Golden Temple Vegetarisch Restaurant is Amsterdam’s oldest vegetarian restaurant. Serving a wide range of international dishes including Mexican and Indian favorites. This is a non-smoking restaurant, something very rare in Amsterdam.
Category Archives: Amsterdam Food & Drink
De Peper Cafe and Academie OT301
Formerly the Netherlands Film Academie, it was squatted on 14th november 1999 and ultimately legalized as a public space with 2 large performance/rehearsal spaces, cinema, cafe and gallery space with busy programmes of [sub]cultural activities and events.
de peper is a non-commercial, not-for-profit vegan and organic café project located in the building on the Overtoom.
Part of Vereniging Eerste Hulp Bij Kunst (EHBK), De Peper also serves as a meeting place for people working in, or visiting, the building. De Peper crew are always happy to provide information about the events that are going on.
Queen’s Head
Run by the Queen of The Zeedijk, Dusty (or is it Willem?) and his/her partner Johan. Now you get the picture.
Boisterous gay-friendly bar overlooking the canal with regular theme nights, DJs & drag acts.
Bellevue Theater
Arts venue & cafe with 3 spaces for theater, dance & comedy, plus short lunchtime performances.
Kantjil en de Tijger
This place claims to be the biggest Indonesian restaurant in Amsterdam, and it certainly is the busiest! Very popular with the locals, it’s usually packed. Inside tends to be rather smokey, but there are some outside tables.
Barney’s Uptown
Welcome to Barney’s Uptown, the biggest and best “smoker-friendly” bar and restaurant in the whole of Amsterdam!
If you’re looking for exceptional food, great value drinks and an exceptional service then you’re in the right place. Come and enjoy the massively varied menu in the comfort of our beautifully decorated building.
Park Cafe-Restaurant
This is the Hotel Arena’s cafe and restaurant on the Oosterpark. They say “located in the Oosterpark, in a vibrant neighbourhood in Amsterdam Oost. The cafe-restaurant is divided into a laid-back lounge, a cosy bistro and a restaurant with table linens. The large terrace is practically in the Oosterpark, but is every bit as comfortable as it is inside. At Park cafe-restaurant the menu focuses on vegetables, with full flavours, bright colours and exiting preparations. We cook along with the seasons and use plenty of fresh herbs, that if at all possible go right from our own herb garden to your plate.”
New York Pizza
A chain of NINE shops now. Once upon a time this was a refuge where you could find a decent slice of pizza in Amsterdam. Unfortunately like many Dutch establishments, they keep pizza in display cases, sometimes for hours before you happen to come along. Yes, they reheat it, and it can be a decent bite if you’re desperate. But why settle for something that’s been sitting out for who knows how long, when you can get it fresh and hot (and much better) in almost any Italian restaurant in Amsterdam for just a few guilders more.
Who am I to criticize? Only a native New Yawker (or as I call it, “New Amsterdam”), who knows good pizza when I see it and especially when I taste it! So any place that’s going to call itself “New York Pizza” had better live up to the reputation, and unfortunately when it comes to freshness, this place just doesn’t measure up. Perhaps they should call it Heart Burn City Pizza.
Koninklijk Theater Carré
This theater, right on the Amstel River, hosts some diverse productions. The venue also houses the Restaurant de Stallen.
Me Naam Naan
There are so many Thai restaurants in Amsterdam, it’s difficult to keep track of them all. But here’s one you won’t soon forget, Me Naam Naan, located just off the Nieuwemarkt. A friend recommended this place, and I’m glad she did. It seems the Dutch have been keeping this little gem a secret.
We were very fortunate that we arrived earlier because all the other tables were already booked, and our whole meal was punctuated by new arrivals being told there were no tables available. Most of the customers, who were Dutch seemed to know this place fills up fast, and were consequently unperturbed.
I love Thai food having spent a few months there back in the 80s. And the more authentic the better. This means making your own curry pastes and using fresh ingredients, not dried. This place is not only authentic, but better than any I’ve found in Amsterdam.
The true test of a good Thai restaurant is how well they excute the most common dishes, like Tom Yam Koong (Shrimp soup with lemongrass) Pad Thai (rice noodles) and Red Curry. Well this place does these standards so well, I could find no fault. In fact I was amazed to discover they could be done like this. I guess I’m jaded since so many Thai places adulterate these fine dishes with canned pastes or tomato ketchup. Not here. The food is refined, the service was good (suprise!) and the waiters were quite the exotic vision dressed up in traditional, yet elegant Thai fashions. And best of all the price was quite reasonable for such quality food and service.
It seems the owners of this restaurant also own the little Thai market across the street which has a very good selection of authentic Thai ingredients including a varied assortment of those very same homemade curry pastes (my favorite is Penang). Don’t miss out on the restaurant, as it’s a true find!
Get there early or the place will be full. No reservations accepted, so it’s first come, first served.