Best Middle Eastern restaurants in Amsterdam

Bar Bachrach

Bar Bachrach offers a modern menu featuring the typical flavours of the Middle East and Mediterranean: calamari served with creamy hummus, fava beans and amba (mango pickle); smoked aubergine with tahini; and veal spare ribs with a harissa glaze. The interior has a warm atmosphere for shared dining or a cosy bite at the long wooden bar. 

Bar Bachrach | Javaplein 25, Oost

Cedars

As far as location goes, Cedars comes out on top for its waterfront views and sunny terrace. Named after the cedar tree, the national symbol of Lebanon, the restaurant in the west of the city excels in dishes and mezze most loved by Middle Eastern foodies: spinach and walnut filled pastries, rice wrapped in vine leaves, oven-roasted stuffed vegetables, and charcoal grilled lamb chops. Don’t miss the kanafeh – a vermicelli-topped, syrup-drenched cheese dessert loved all over the Middle East.

Cedars | Heemstedestraat 80, Nieuw-West

Mitts

Mitts prides itself on its sustainable, high-quality, organic menu full of fresh flavours, made to share. Its laid-back restaurant vibe makes it a great spot to gather a few friends over small plates and glasses of natural wine. Food-wise, Mitts offers a modern take on Middle Eastern cuisine with starters such as roasted beet with feta cream and bigger plates piled high with barbecue-grilled meats or vegetables, tahini, za’atar, caramelised onion and pine nuts. Save room for the date crème brûlée.

Mitts | Javastraat 49A, Oost

Fenicie

This Lebanese restaurant makes it worth the trip out of Amsterdam and into Purmerend. The menu offers cold and warm mezzes that are chock-full of meat and vegetarian options. Fenicie’s speciality is the charcoal grill: try the lamb chops and beef cuts skewers or the squid filled with feta cheese and pine nuts.

Fenicie |  Willem Eggertstraat 143, Purmerend

The Lebanese Sajeria

The Lebanese saj – a thin flatbread baked on the curved sides of a large oven – forms the basis of each dish on the Sajeria’s menu. Don’t be put off by the lunchtime queues; these street-side wraps (there are some tables inside) are worth the wait. We recommend the za’atar and halloumi saj. Vegan options are available too.

The Lebanese Sajeria | Wijde Heisteeg 1 (Nine Streets) / Haarlemmerstraat 54 (Centrum) / Utrechtsestraat 69 (Centrum)

Tigris en Eufraat

Founded in 2015 by Egyptian owner Aly Mohamed and named after the two rivers in Iraq, this Javastraat takeaway spot is well known among the falafel fans of Amsterdam. Though loved for its reasonably priced falafel wraps, the shawarma and manaqish (za’atar or meat-topped flatbreads) are winners too, which are best enjoyed outside and washed down with a can of Coke. The attached shop is a haven for specially imported Middle Eastern goods, from all types of tahini, labneh, za’atar and date syrup, to frozen kibbeh and sambousek to satisfy cravings at home.

Tigris en Eufraat | Javastraat 20H, Oost

Sham / Sham Maza

Sham is the nickname of Damascus, the oldest capital city in the world. This Syrian kitchen offers traditional mezze dishes – hummus, baba ganoush and moutabal, but excels at big pot stews regularly seen inside Middle Eastern homes. Dig into the maqluba – translated to “turned upside-down”, this is a rice, lamb and aubergine dish, known for being stewed in one big saucepan and then turned, well, upside down, onto a plate.

Sham | Witte de Withstraat 125, De Baarsjes / Borneosteiger 1, Oost / Jan Evertsenstraat 69H, De Baarsjes

Şerifoğlu

Head down to Şerifoğlu for the best baklava in town, known to attract sweet-toothed fans from far and wide. This delicious sweet treat, found all over the Middle East and some of the Mediterranean, is made from crispy layers of syrup-drenched filo pastry filled with a mouth-watering mixture of walnuts and pistachios. In the café, you can enjoy traditional Turkish sweets, pastries and savoury snacks with a hot drink – the perfect lunchtime pick-me-up.

Şerifoğlu | Bernard Loderstraat 15, Nieuw-West / Slotermeerlaan 115, Nieuw-West

Mima

Mima's owners fell in love with Middle Eastern cuisine while on vacation and decided to bring the flavours to Amsterdam. You will find traditional dishes with a modern twist and a choice of flatbread, a sourdough (whole wheat) pita bread or a bowl filled with falafel, chicken, eggplant or cauliflower shawarma. Pick up or delivery only.

Mima | Jan Pieter Heijestraat 180, Oud-West