Our picks run from Chun Café’s Korean toast in Centrum and a fermentation deli on Java eiland to a no-booking bistro in Oud-Zuid and a decades-old Italian dining room in the Jordaan. Lunch counters and gelaterias are the cheapest stops. The sit-down rooms are for a long, unhurried dinner.
The short list
10 places, in the order they appear below.
- 1Chun Café SpuistraatKorean toastCentrum
- 2Flo's AppetizingLoaded bagelsOud-West
- 3Thull's DeliFermented food and sandwichesOostelijk Havengebied
- 4't LemmekeDutch comfort food, walk-inOud-Zuid
- 5ToscaniniRegional Italian, fresh pastaJordaan
- 6Williams Farmhouse AmsterdamSunday roast, Williams PieZuid
- 7Hannekes BoomAn afternoon by the waterDijksgracht waterfront
- 8't Blauwe TheehuisBeer on the roof deckVondelpark
- 9Massimo GelatoPistachio gelatoZuid
- 10JordinoSummer gelato, winter nougatHaarlemmerbuurt
Where can you get a cheap lunch in Amsterdam?
For a cheap lunch that fills you up, go to the counters. At Chun Café Spuistraat in Centrum, Korean fillings are grilled into thick milk bread. Flo’s Appetizing in Oud-West hand rolls and boils its bagels, then loads them with deli meats and cheese.
The rib eye bulgogi toast comes with a soft boiled egg cracked over the top. For more heat, order the five spice garlic shrimp version. Ask the kitchen to grill the bread a minute longer and the edges crackle. The lunch line of students and office workers moves fast.
Chun Café Spuistraat
Hours: Mon–Sun 10:00–17:00
Address: Spuistraat 122, 1012 VA Amsterdam, Netherlands
This Jan Pieter Heijestraat shop is the second one from the people behind Flo’s Deli, and its counter holds flavours such as jalapeno cheddar and black pepper next to the usual plain and sesame bagels. An everything bagel pairs with black pepper cream cheese. That pairing isn’t always on the printed board.
Flo's Appetizing
Hours: Mon closed · Tue–Fri 09:00–15:00 · Sat–Sun 09:00–16:00
Address: Jan Pieter Heijestraat 121, 1054 ME Amsterdam, Netherlands
Simone van Thull started the deli in 2015 selling her own sauerkraut and pickles, and fermentation still drives the counter. There are kimchi flatbreads, a pastrami sandwich piled with that sauerkraut, and a rotating tray of dinners such as chicken tagine or a North Sea fish burger. Keep an eye on the fridge case by the register. It holds the fermented vegetables and prepared dinners, and it empties faster than the sandwich counter.
Thull's Deli
Hours: Mon–Sat 10:00–20:00 · Sun 11:00–20:00
Address: C. van Eesterenlaan 21 23, 1019 JK Amsterdam, Netherlands
Where do Amsterdam locals go for a proper sit-down dinner?
For dinner, our picks are three neighbourhood rooms: ’t Lemmeke in Oud-Zuid for Dutch and English comfort food, Toscanini in the Jordaan for regional Italian cooking, and Williams Farmhouse in Zuid for seasonal British classics. Each one is a proper sit-down meal rather than counter food.
The room is half Dutch bistro, half English pub: dark wood, candlelight, a fireplace. The kitchen does comfort cooking properly, with stamppot, cordon bleu, lasagne and a plate of stew with chips. You can’t reserve, so just walk in. If the dining room is full, wait with a beer in the basement pub until a table frees up upstairs.
't Lemmeke
Hours: Mon closed · Tue–Thu 17:00–00:00 · Fri–Sat 16:00–00:30 · Sun 16:00–23:00
Address: Van Breestraat 107A, 1071 ZJ Amsterdam, Netherlands
Regional dishes from across Italy come out of an open kitchen, along with fresh pasta, daily specials that change constantly and a serious Italian wine list. Neighbourhood regulars fill it every night, so book several days ahead. Ask the waiter which region the kitchen is leaning into that week.
