Amsterdam Directions Read online

  Shops

  American Book Center

  Kalverstraat 185; tel 020/625 5537.

  Bookstore with a vast stock, all in English, with lots of imported US magazines too. Students get ten-percent discount.

  Antonia

  Gasthuismolensteeg 18 & 6a; tel 020/627 2433.

  A gathering of adventurous Dutch designers, in two male and female locations. Good for shoes and bags.

  Athenaeum

  Spui 14; tel 020/622 6248.

  Excellent and browsable all-round bookshop with an adventurous stock – though it’s basically a Dutch store. Also the best source of international newspapers and magazines.

  Ksisk

  Kerkstraat 115.

  The place to come if you’re looking for something unusual to wear.

  Eduard Kramer

  Nieuwe Spiegelstraat 64; tel 020/623 0832.

  Antique store with a marvellous selection of fifteenth- to twentieth-century Dutch tiles.

  Kwekkeboom

  Reguliersbreestraat 36; tel 020/623 1205.

  One of the city’s most famous pastry shops. Also branches at Ferdinand Bolstraat 119 and Linnaeusstraat 80.

  Lambiek

  Kerkstraat 119; tel 020/626 7543, www.lambiek.nl.

  The city’s largest and oldest comic bookshop and gallery, with an international stock. Their website features the biggest comiclopedia in the world. Due to the rebuilding of their premises, they are temporarily relocated here, but will move back to Kerkstraat 78, just along the street, in due course.

  Metz & Co

  Keizersgracht 455; tel 020/5207020.

  A large department store stocking a wide range of designer clothes and occupying a handsome stone building of 1891, complete with caryatids and a fancy corner dome.

  Pompadour Chocolaterie

  Huidenstraat 12; tel 020/623 9554.

  Chocolates and lots of homemade pastries usually smothered in – or filled with – chocolate.

  Scheltema Holkema Vermeulen

  Koningsplein 20; tel 020/523 1411, www.scheltema.nl. Open late and on Sun.

  Amsterdam’s biggest and best bookshop. Six floors of absolutely everything, but mostly in Dutch.

  When Nature Calls

  Leidsestraat 508; tel 020/330 0700.

  Cannabis and hemp products such as hemp chocolate and beer, plus seeds and magic mushrooms.

  Xantippe Unlimited

  Prinsengracht 290; tel 020/623 5854. Mon 1–7pm, Tues–Fri 10am–7pm, Sat 10am–6pm, Sun 10am–5pm.

  Amsterdam’s foremost women’s bookshop, with a wide selection of feminist titles in English.

  Zipper

  Huidenstraat 7; tel 020/623 7302.

  Great selection of used and vintage clothing.

  Coffeeshops

  The Bulldog

  Leidseplein 15.

  The biggest and most famous of the coffeeshop chains, and a long way from its pokey Red-Light-District-dive origins. This, the main Leidseplein branch (the Palace), housed in a former police station, has a large cocktail bar, coffeeshop, juice bar and souvenir shop, all with separate entrances. It’s big and brash, not at all the place for a quiet smoke, though the dope they sell (packaged up in neat little brand-labelled bags) is reliably good.

  Global Chillage

  Kerkstraat 51.

  A celebrated slice of Amsterdam dope culture, always comfortably filled with tie-dyed stone-heads propped up against the walls, so chilled they’re horizontal.

  Mellow Yellow

  Vijzelgracht 33.

  Sparse but bright coffeeshop with a small but good-quality dope list. A little out of the way, but it makes up for it in friendliness.

  The Otherside

  Reguliersdwarsstraat 6.

  Essentially a gay coffeeshop (in Dutch, "the other side" is a euphemism for gay), but heteros are welcome and the atmosphere is relaxed and good fun.

  Cafés and tearooms

  Buffet van Odette & Yvette

  Herengracht 309.

  Just walking past will get your taste buds going: a serious treat for breakfast or lunch.

  Het Hok

  Lange Leidsedwarsstraat 134.

  Games bar, where you can play backgammon, chess or draughts, or just drink against a backdrop of clicking counters. Pleasingly unpretentious after the plastic restaurants of the rest of the street, though women may find the overwhelmingly male atmosphere off-putting.

  Restaurants

  Aphrodite

  Lange Leidsedwarsstraat 91; tel 020/622 7382. Daily 5pm–midnight.

  Inexpensive yet refined Greek cooking in a street where you certainly wouldn’t expect it. Fair prices too.

