Canals – Local tips (snacks)

Struik is a typical relaxed, ‘easy going’ café. The audience is a mix of locals, old & young, varying from hip to old fashioned.

At Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays dj’s are playing their music: hiphop/soul/classics. Popular but original at the same time. Once in a while special events take place.

The graffiti on the brick wall changes every now and then, made by several artists. Struik has a small lunch and snack menu; and most days of the week you can enjoy a great dinner for a lousy €7.50! Check the website to see what’s on the menu! Every day another ‘theme’!

Great to start off your night, or to hang around all night. Guaranteed you meet some nice locals!

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Bar Struik | Bars, Music, Snacks | Beer € 2.00
Rozengracht 160 | Canals
Mon 17:00 – 01:00, Tue – Thu 10:00 – 01:00, Fri 10:00 – 03:00, Sat 11:00 – 03:00, Sun 11:00 – 01:00

Only recently I have discovered how great this place is. I’ve cycled past it for years but never had the urge to go in. This is because the shop doesn’t look very exciting from the outside. It is on a corner and is very small. It is not the sort of place to go if you want a romantic meal; it looks more like a snack bar.

But after hearing several good stories about their food I decided to give it a shot. And I found it’s a great place for lunch, especially if you are suffering from a hangover. Famous is the Broodje Bert. And I must say it is my favourite. It is a large piece of Turkish bread with freshly grilled lamb meatballs. Besides the meat the bread is filled with lettuce, tomato, peppers, and lot of sauce. It takes a bit of work to get down. But I always feel very satisfied after.

Besides the Broodje Bert they also serve several different sandwiches, burgers, and omelets.

As I said the place is very small and it is not very cosy on the inside. Besides from that you will smell like a barbecue if you sit inside. They grill the meat freshly in front of you and this can get a bit smoky. Luckily they do have a very pleasant terrace so you can comfortably sit outside. Even when the weather isn’t that good they have a bit of the terrace which is covered.

So if you’ve had a rough night and you’re heading towards the city centre I would recommend you to give it a shot. There is no better way to start a (hung-over) day!

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Broodje Bert | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Sandwich (cash only) € 6.50
Singel 321 | Canals | +31206230382
08:00 – 17:00 daily

This is really is the place to be for a great juicy burger, forget about Mcdonalds or Burger King. This type of ’slow fastfood’ is becoming more and more popular as this is not the only burgerbar of this kind in Amsterdam, but I do think its the best.

You get to choose between different sizes of burgers, different kinds of bread, and all the toppings you could want. This does get a bit pricey if you don’t know when to stop so choose your toppings wisely. If you really want to go for the best of the best get the Kobe Beef Burger. The farmers that used to produce this beef in Japan are known to have hired geisha’s to massage the animals. Or so I heard. So you should definetely give this one a try!

Don’t come here for the atmosphere, as its quite light and the music isn’t that great either. But…. The burgers really are to die for. I promise!

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Burgerbar | Snacks, Restaurants (Snack bar) | Burger € 8.00
Reguliersbreestraat 9 | Canals | +310203305968
Sun – Thu 09:00 – 03:00, Fri – Sat 11:00 – 04:00

I can’t repeat enough how much I like cheese. This is why visiting De Kaaskamer is a treat for me. Looking at (and smelling) all the different sorts of cheese makes my mouth water…

I usually go here to get a delicious baguette for lunch. You can pick any sort of cheese or meat and other toppings and the baguette will definitely fill your stomach for the rest of the day.

The shop is hard to miss, you can smell it meters away. When you go inside you won’t know where to start! Luckily the personel is really friendly and they let you taste different cheeses too.

My tip would be to get yourself a baguette, and to eat it somewhere beside one of the beautiful canals. Then on your last day in Amsterdam head to the shop again and fill your whole suitcase with CHEESE!!! Enjoy!

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De Kaaskamer | Shopping, Snacks | Baguette € 5.00
Runstraat 7 | Canals | +310206233483
Mon 12:00 – 18:00, Tue – Fri 09:00 – 18:00, Sat 09:00 – 17:00, Sun 12:00 – 17:00

Right at the canals on the Singel you will have to look carefully not to miss this lovely breakfast & lunch spot. You will recognize it by the little white tables and chairs that stand outside which give you a lovely view of one of the most beautiful parts of the city centre.

