How to Eat in Amsterdam on the Cheap

Amsterdam isn't one of the cheapest cities in Europe, but it is one of the most fun. Food and lodgings tend to be fairly expensive, but it is possible to eat well, even on a budget. You just need to know where to look.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Maps
• Restaurant Dining Guides
• Travel Guides
• Travelers' Checks

1. Eat in bars and coffee shops. You will usually find a variety of simple sandwiches; they're tasty, filling and affordable.
2. Try one of Amsterdam's many pancake houses, but don't expect American-style pancakes and syrup. The Dutch version (pannekoeken) comes in many varieties and makes a good, moderately priced meal.
3. Look for vegetarian or whole foods restaurants.
4. Check out the restaurants in the Leidseplein district. The selection includes Greek, Italian, Mexican, Japanese and Indonesian food, as well as more traditional Dutch fare. Prices are competitive.
5. Eat frites, or French fries. They're a cheap snack typically served in a paper cone with mayonnaise rather than ketchup.
6. Learn to enjoy herrings - pickled or otherwise. You'll find inexpensive haring broodje (herring on a bun) just about everywhere.
7. Look for vending machines, which sometimes sell entire fast-food meals.
8. Consider restricting yourself to one restaurant meal per day and shopping in markets and grocery stores for the other two meals, plus snacks. See if your hotel has ice available, which can keep perishables fresh.

Tips & Warnings

• If you want to try an Indonesian rijstafel while you are in Amsterdam, do it at lunchtime rather than dinnertime. It will still be expensive, but will almost certainly cost a lot less than it does on the dinner menu.
• One of the best sweet treats in Amsterdam are the stroopwafel. Available in supermarkets, or fresh from some street vendors, these are thin, waffle-like cookies with a layer of chewy caramel in the middle.
• Get a good budget guidebook, which should contain extensive listings of affordable restaurants and cafés.
• You'll find lots of cheap meals in the red-light district, but it's not a good idea to go there alone after dark, unless you are with a large group.
• Remember that there are both regular and smoking coffee shops in Amsterdam. You can often tell a smoking coffee shop by the décor of marijuana leaves or by its Rastafarian colors and images. If you're eating in a smoking coffee shop, bear in mind that the 'cake of the day' or 'cake special' is almost always a euphemism for a marijuana-laced cake or muffin.
• Avoid tourist trap areas if you're trying to eat on the cheap. You may find that the restaurants and cafés a block or so away from the heart of the action are a better deal.