  De Blauwe Hollander

  Leidsekruisstraat 28; tel 020/627 0522.

  Inexpensive Dutch food in generous quantities – something of a boon in an otherwise touristy, unappealing part of town. Expect to share a table.

  Damsteeg

  Reestraat 28; tel 020/627 8794.

  Superb French-inspired cuisine with more than the occasional Dutch gastronomic flourish. In a charmingly renovated old canal house.

  Dynasty

  Reguliersdwarsstraat 30; tel 020/626 8400. Closed Tues.

  Festive choice of Indochinese food, with Vietnamese and Thai options: not for the shoestring traveller. The subdued atmosphere suits the prices – main courses average €20–25.

  Cilubang

  Runstraat 10; tel 020/626 9755.

  Small Indonesian restaurant, with a friendly atmosphere, serving well-presented, spicy dishes. Moderate prices.

  Golden Temple

  Utrechtsestraat 126; tel 020/626 8560.

  Laid-back place with a little more soul than the average Amsterdam veggie joint. Well-prepared, lacto-vegetarian food and pleasant, attentive service. No alcohol and non-smoking throughout.

  Iguazu

  Prinsengracht 703; tel 020/420 3910. Daily noon–midnight.

  For carnivores only: a superb, moderately priced Argentinian-Brazilian restaurant, with perhaps the best fillet steak in town.

  Le Pêcheur

  Reguliersdwarsstraat 32; tel 020/624 3121. Closed Sun.

  Beautiful restaurant with a well-balanced menu (the four-course set menu is good value at around €35). Lovely garden terrace in the summer. Open for lunch.

  Piet de Leeuw

  Noorderstraat 11; tel 020/623 7181. Mon–Fri noon–11pm, Sat & Sun 5–11pm.

  Arguably Amsterdam’s best steakhouse, dating from the 1940s, and surprisingly inexpensive. Excellent steaks, and mouthwatering desserts.

  Puri Mas

  Lange Leidsedwarsstraat 37; tel 020/627 7627.

  Exceptionally good value for money Indonesian, on a street better known for rip-offs. Friendly and informed service preludes spectacular rijsttafels, both meat and vegetarian. Recommended.

  Pygmalion

  Nieuwe Spiegelstraat 5a; tel 020/420 7022.

  Good spot for both lunch and dinner, popular among locals. South African dishes include crocodile steaks, and there’s a good selection of sandwiches and authentic Afrikaner desserts.

  Shiva

  Reguliersdwarsstraat 72; tel 020/624 8713.

  The city’s most outstanding Indian restaurant in terms of quality and price, with a wide selection of dishes, all expertly prepared and moderately priced. Highly recommended.

  Le Soleil

  Nieuwe Spiegelstraat 56; tel 020/622 7147. Open until 6pm.

  Pretty little restaurant (once visited by the Queen) which makes some great pancakes – try one with ginger and raisins.

  Tashi Deleg

  Utrechtsestraat 65; tel 020/620 6624.

  Highly recommended Tibetan restaurant, with friendly and accommodating staff dishing up authentic food for around €20 for two courses.

  Tempo Doeloe

  Utrechtsestraat 75; tel 020/625 6718.

  Reliable, reasonably priced quality place close to Rembrandtplein. As with all Indonesian restaurants, be guided by the waiter when choosing –
some of the dishes are very hot indeed.

  Van de Kaart

  Prinsengracht 512; tel 020/625 9232.

  A moderately expensive and very creative restaurant, with an excellent and surprising menu including lobster carpaccio, home-cured bacon and pumpkin-stuffed ravioli. The selection of wines complements the tastes created in the kitchen with vim and gusto.

  Le Zinc … et les Dames

  Prinsengracht 999; tel 020/622 9044. Closed Sun.

  Wonderfully atmospheric little place serving good-quality, simple fare with main courses averaging €20–25; there’s a particularly good wine list.

  ’t Zwaantje

  Berenstraat 12; tel 020/623 2373.

  Old-fashioned Dutch restaurant with a nice atmosphere and well-cooked, reasonably priced food. Well known for its liver and onions.

  Zushi

  Amstel 20; tel 020/330 6882. Daily noon–midnight.

  High-tech sushi bar, serving colour-coded dishes on a conveyor belt running along the bar.

  Bars

  De Admiraal

  Herengracht 319.

  Large and uniquely comfortable proeflokaal, with a vast range of liqueurs and spirits to explore.