Toscanini
Hours: Mon–Thu 18:00–23:30 · Fri–Sat 12:00–01:00 · Sun closed
Address: Lindengracht 75, 1015 KD Amsterdam, Netherlands
From late September to April the room is a warm farmhouse. In summer it becomes a green botanical garden. The kitchen is known for its Scotch egg and its house pie. Wednesday is Wellington night, Sunday is roast day, and if you only have room for one dish, make it the Williams Pie.
Williams Farmhouse Amsterdam
Hours: Mon closed · Tue–Wed 12:30–23:00 · Thu 12:00–00:00 · Fri 12:00–01:00 · Sat 12:00–00:00 · Sun 12:00–23:00
Address: Beethovenstraat 55, 1077 HN Amsterdam, Netherlands
Where can you eat and drink outdoors in Amsterdam?
For a long stretch outside, we pick two places. Hannekes Boom is by the water near the maritime quarter, with picnic tables running down toward the quay. ’t Blauwe Theehuis is in the middle of the Vondelpark, with a big terrace and a roof deck above the trees. Give either one a few unhurried hours rather than a quick stop between sights.
The café was built from reclaimed wood and second hand fittings, and it revives a name tied to the old boom that once closed off Amsterdam’s harbour. Grab a picnic table by the water, where boats tie up alongside. It’s built for settling in, not a quick stop.
Hannekes Boom
Hours: Mon–Thu 12:00–01:00 · Fri 12:00–03:00 · Sat 11:00–03:00 · Sun 11:00–01:00
Address: Dijksgracht 4, 1019 BS Amsterdam, Netherlands
The round pavilion dates from 1937, all concrete and glass, and now serves as a tasting room for Brouwerij ’t IJ. The taps pour the brewery’s own beers, with coffee, sandwiches and pizza alongside. On sunny afternoons the ground terrace fills up. A small room on the upper floor leads out to a roof deck looking across the treetops and the pond. Dogs are welcome throughout.
't Blauwe Theehuis
Hours: Mon–Wed 09:30–18:00 · Thu–Sat 09:30–20:00 · Sun 09:30–18:00
Address: Vondelpark 5, 1071 AA Amsterdam, Netherlands
Where can you get good, cheap gelato in Amsterdam?
For something sweet, try Massimo Gelato in Zuid or Jordino in Haarlemmerbuurt. Massimo makes small batches from good milk and real fruit, and the flavours change with the season. Jordino is family run and makes its own chocolates alongside Italian style gelato. Prices are low enough to fit one in between meals.
Start with the pistachio. It has a following, and so does the stracciatella. Check which flavours were churned that morning, and expect the longest queue on warm evenings.
Massimo Gelato
Hours: Mon–Fri 08:00–22:00 · Sat–Sun 10:00–22:00
Address: Van Ostadestraat 147 H, 1072 SW Amsterdam, Netherlands
Summer is for gelato. In winter the counter turns to handmade nougat and pralines. It’s a short walk from the crowds, toward the western islands.
Jordino
Hours: Mon 13:00–18:00 · Tue–Sat 10:00–18:00 · Sun closed
Address: Haarlemmerdijk 25-A, 1013 KA Amsterdam, Netherlands
Which place on the list suits which meal?
Pick by the meal you want. The lunch counters work for a quick stop on a sightseeing day and the dinner rooms for a long evening. Save the park and waterfront spots for a slow drink outside. Below, each of the ten places sits next to its neighbourhood and the thing it is known for.
Eat at the counters in the middle of the day and keep the dining rooms for the evening. Toscanini needs booking days ahead; ’t Lemmeke takes no reservations at all. Since the list spreads from Java eiland to the Vondelpark, it makes sense to plan each day around one or two neighbourhoods. Opening hours sit on every place card, which deserves a look before heading out because a few of these spots have a weekly closing day.
