Plantage/Oost Amsterdam – All our local tips

this is one of the most talked about Italians in Amsterdam. It’s located near the Entrepotdok, a small residential area. In this small Italian restaurant the staff knows the clients, and they serve mostly the daily specials.

We were definitely not their regular customers, so we had to wait, and to wait, and wait. The food was lovely, they were nice and friendly, but for me this isn’t the restaurant which will be on my top 10 list.

But when it comes to Italian restaurants, it’s definitely one of the small and charming Italian’s in town. It’s close to the NEMO museum, and pretty close to Artis Zoo… and in an utterly charming part of Amsterdam, so worth looking around.

Ask the staff to inform you about their daily dishes and take something of their specialties, which makes this restaurant different from the most known Italians.

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A Tavola | Restaurants (Italian) | Average menu price € 31.50
Kadijksplein 9 | Plantage/Oost | +31206254994
18:00 – 22:30 daily

An excellent place if you just went to the KIT/Tropenmuseum (see the KIT article), Artis or the Hortus Botanicus. It is very bright inside and they only have tables at the window and of course one main table to read a newspaper or a glossy magazine.

The restaurant has a very calm but warm interior with nice items, such as a handwritten blackboard with the menu on it, shaky chairs at the main table and wines in small bowls.

The food is not expensive and they have nice combinations. Most of the time, the special of the day is typically Dutch, like “stamppot” (different Dutch stew). I enjoy the food here every time.

You have a quick bite, but it is also a place to enjoy with your friends. The staff does not give you the feeling to hurry up, they are very friendly and will do anything for you. Please do not forget to make a reservation during the weekend, because Boom does not have a lot of tables and is a popular place to dine.

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Boom | Restaurants | Bite of the day € 10.00
Linnaeusstraat 63 | Plantage/Oost | +31206655224
Mon 17:00 – 01:00, Tue -Sun 12:00 – 01:00

The east of Amsterdam is an area which has become very popular in the last while. More and more students (including myself) and young professionals are moving into this area. And it is noticeable!

There used to be nothing much around here but now more and more nice bars and restaurants are opening their doors. Maxwell is one of them. It is close to the Oosterpark (see the Oosterpark article) and the OLVG hospital and a great place for lunch and a drink during the day, or dinner during the evening. I love to go there for lunch and coffee on a lazy Saturday or Sunday  afternoon.

In the corner of the smallish place are a comfortable sofa and two very comfortable seats. This is definitely the best place to sit down and not get up soon!

Maxwell serves hot and cold drinks and also different lovely sandwiches. For dinnertime they offer a great hamburger ‘To the Max’ amongst other things. In the evening time they also serve snacks to accompany your drinks.

They make great coffee which they also serve to go, although this isn’t something for the early birds because the opening time is 12 o’clock.

The place is small on the inside but there are lots of places to sit and when the weather is good there is quite a big terrace to enjoy. Because the terrace sits on a corner there is sun all day long.

For the smokers they have the terrace heated and they also offer blankets to make sure a smoker doesn’t catch a cold.

Every once in a while they also do live music and different other performances. (Check programming on their website)

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Cafe Maxwell | Bars, Coffee & tea, Restaurants (Varies) | Main meal € 12.50
Beukenplein 27 | Plantage/Oost | +31207726748
Sun – Thu 12:00 – 01:00, Fri – Sat 12:00 – 02:00/03:00

Canvas is located on the top floor of the former Volkskrant (newspaper) building.
Besides that it’s a club; it’s also a café, restaurant, lounge, cocktail bar and exhibition hall. Because it’s not too close to the city centre, the venue is transformed into a local hotspot. The ultimate hangout of young creatives, students, and inhabitants of the neighbourhood.

Not only the spectacular panoramic view over Amsterdam makes this venue worth visiting. Other super features are the two rooftop terraces and the customized second hand furniture by artists.

In weekends DJs make sure you can dance the night away. Due to its small measurements, the intimate and cosy atmosphere is preserved. I can recall a certain Berlin-style.

The small menu offers the possibility to have dinner or lunch. Don’t expect exquisite dishes but the Canvasburger is tasty and reasonably priced. Simple but just fine!

Check the website for the program and flyers!

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Canvas op de 7e | Art & culture, Bars, Music | Wine € 3.00
Wibautstraat 150 (side entrance) | Plantage/Oost | +31207163817
Mon – thu 12:00 – 01:00, Fri – Sun 12:00 – 03:00

In the Dapperstraat in the Eastern part of Amsterdam you will find the Dapper market. The Dapper market is one of my favourite markets. It is one of the busiest and biggest markets of Amsterdam.

During the week and especially on a Saturday it is always crowded with people from all over the city, and also with people that come from outside of Amsterdam, to do their shopping or to just look around and meet up with friends.

I have been living in Amsterdam Oost since last summer and I am really happy to live so close to the market. Unfortunately I can only go if I have lots of time because shopping at the market does take me longer than shopping at the supermarket. This is because I always see so many different things I want to get that I easily wander around the market for an hour at least…

The market sells a great diversity of food like fruit and vegetables. Besides food you will also find flowers, clothes, shoes and anything else you might need. I usually go there for flowers and fruit and vegetables and am always amazed at how cheap it is!