  Bamboo

  Lange Leidsedwarsstraat 66.

  Legend has it Chet Baker used to live upstairs and jam on stage to pay his rent. These days the Bamboo is an unpretentious, friendly bar playing Seventies and Eighties music. Open from 9pm.

  De Duivel

  Reguliersdwarsstraat 87.

  Tucked away on a street of bars and coffeeshops, this is one of the few hip-hop cafés in Amsterdam, with continuous beats and a clientele to match. From 8pm.

  Huyschkaemer

  Utrechtsestraat 137.

  Attractive, small, local bar-restaurant on a street renowned for its eateries: a favourite watering hole for arty students. At weekends the restaurant area is turned into a dance floor.

  L & B

  Korte Leidsedwarsstraat 82. Open until 3am.

  A cosy bar, rather misplaced among the touristy restaurants and clubs of this part of town. Has a selection of two hundred different whiskies and bourbons.

  Het Land van Walem

  Keizersgracht 449.

  A chic bar-café – cool, light, and vehemently un-brown. The clientele is stylish, and the food is a kind of hybrid French-Dutch; there’s also a wide selection of newspapers and magazines, including some in English. Breakfast in the garden during the summer is a highlight. Usually packed.

  Lux

  Marnixstraat 403. Open late.

  The most trendy option among this stretch of cafés, drawing a young alternative crowd. Loud music.

  Het Molenpad

  Prinsengracht 653.

  This is one of the most appealing brown cafés in the city – a long, dark bar that also serves remarkably good food. Fills up with a young, professional crowd after 6pm. Recommended.

  Morlang

  Keizersgracht 451.

  Occasional live music and decent food in this new-wave designer bar.

  Mulligan’s

  Amstel 100.

  By far the best Irish pub in the city, with an authentic atmosphere, Gaelic music and good service.

  Schiller

  Rembrandtplein 26.

  Art Deco bar of the hotel upstairs, authentic in both feel and decor, and offering a genteel escape from the tackiness of much of the Rembrantplein.

  Van Puffelen

  Prinsengracht 377.

  A bar and restaurant adjacent to each other. The café is an appealing place to drink, with a huge choice of international beers and a reading room; the restaurant (daily 6–11pm) serves French food, which, though not cheap, is usually well worth it.

  Reynders

  Leidseplein 6.

  The last real option if you want to sit out on the Leidseplein. A remnant of days long gone, with aproned waiters and an elegant interior.

  Gay bars

  April

  Reguliersdwarsstraat 37.

  On the itinerary of almost every gay visitor to Amsterdam. Lively and cosmopolitan, with a good selection of foreign newspapers, cakes and coffee, as well as booze.

  Camp Café

  Kerkstraat 45.

  Pleasant mix of friendly regulars and foreign visitors. Worth a visit for the ceiling alone, which is covered with a collection of beer mugs from around the world.

  Vive la Vie

  Amstelstraat 7.

  Small, campy bar, patronized mostly, but not exclusively, by women and transvestites.

  Clubs and venues

  Café Alto

  Korte Leidsedwarsstraat 115; tel 020/626 3249, www.jazz-café-alto.nl.

  It’s worth hunting out this legendary little jazz bar just off Leidseplein for its quality modern jazz, performed every night from 10pm until 3am (and often much later). It’s big on atmosphere, though slightly cramped, and entry is free.

  Boom Chicago

  Korte Leidsedwarsstraat 12; tel 020/530 7300, www.boomchicago.nl.

  Something of a phenomenon in Amsterdam in recent years, this rapid-fire improv comedy troupe performs nightly to crowds of both tourists and locals, and has received rave reviews from Rough Guide readers, the Dutch and international press alike. With inexpensive food, the cheapest beer in town, and a Smoke Boat Cruise following most shows at 10.30pm, the comedy need not be funny – but it is.

  Carré Theatre

  Amstel 115–125; tel 0900/252 5255, www.theatercarre.nl.

  A splendid hundred-year-old structure (originally built for a circus) which represents the ultimate venue for Dutch folk artists, and hosts all kinds of top international acts: anything from Russian folk dance to La Cage aux Folles, with reputable touring orchestras and opera companies squeezed in between.

  Circustheater Elleboog

  Passeerdersgracht 32; tel 020/623 5326, www.elleboog.nl.

  Kids can learn to juggle, be a clown and practise face-painting here – all for €20.