Greenwoods is a tiny place is and is owned by an English woman. This woman among other thins surely knows how to bake! The carrot cake, lemon meringue pie and cheesecake are absolutely delicious. I really couldn’t believe it. At one point my boyfriend got so addicted to the carrot cake that he got a slice almost daily. He went out of his way for it, you could say he was out of control!

If you’re not in a hurry you can also try the high tea. You will be spoiled with Great tea and lots of little sandwiches and scones with fresh cream and jam will keep you busy for hours.

Besides for the cakes this is also a great place for a savoury lunch or breakfast. The homemade soda bread is heavy but delicious. The club sandwiches are also a meal in itself. Accompany your food by a big cup of coffee and some fresh orange juice and there is no better way to start of your day.

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Greenwoods | Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (breakfast) | Sandwich € 6.00
Singel 103 | Canals | +31206237071
09:30 – 19:00 daily

P.King used to be a Chinese restaurant but as you walk by there is not much that will remind you of that except the name and the dinner menu. For the rest the style is quite different. It has a sixties style retro feel to it, especially the dining room upstairs which you should really take a look at if you get the chance.

The cafe is open the whole day for breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks. No matter what time I go, I always enjoy the laid back chill vibe. The menu during the day is quite standard but with a couple of real good choices like for instance the typical Dutch bread with ‘kroketten’.

At dinnertime the menu is Cantonese with lots of different kinds of rice and noodles with chicken and meat to choose from. I really like the sweet and sour chicken. You can choose to have small portions so you can share and try different things.

I like to go here before or after I go to the cinema, for instance the Tuschinski Movie Theatre is really close.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
P.King | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Cantonese) | Main meal € 10,00
Herengracht 515 | Canals | +310203208175
Sun – Thu 09:00 – 01:00, Fri – Sat 09:00 – 03:00

This is the ultimate place for lovers of excellent and fine patisserie. This price winning place is worth the détour. Fine strawberry tarts with creamy underlay is one of their best. A great selection of home baked cookies and chocolates is also part of their assortment.

It is an experience to have a cup of coffee or tea and to choose one of the nice tarts or cakes.

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Patisserie Kuyt | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Coffee or teatime from € 5.00
Utrechtsestraat 109a | Canals | +31206234833
Mon 08:00 – 17:00, Tue – Sat 08:00 – 17:30

THIS IS A SECRET, and you are not allowed to tell everybody!

You can have take away, but not order by phone; you have to go there yourself. You can sit on a small and simple table, where you get your own plates and glasses, and than when it is ready, you get your ultimate thin crusted pizza!!!!!!!

They are heaven and more, they are all good and delicious, simple choices with good and fresh ingredients, for the fish, veggie, meet and hot and spicy lover, this is really FINE DINING for little money!

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Portare Via | Snacks, Restaurants (Pizza) | Pizza € 5.50
Leliegracht 34 | Canals
17:00 – 22:00 daily

Singel 404 is an old time favorite of me and most of my friends. It’s a great place for breakfast or lunch mainly because you have loads of choice and in general everything on the menu is fresh and very affordable. They have lots of different kinds of bread and almost every filling you can think of.

Because there is so much to choose from I often get confused and just stick to my favorite: warm goat cheese and chicken. But obviously it is best to just try loads of different things!Besides sandwiches you can also order soups and salads. And of course a wide range of shakes, fruit juices, coffees, or even a glass of wine!

Because Singel 404 is very close to the University of Amsterdam it gets very busy, lots of (female) students take a long lunchbreak here and catch up with their friends. So be prepared to wait a while before you get your table.

It’s best to sit upstairs where it is a bit quieter and you don’t notice all the other hungry people waiting for you to finish! If you go early in the morning or a bit later in the afternoon you can enjoy your food in a more relaxed atmosphere.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Singel 404 | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Sandwich € 5.00
Singel 404 | Canals | +310204280154
10:30 – 18:00 daily

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 | Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Italian panini´s, meals and take away) | Italian panini € 5,00
Weteringschans 118 | Canals | +31204230099
Mon – Fri 11:00 – 20:00, Sat – Sun 11:00 – 18:00