Where To Eat Vegan in Amsterdam
When I was looking for somewhere to take Mat for his surprise 30th birthday trip, Amsterdam came out top of the list. I wanted somewhere that had cheap & short flights (it’s just over an hour from Manchester) and offered us plenty of choice when it came to vegan restaurants and cafes. It ticked all the boxes.
I usually rely on the Happy Cow app and whatever I’ve bookmarked in Instagram when planning where to eat on a city break, but I thought it’d be great to compile a list of restaurants and cafes that serve tasty vegan food to save you the hassle.
We were only in Amsterdam for a couple of days, so I tried to cram all of the popular suggestions into our itinerary. Well, when I say itinerary, I mean the plan was really just to wander and eat nice food, since we’ve both visited Amsterdam before.
Meatless District
Bilderdijkstraat 65-67 hs (Old West) Amsterdam
I mean, the name really does sell it for vegan food, doesn’t it? Meatless District kept coming up time & time again on my searches, so we were really keen to give it a try. It’s located in the ‘Old West’ area of Amsterdam, with a second restaurant in the trendy De Pijp area, and has a really laid back vibe. It’s one of those places that is equally good for a casual lunch as it is for a special occasion dinner.
We were here for lunch so were able to choose dishes from their brunch menu (served until 4pm) but you can also unlock some even tastier-sounding dishes for dinner, which is served from 6pm. After a lot of junk food and pancakes, we decided to go for something a bit greener and both had the Crispy Caesar Salad.
The salad had the most delicious (and convincing) ‘chicken’ strips, with refreshing slices of avocado and shiitake ‘bacon’ bits. It was a bit pricey but so worth it. Next time we’re here, we’re definitely coming for dinner!
Koffie Ende Koeck
Haarlemmerweg 175, 1051 LA Amsterdam
This hidden gem was one of the reasons I chose to stay at the Conscious Hotel in Westerpark (affiliate link), as it’s a short stroll away. Sadly they’re not open on Mondays (like quite a few restaurants/cafes in Amsterdam) so we only got to visit on our last day, but I’d highly recommend a visit.
They serve up all-vegan breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea (requires a reservation) and the most amazing pastries & cakes. Their founder Maartje describes herself as a ‘true pastry chef at heart’, so as you can imagine, the pastries & cakes are extra delicious. We enjoyed one of her warmed up cinnamon swirls to take away after our brunch and it was insanely good. I was very reluctant to share with Mat!
We’d already had pancakes the day before and were craving something savoury, so we both tried the frittata on sourdough bread. It’s described as a ‘sort of omelette with veggies’ and we were so surprised at the amazing texture and eggy flavour.
MOAK Pancakes
De Clercqstraat 34h, 1052 NG Amsterdam
This one wasn’t originally on our hit list for vegan eats in Amsterdam, but we stumbled across it on Mat’s birthday. Although not fully vegan, I’ve included it in this list as they have a great selection of vegan options on the menu that are clearly labelled.
We obviously went for the vegan American pancakes to start his birthday with a bang! They also have fresh homemade juices, so I had a super refreshing pear juice and Mat had an apple juice.
There’s classic and savoury pancakes, but we went for The Good Life, which was topped with plant-based yoghurt, granola, cinnamon and strawberries, with ‘Go Deluxe’ options of Medjool dates and blackberries added. So so good but super filling, I had to force myself to finish it!
They also have a city centre location, so there’s no excuse not to visit.
Vegan Junk Food Bar
Staringplein 22, 1054 VL Amsterdam
I’d got myself so excited to visit Vegan Junk Food Bar (check out their Instagram to see why!) that I was sure it was going to disappoint. IT DID NOT. If anything, it surpassed my expectations. This brightly branded, fully plant-based restaurant serves up exactly what you’d expect from the name – vegan junk food.
The options are endless and everything on the menu looked amazing but I settled on the Daddy Mc Chik’n burger. I knew it was big but wow, what a burger. The black bun made it extra striking (and Instagrammable!) but it was equally delicious too. Mat got the Original VJFB burger, which was slightly less gigantic and made with a plant-based patty.
We visited their Westside location, but they also have three other locations dotted all over Amsterdam. Also, make sure you have a debit/credit card with you, as they don’t take cash.
Vegabond
Leliegracht 16, 1015 DE Amsterdam
I wasn’t sure what to expect from Vegabond, who have a shop/cafe and a separate deli in Amsterdam, but I thought it was worth including. We stopped off for a slice of banana bread and a coffee, which admittedly weren’t amazing, but they did have some lush looking lunch items (like summer veggie rolls) and the shop had an amazing selection of vegan food.
There’s very limited seating in here, but it’s great for grabbing to something takeaway and sit by the canal if it’s sunny. We stocked up on loads of snacks while we were here, including some that are a bit trickier to get in UK shops. So it’s definitely worth a trip if you’re in the area and need a quick bite to eat.
Have you found any amazing vegan restaurants or cafes in Amsterdam? Let me know in the comments below!
