If you think Dutch food is just cheese and waffles… you are wildly underestimating Amsterdam.

Before visiting, we honestly didn’t know much about traditional Dutch food besides stroopwafels. But after spending 48 hours eating our way through canals, brown bars, food halls, and late-night snack spots, we quickly realized Amsterdam might be one of Europe’s most underrated foodie cities.

The food scene here is cozy, comforting, slightly chaotic, and somehow perfectly matches the city itself.

From raw fish stands to deep-fried bar snacks and fries absolutely drowned in sauce, here’s everything we tried (and what we’d absolutely eat again).

We packed an absurd amount of food, canals, cafés, and hidden gems into just two days - and if you’re planning your own trip, check out our full 48 Hours in Amsterdam itinerary for exactly how we spent our time exploring the city.

Stroopwafels

Let’s start with the obvious.

A stroopwafel is basically two thin waffle cookies glued together with warm caramel syrup, and yes… they are every bit as dangerous as they sound.

The best ones are made fresh right in front of you at markets like the famous Albert Cuyp Market where the caramel is still warm and gooey when they hand it over.

And honestly? Store-bought stroopwafels are not the same. Not even close.

The fresh ones are softer, warmer, and somehow disappear in about 12 seconds.

Pro tip for the store bought ones: put one over your coffee cup so the steam softens the caramel inside. Life-changing behavior.

Poffertjes

Poffertjes are tiny fluffy Dutch pancakes served with powdered sugar and an alarming amount of butter.

Think mini pancakes crossed with little buttery clouds.

They’re slightly sweet, ridiculously soft, and somehow taste even better while wandering around Amsterdam in mildly questionable weather.

And the topping options are endless. You can keep it classic with butter and powdered sugar or fully spiral into vacation mode with Nutella, strawberries, caramel, whipped cream, and enough sugar to fuel an entire canal walk.

We grabbed ours at the market and immediately understood why Dutch people are emotionally attached to these things.

Dutch War Fries (Patatje Oorlog)

This might have been one of the most unexpectedly incredible things we ate.

Dutch fries are already elite-tier because they’re thick-cut and extra crispy, but then the Dutch looked at fries and decided:

“You know what this needs? Every sauce imaginable.”

Patatje Oorlog - aka “war fries” - usually comes loaded with mayonnaise, peanut satay sauce, and onions.

It sounds chaotic.
It looks chaotic.
It IS chaotic.

But somehow it works.

It’s salty, creamy, sweet, savory, crunchy, and mildly unhinged all at the same time.

10/10.
No notes.

Bitterballen

If you end up in a traditional Dutch brown bar - which you absolutely should - there is approximately a 97% chance you’ll order bitterballen.

These deep-fried crispy balls are filled with a thick beef ragout and served with mustard.

And yes, the inside WILL be approximately the temperature of lava.

Bitterballen are basically Dutch comfort food and pair dangerously well with beer.

They’re crispy outside, creamy inside, and honestly feel like the Dutch version of mozzarella sticks after a few drinks.

We tried ours in a cozy brown café and immediately understood why locals order them constantly.

Raw Herring

Okay. This one separates the tourists from the brave.

Raw herring is one of the most iconic Dutch foods, usually served with onions and pickles.

Traditionally, you hold the fish by the tail and lower it dramatically into your mouth while questioning every life decision that brought you there.

Now, I (Meg) did not participate in this experience whatsoever because I’m barely even a cooked seafood person, let alone a raw seafood person. Meanwhile Craig happily inhaled the entire thing and immediately declared it one of his favorite foods in Amsterdam while I watched in mild horror while he ordered a second one.

The texture is soft and buttery, not overly fishy, and the onions/pickles help balance everything out.

Travel rule: if a place has a weird local food, Craig is trying it.

Kibbeling

Kibbeling might secretly be the best Dutch food nobody talks about.

It’s basically chunks of battered fried white fish served with garlic or tartar-style sauce.

Imagine fish and chips… but in snackable little bites.

Crispy.
Salty.
Perfect while wandering canals.

Dutch Apple Pie

Dutch apple pie is not the same as American apple pie.

It’s thicker, denser, loaded with cinnamon apples, and usually comes with a mountain of whipped cream.

We quickly realized the Dutch take their café culture very seriously, and grabbing coffee and apple pie while canal-side people watching honestly became one of our favorite parts of Amsterdam.

Simple.
Cozy.
Peak Europe energy.

Dutch Pancakes

Dutch pancakes are somewhere between a crepe and a pancake and can come sweet or savory.

Some are topped with powdered sugar and fruit.
Others come loaded with cheese, bacon, or meats.

And they are HUGE.

Like “this barely fits on the table” huge.

It’s the kind of meal where you confidently think you can finish it and then suddenly hit a wall halfway through.

Indonesian Food & Satay

One thing we genuinely did not expect before visiting Amsterdam was how big Indonesian food is in the Netherlands.

Because of the historical ties between the Netherlands and Indonesia, Indonesian cuisine has become a huge part of Dutch food culture.

If you see satay on a menu, order it.

Satay is usually grilled skewers of chicken or meat served with an insanely good creamy peanut sauce that we would happily drink by the gallon if society allowed it.

The Dutch are VERY serious about peanut sauce, and after trying it on fries, meats, and pretty much everything else… we understand why.

Another popular experience is trying a rijsttafel, which translates to “rice table.” It’s basically an Indonesian feast made up of tons of small dishes so you can try a little bit of everything - meats, satays, curries, rice dishes, vegetables, sauces, and spicy sides all covering the table at once.

Honestly, Indonesian food became one of the biggest surprises of Amsterdam for us and is something we’d absolutely recommend adding to your itinerary alongside all the classic Dutch foods.

Final Thoughts

Before visiting Amsterdam, we expected beautiful canals, bikes, and cozy cafés.

What we didn’t expect was how much the food would become one of the highlights of the trip.

Somehow Amsterdam perfectly balances comfort food, international influences, late-night snacks, trendy cafés, and traditional Dutch classics all within a few walkable streets. One minute you’re eating fresh stroopwafels at a market, the next you’re sitting in a candlelit brown bar inhaling bitterballen and local beer.

And that’s what made the city feel so memorable to us.

Not just the major sights or museums, but the little moments in between:

• sharing overloaded war fries in an alley
• warming up with apple pie at 11pm
• wandering into random snack shops
• and trying foods we normally never would have ordered back home

If you’re visiting Amsterdam, come hungry.

Because this city seriously knows how to feed people. And one of the best parts is that the food feels approachable.

Nothing is overly fancy.
Nothing feels pretentious.

It’s just really good comfort food served in cozy cafés, bustling markets, and tiny canal-side spots you accidentally wander into.

If you have more than just a weekend in Amsterdam, there are also some incredible day trips nearby. Fairytale villages, windmills, tulip fields, canal towns, and even castles are all within easy reach of the city. We rounded up our favorites in our best day trips from Amsterdam guide.

If you got this far, thanks for reading and remember to STAY CLASSLESS 😉