  Escape

  Rembrandtplein 11; tel 020/622 1111, www.escape.nl.

  What once used to be a cheesy disco is now home to one of Amsterdam’s hottest Saturday nights, "Chemistry", with regular appearances by top DJs. A vast place, with room for 2000 people (although you may still have to queue).

  Exit

  Reguliersdwarsstraat 37; tel 020/625 8788. Free.

  A classic gay club in the centre of town. Current sounds play nightly to an upbeat, cruisy crowd. Predominantly male, though women are admitted.

  IT

  Amstelstraat 24; tel 020/625 0111, www.it.nl.

  Large disco with a fine sound system that’s popular with a mixed gay/straight crowd. Recently refurbished in a cool New York club style and attracting a dressed up, uninhibited clientele.

  Korsakoff

  Lijnbaansgracht 161; tel 020/625 7854. Free.

  Late-night performances by some of the better-known local grunge bands, in a lively setting with cheap drinks and a post-punk clientele.

  Maloe Melo

  Lijnbaansgracht 163; tel 020/420 4592, www.maloemelo.nl.

  Next door to the Korsakoff, a dark, low-ceilinged bar, with a small back room featuring lively local blues(y) acts.

  Le Maxim

  Leidsekruisstraat 35; tel 020/624 1920.

  Intimate piano bar that’s been going since the Sixties, with live music nightly.

  Melkweg (Milky Way)

  Lijnbaansgracht 234a; tel 020/531 8181, www.melkweg.nl. Wed–Sun 2–9pm (dinner from 5.30pm).

  Probably Amsterdam’s most famous entertainment venue, and these days one of the city’s prime arts centres, with a young, hip clientele. A former dairy (hence the name) just round the corner from Leidseplein, with two separate halls for live music, putting on a broad range of bands covering everything from reggae to rock, all of which lean towards the "alternative". Late on Friday and Saturday nights, excellent disco sessions go on well into the small hours, sometimes featuring the best DJs in town. As well as the gigs, there’s also a mon
thly film programme, a theatre, gallery, and bar and restaurant (Marnixstraat entrance). Concerts start 9–11pm.

  The Ministry

  Reguliersdwarsstraat 12; tel 020/623 3981. Open late.

  Quality DJs playing everything from garage and house through to R&B. Monday-night jam session features the local jazz talent.

  Paradiso

  Weteringschans 6–8; tel 020/626 4521, www.paradiso.nl.

  A converted church near the Leidseplein, with bags of atmosphere, featuring bands ranging from the up-and-coming to the famous – the Rolling Stones once appeared here. It has been known to host classical concerts too, as well as debates and multimedia events. Bands usually get started around 9pm.

  The western canals and the Jordaan

  The western stretches of the Grachtengordel comprise Amsterdam’s most likeable and unpretentious district, with attractions ranging from the low-key lure of picturesque Brouwersgracht to must-see sights like the Anne Frank House. West of Prinsengracht, the Jordaan was never subject to the rigorous planning restrictions of the main grachten, its streets following the lines of the original polder drainage ditches rather than any municipal outline. An easily explored area of slender canals and narrow streets flanked by an agreeable mix of modest, modern terraces and handsome seventeenth-century canal houses, its character has been transformed by a middle-class influx, and it has become one of the most sought-after residential neighbourhoods. Until the late 1970s, the inhabitants were primarily stevedores and factory workers, earning a crust in the pint-sized Scheepvaartsbuurt (Shipping Quarter), now a mixed shopping and residential quarter. Just beyond, the Westerdok is the oldest part of the sprawling complex of artificial islands that today sweeps along the south side of the River IJ.

  Brouwersgracht

  Running east to west along the northern edge of the three main canals is leafy Brouwersgracht, one of the most picturesque waterways in the city. In the seventeenth century, Brouwersgracht lay at the edge of Amsterdam’s great harbour. This was where many of the ships returning from the East unloaded their silks and spices, and as one of the major arteries linking the open sea with the city centre, it was lined with storage depots and warehouses. Breweries flourished here too, capitalizing on their ready access to shipments of fresh water. Today, the harbour bustle has moved elsewhere, and the warehouses, with their distinctive spout-neck gables and shuttered windows, formerly used for the delivery and dispatch of goods by pulley from the canal below, have been converted into apartments, some of the most expensive in Amsterdam. There are handsome merchants’ houses here as well, plus moored houseboats and a string of quaint little swing bridges.