Ordering a beer is simple enough, of course, but knowing the Amsterdam lingo for doing so can ensures you get exactly what you want.
What will it be: Pilsje? Vaasje? Biertje?
Without a doubt, the Dutch street food most frowned upon by tourists, expats, and immigrants, is herring. Squeamish tourists often assume the fish is eaten raw, but that is not the case.
Herring is the Netherland’s national snack: If you’ve never tasted fresh herring you don’t know what you’re missing.
You’ll have plenty of opportunity to eat this Amsterdam street food delicacy. The 2020 Hollandse Nieuwe — ‘New Herring’ — season started in June. Hollandse Nieuwe is sold until September 30. But herring is enjoyed all year long.
The saying goes that you can ‘eat in any language’ in Amsterdam. There are restaurants with food from all over the world. Small wonder. Amsterdam is home to people from more than 170 different people groups, and it looks like they each brought their own cuisine.
Brewery De Prael, located alongside one of the oldest canals in the heart Amsterdam, is renowned for its beer and its food.
But it also has won the hearts of Amsterdammers by being environment-friendly, and socially conscious.
Upon their return home from Amsterdam many tourists recount colorful stories of how they ‘accidentally’ visited a coffeeshop (just like they ‘innocently stumbled into’ the infamous Red Light District).
If you don’t want to make the same mistake – or conversely, if you do – pay attention.
Amsterdam is blessed with many great specialty coffee houses, but few garner such consistent praise as Al Ponte.
This real Italian coffee kiosk (owned and staffed by Italians) also serves fantastic, freshly made sandwiches.
Bonus: gorgeous, panoramic views of the river IJ.
Sunny? Head for AL Ponte!
As part of nationwide policy of discouraging drug use among underage youth, Amsterdam is closing 31 cannabis cafes (known as ‘coffeeshops’) that are located too close to high schools.
But Amsterdam remains the Coffeeshop Capital of the World.
Update, December 18, 2013:: 3 coffeeshops on the list will not have to close after all