[ REVIEW ] A Wellness Expert’s Guide to 21 Healthy-ish Restaurants in Amsterdam (June 2019)

/

As a certified nutritional therapist AND bonafide greedy guts foodie, I often get asked for my recommendations of “which good or healthy places to eat at in Amsterdam?” And a special shout-out to my Insta follower @suriwanfamily who requested for this post. :)

I often feel that it’s not great to label your food “good” or “bad”... as this could lead to an unhealthy relationship with food.

Also… how do you define “healthy”? “Healthy” for who? There are so many different schools of thought, but more importantly, so many different individuals who require different levels of nutrients at different stages and points in their lives… I believe that no matter where you end up eating, you can always make the “right/ healthy/ better” food choices for YOU.

With that in mind, and with the caveat that I’m pescatarian - eating fish/ seafood and veggies only - I can’t vouch for any of the meat options on the menus below.

I live and work in West and Centrum, so these are all heavily skewed towards these areas. Coz West side is da best side! <3

I’ve got recommendations for brunch, lunch and dinner places in this post. Stay tuned for more recommendations of green juice/ smoothie places and coffee spots coming soon!

Here are some of my current fave spots where you can find “healthy-ish” options in Amsterdam.

Brunch

Some of these places also open for dinner or all-day breakfast.

1. Dignita - A not-for-profit, helping reintegrate vulnerable individuals back to society. Eat well, do good. Their house-cured salmon is also THE BOMB.

2. Little Collins - All day brunch, with a different menu for dinner. They’re very open to making changes for different dietary requirements.

3. Moak Pancakes - All. The. Pancakes. Also with vegan options.

4. Breakfast Club - All day breakfast! It’s a bit hit and miss depending on which of their 5 locations you go to. Bellamystraat in West has been consistently decent. ;)

5. Bakers & Roasters - De Pijp branch was one of the first few brunch places that popped up in the dam and so always appears on all brunch lists. It’s a decent brunch, but I’m not sure it’s worth the one-hour wait if you don’t get there early enough (early enough being 8.30 or 9am on weekends).

6. Omelegg - They do one thing and they do it well: ALL. THE EGGS. :)

Lunch

Some of these places are also good for brunch options, but I prefer their menus for a midday meal (for me that means no eggs, LOL).

7. Foodware - It’s been one of my faves since moving here 9 years ago. A deli where you can choose a main and two veggie sides. They change it up daily and always have meat/ fish/ vegetarian options.

8. Rainarai - Similar concept to Foodware above, but Algerian food. It’s always an amazing spread of a whole baked fish, or a meat equivalent, and sooooo many roasted vegetables or salads to accompany.

9. Small Worlds - Also another deli-style choose-your-adventure from a spread of different kinds of veggies - roasted/ grilled (I love their haricots vert), quiches, fish cakes… or hot/ cold sandwiches or wraps, along with great juices, smoothies or Lot 61 coffee. Plus, Sean, the cheeky Ozzy owner loves a good chat. A good spot on a corner for some midday sun (if and when the Dutch sun decides to show itself).

10. Coffee & Coconuts - Great for breakfast or lunch, with loads of vegan or gluten-free options. It’s located in an old theater building and built on mezzanine levels that overlook each other… and it’s filled with loads of plants!

11. Vegabond - Vegan grocery store that also has a deli counter serving smoothies, breakfast bowls, and light snacks. Probably better for a light afternoon tea than a big lunch.

12. Sla - Organic salad bar. Also has healthy bowl options and smoothies.

13. De Worst - Before you think it’s a terrible name for a restaurant, “worst” means sausage in Dutch. Find all the gourmet sausages here - I dream of their lobster sausage. All dishes come with veggie sides and if you don’t eat meat or fish, they’ll make a vegan meal for you out of all their amazing veggie side dishes (this place is really a wine bar and has really good wine, if that’s your thing).

Dinner

I am a noodle fiend, so there are probably way more noodle recommendations here than is normal, but I’ve narrowed it down to my ultimate favourites (there’s more where these came from so message me if you’re curious).

14. De Vrouw met de Baard - Fusion soul food: hearty, punchy, spicy flavours from “Brooklyn to Bali”. I usually can’t stand fusion food, but this place is super special and my current FAVOURITE place in town.

15. Soil Amsterdam - Casual plant-based restaurant but with ethical/ sustainable meat pairings.

16. Yerba - High-end plant-based restaurant but with ethical/ sustainable meat pairings.

17. Flora Tacos - It’s located in a park, so it’s amazing on a nice summer’s day.

18. Foodhallen - A huge food court in a converted tram depot, with loads of options for all dietary needs. Have dinner here, then watch a movie at Filmhallen next door.

19. Fou Fow - Ramen and udon (different locations round the corner from each other). Both have veggie options and the ramen joint has gluten-free rice noodle options. The veggie broth is a clear mushroom broth, for a heartier option see Hinata below.

20. Pho 91 - Vietnamese pho noodle restaurant, also with bun noodle options (with gluten-free rice noodles, also have vegan options).

21. Hinata Ramen - If you like thick, hearty broths, all their vegetarian ramen broths hit the spot. I don’t eat meat, so can’t speak for any of their meat broths.

Stay tuned for more recommendations of green juice/ smoothie places and coffee spots coming soon!

Am I missing any of your favourite healthy-ish spots? Do let me know by adding your faves in the comments below. You’d be helping out other health freaks in our beautiful city of Amsterdam too!

If you’d like more tips on healthy living, get my 5 easy tips to better health. Click the button below.

You might also be interested in these other posts:

Like what you’re reading? Join loads of other busy go-getters like yourself who get 5 easy tips from me every month about how to stay fit, healthy and happy when you’re on a time-crunch. When you can’t find the time to stay sane, I help nudge you in the right direction with my monthly 5 Good Things To Share! email. Click on the image below.