Olya Kartcheva

Amsterdam

Spotter since 2022

About me

About me
I originally come from Bulgaria, was raised in Paris & Geneva, and have been calling Amsterdam home for over a decade.

A project manager by day, in my free time, I practice magic tricks, I love traveling, bird watching, and am passionate about food and music!

I am interested in various topics like different cultures, art, music, fashion, travel, diversity, inclusion, international business, globalization, and food.

As I love learning about cultures and traveling, I spent a year around the globe in 2017 while completing my MBA research, which explored how to improve performance in cross-cultural virtual teams. This further made me realize how difficult it can be to find these hidden local spots!

Why Amsterdam?
The reason I love Amsterdam is its variety of international cuisines, the ability to cycle (nearly) everywhere, all the cultural events (like music, art), and when it's sunny, all the beautiful canals.

Here at Spotted by Locals, I would like to share with you all these little gems, that I usually look for when traveling myself!

Online presence
Instagram

My spots (26)

Noorderlicht Café Amsterdam

Noorderlicht Café

Artistic escape in Noord

Noorderlicht Café is a cozy, artistic greenhouse spot in Amsterdam Noord offering tasty seasonal dishes, events, and a countryside vibe near the city.

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Art & culture
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Bars
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Restaurants

by

Olya

Kartcheva

Oct 30, 2025
Bar Oldenhof Amsterdam

Bar Oldenhof

Old-fashioned cocktail bar

Bar Oldenhof is an old-fashioned, hidden, intimate, high-end cocktail bar located right in the trendy Joordan neighborhood of Amsterdam...

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Bars

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Olya

Kartcheva

Oct 30, 2025
Bar Parry Amsterdam

Bar Parry

Tapas and wine

Bar Parry is a charming walk-in wine bar in Amsterdam’s Jordaan with a huge wine selection, small bites, and cozy vibes — perfect for spontaneous visits.

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Bars
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Restaurants

by

Olya

Kartcheva

Oct 30, 2025

PONG - House of Ping

Play table tennis!

Pong - House of Ping in Amsterdam is a spot where you can play ping-pong while having a drink or enjoying a snack!

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Bars
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Snacks

by

Olya

Kartcheva

Oct 28, 2025
Canvas Amsterdam

Canvas

Breathtaking views

One of the standout features of Canvas is its breathtaking views over Amsterdam. The restaurant is situated on the top floor of a creative hotel, offering panoramic views of the city.

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Bars
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Music
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Restaurants

by

Olya

Kartcheva

Oct 25, 2025

Bar Babar

My candlelit wine heaven

Bar Babar is a wine bar on the bright Utrechstsestraat in Amsterdam, serving natural wines and carefully selected bites (the bread they have is yummyyyy).

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Art & culture
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Snacks

by

Olya

Kartcheva

Oct 15, 2025

Café De Klepel

My sommelier experience

"Cafe de Klepel" is a French bistro in Amsterdam that offers a large selection of wines by the glass. I love its front terrace on a small, vibrant street!

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Bars
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Restaurants

by

Olya

Kartcheva

Oct 4, 2025
Zuiderziel Amsterdam

Zuiderziel

My favorite bohemian store

"Zuiderziel" in Amsterdam is a shop with a great selection of home decoration items, flowers, artistic jewelry and more. I can't resist buying something!

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Art & culture
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Shopping

by

Olya

Kartcheva

Oct 4, 2025
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