Canals, cheese, cafes, churches, color, cityscapes, culture, and, interestingly, a beautiful countryside just outside the city. These are the Cs that sum up Amsterdam – the capital of the Netherlands. Founded in 1275, it is a city of buildings 5 stories tall and 3 rooms deep, standing like drunkenly leaning toy soldiers overlooking a series of connected waterways filled with houseboats of all shapes and sizes.
While Amsterdam is a liberal city known for its Koffie Houses (tolerated Marijuana) and legal prostitution in the Red Light District, those two things are only a small part of the story. The city has a vast footprint filled with inspired artists (Van Gogh, Rembrandt, and Vermeer, to name a few), WWII history (Anne Frank museum and house), and more bicycles than people.
Sherpa Food Tour Amsterdam
But, as it is for so many of the places I travel to, I believe it’s the food that makes the city turn. In Amsterdam, cultural food influences (from Indonesia and Surinam) inspire and delight, and the comfort food hits a home run. And where better to learn, explore, and well, eat than with a locally guided 3.5-hour food tour with Sherpa Tours! Having experienced other food tours in the past, I can say for certain that the Sherpa tour I experienced in Amsterdam stood out from the rest for several reasons – first, the tour was longer, allowing for more in-depth stops, more information to accompany those stops, and more tastes (10+ to try and either alcoholic or non alcoholic drinks included). Second, the tour felt a little more “off the beaten path” and really seemed to dive into the food that shaped the city, vs just the obvious food choices. Sure, a Stroopwafel is quintessentially Dutch, but you can find one on every street corner. But if you didn’t know that Surinamese food was part of the fabric of Amsterdam, you’d never know to look for it, or try it, which we did on the Sherpa food tour.
TokoMan – Surinam on a Plate
Our first stop was TokoMan at their Waterlooplein location for a taste of Surinam. Surinam, located on the northeastern coast of South America, lends influence in Amsterdam because approximately 300,000 Surinam people call the city home and emigrated during and after the time when Surinam was a colony of the Netherlands.
The item to try at TokoMan was the Bakkeljauw sandwich, a dried and salted (but rehydrated cod) sandwich with pickle, slightly spicy and sweet. The irony is that my husband and I had just completed an 8-day cruise to Norway, and while we absolutely learned about dried Cod and how it shaped the fortunes of Norway, we never actually tried it in Norway, as it never looked appealing. On the contrary, this sandwich not only looked appealing, but it tasted really yummy. This was only one taste of the many the shop had to offer; they had a buffet of choices spread out across a tiny store run by one woman behind the counter. We also had the chance to try Fernandes sparkling beverage (we chose Pineapple). It was quite sweet, but it offset the spicy sandwich perfectly.
VanDobben – the Kroket
Next stop was Van Dobben, established in 1945, where the Kroket was invented and is still served today in a low-key vintage diner atmosphere, complete with white counters and low stools. The Kroket (long and skinny) and the Bitterballen (round) are delicious snacks served breaded and deep fried (they are traditionally filled with beef-based ragout) throughout Amsterdam and the Netherlands, and are often served as a cocktail or late-night bar snack, but also as a quick lunch. Van Dobben eventually began making enough to distribute across the city in various snack stands, cafes and vending machines, so they’re not hard to come by (and the places that serve them often feature the Van Dobben logo to let you know), but it likely is best served straight from the source, on a bun (Broodje Kroket) with mustard and, according to our guide, buttermilk. One sip of buttermilk was enough for me, but I could totally taste the complementary flavors and textures in the pairing.
Cafe Katoen – Herring (yes really)
The third Sherpa food tour stop was Café Katoen – a café that blends new and old school vibes, with warm interiors in red and brown, and colorful decorative murals decorating the walls. It is one of the cafes in town still serving Herring, our main reason for the visit. Herring is a staple snack in the Netherlands, though it is absolutely an acquired taste. It is typically more delicate and sweeter in the summer months, and served in snack stands and some cafes across the city. We had it salted, cut into chunks, served with raw white onions, diced, and pickles. It was not very fishy, but also not my favorite. I liked the cooked, warm sausage that we also had much better. Café Katoen also offered local beer (I tried the Victoria strong blonde) among a variety of other tasty menu items. Want more on Herring and its history in the Netherlands, click here!
DeKaaskamer – Cheese, please
Our 4th stop was for – wait for it – CHEESE. I had the chance to visit Gouda (HOW-da) and do the Gouda experience, but there are no shortages of places to experience cheese in Amsterdam. From cow to goat, from creamy to crunchy, from young to aged, there’s something for everyone. Our Sherpa guide took us to De Kaaskamer, a store packed to the gills, from floor to roof, with cheeses of every variety. First, we tried Bio Remeker Rijp, organic raw cow milk farmers’ cheese aged 7-9 months. Then it was Bio Skylger Pikant, an extra-matured cow cheese from Terschelling. Next, we tasted Rouvener Geit Belegen, a creamy Gouda made from goat milk. Last we tried Stompetoren Grand Cru, pasteurized cow milk Gouda cheese, aged 2.5 years, and rich with crunchy crystals. I don’t think I had a cheese I didn’t like in the Netherlands, but these certainly were among the best I tasted.
