couple of good wines between € 20.00 and € 30.00 per bottle, but if you are in for something special, prices range up to something around € 400.00.

Bo Cinq is a restaurant, a bar and, this is why I pay a visit to it once in while, a beautiful and stylish lounge. Well dressed people, so don’t show up in your leisure suite, you wouldn’t feel comfortable. A good thing to do, especially if you haven’t reserved a table, get a bottle of wine, order some oysters at the bar and look for a good spot on one of the couches in the lounge.

The bar/lounge entrance is not quite prominent, so look for a small sign Bo5, that’s all it says. It’s nice and stylish inside: I only feel sorry for the large tree in the smokers lounge, suffering quite a miserable existence. An interior designers choice for refreshing the air probably – at the expense of his life…

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Bo Cinq | Bars, Music, Restaurants (French-Arabic) | Wine bottle +/- € 19.95
Prinsengracht 494 | Center | +31206220682
Mon – Thu 17:00 – 01:00, Fri – Sat 17:00 – 03:00, Sun 16:00 – 01:00

A bit off the center, with a bit of Mediterranean touch, Hesp blinks out with one of the nicest terraces Amsterdam has to offer, right at the river Amstel. Strolling down the Weesperzijde along the water on a hot summer night, and then ending up there for one of the at least 40 brands of beer they have (half of them tapped), great.

The same is true, of course, for the afternoon, and I am especially fond of the live music events on Sunday afternoon (not always – check first, if that’s what you are looking for). It can be a fantastic way to swing out the weekend…

On Friday nights it is less crowded, but still a place to have good time. The bar tenders are doing their best to entertain, and you can tell they love their job.

But Hesp is not only a bar to have a good time on a Friday night, Hesp also accommodates a full restaurant with a variety of international dishes for a reasonable price.

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Cafe Hesp | Bars, Coffee & tea, Music, Restaurants (Intern.) | Dinner +/- € 16.50
Weesperzijde 130-131 | East | +31206651202
Mon – Thu 10:00 – 01:00, Fri – Sat 10:00 – 02:00, Sun 11:00 – 01:00

Canvas (which resides at the seventh floor of the former Volkskrant building) is an easy going restaurant, club and cocktail bar with a little alternative attitude. You enter the building through the main hall, pass the guards, then on the left-hand side you’ll find the elevators to the seventh floor.

The interior is a little alternative, self-made, food is being served at foldable beer tables. There is graffiti and secondhand lampshades, and there are chesterfield benches to hang out before or after dinner. Food and service is better than the interior suggests.

DJ´s, singer-songwriters, theme/parties or cocktail nights (5 EUR a cocktail), you can have it all @ canvas. But whatever takes place at Canvas, nothing can beat the view: I think it’s one of the best Amsterdam has to offer. In the summer there are two terraces open, one is part of the restaurant, the other is a surfer style beach bar – they are unfortunately closed now, let’s wait for spring. The cocktail nights are hosted by Marcel Barlag, the cycling DJ. He comes with his bicycle fully equipped with his dj set and his records, playing 70′s sounds.

Next to exhibiting hip photography they also host events like a cloth exchange market: bring the cloths that you’ve had enough of, find someone who likes them, and trade them in for items that you like of his/her collection. Very nice idea!

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Canvas op de 7de | Bars, Music, Restaurants (International) | Canvasburger € 13
Wibautstraat 150 | East | +31207163817
Mon – Thu 11:00 – 01:00, Fri – Sun 11:00 – 03:00

Van De Buurt is a bit of a newcomer in west. The neighborhood has had a long history of not being taken care of, but the last years the winds of change have also been blowing through the streets of Bos en Lommer. One manifestation of these changes is café-restaurant Van de Buurt. The old inhabitants would think of vintage as a “not-being-able-to-afford-better”, but we love vintage because it has style. So we love to hang out in the afternoon on the old couches having a cup of tea right behind the large shop windows and watch people outside passing by along the Rijpgracht. During the day especially young mothers seem to have discovered this little corner for themselves and their toddlers.

