Amsterdam foodie hotspots - Dutch food & culture tour

As you might know by now this Dutchie loves her homeland, from the renowned cities like Amsterdam and The Hague, the beautiful wide (yet also flat) landscapes, extra pretty in spring with the colorful tulip fields, to the picturesque waterways, windmills and many quaint, yet highly photogenic hotspots, villages and towns, about which you can read more in this Instagrammable Netherlands blog.

Dutch food & culinary scene

But what my country is less known for is its food and culinary scene. Italy has the pizza, France the champagne, Spain the paella and Germany its bratwurst. And the Netherlands?

Even if you don't hear much about the culinary highlights and foodie hotspots of my homeland, they are there in abundance. Travelers are always surprised by how diverse our national cuisine is. Amsterdam, in particular, as the capital of the Netherlands, impressed many a tourist already with its culinary highlights.

While Dutch food, dishes and delicacies are not complicated, they are delicious and versatile.

To experience this firsthand, I went on a fun 3-hour food tour through Amsterdam with my friend Martine a few weeks ago, as tourists in our own country:)

The perfect way to taste and experience typical Dutch food, while learning some interesting facts about my country too!

Culinary & cultural food tour with Incredible Amsterdam

There are many culinary tours offered in Amsterdam. The Incredible Amsterdam food tour is, however, a special experience with a unique combination of foodie hotspots and cultural info. Created by the German tourism agency Amsterdamliebe, Incredible Amsterdam offers food tours in English, Italian, Spanish and French.

Guides from all over the world share their love for the city and Dutch cuisine on these tours and combine culinary highlights with fascinating facts about Dutch history.

Get a small preview of the highlights of Amsterdam and this tour in this gallery:

Dam Square – tour start in the heart of Amsterdam

Dam Square, the spot where Amsterdam originated, located right in the middle of the city, was the perfect starting point for this tour. At the National Monument, opposite the Royal Palace, we met our lovely food guide Noemi, who took us on both a culinary and at the same time cultural tour of the city.

She explained how Amsterdam was born and developed, what flowed directly beneath our feet and that our first king was actually not Dutch but French. Unexpected fun facts that not even Martine, as an Amsterdam born and raised resident, knew yet.

From the Royal Palace to the best coffee in town

After the first minutes of walking around the interesting Dam area and red light district, we headed straight to the 1st food hotspot. Although not really 'food' yet, the tour started in the same way as Amsterdam locals start their day: with coffee.

Hardly any other European city celebrates coffee drinking as much as they do here. Whether in a chic café, outside on the sunny terraces, on a walk or sitting directly along the canals with legs dangling over the water – good coffee is the elixir of life here.

The food tour introduced us to a charming café on the oldest preserved bridge of Amsterdam. The interior of Caffè il Momento impresses with its cozy ambience of industrial look with a modern touch, where coffee lovers can choose from a variety of coffees, including milk/chai alternatives.

Sweet treat with tradition

We enjoyed our favourite coffee variation outside, on the historic Torensluis bridge in front of the café, accompanied by something sweet to complement the excellent taste of the coffee.

Directly opposite the café is Pucchini Bomboni, a first-class chocolate store, founded as a mother-daughter project in Amsterdam back in 1987, which has made a name for itself ever since.

None of their pralines are the same, because everything here revolves around originality. A true must-visit if you have a sweet tooth like me, and the perfect treat, paired with a warm quality coffee!

Waffles made with heritage & love

You’re probably familiar with the thick waffles from Belgium, which are baked in a waffle iron with lots of batter. You can also buy these in Amsterdam, but the Netherlands actually has its very own “national waffle”, the stroopwafel. On the Incredible Amsterdam food tour, you will walk to the historic Egstorf store on the Spuistraat, where they prepare them fresh, right in front of you.

What makes these waffles so special? First of all, they are made from a super tasty batter that is baked very thinly and then cut open in the middle to spread a layer of caramel. If you like, you can then dip the waffle in chocolate and add toppings such as chocolate crumble or fruit. An absolute must-try when in the Netherlands!

Cheese tasting, can it get even more Dutch?

This Dutch delicacy I’m sure you’ve heard of before! Holland is a true cheese nation, renowned for its cheese heritage and craftmanship. Therefore, it would be a crime not to include an extensive cheese stop on a food tour through Amsterdam!

The perfect spot for this is Gastrovino, a cheese and wine store in the center of Amsterdam. The best thing about this food tour is that your food guide will take you to the cozy wine cellar, where cheese canapés have already been prepared for you with a matching glass of port.

Noemi told us where the cheese came from, and explained the best order in which to try the snacks and why goat's cheese is actually white and not yellow.

A little spoiler and interesting fact is that the most famous Dutch cheese, Gouda, has its round shape pure out of practicality😊 As the Netherlands is a seafaring nation, the round cheeses used to be rolled off the ships for easy transportation. How fun is that?!

Fresh from the sea

And when a country is so close to the sea, it’s to be expected that fresh seafood is also part of the culinary scene. In Amsterdam people are generally crazy about fresh fish and seafood of all kinds, sold in the city's many markets and fish stores. This Dutch specialty will not be left out of the food tour, although raw fish is not for everyone, and not my favourite to be honest!

But if you do like it, your guide will help you with the best way to eat fresh “haring”, as a real food guide befits: raw with onions or on a roll. You decide;)

Twice fried = twice as good

To round off the food tour, Noemi took us to my favourite stop and one I’m sure everyone will like without exception: fries. As agriculture has always played a major role in the Netherlands, with its abundance of potato farms, fries have a long tradition in my country.

At this final foodie hotspot, which is actually a hidden chip shop in the heart of Amsterdam, the fries are double-fried in vegan oil which makes them extra crispy. And this can be tasted!

Each portion of fries can be ordered with the most unique sauces, Noemi recommended the best ones to get that typically Dutch taste experience. Most go for the Joppie sauce, a mix of mayonnaise, curry and caramelized onions. A unique Dutch flavor for sure, although I can also highly recommend the truffle sauce!

The Incredible Amsterdam food tour is the perfect way to explore our capital and Dutch cuisine in just 2-3 hours on foot, with a big variation of historic sites and foodie hotspots within short walking distance.

This food and culture tour, with the knowledgeable and friendly guide Noemi, provided us with many fun facts, exciting background info and new knowledge about Amsterdam, that we as Dutchies didn’t even know!

Highly recommended to skip breakfast and go on this tour, even as a local, to explore and taste your way through Amsterdam and learn even more about the Netherlands along the way.

I hope you will have as much fun as we did and find even more inspiration and hotspots for your own Amsterdam visit, and get to know more about Dutch food and culture in my Netherlands blogs via this page.