Heemelrijck – so much deliciousness
Our final food stop was at one of the Heemelrijck locations. The brand was established in 1949 when it began as a sandwich shop, and later became a restaurant. There are currently 3 locations in the city. For our final bites, we tasted Patatje mayo (Fries with mayo), Gehaktballetjes in satésaus (Small beef & pork meatballs in peanut sauce), and Prijswinnend wentelteefje van Fries suikerbrood met een bolletje kaneelijs, which translates into “Award-winning ‘Flipping Bitch’ of Frisian sugar brioche with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream”. While a mouthful to say, it was warm, cinnamon-y, sweet, and the perfect way to end our tour.
If you’re visiting any city where Sherpa has tours, I definitely recommend booking. Not only was it tasty, but it was cool to hang out with like-minded individuals who loved food, too, and we all swapped recommendations as well as getting some additional ones from our guide, Ginevra, who was amazing!
The Food of Amsterdam
From further explorations, post food tour, here are some more “must eat in Amsterdam” recommendations: first, if you haven’t had your fix from a local café, it may be worth it to try the Instagram-famous Frietjes (fries), though honestly I found their prevalence to be an obnoxious overtake of what used to be a simple treat when I visited 20 years ago. The sheer volume of Frietjes stands combined with the utter overkill on the goop slopped on them was really a turn-off. The best I ever had was a small cone (enough for a human snack, not an army) served with mayo, onions, and curry ketchup. And for the real-deal experience, visit Belgium (only a train ride away).
Local dishes like Stamppot (mashed potatoes and kale or other cooked veg served with gravy and sausage or meatballs) and Pea Soup (I recommend Rembrandt Corner for these Dutch staples), Toasties (basically grilled cheese, only better). In terms of cultural influences, I also made it a point to have Indonesian Rijsttafel, aka rice table, for dinner one night at Restaurant MAX. It was a lot of very delicious small dishes of Indonesian food served family style (shareable for two) and a side of rice. It was so filling and so amazing. They also served a starter salad of chicken in peanut sauce, which was next level. There are a variety of places doing rice tables, but this one had high marks on Google, and it definitely delivered.
For the sweet tooth, you can’t leave the Netherlands without a slice of Appeltaart. I had an exceptional piece (a recommendation from the Sherpa guide) from Winkel 43. It’s a cross between apple pie and apple cake in that the pie crust has a more cake-like texture than a typical butter crust, and also, there is usually a lattice top. The apples are stacked a bit higher than they are in a pie, and the filling is less wet. And it’s best served with a dollop of whipped cream and a coffee (or cappuccino or prosecco or whatever your pleasure).
Another must-try is the Stroopwafel. I had tasted these delightful treats on previous visits, and they are also available in the US, but there’s nothing like a real one. Yes, they are best warm from the street market, and probably best in Gouda (HOW-da, say it with me now, known for cheese, of course, but also where the Stroopwafel was invented and where they also sell them, pre-made, from vending machine kiosks!), but wherever you go, I recommend buying the small ones without any additional stuff on them (like sprinkles? Really?) as I felt they had more flavor than the large ones, though it could have been my imagination! Poffertjes (mini pancakes), and Oliebollen (donuts) as well as Licorice (so many varieties), and, if it’s St. Nicholas Day, you might get Speculaas (spiced cookies usually shaped like Windmills) in the shoes you leave out on December 6.
From previous trips to the Netherlands (I have made 4 others), I remember many things fondly. The prevalence of tea for one. Though I found this trip to have less of that, I did buy some at a great tea shop called Paper & Tea and hit up the grocery store to buy some Simon Levelt. I also bought the best insulated tea thermos at the Hema (the Dutch’s answer to Target) – because, believe it or not, I bought one 20 years ago that eventually cracked, and you simply cannot find them in the States, or online! So yes, I bought one and brought it home in my luggage, and I am soooo excited to use it more as we enter the cool weather season.
Another strong memory I have of previous trips included the basic grocery store cookies – from ones with Hazelnuts to ones that have a hint of the Speculaas flavor, every cookie off the shelf was ten times better than the ones on the grocery store shelves in the US. I did buy some to bring back (of course), along with the now world-famous Tony’s Chocolonely (which is a Dutch must-do in the food scene, where you can make your own bar, if you wait in line for two hours). Though they have been around since 2005, it seems to be a bigger deal now, and has made its way to the US market as well. I also remember my Dutch friend making sandwiches from butter and sprinkles, a popular Dutch lunch staple called Broodje Hagelslag or simply Hagelslag. They actually sell boxes of sprinkles in a variety of flavors as well as chocolate shavings, in the grocery stores for just this purpose. I was never a fan, but there is some appeal, and I might try it on a future trip.