But there is more. While the vintage corner covers only one half of Van de Buurt, the rest is a nice, and not even very small restaurant. You can have vegetarian food, Indian curry, and Spanish tortilla, all vegetarian, and with little creative touch. There is no menu though, only one meal a day, a three-course-menu, but for a reasonable price. The place is not over-run, so there is no need for a reservation. Still a pretty undiscovered gem in Bos en Lommer.

Right now – the days are extending and it’s getting sunnier every day, you might as well enjoy their terrace – at the moment there are only a few in the area, and here it’s just a relaxed, not too pretentious place to hang out…

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Van de Buurt | Coffee & tea, Restaurants (Vegetarian) | Main course € 9.75
Gerard Callenburgstraat 1 | West | +31207729105
10:00 – 00:00 daily

Soup Enzo is one of those formulas that make you wonder why nobody came up with it earlier. It filled a gap for healthy ‘fast’ food, which had been missing from the Amsterdam food scene before. With all the health food freaks taking over the city now, they’re pioneers and all the more relaxed for it.

One of their stores is near Waterlooplein, with a few seats by the window that are excellent for spying on all the flamboyant theatre students and random funny folk passing by de Jodenbreestraat. They also have a take-away store on the Nieuwe Spiegelstraat 54, close to Leidseplein. They’re not a snack chain by any means, though – everything here’s home made. They make their gallons of soup fresh each day and which recipes they have on offer changes accordingly. The Moroccan chick pea soup and the ‘Gentse waterzooi’ (Belgian chicken soup) are my favorites, as is the sweet potato (like baby food…but better). The Hungarian goulash is great when it’s cold out, the gazpacho in summer. 

I find myself eating at Soup Enzo far too regularly when I’ve been studying or after work, when I don’t feel like cooking or really eating out. It’s the perfect cheap meal. After a medium soup and one of their enormous salads – for those who’d like some solids with their soup, the feta salad’s great - you feel surprisingly satisfied and guilt free.

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Soup Enzo | Snacks, Restaurants (Soup) | Soup (M) € 5
Jodenbreestraat 94a | Center | +31204222243
Mon – Sat 11:00 – 20:00, Sun 12:00 – 19:00

I really like specialist stores that focus mainly on one product and try to be the best at what they do. They exude a kind of passion and determination that I admire, and the quality is often all the better for it.

Wild Moa Pies is one of those places. Monique, its owner, used to live in New Zealand for years and decided to bring New Zealand kiwi tabasco and the hearty pies they sell all over Oceania to Amsterdam. She moved to a nice little store in de Pijp a couple of years back. All the pies are cooked on the spot. You can take them home, eat them at the little table inside or in the plastic chairs outside if the weather’s nice. Wild Moa is also one of the few places in the city that sells imported drinks and sauces from New Zealand – from brown sauce to great, spicy non-alcoholic ginger beer.

Pies are a great lunch or simple dinner. I adore them – it might be my British blood – and I really like the way they make them here, from the traditional chicken pie to the breakfast bacon and egg. They’ve obviously taken their time to perfect the recipes and walking into Moa’s tiny abode really feels like being in laidback New Zealand, a sentimental throwback that I’m sure a lot of avid travelers will enjoy experiencing.

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Wild Moa Pies | Snacks, Restaurants (Hearty pies) | Per pie € 3.50
Van Ostadestraat 147 | South | +31206126102
Tue – Sat 09:00 – 18:30

I once got a eeniemeenie pasta maker for my birthday, but the only times I’ve used it is when I have large groups over and it’s the greatest hassle trying to get a good serve out of it. Somehow, there’s something very ‘gezellig‘ about eating pasta together. It should be served in huge steaming family bowls in the middle of long wooden tables like they do in the nunneries in Rome, and it should be as fresh and simple as possible.

The two guys that own the newly opened Spaghetteria in de Pijp know what I’m talking about. They make their fresh pasta from flour imported from Tuscany and Emilia Romagna. Every day, there are six great pastas to choose from and devour on the long wooden family table or outside – their terrace is sunny and in the middle of traffic, which also reminds me of Italy.

On a side note, there are loads of nice fresh pasta places popping up all over the city. If you want to buy your own, Il Mattarello in de Jordaan is really, really good, and they also have a tiny space in the back to sit down and munch away, so run by them if you’re in the area, especially when they’re organizing one of their themed meal nights!

