{travel} amsterdam, the food

The strangest thing happened when we were in Amsterdam. We didn't really have any appetites. This does not EVER happen to me. I don't know if it was because it was such a short trip and we were trying to see as much as possible, or what... but all I know is I definitely didn't get to eat as much of the food in Amsterdam as I wanted to. Like.. we ate fries for two meals. It's fine. Luckily for us, we chose some awesome places to test out during our limited eating moments. They were all so good that I knew I needed to document them and share with you if you ever find yourself in Amsterdam! Enjoy. :)

VleminckX Homemade Fries -

We went to this fry shop because a bunch of people raved about it on TripAdvisor, claiming that they sold the best fries in all of Amsterdam! They definitely didn't disappoint! They were fresh out of the fryer, all crispy and delicious. One tip though - even if you think you are a sauce fiend, just stick with the single serving of sauce. My roomie and I can never get enough sauce usually, but wooooof that double portion was intense.

Gartine -

This was my favorite meal the entire trip! Everything was so lovely - from the decor, the fooood (my goodness, the food), the plates, and the sweet couple who run the restaurant. We walked past Gartine during the lunch hour the first day we arrived and decided to pop in to make a reservation for brunch the next day. It's a good thing we did! While we were eating, multiple groups of people attempted to walk in and score a table but were promptly turned away because all of the tables were already booked for the rest of the day.

Here's a run down of what my table ordered: Yogurt & marscapone with cranberries, coconut, and museli, sourdough toast with four year old farmers Gouda and rhubarb jam, and sourdough toast with scrambled eggs and herbs from the garden. I tried all of it and was 100% in culinary heaven. I just ordered a coffee for my drink, but my friends got a little crazier with a grapefruit orange juice, syrup of raspberries with frozen raspberries and mineral water, and berry ice cream with Sprite. Um. Just do it y'all.

We all seriously wanted to go back so that we could sample the lunch menu, but we didn't end up having enough time. I still dream of you, Gartine!

Blue -

Our friend Helena heard about this place from her friend who is in graduate school in Amsterdam. This restaurant/cafe is one of the only places with a view in the city. We stopped in on a particularly chilly, rainy day during our trip to warm up a bit. I decided to order a fresh mint tea, while my friends all went with cold pints of Amstel. The view was incredible from the restaurant, and the food that kept coming out of the kitchen looked really good too!

Lombardo's -

One thing that I severely miss in Spain are goooooood sandwiches. A traditional Spanish bocadillo is good every one in a while, but I love my sandwiches junked up with a thousand ingredients like goat cheese, avocado, grilled veggies, etc. We stumbled upon Lombardo's after wandering around the museums near the big I AMsterdam sign. We were starving after touring the Heineken factory, so we decided to take a chance on a random sandwich shop on our way home. It was an absolutely wonderful idea because everything we ordered was delicious! My roommate's brother went with a burger, while us girls chose to go with some fancy sandwiches. I ordered the grilled zucchini and goat cheese sandwich. SO GOOD.

Only 40 days until I can eat a similar sandwich in America! Weeeeeee!

Pannenkoekenhuis Upstairs Amsterdam -

I couldn't leave Amsterdam without trying a Dutch pancake. I wasn't sure what to expect. I thought that they would be closer to an American pancake texture, but they were in between that and a French crepe. I'm sure the sweet pancakes are really good, but I decided to go with a savory ham, cheese, and tomato one. I quite liked it, but I think I liked the atmosphere of the quaint restaurant more. There are only a few tables, but my friend and I lucked out by getting there right when they opened. If we would have come 10 minutes later, they probably would have turned us away because they were also completely reserved for the rest of the day.

The scary stairs we had to use to access the restaurant, typical to the old houses in Amsterdam.

I so thoroughly enjoyed my time in Amsterdam! Look out for a post tomorrow with some fun photos my friend, Helena, and I took while wandering around the city on our last day.

Check out my first post on the sights in Amsterdam if you missed it!

xx, Jen

Amsterdam on Dwellable