Places to Stay in Amsterdam
Places to stay are not hard to come by in Amsterdam, but it may be the perfect city for an Airbnb if you want to experience a houseboat or a home from the 1600s. I opted for dry land (and two very steep sets of stairs) for a canal-view open-concept space in a house built in 1650, located in a quiet neighborhood on the edge of Chinatown and close to everything, including Centraal Station (train and metro hub). Here are photos of the space and the view.
Things to do in Amsterdam
For things to do, the city is teeming with experiences. Once you’ve finished your food tour, take a 2-hour small group Luxury Canal boat ride with Voyage Amsterdam (drinks and snacks included if you prepay for them). The Canal tour was thorough, and the guide was awesome – I recommend taking it the hour before sunset so you get the best of the city as it falls under night’s spell. Both are the best ways to see the city on day 1. Between the two, you get the lay of the land from both water and street, and an introduction to the history and the food that shaped the city. You also get a good idea of where you might want to go back for dinner!
PS Night in the city is probably the most romantic time to take a walk. The canals and ancient church towers light up and make for beautiful photos. The Red Light District is teeming with people, onlookers as well as those looking for something more, but it’s still an interesting peek into a world you might not otherwise look.
The Culture of Amsterdam
Culturally, there is plenty of art and history at your fingertips. I am a huge Van Gogh fan, so a trip to the museum dedicated to his art was a must. You’ll see famed works like Sunflowers, Almond Blossom, Irises, and more. I personally love his Wheatfield series – the blues and golds speak to me of sunset and summer storms. But don’t go looking for Starry Night – that resides permanently at MOMA in NYC. The Rijksmuseum is the national museum of the Netherlands and is beautiful both inside and out. Rembrandt has a museum and house tour as well. And no trip to the city is complete without walking in the footsteps of Anne Frank during the 2 years she spent in hiding with her family, trying to escape Nazi persecution – a moving experience. But be sure to book 6 weeks ahead – only available on their official website – as tickets sell out quickly. And no photos were permitted inside the house.
If you visit the Jewish quarter, you’ll also notice metal plaques placed in the sidewalk at random intervals. These plaques are quite significant in that they mark the home of a Jewish individual who was forcibly removed and taken to Concentration Camps during WWII. The plaques notate their birth year, their names, their removal and deportation dates, the camps/locations (if known) they were sent to, and their death date. Easily overlooked if you don’t know what you’re looking for, but our Sherpa Guide thoughtfully pointed this out to us, for which I am grateful.
Off the beaten path in Amsterdam
For off-the-beaten-path lovers, I recommend the Museum of Prostitution. Located in the oldest part of Amsterdam (the Red Light District), it is a really interesting behind-the-scenes look at legalized prostitution from the perspective of the sex workers. If you’re interested in the human-ness of the sex industry – including the dangers of the job – this is worth the time. And after, you can grab a craft cocktail at the very colorful and hidden speakeasy-style bar Rosalia’s Menagerie. Ring the bell and wait for her to come to the door to let you in – if you pass muster.
In the photo below, those are not real women in the windows. They are virtual simulations projected inside the Museum of Prostitution. Photos were permitted inside the museum, but there are very strict rules forbidding photos of sex workers in the Red Light District. PS, if you’re interested in knowing why the lights are red, we heard from several different guides that the red light was introduced early on when Syphilis was common among prostitutes and the people who partook. So the red light softened the look of the skin and hid the welts and rashes common to Syphilis. It is also easier for the eyes to adjust to at night, and now serves as a beacon the world over for those looking for certain services.
Biking in Amsterdam
If you’re interested in taking to two wheels, do so carefully (the Dutch bike like demons and follow the rules of the road, which means if you are in their way, you get run over), and go with a guided tour of the countryside with Flagship Bike Tours Amsterdam. You’ll see a legitimate Windmill (now a brewery), and bike for about 2 hours along the water to the small town of Ransdorp and beyond to a local farm that makes Goat and Cow cheese (and get to taste it!) and back again. You might even see baby farm animals!
Churches of Amsterdam
During the day, you can visit the same streets of the De Wallen neighborhood (Red Light District) and many others, and ironically visit some of the churches for an idea of what religion was like during the Protestant Reformation – many of these buildings double as museums and art installations now. I recommend the Oude Kerk, the oldest parish church from 1213.
Three Days in Amsterdam
Three days in Amsterdam were just about enough, and luckily, it only rained a little while I was visiting. But when you go, pack an umbrella and prepare for a delightful city, whether by day or by night.