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Spaghetteria | Restaurants (Pasta) | Simple pasta € 13
Van Woustraat 123 | South
17:00 – 22:00 daily

One of my favorite new restaurants in the city is Rijsel, located right in between the busy traffic axis of the Wibautstraat and the tranquility of the Amstel. The restaurant also has its feet planted firmly in between two worlds – France, and Belgium.

Owner Pieter Smits is as passionate about food as he is about people – upon entering, you’re greeted by him personally and this hospitality doesn’t cease until you make your way back home, happily stuffed with chef Iwan’s great food. He cooks up a traditional, honest blend of French and Flemish cuisine. In other words: Lots. Of. Meat (the head-to-toe-technique is obviously employed here); perfect oven potatoes with home-made mayonnaise; fish terrines and oysters; and lots of good wine. There’s always something for the veggies too, although to not have their signature dish, the poussin (coquelet) from the rotisserie, would be a shame. Three courses cost € 31.50 – well worth the portions.

Rijsel (which is the Flemish moniker for French industry town Lille – most of the restaurant’s vintage furniture and sugar bowls were bought at its flea market) is housed in an old domestic science school and its humble origins are still noticeable. Each time I visit I feel like I’m walking into a Belgian café – you know the food’s going to be great but instead of dressing up you’re allowed to spill mustard and gravy all over your bib. You may be visiting Amsterdam, but you should allow yourself to be pampered like a Fleming.

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Rijsel | Restaurants (French-Flemish) | 3 course meal € 31.50
Marcusstraat 52 | East | +31204632142
Tue – Sat 18:00 – 00:00

Some streets make you want to strut down them like you’re Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. De Haarlemmerdijk might not match 1970′s Brooklyn, but with its plethora of detail stores and beautiful old buildings, no wonder a lot of places here have been noticed by my fellow spotters! It’s amazing how many great hangouts can be found along such a small stretch of pavement. Some personal favorites:

Start with a croissant at Mediterannee, and go by 2 For Joy for fresh roasted coffee. Shop at Restored, with products from young designers; at Mary Ann, run by wonderful ladies who really know how to rock old-school brassieres; at sneaker store Seventyfive, or photography specialists Nivo Schweitzer. As a film freak, I love browsing through the cult DVDs and posters at the wonderfully geeky Silver Screen, or catch a screening in one of Amsterdam’s nicest cinemas, The Movies.

You’re also in the right place for a makeover. During the phase where I had something pierced every time a relationship ended, the lovely Sharon at Dare2Ware - Amsterdam’s most comfortable piercing studio – made it so much fun. The artists at House of Tattoos around the corner are also extremely talented. And if you want to top off your new look with a bright magenta fringe, visit Kinki hairdressers down the street.

Finally, ‘de Dijk’ is a Mecca for foodies like myself – do-it-yourself with kitchen utensils from Deksels!, the amazing cookbooks at De Kookboekhandel (one of it’s kind!), cupcake supplies from De Tafel van 18, or the Tea Bar‘s teas. Or just feast on Jordino‘s Italian ice cream, Small World‘s huge sandwiches and restaurant Balraj‘s great Indian food.

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De Haarlemmerdijk | Cinemas, Coffee & tea, Shopping, Snacks, Restaurants
Haarlemmerdijk 1 | Center
09:00 – 18:00 daily (varies per store)

De Buurtboerderij – a public farm with a cafe just out of town – is so well hidden it really feels like a personal victory once you’ve found it. In truth, it’s just behind the Westerpark and not that far. It’s a really nice little trip through the fields on foot or by bike.

Trees and typically flat green meadows surround the farm. Their terrace is spread out in front of the building and over several small plots of land. Sitting in the shadow of blossoming trees, sipping on homemade lemonade and looking out over the edges of the city truly feels like being far away from the hustle and bustle of Amsterdam. It’s not worth coming over if you don’t have a couple of hours to spare and wind down.

You can easily muse the day away here – chatting up the chickens, socializing with the sheep, gorging on pancakes and cheese toasties. The do-gooder spirit of the place is obvious – most of the people that work there are volunteers (a great bunch of people), and the food’s really cheap. They run a tiny makeshift ‘give-away shop’ full of old clothing and brick-a-brack that’s yours to take home.

