Best healthy food spots in Amsterdam
After a few days of sightseeing in Amsterdam with nothing but tasty treats and desserts — bitterballen, oliebollen and stroopwafels, to name a few — your body may need some food of the healthy variety. Luckily in Amsterdam, healthy restaurants and juice bars are as plentiful as its snack shops. Dive into a wholesome lunch or breakfast that’s both nutritious and delicious at some of the best healthy cafes and lunch rooms in Amsterdam.
Vinnies
With three locations, you can enjoy healthy but hearty food at Vinnies anywhere in Amsterdam. Each of the two locations specialises in something different: head to the deli on Haarlemmerstraat for a filling salad or to Scheldestraat for a strong drink or a glass of wine. Whichever location you end up at, you’ll receive the same high-quality organic food sourced from local vendors. Special dishes such as Japanese ramen bowl from the chef or a gluten-free cauliflower frittata are available for those who want something a little different than your typical veggie salad.
Yoghurt Barn
Pop into one of Yoghurt Barn's locations for a nutritious and filling breakfast. Choose from a range of overnight oats and yogurt bowls, such as the Energy Explosion with banana, figs and roasted almonds. In addition to the regular yogurt, you'll also find lactose-free and vegan options including soy, coconut and almond yogurt.
Bataat
This lunch hotspot focuses not just on healthy eating but healthy living. In addition to Bataat's menu of organic, vegetarian and vegan dishes, the lunch room offers workshops that feature cooking and yoga lessons all wrapped up into one. After you try out one of their dishes such as bibimbap, a Korean rice bowl with tempeh, or the Dutch Weed Burger, a soybean patty with kombu, you can learn how to make meals just as healthy and delicious. Reserve a spot with friends at a Classic or Healthy High Tea, where you’ll be served either an assortment of sandwiches and a hearty surprise or salad and soup with a selection of homemade sweets.
Lavinia Good Food
Escape the hustle and bustle of the city centre for some mindful eating at this quirky and bohemian cafe on Kerkstraat. Lavinia Good Food serves up delicious breakfasts and an extensive lunch menu. The raw food concept ensures all dishes are freshly prepared, without unnecessary additives and with ingredients from local suppliers. On the menu you'll find many different sourdough breads and daily changing hot dishes and soups for the perfect guilt-free feast.
The Meets
At The Meets, the menu follows a simple rule of using 80% plant-based foods and 20% animal produce — but everything, they say, is 100% delicious! The Meets uses local and often organic ingredients that contain no additives or refined sugars, but they don’t shy away from meat, either. While the lunch menu features vegetarian items like the dosa dumplings: rice and lentil filled parcels with a mushroom and jackfruit ragu, non-vegetarians can still enjoy a juicy beef burger with all the fixings. Go all in and munch on the tasting board for two with sushi, a daily soup and salad, dumplings and fried oyster mushrooms with a delicious dipping sauce.
SLA
At SLA, you get love in a bowl. The restaurant, whose flagship venue is located in De Pijp, opened in 2013 with the mission of getting everyone to experience the joy of healthy eating. You can order online for takeaway, but the relaxing, muted interior of SLA’s shops is just too inviting. The menu naturally features a variety of salads — sla means ‘salad’ in Dutch — such as the Indian tempeh bowl or the smoked mackerel salad, but if none of the shop’s favourites make you salivate, you can build your own. Choose from a wide variety of lettuce, dressing, grains and beans, veggies and add-ins such as goat cheese or teriyaki chicken. Besides the salads, SLA offers soups, hummus, smoothies, juice and desserts to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Pluk
You don’t even have to stop shopping and sightseeing when you visit Pluk for lunch — not only is it a lunchroom, it’s a shop filled with unique home décor and accessories. After admiring the wares, you can take a seat upstairs at one of the few tables to enjoy a meal from the surprisingly long menu. Dig into the Happy Healthy Salad, filled with quinoa and fresh vegetables, or chow down on a smashed avocado and poached egg sandwich. Down at the bar, order a refreshing freshly pressed juice such as the Veggie & Fruity, a mix of spinach and exotic fruits, or a hot turmeric latte.
