Amsterdam

Restaurant

Cafe, Lite Bites, Restaurant

Cafe, Coffee, Restaurant, Take Away

Burgers, Restaurant

Hotel, Nite Spot, Restaurant

Although Gourmet Indian Cuisine is difficult to come by virtually anywhere outside London, the City Present has had increasingly luck locating interesting Indian eateries outside of SW1. One of the City Present’s best recent discoveries is an excellent spot inside Amsterdam’s canal belt which could hold its own against the best of the West...

Indian Food, Restaurant

While neighboring Belgium and distant Switzerland eclipse the Netherlands when it comes to achievements in chocolatiering, the Dutch capital has several sweet shops worth visiting, and top of the City Present’s stops for both cakes and chocolate is Pompadour. Located in the bustling, trendy Nine Streets section of the central canalbelt, on a gorgeous,...

Bakery, Patisserie, Take Away

The Grote Markt at the center of Haarlem is one of the most superb locations in the Netherlands. The center of Haarlem is nowadays an upscale shopping and dining district, with boutiques and bistros as well as its beautiful, bustling food and flower market on Saturdays. In the looming shadow of the massive, historic...

Hotel, Lite Bites, Restaurant

It is a small tragedy when a traveler acquiesces to the ubiquitous fast food outlets when hunger strikes in a foreign city. Hunched over a Big Mac, sliding around in a plastic booth, the lament takes hold that, if only for better knowledge of the city, the meal would a selection of the finest...

Grocer, Lite Bites, Store, Take Away

Utrecht, situated less than an hour from Amsterdam by train in the heart of the Netherlands, is well worth a visit. The country’s university town, and the traditional home of Dutch Catholicism, has a very different feel from the Dutch capital. The old city is dominated by its massive cathedral, which is a startling...

Bakery, Coffee, Lite Bites, Restaurant

The Lloyd Hotel marked a major shift in Amsterdam’s hospitality scene when it opened in 2005. The Lloyd is located outside the tourist-trod canal belt, in the city’s emerging Eastern Dockland’s section, an area which blossomed in the 1990s in an incredible transformation from an industrial shipping area into a major residential and arts...

Hotel, Nite Spot, Restaurant

Bakken met Passie has quietly established itself as one Amsterdam’s most beloved bakeries. Growing in popularity, Bakken met Passie already enjoys a loyal following in Amsterdam, both in the neighborhood and those pedaling from farther afield, but foreign tourists are uncommon. Located in de Pijp, in walking distance of the Heineken Brewery and just...

Bakery, Coffee, Lite Bites, Restaurant, Take Away

Vapiano is a rapidly-expanding German-backed empire of Italian fresh cuisine through a Euro-fast food format. The City Present has never experienced anything less than a splendidly prepared and tasty meal, be it Washington or Stuttgart, Berlin or Amsterdam, Boston or Budapest. Other locations are open from Jeddah to Brisbane; a Paris location opened more...

Lite Bites, Pizza, Restaurant

The Café Galerie Het Molenpad isn’t just great because of its incredible, only-in-Amsterdam location–but the its setting is remarkable. The café sits on a bend of the Prinsengracht, just around the corner from the picture-perfect Leidsegracht. The area is popular with artists, students, and locals, and Het Molenpad’s crowd tends to be a mix,...

Restaurant

Located next door to the Metz & Co. department store, where Leidsestraat intersects with the Keizergracht, Walem offers outstanding dining for any time of day. Although convenient to the bustling shopping district and its tram line, this restaurant offers canal-side seating that is both spacious and quiet, offering a lively scene that draws a...

Nite Spot, Restaurant

From the street, Roem doesn’t particularly distinguish itself from the many other canalside cafés of Amsterdam’s Jordaan district. Indeed, it is just one of the worthwhile lunch spots in the immediate area, due to its proximity to the Anne Frank House and the Westerkerk, two of the city’s top attractions. However, its specific spot,...

Lite Bites, Restaurant

Haarlem is an essential day-trip from Amsterdam. This charming and handsome hamlet has all the unique elegance and charm of the capitalwithout the college-kids-and-coffeeshop crowds. The train from Centraal Station takes less than half an hour, and the whole town canbe thoroughly explored in an afternoon. Haarlem is something of a wealthy suburb today,...

Grocer