De Buurtboerderij also organizes music events, arts & crafts workshops and yoga for kids, but just watching the sun go down from their back yard is meditation enough for me.

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Buurtboerderij Ons Genoegen | Coffee & tea, Music, Snacks, Restaurants (Intern.) | Plain pancake € 2.80
Spaarndammerdijk 319 | West | +31203376820
Sun – Wed 10:00 – 22:00, Thu – Sat 10:00 – 23:00

There are many bars in the suburbs which are almost empty for most days, there are only a few bars which are packed almost every day. The corner pub down my street is one of these hubs. Many local residents visit Maxwell, not only in the weekends but also on weekdays, making it a perfect place to hangout every moment of the day, any day.

So what can you expect from this place? During the day you’ll see young mothers sipping their coffee or tea, an older local resident reading the newspaper and a couple of middle aged men talking business (or just bullocks). In the evening you’ll catch the trendy folks having dinner or a couple of drinks. Both the drink and the food menu is pretty extensive: about nine beers on tap and fourteen on bottle, seven starters, fourteen main dishes and, very important for sweet teeth like me, six lovely deserts.

Next to this Maxwell also has an extensive activity calendar (on a weekly base there are things to do). On Mondays they do a pub quiz hosted by the lovely miss Jocelyn. On Sundays they often have live music. And they organize special things on many holidays. A lot of different people, good food and drinks… all the right ingredients for a pub, I would say! So if you’re looking for a pub that comes close to the local joint back home, Maxwell is the place to go.

PS: try out thier ‘home’ beers: Nabbel blond or Nabbel bock.

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Café Maxwell | Restaurants | Main meal € 15
Beukenplein 27 | East | +31207726748
Mon – Thu 10:00, Fri – Sat 10:00 – 03:00, Sun 11:00 – 01:00

Let me start by pointing out that Spanjer & van Twist is a respectable but not outstanding restaurant, foodwise. In the city you can easily find more spots with the same price-quality ratio. There are three things which makes this place different from the rest.

First of all, when you’re hungry before 17:30 on a weekday you’ll get a discount on your main meal. This is of course a clever way of them to attract business on quiet days, but ideal for you when you had an early lunch (or skipped lunch entirely). 

Next to this, S&vT has one of the most beautiful terraces of Amsterdam. From April till October you’ll find their seats alongside the Leliegracht. Although I feel a bit sorry for the staff when I sit outside (it’s pretty narrow and uneven), it’s nice to see the canal boats appear from under the bridge.

Furthermore, the place is set up really nicely. It’s both spacious, but at the same time pretty intimate. From the first floor you have a nice view on the counter and behind it you can see the half-open kitchen. You would expect to hear a lot of noise, but surprisingly you don’t hear that many sounds coming from the kitchen.

In short, S&vT is a nice place for an intimate dinner or some drinks with a date… or when you wanna have a serious chat with a close friend.

One final thing, they have a well-priced (read: low-priced) beer menu (with one of my favorite beers for an absolute basic price).

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Spanjer & van Twist | Bars, Restaurants (French/Dutch) | Main meal € 15.00
Leliegracht 60 | Center | +31206390109
10:00 – 01:00 daily

Well the Netherlands are a country of sandwiches. When you get hungry in a bar or café, the first thing you come across on the menu will probably be a sandwich or, even worse, a tosti (roasted bread with cheese). If you are lucky, you will be offered the typical goat cheese/honey combo, or a salmon sandwich.

Not so at Dish: well, sandwiches they have, but: so far from standard. Choose from different breads, different toppings, a changing daily menu. From what I tried out so far I’d say the sandwich toppings tend to have rural taste with a modern touch. Lentils, mushrooms, aubergine, combined with some Asian ingredients which I am still unfamiliar with. And a very tasty appeltaart!

In three days in the week they are open for dinner, and take-away, too, in the evening. While checking in with Foursquare, I found a funny comment: someone warns to not eat the sandokan sandwich because even for chili-lovers it would just be too hot and finishes his comment with the words: not funny! – so now you know what you are up to. Brownies are really good, and the fruit shakes too.