I also love the fact that at the market all different cultures come together to do their shopping. It is a really multicultural place and it represents Amsterdam really well. It is also worth it to check out the different shops just off the market where you will find little supermarkets hat sell different foreign products. Also the market offers a diversity of different ready to eat snacks from lots of different cuisines. Another favourite of mine are the freshly squeezed fruit juices.

If you are planning to check out Amsterdam Oost, which I can really recommend you to do as it is a very lively area where lots of different cultures and kinds of people come together, you really can’t miss the Dapper Market.

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Dappermarkt | Shopping, Snacks
Dapperstraat | Plantage/Oost
Mon – Sat 08:00 – 17:00

De Ysbreker is a bar and a restaurant and also a great place to sit during the day. It used to be a theatre as well but those activities had to be moved elsewhere. The Ysbreker is situated at the Amstel River, which must be one of the most beautiful places of Amsterdam. In the summertime the big terrace in the front is great to sit by the water and to watch all the people cycling by…

The café has a vast history. The building used to be a guesthouse where in wintertime the people who broke the ice of the frozen Amstel River used to stay. That building burnt down but the new building kept the original name and is now a place where people go for a drink or something to eat while enjoying the great view of the Amstel River which in present times isn’t frozen over as often as it used to be a couple of hundred years ago.

If the weather isn’t that great it is also very nice to sit inside. I love to sit in the part at the front with the big windows. The view here is as good as when you’re sitting outside. During the day the place is very peaceful with people reading the newspaper and drinking a cup of coffee. Later on it gets a bit more buzzing. When you come in the place doesn’t seem that big bit there is also a large area in the back where you can sit. As I said they have a lot of newspapers to read which is a great way to spend a couple of hours of spare time during the week or on a Sunday afternoon.

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De Ysbreker | Art & culture, Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants
Weesperzijde 23 | Plantage/Oost | +310204681808
Sun – Thu 09:00 – 01:00, Fri – Sat 09:00 – 02:00

Hartogs Bakery is an institution in Amsterdam. Lots of people swear by this bakery and don’t get their bread anywhere else.

The bakery exists since 1896 and what makes it special is that exclusively wholemeal flour and no preservatives are used. Their fresh bread tastes so great that you don’t even have to put anything on it! They bake new bread a couple of times a day so you will never leave empty handed.

I’ve recently moved near to the bakery, and while I was cycling to work really early I noticed the bakery was already open, I found out it opens at seven in the morning! I know bakers always start really early but I couldn’t believe this.

So many people love the shop and that makes it always very busy. People usually queue up all day long and the queue usually goes till outside. But it is worth it.

Since less than a year the bakery has opened another shop just a couple of meters around the corner. In this shop (Hartogs sandwiches) they sell sandwiches made of their own delicious bread. The sandwiches are no nonsense, ham cheese, peanut butter etc. sandwiches. It is great for lunch or breakfast.

They also sell cold drinks and coffee but every thing is very simple and basic. Traditional sandwiches which taste so good because the bread is fresh, the sandwich filling is simple but good, and as I said it is all no nonsense. This makes it all very affordable as well.

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Hartogs Bakery | Coffee & tea, Shopping, Snacks | Loaf of bread € 2.00
Ruyschstraat 56 | Plantage/Oost | +310206651295
Mon – Fri 07:00 – 18:00, Sat 06:30 – 16:30

I can’t remember the last time I was there. It must have been when I was a kid. But today I was there again, and it was great fun!

Skating is a typical Dutch sport so really you should give it a try. Most Dutch people have grown up with skating during the winter time. It is the best when the canals are frozen and you can skate underneath the beautifully lighted bridges.

But I can’t remember when the last time was I did that. Nowadays if it gets cold enough to freeze the canals they usually break them up to let the canal boats get through. This really is a shame. But luckily the Jaap Eden Baan is a great alternative.

The track is nice and big enough for everyone to do as they please. You will see professionals going really fast( these will be on the inside of the track so stay away from there unless you are really good!), little kids going really fast and falling a lot, and lots of other people some quite good and others quite bad. Don’t be afraid if you’ve never ice-skated before. You won’t be the only one. And it’s all part of the fun.

If you get very cold you can take a break at the side of the track and enjoy a warm cup of coffee or some French fries. It can also be very amusing to take a rest and watch the other skaters. If you don’t own skates you can rent or buy them there. Renting them will cost you about five euros. So that’s not bad.

I must say even though I used to do a lot of skating when I was a kid, I really had to practice for a while until I felt confident moving on my skates. In the beginning I felt all wobbly and insecure, but I persevered and in the end I really enjoyed myself.

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Jaap Eden Baan | Relaxing | Entrance adults € 5.80
Radioweg 64 | Plantage/Oost | +31206949652
check the website

This is a cultural and learning environment for both adults and children. It is a really nice museum with lots of theoretical and practical information.

