Spotlights

Spotlight

Amsterdam

Restaurants

Ask a local about Dutch cuisine and you'll probably get a laugh, unless you're looking for a stamppot (Dutch stew) or pannekoeken (crepe-like pancakes). International fare dominates restaurant menus, especially Indonesian cuisine due to the large number of immigrants who came after the Dutch colonization. Although the bar for quality food has certainly been raised in the past few years, you're paying for the imported or organic greenhouse-fresh ingredients – so you may want to make sure the restaurant you select takes credit cards. And don't forget to eat like the locals – early. Most kitchens are closed by 9pm.

Reservations are recommended at higher-end restaurants, like Cristophe' (Leliegracht 46; 020/625-0807; www.christophe.nl), the posh French restaurant owned by the Michelin-starred-chef Jean-Christophe Royer. Another top choice is Le Garage (Ruysdaelstraat 54-56; 020/679-7176; www.restaurantlegarage.nl), a funky restaurant that owes its top-notch cooking to Dutch TV celebrity chef Joop Braakhekke and the Amsterdam feel to the VIPs and locals who clamor to get a table – if you aren't successful getting one, check out Braakhekke’s newer establishment, En Pluche instead (Ruysdaelstraat 48; 020/471-4695; www.enpluche.nl). Fresh on the scene, Restaurant de Kroonluchter (Utrechtsestraat 141; 020/428-1074; www.restaurantdekroonluchter.nl) serves a fusion of French, Spanish, Japanese, and Italian dishes, under a fantastic blue Italian glass chandelier in the dining room. For a canal setting, Restaurant de Belhamel (Brouwersgracht 60; 020/622-1095; www.belhamel.nl) is a French-inspired favorite; nearby is another local favorite, Bordewijk (Noordermarkt 7; 020/624-3899, www.bordewijk.nl). Last but not least, Supper Club (Jonge Roelensteeg 21; 020/344-6400; www.supperclub.nl) is an ultra-sleek restaurant/lounge that provides a five-course meal and a night's worth of entertainment.

You don't have to empty your wallet for delicious food; more moderately priced restaurants will do the trick as well as their expensive counterparts. Go to Restaurant Kantjil en de Tijger (Spuistraat 291-293; 020/620-0994; www.kantjil.nl) for the best Indonesian rijsttafel and De Bolhoed (Prinsengracht 60; 020/626-1803) for vegetarian and vegan cuisine that crosses international borders. De Groene Olifant (Sarphatistraat 510; 020/620-4904; www.degroeneolifant.nl) is near the zoo and has high-quality café food plus a pleasant terrace to enjoy it on, while the perpetually busy Duende (Lindengracht 62; 020/420-6692; www.cafeduende.nl) serves up Andalusian tapas and has Flamenco dancers on the weekends. Café de Jaren (Nieuwe Doelenstraat 20-22; 020/625-5771; www.cafe-de-jaren.nl) has one of the prettiest canal-side patios in the city and a top-notch restaurant upstairs. Café Restaurant de Reiger (Nieuwe Leliestraat 34; 020/624-7426) is known for serving the best brown café (so named because of decades-old, smoke-stained walls) food in Amsterdam, especially fresh fish.

Amsterdam is full of small eetcafés that serve quick sandwiches and bites, but finding the best budget restaurants isn't always easy. Small World Catering (Binnen Oranjestraat 14; 020/420-2774) will draw you in with its delicious aromas and please your palette with the offerings from the tiny deli. Eetcafe Eufraat (Eerste van der Helstraat 72; 020/672-0579; www.eufraat.nl) offers up excellent Middle Eastern food, including homemade pitas and yogurts, and Arabic coffee. The Pancake Bakery (Prinsengracht 191; 020/625-1333; www.pancake.nl) is a must, if only to say you've tried Dutch pannekoeken.