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Dish | Restaurants (International) | Pannini € 6.50
Overtoom 255 | West | +31641465881
Tue – Wed 10:00 – 16:00, Thu – Fri 10:00 – 16:00 & 18:00 – 22:00, Sat – Sun 11:00 – 16:00

Studio/K is the biggest and the most remarkable one of the five projects within the Kriterion family. The cultural centre opened its doors five years ago at Timorplein in the Suriname area. Fifty students work here fifteen hours a week, being responsible for every part of the management themselves, making it more than just a student job. The popularity of the place is unfortunately a bit limited to students and yuppies, but the easy atmosphere, also known at its fellow Kriterion projects ‘Skek and Bioscoop Kriterion, definitely makes up for it.

The activities of Studio/K are threefold: first of all Studio/K is a movie theatre. Besides blockbusters they show art house cinema, Dutch and classic movies. But there are also theatre performances, workshops and meetings. You can also rent the different rooms for private use, group courses or other activities.

Furthermore, Studio/K has a bar-restaurant where they serve breakfast/lunch from 11:00 to 16:00 and dinner from 18:00 to 22:00 (student discount on ‘weekly dishes’ from Monday till Wednesday). Lastly, Studio/K serves as a club, organizing (theme) parties with music varying from jazz to oldschool techno.

Studio/K is a great place to spend your afternoon and/or evening, as it has a lot to offer under one and the same roof. One warning though: once you’re in, be sure to keep track of time and money. For me, both are gone before I realize.

Every last Wednesday of the month: Jazz in /K

Once a month: /K + peren (club night with special theme)

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Studio/K | Bars, Cinemas, Music, Theaters, Restaurants | Meals from € 12.50
Timorplein 62 | East | +31206920422
Sun – Thu 11:00 – 01:00, Fri – Sat 11:00 – 03:00/04:00

OT301 is generally an alternative cultural center: up-to-date underground music, alternative, experimental, on the edge. An independent movie and theater venue, and any kinds of activities: courses from self-defense to salsa, but all with the understated punk attitude. OT301 also houses Subbacultcha-events (check out: www.subbacultcha.nl)

You get the idea: experimental, hip, alternative, that’s what this place is about. No wonder that OT 301 is run by an artist initiative (EHBK), working closely together with Steim, the internationally recognized center of development in the electronic performing arts. You may call it avantgarde but the focus of OT301 is to provide an alternative to the mainstream commercial culture, be it in being experimental, be it in being politically radical.

A fun thing to try out: take part in Tuesday’s ping-pong bar. In the bar and the concert hall 4 ping-pong tables wait for potential competitors. They play a fun system on the table in the bar room: as many as possible walk around the table, hit the ball when it’s their turn, and when they loose the ball they have to leave the table until only two competitors are left.  Try it, it’s fun, and it’s free….

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OT301 | Art & culture, Cinemas, Music, Restaurants (Vegan)
Overtoom 301 | West
Tue, Thu & Sun 18:00 – 01:00, Fri 18:00 – 03:00

Café Cook is one of those places that you really wouldn’t bump into by accident. It’s housed on a square in Oud West, in an area that’s quite far from Amsterdam’s touristy centre. The square’s hidden behind all the big streets aligning it, which makes you feel like you’re in a village rather than the middle of a bustling city. The owners obviously recognized the advantages of such a wonderful, sunny spot, and have put down a wonderfully big terrace where you can easily lay down your hat and forget what you were supposed to be racing to.

What makes Café Cook so nice is hard to put your finger on. It doesn’t try to be either hip or overly traditional. It’s small and intimate enough to make you feel at home, and big enough to bring a book and disappear for a few hours. It’s a fine solo spot as well as a good place to drink beer with your friends. The people that work there are really friendly, and the quality of their food is high – something that can’t be said of most places like it. 

I remember the day I got hooked on Cook very well – I had gone to a vintage market and bought a stack of old records, and the bar tender, upon seeing them, pointed towards the record player that’s placed inconspicuously in one of the corners and offered to play them. It’s these personal touches that made me want to stay, and come back.