You can read a lot about the history of the Jews, you can see movies, pictures and original items of their belief. Furthermore is the museum located in a synagogue, which makes it even more special.

In the movies you visit families who are celebrating all Jewish traditions and explaining the backgrounds. After one day at the museum you know why they are celebrating and what is important to the Jewish community.

I think it really gives an image and a certain feeling of this country. The sadness, but also the beauty and sometimes even combined in one photo or video.

From 24th of April until 18th September 2009 an exhibition of Morocco is shown.

The exhibition Morocco: Photos by Elias Harrus and Pauline Prior features photos taken by Elias Harrus (1919-2008) in the 1950s of the everyday life of the Jews of southern Morocco in the years just before they migrated en masse to Israel. For centuries they had lived side by side with the Berbers of the region. Harrus was fascinated by these people, his photos have an intensity that only an insider can achieve. In 2008, Dutch photographer Pauline Prior visited the region to photograph what remains of Morocco’s Jewish heritage, and documented Jewish life in Casablanca today.

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Jewish Historical Museum | Art & culture | Adults € 7.50
Nieuwe Amstelstraat 1 | Plantage/Oost | +31205310310
11:00 – 17:00 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.

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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

The Oosterpark is a really nice park in the Eastern part of the city. This part of the city is up and coming and so is the park. It used to be a bit dodgy but its getting used more and more by the people that live in the area and habitatants of Amsterdam in general.

In the summertime its the perfect place for festivals and events like Roots Open Air Festival and Appelsap. Also during the summertime the place is buzzing with people and musicians.

But at the moment the park is more of a peaceful place where you can give your mind some rest. Especially when it has been snowing the park is beautiful. I’m sad that this hasn’t happened yet this winter but there are many more winter months to come and it’s already getting colder and colder!

I live really close by so i often cycle or walk through it on the way to for instance the Dappermarkt(check the Dappermarkt article). Many love to pass through the park- it’s a great feeling of peacefulness in the middle of a busy city.

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Oosterpark | Relaxing | Free
Oosterpark | Plantage/Oost
24 hours daily

Pompstation a new place in town, New York industrial style, great food and wines. Fridays and Saturdays after dinner dance. Live music of young up coming jazzy performers and bands. I had a excellent food and wine experience on a casual Tuesday evening.

I choose the salad of green aspargus, confit of tomatoes and smoked sliced eggplant with a great vinaigrette. My main course was a ‘aged’ ribeye from the Creekstone Prime Black Angus USA Corn Fed. Very tasty and tender, this can becoming their best seller.

The winelist has a width range of beautiful offerings, from easy and nice prices up to the the famous and starred, and from France to the New World. For everybody there’s something to choose.

The interior is industrial, with the use of pure and original materials, impressive. Service is very nice, helpful and professional but still has to get used to their own restaurant setting, it has only to be fine-tuned!

The only thing is the location, which is a bit out of centre, but with tram 14 (stop at  ’Borneostraat 1 – terras’) you will overcome that problem. I say have fun and enjoy!

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Pompstation Bar & Grill | Bars, Music, Restaurants (BBQ & grill) | Main course € 28.50
Zeeburgerdijk 52 | Plantage/Oost | +31020692288
Restaurant Tue – Thu 18:00 – 22:30, Fri – Sat 18:00 – 22:30
Bar Tue – Thu 16:00 – 01:00, Fri – Sat 16:00 – 03:00

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.

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Sneak Preview | Cinemas | Movie € 5.00
Roetersstraat 170 | Plantage/Oost | +31206231708
Tue 22:15 until around 00:00

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.

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Studio K | Bars, Cinemas, Coffee & tea, Festivals & events, Restaurants (International) | Coffee € 1.70
Timorplein 62 | Plantage/Oost | +31206920422
Check programming

The Tropenmuseum is a famous ethnographic museum. There is excellent information about and nice artifacts from almost every corner of the world. This is not the typical “pots and pans” museum.

The best permanent exhibitions are about former Dutch colonies (mainly Indonesia and Suriname). The irony is that the beautiful building this museum is housed in was paid for by money earned by exploiting the colonies and its people.

Exhibition Culture Couture is on from 16th of December 2009 until 16th of May 2010. It shows a collection of traditional and modern clothing, designs, drawings, videos and catwalk shows. Designers are talents from the Antwerp college of Arts.

Another exhibition is: The Art of Survival. Exhibit is from 6th of November 2009 until the 9th of May 2010. It is about the Maroon culture of Suriname. These Marrons are African slaves who where forcedto move to Suriname. There they liberated themselves and lived in the woods where they started a new life along the river.

If you get a chance, visit a concert in the Tropentheater. It is housed in the Tropen institute building. If there is a concert, it is usually someone unknown from a very faraway place. Always surprising! If there is no concert, at least try to see the inside hall, usually only open during concerts. It’s almost 100% marble. Too much, definitely, but still nice!

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Tropenmuseum | Art & culture, Music | Admission € 7.50
Linnaeusstraat 2 | Plantage/Oost | +31205688200
10:00 – 17:00 daily