visit.holland-vip.com

De Silveren Spiegel (Kattengat 4-6, Amsterdam) — The menu at “The Silver Mirror,” one of the oldest and best-known restaurants in Amsterdam, offers updated preparations of traditional seafood and meat dishes, such as baked sole filets with wild spinach, and trilogy of lamb with ratatouille — but just as in the old days, the lamb […]

De Pijp (Gaffelstraat 90, Rotterdam) — Over 110 years old, De Pijp is a well known restaurant among locals. Frequented by students, politicians and artists this is truly a no-nonsense homey restaurant. The menus are written on chalkboard and the dishes are mostly Dutch favorites like mussels or steak with baked potatoes.

De Knijp (Van Baerlestraat 134, Amsterdam) — One of this fine restaurant’s advantages is that it’s open late — its kitchen still takes orders when chefs at many other Amsterdam restaurants are tucked up in bed. This would not count for much, of course, if the food weren’t good, but De Knijp is definitely worth […]

De Jaren (Nieuwe Doelenstraat 20-22, Amsterdam) — This cafe-restaurant with picturesque surroundings is fashionable without being pretentious. It occupies a solid-looking former bank; ceilings are unusually high and flooring is multicolored tiled mosaic. Students from the nearby University of Amsterdam lunch here, and it’s popular with the media crowd.   De Jaren’s unique selling point […]

D’Vijff Vlieghen (Spuistraat 294-302, Amsterdam) — The “Five Flies” has nine separate dining rooms spread over five canal houses decorated with objects from Holland’s Golden Age — among them four original Rembrandt etchings. Each dining room has a different character. There’s the Rembrandt Room; the Glass Room, with a collection of antique handmade glassware; and […]

Café-Restaurant Van Puffelen (Prinsengracht 377, Amsterdam) — A young professional crowd gets to choose between brown-cafe-style eating and drinking, and a slightly more sophisticated experience in a separate dining room. Some menu dishes don’t add up to much more than regular steak with accompaniments. Others, like the baked seawolf wrapped in Serrano ham and served […]

Café-Restaurant De Duvel (Eerste van der Helststraat 59-61, Amsterdam) — Invariably packed with hip locals, “The Devil” is a friendly neighborhood eetcafé (bar with eats) that serves more-than-decent food in a cozy red dining room in the trendy De Pijp district, close to Sarphatipark. Indonesian chicken saté, salad with shrimps tempura, and beef filet in […]

Breitner (Amstel 212, Amsterdam) — A fast, last-minute dash from here should get you to the Muziektheater or Koninklijk Theater Carré just in time for the evening curtain rise, but that would involve dining in unseemly haste, and undervalues the performance of the excellent kitchen and knowledgeable waitstaff. The plush red carpet, chandelier, and wine […]

Brasserie Keyzer (Van Baerlestraat 96, Amsterdam) — Whether or not you attend a concert at the Concertgebouw, visit its next-door neighbor, Brasserie Keyzer. An Amsterdam landmark since 1903, Keyzer has enjoyed a colorful joint heritage with the world-famous concert hall. Among the many stories still told here is the one about the night a customer […]

Bordewijk (Noordermarkt 7, Amsterdam) — This pleasantly located restaurant is often regarded as one of the best in the city. The decor is tasteful, with green potted plants offsetting the severity of the white walls and metallic black tables. Service is relaxed yet attentive, and on mild summer evenings you can’t beat dining alfresco on […]