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Café Cook | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants | Main meal € 16
James Cookstraat 2 | West | +31621966916
Sun – Thu 11:30 – 01:00, Fri – Sat 11:30 – 02:00

D’Antica, just newly renovated, with a modern twist, intimate & stylish. It’s a landmark Italian restaurant in Downtown Amsterdam, located in the gay district of Amsterdam, just a few steps away from the busy Rembrandtplein.

The restaurant serves classic Italian food, served with a smile and charm. The owner is the ultimately attractive Cami D’Antuono. He also owns the much more modest and less intimate Cinema Paradiso in the Westerstraat (Jordaan area). The staff is Italian, they speak Italian, and they behave Italian. You need a reservation! This is not a restaurant to go to spontaneously.

On Friday night the restaurant is packed with regulars which gives the restaurant a bit of an intimate touch. The food is great, and one of my personal favorites is the “Pasta Parmigiano”, it’s a spinach spaghetti with tomato sauce and mushrooms, a veggie delight! As a starter, their Antipasto D’Antica is great and sumptuous. But one of the more subtle delights is the Sauté Vongolé. Vongolé is known as an Aphrodisiac, so be prepared .

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Ristorante d’Antica | Restaurants (Italian) | Mains € 26.50
Reguliersdwarsstraat 80-82 | Center | +31206233862
Mon – Thu 18:00 – 23:00, Fri – Sat 18:00 – 00:00

Approximately 50 meters from the “Nederlandsche Bank” and the attractive “Utrechtsestraat” (check the Utrechtsestraat article) you will find the Weteringschans, where also the just newly opened Hotel V is located. This place is located in a bit of a deserted location, as far as you can talk about a deserted location in energetic Amsterdam…

Here you’ll find a very charming spot called Uliveto. It’s an Italian franchise concept, which is hardly known. Fresh ingredients & good looking food is the credo here. Recently two staff members took over the place from the first owner Conny. It is even better than before, opening times changed and longer.

For lunch I would recommend to ask her to make your choice: probably a great plate with antipasti and a nice salad, and maybe just a small warm dish on the side for mouth-watering moments. Served with nice wine or delicious water, a very healthy utterly light sparkling water from the Uliveto brand.

Her pasta with Ragu, is also not to miss. The place is nice, clean & in a way industrial. A real fat cat to accessorize and take care of the mice ? Enjoy Uliveto! Great place!

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Uliveto | Snacks, Restaurants (Italian) | Panini € 7.50
Weteringschans 118 | Center | +31204230099
Mon – Fri 11:00 – 20:00, Sat – Sun 11:00 – 18:00

Saturday and Sunday you are standing in line, and get a number. You will be called when a table is ready. But stay put: No time to go to the Bijenkorf in the meantime.

Oriental City is one of my favorites in Chinese place. Usually I go there on Sunday mornings for dim sum, and we just order every dim sum they have and extra the broccoli, which is delicious.

Pots of Jasmine tea accompany the spectacle of good food in great surroundings, on the first and second floor in the old heart of Amsterdam, corner Damstraat and Oude Hoogstraat.

It’s having lunch or dinner with a view. But also on Saturday for lunch you have to stand in line, actually the line is having fun, with all the Chinese fans.

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Oriental City | Restaurants (Dim Sum) | Dim Sum from € 4.00
Oudezijds Voorburgwal 177 – 179 | Center | +31206268352
12:00 – 00:00 daily

A restaurant with a concept and therefore still going strong! With limited options, and chairs to stay in for a long, long time. The location is great. The restaurant is stylish and the food is good. RED, is one of those upcoming Amsterdam restaurants. After opening in 2006, it became an instant hit!

They serve just two dishes, no appetizers, a few desserts, and a great French cheese trolley. Lobster or Steak, with great French fries, home made mayonnaise and a salad.

The wine list is entertaining and promising, but the staff is focused on selling champagne. Chilled and sizzling, looks nice, and fits RED. One of my monthly favourites!

Details about this spot (Show on map)
RED Tournedos en Kreeft | Restaurants (Intern.) | Tournedos € 18.50
Keizersgracht 594 | Center | +31203201824
18:00 – 00:00 daily