Restaurants and bars in Noord
Gone are the days of true grit and grunge, as Noord has evolved into a growing hub for nightlife and gastronomy. Trendy eateries in former factories and hangars redefine industrial-chic just as casual fine-dining options and pop-ups cater to a variety of international cuisines. Along the waterfront, you’ll find a range of cosy cafes, bars and foodie hangouts, offering impeccable riverside views and some of the most memorable dining experiences in Amsterdam.
Metro
If you plan on visiting the recently opened NXT Museum, the Netherlands’ first dedicated to new media art, do make a reservation at the adjacent Café-Restaurant Metro. Situated in a converted warehouse, it’s open for breakfast, lunch and dinner but you can also stop by for brilliant bar snacks, such as garlicky razor clams, moreish maritozzo (brioche buns) filled with quince and creamed chicken liver and sticky grilled aubergine garnished with lemony gremolata. Or pizza fritta, an ancient, almost doughnut-like street food version of the Italian staple: deep-fried, split and stuffed with creamy burrata and salted anchovies. So good!
Chateau
Pair excellent Italian food with Amsterdam-made wines at the sleek new 3000 m2 location of urban winery Chateau Amsterdam. Inside you'll fin an Italian restaurant, wine bar and shop adjacent to an impressive glass-walled production space. Here, you can enjoy over 25 Amsterdam-made wines and upcoming chef Joey Baas’ brilliant bar snacks such as panisse (chickpea fries), polpette di baccalà (salt cod balls) and tarte de Menton (onion and Taggia olive tart). Or linger longer over steaming bowls of spaghetti with spicy nduja-doused mussels or pappardelle with saffron butter and ragu of slow-cooked beef shanks. Delicioso!
Pelusa
One of the latest hotspots to grace the streets of Noord, Pelusa is a gastropub with a difference. The seasonal menu makes use of an Argentinian parilla smoker to deliver a delicious twist on familiar ingredients. You can choose from a daily-changing selection of main dishes that are possible to share between two to three people. Whilst beer lovers will be impressed by the selection of wild-fermentation beers and local breweries such as Kromme Haring, Walhalla and Butcher's Tears.
Coba Taqueria
You haven’t tasted Mexican food until you’ve been to Coba Taqueria where the salsas are out-of-this-world and the margaritas get the party started. Indulge in sublime tacos and intriguing tequilas in a cheerful, unpolished interior with wicker stools and cactuses positioned here and there. The menu features a daring array of tacos: one tortilla is stuffed with soft-cooked pork neck and grilled pineapple, and another contains pulpo, brown beans and peanuts.
Oedipus Brewing Tap Room
For over a decade, Oedipus Brewing’s reputation has been going from strength to strength, to the point where you’ll now find their beers sold across the city. A visit to their colourful taproom is well worth the trip, where the vibrant terrace and rambling interiors will be packed with beer-lovers in their element. Sample a flight of experimental creations such as the Thai Thai Tripel flavoured with East Asian aromatics or the Mannenliefde Saison made with lemongrass and Szechuan pepper. Or, for a true sensory explosion, combine the house-brewed beers with mouth-watering and award-winning burgers courtesy of The Beef Chief.
Corner Store
Corner Store is not a shop as the name might suggest, but a wonderfully vibey restaurant/cocktail bar with a great terrace in Noord. Inside, the decor is spacious and light and music (courtesy of the DJ booth) plays a central role. The menu carries predominantly Japanese-inspired dishes such as raw halibut with fennel and kosho (a chili-citrus marinade), cucumber with seaweed and dashi or spicy fried chicken. The cocktail selection is knockout and you’ll also find some superb sakes and wines on the drinks list.
Hotel de Goudfazant
The name might suggest an old-fashioned family hotel but actually, de Goudfazant is a hip restaurant on the water’s edge where the chefs are cooking up a storm. In this gigantic 1200m2 shed, the menu is as unfussy as the decor is rugged. Original rust-brown pillars and unpainted walls contrast with the mega-chandelier made from glass bottles, red canteen chairs and linen tablecloths. During the summertime, this is where you can rub shoulders with Amsterdam’s creative in-crowd eating outside.
