Amsterdam | Food Favourites

I'm going to have to split this post into two parts because even though we only took a four day trip, we ate so much AMAZING food that I need to share all of the places with you. 

Above you have the classic fresh fries smothered in mayo. They are incredibly cheap and hit the spot when you've been traipsing around the city all day and need a hot, greasy pick-me-up. I recommend getting the tiny chopped onions as well, just make sure you are carrying some industrial strength chewing gum with you. I won't recommend any particular place for these, you will find them dotted all over Amsterdam but the place my husband insisted on going back to like 4 times was Vlaams Friteshuis Vleminckx on  Voetboogstraat. I really liked this area of Amsterdam, it had so many shops that I just wanted to spend hours browsing (plus a random Marks & Spencer!). Google has since told me that they are the best fries in the city, so there you have it!

Our first night in the city was miserably rainy (like most of our stay actually) which didn't detract from the charm of the city whatsoever but it meant we weren't really keen on wandering the streets all night until we found somewhere interesting to eat. I was really struck by the number of Argentinian Steak Houses in Amsterdam, I don't know what I expected a typical restaurant their to look like but I hadn't really pictured a steak place. We stopped by a cute place called Cau, their website is here and it is recommended that you make a reservation - we were lucky that are lovely waiter managed to squeeze us in. I was a little bit nervous about our trip because I speak zero dutch and it was our first trip in a long time that one of us didn't have the language base covered. Our waiter spoke excellent English (as did everyone we met in Amsterdam) which avoided the need for cringey google translate sessions. We had been snacking all day so we didn't want to eat anything heavy, and went for steak or chicken sandwich/burgers. They were absolutely heavenly and came in under €10 each, the staff will be happy to recommend a reasonably priced wine too. The decor is lovely at Cau and I will definitely be paying a visit next time I'm in Amsterdam. 

Sorry about the pic quality, i was trying to be subtle so I stupidly turned the flash off. 

I'd read online a bit about food must-eats in Amsterdam and Febo kept cropping up. I adore the concept: It's basically like a vending machine mcdonalds and staff working behind it are constantly replenishing the food. The reality is a bit grim and as much as avoiding talking to a stranger appeals to me, I can't help finding it a bit icky. I wasn't brave enough to try anything but my husband bought some sort of breaded veggie cheese sausage croquette thing that was utterly revolting. They are everywhere and were open pretty late, I guess it might seem really appealing if you are drunk/starving. I think it must come so highly recommended because it is very cheap, but probably because of the novelty value!

These were absolutely at the top of my list for Dutch classics that I needed to try whilst in Amsterdam. We managed to find a decent looking place that had them on the menu whilst we were waiting for our Ice Bar slot, The Grand Café L'Opera has seen better days but the staff were pleasant and these Poffertjes were everything. I could eat them for days. They are small, very fluffy, pancakes that are served with a load of butter and icing sugar; basically heaven on a plate and they have ruined all other pancakes for me forever. They are also pretty cheap, I think this generous portion was only €3.50. This picture really doesn't do them justice but I was too busy trying to watch the random impromptu 5sos concert on their hotel room balcony on the other side of Rembrandtplein.

I really loved the packaging of this chocolate, although I didn't try any. The store these glorious wonka-esque stacks were in didn't accept cash. like, at all. I didn't fancy the charges for a foreign transaction so reluctantly went without. It turns out the no-cash thing is pretty common, and it does make sense even if it was a mild inconvenience.

I have never seen so many Oreos or Reese's items in one place. Be proud of me, because I resisted and did not eat a single one and those chocolate covered Oreos are other worldly. 

Okay, so you may know i'm a bit of a purist when it comes to macarons, but I was willing to overlook them in this case. Ice bakery is a chain that revolves around nutella. Everything is nutella; brownies, muffins, donuts, crepes, waffles etc etc. Nutella is glorious, so I thought this place was worth a mention. 

Where are your favourite places to eat in Amsterdam?