Bird Snackbar & Thai Restaurant

Fancy Thai place with a “snackbar” across the street. The “snackbar” is one of the most popular places on the Zeedijk, with patrons lining up and ordering in advance while waiting for one of the small tables on the sidewalk. The service was fast and friendly, and food arrived quickly. Tom Yam Koeng soup was delightful, spicy-hot with lots of lemon grass and galanga, and featured a couple of great big shrimps. The Pad Thai (my benchmark for good Thai cooking) was okay, and only mildly spiced. You need to ask for the hot chili peppers in this place! My friend’s dish of Sweet & Sour Chicken was unfortunately flavoured with tomato ketchup.
A nice place for a quick meal, reasonably priced.

Oriental City

This very attractive multi-storied Chinese restaurant serves up some great Chinese and Indonesian food at reasonable prices. Good views over the Oudezides Voorburgwaal. Highly recommended is the Indonesian Rijstafel (Ricetable) with about a dozen dishes like curried beef, gado gado, chicken satay, fruit salad and a fabulous banana fritter for dessert. We’ve been coming here for years and the food is always consistent. Located only one block from the Dam Square.

Manneken Pis Vlaamse Frites

This chain of Belgian Frites makes some good fresh “french fries”. There are many around town, usually on high traffic streets. There’s a good variety of sauces in addition to the standard mayonaise, ketchup and curry to accompany your potatoes. What all this has to do with a boy pissing is beyond me, but that is typical Dutch humor. Make sure you grab a little fork or you’ll get sticky fingers trying to pull those last frites out of the paper!

Supper Club: Lounge

The more I hear about this place the less desire I have to go there. Everyone says it’s THE place for rich and snobby people who will glare at you with open hostility if you aren’t wearing the latest designer fashions. Stories circulate about items being pilfered from their coatcheck and unsympathetic management whose only concern seems to be gouging large amounts of guilders from your pocket.

Guests lounge in beds & order food & drinks at this eatery, bar & performance space.

If you are looking for attitude, here it is!

Panama

Hip, trendy, the latest expensive place where you MUST be seen. Cafe-restaurant serves tasty tidbits, the dance studio is happening and the theatre-nightclub has a swanky champagne bar. Located out in the northeast part of Amsterdam facing Hei Ij and Ijhaven, near the cruise ship passenger terminal. Web site offers lots of flash and animation, as well as more info.