Lowlander
An excellent spot for group dining, Lowlander Botanical Bar & Restaurant offers a plant-led, seasonal menu centred around fresh takes on familiar classics, such as jackfruit rendang, aubergine steak or potato terrine. Every dish is prepared using herbs, spices and techniques that pack a flavourful punch. Their creative list of botanically brewed beers (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic), botanical sodas, fresh teas, all-natural juices and cocktails is also well worth shouting about.
Taverno Willi Becher
With its grass-roots aesthetic that has gained a loyal following over the past few years, Taverno is constantly testing fresh concepts and pop-up culinary events. Hit the sprawling beer garden on a sunny afternoon for delicious snacks and tipples or Franco-inspired main courses, including fish and lamb cooked on the open fire. Every Friday and Saturday, head inside to the cosy candle-lit tavern when the disco ball comes out for dancing to DJs and live music. You can find the current program on their Instagram.
Europa
With heaps of new trendy concepts - listening bars, clubs and urban wineries - popping up along the Gedempt Hamerkanaal this pocket of Noord is fast becoming one of the most exciting places to eat and drink in the city. Restaurant Europa is no exception, a counter restaurant with 26 seats offering two delightfully inspiring tasting menus, including a veggie version. The drinks menu is small but punchy with natural wines, speciality beers, kombuchas and choice cocktails.
Moon
It is not often that you get to see Amsterdam from above. At Moon, a restaurant located on the 19th floor of A’DAM Lookout, you get to enjoy the views of Amsterdam from all sides. The restaurant revolves (literally!) so all guests can enjoy at 360-degree view of the harbour, city centre and the horizon. Lunch patrons can dine à la carte; dinner guests can select one of the set menus of the evening. Using fresh, local and seasonal ingredients — mixed with a few exotic ones, like the Japanese dashi and miso — Moon takes you on a culinary and literal adventure.
Madam
Spend an evening at Madam to experience Amsterdam in a whole new light. Also located in A’DAM Lookout, Madam is a French and Mediterranean restaurant that promises a magical experience. At lunch, watch the city move while you enjoy your choice of a sandwich, salad or burger. In the evening, the restaurant offers two- or three-course meals before it totally transforms into a trendy skybar serving up cocktails and music to match. Kids are welcome during the day (a special kids’ menu is available), but the skybar is adults-only.
Café-Restaurant Stork
If you want fish, you’ve got to go to Stork. With a stunning, south-facing terrace jutting out over the water, this former ship-engine factory is now one of Amsterdam’s best seafood restaurants. The ultimate spot to lazily admire the cruise ships and tugboats navigating the River IJ on a sunny day. The menu is always fresh and bountiful – especially the seafood platter sporting North Sea crab, snow crab, mussels, clams, smoked salmon and mackerel rillettes.
Klaproos
Klaproos pizzeria exemplifies everything typical for Amsterdam-Noord and why we love this part of town: a hip converted space decked out in industrial lighting, trendy people of all ages and a gorgeous riverside terrace for sundown. Drop by for excellent pizzas, antipasti and unusual wines. At weekends, by about 22:00, the tables are cleared away, and the seemingly endless dining hall of mirrors is transformed into a 70s disco. Hardcore party people can extend their night in the techno hangar, De Schietclub, next door.
Papa Thang
A relatively new addition to Amsterdam Noord, Vietnamese bistro Papa Thang, is already a firm favourite for many. Chef Thang Pham takes inspiration from his roots, mixing traditional Vietnamese food with the irreverence of the street, a touch of international flavour and a lot of creativity. The result is a colourful menu of delicious, playful dishes that will get your tastebuds tingling in new ways. And if you happen to have a boat, you can also sail by to pick up a takeaway picnic basket.
Pompet
Parked in the middle of Noorderpark, café-restaurant Pompet adds a touch of French finesse to the neighbourhood. The menu is filled to the brim with Franco-inspired dishes, they serve a multitude of French natural wines and they have a real boules alley. While away a few hours on the petanque pitch before tucking into salads, mussels, sardines, rillettes, pates, cheeses and gefrituurde escargots (we’ll leave you to translate that last one). The large playground opposite makes this a great spot for fatigued parents to wind down.
