Posts filed under 'Restaurants'
In one of Amsterdam’s hottest neighbourhoods, de Pijp, you can find Bazar, a restaurant serving Arabic dishes in a middle Eastern atmosphere. I really like Bazar, mostly for it’s relaxed atmosphere. No dressing up, no big prices, nothing fancy but on the other hand super relaxed and kid-friendly. Mini picnic tables are put next to the grown-up’s table so the little ones can eat in style. Highchairs are available, colouring plates and crayons free to use and a little corner with television is present. A kid’s menu is available and the ice-cream is a favourite! Great to meet up with friends with kids, the staff really doesn’t mind the little ones running around. They even like to play ball!
xxx Esther
Bazar Amsterdam
Albert Cuypstraat 182
1073 BL Amsterdam
Telephone 020-675 05 44
*Map*
Open seven days a week, check website for exact hours.
Esther in Amsterdam
September 19th, 2009
These days we just love meeting friends for breakfast or brunch on a weekend morning. Breakfast is probably my favourite meal of the day to start with, but besides that, early in the day my kids are still well rested and thus more enjoyable (as opposed to overall crankiness at dinner time)! Also, like every other parent with little children, we’re awake early anyways, so we might as well start our social schedule before noon! (Of course the friends we are meeting have kids too – the friends without kids would be crazy to leave their beds before noon on a weekend morning! In fact, it should be forbidden – what a waste!)
My favourite breakfast place is ‘De Bakkerswinkel’ (The Bakers’ Shop). Not only can you buy yummy breads, cakes and scones at the counter of ‘The Bakkerswinkel’, they also serve a wonderful (Dutch style) breakfast, lunch or tea in the restaurant area, which always has a very cozy and homey feel to it! Think jars of honey and home-made jams on the table, big cups of cappuccinos (small cups of babyccinos for the little ones of course), baskets filled with delicious breads, scones, etc. The menu is big enough to have something yummy for everyone’s taste!
My favourite ‘Bakkerswinkel’ in Amsterdam (there are three of them) is the one in the Warmoesstraat (near Amsterdam’s Central Station). They have a cute little setup in the back for children (some toys, books and crayons on a cute little table), and my children always end up making friends up there (and leave us grown-ups alone for a bit)! They also have a couple of highchairs handy for smaller kids. And the staff is always very friendly!
What a great way to start a weekend day!
xxx Esther
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De Bakkerswinkel
Warmoesstraat 69
1012 HX Amsterdam
Tel 020-489 8000
*Map*
Opening hours
For breakfast: Tue-fri 8.00 -12.00, Sat 8.00 – 12.00, Sun 10.00 – 12.00
Lunch: Tue – Sun 12.00 – 16.00
High tea: Tue – Sun 14.00 – 16.00
(Closed on Mondays)
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Esther in Amsterdam
October 14th, 2008
Last week we finally had a nice and warm, summery day in the Netherlands, so a girlfriend and I took our children to one of the hip & cool city beaches here in Amsterdam: Strand Zuid (South Beach).
Behind the (big & ugly) congress centre, ‘Amsterdam Rai’, and on the border of the Beatrix Park pond, a lovely treasure is hidden: a beach in the middle of Amsterdam!
There are 2,000 square meters of sand, chill-out areas, bars & terraces with good food, sun-loungers, a beach volleyball field and showers. It’s great to bring your children here on a warm summer day; they can enjoy themselves in the sand and play with all the other kids, while you can relax a bit with a rosé and pretend to be in the Mediterranean…
It’s also not a bad place to come without children – for a stylish dinner on a nice summer evening… It’s open until midnight on weekends.
xxx Esther
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STRANDZUID
Between Amsterdam RAI and Beatrixpark
Europaplein 22
1078 GZ AMSTERDAM
*Map*
Open daily 10.00-23.00, in weekends untill midnight
Only in summer!
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Esther in Amsterdam
July 28th, 2008
Yesterday morning I took my little family for a treat: we went to ‘De Taart van m’n Tante‘ (Cakes of my Aunt) for coffee and cake. ‘De Taart van m’n Tante’ is not just an ordinary tearoom with your everyday kind of cake — in fact, it might be the most kitschy tearoom of Amsterdam, with the most spectacular cakes!
The men behind ‘De Taart van m’n Tante’, Siemon and Noam, strive to make everybody (young and old, conservative and hip, Sikhs and nuns) at home in their cake parlour, and in my opinion they have succeeded. I especially love the grandma-style sofa and coffee-table in the back!
The cakes are yummy (my daughter was very happy to find out that they serve a super sweet strawberry cake entirely covered in pink marzipan – exactly to her taste!) and the owners really easygoing. They didn’t seam to mind at all that my little boy was screaming for cookies – in fact, they just gave him a plate full of them!
If you want to order a cool cake for a birthday, baptism or Bar Mitzvah, they will happily custom design any sort of cake (I mean ANY sort). But make sure you order well in advance! (Cakes from their regular assortment can be ordered 24 hours beforehand).
xxx Esther
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De Taart van mijn Tante
Ferdinand Bolstraat 10
1072 LJ Amsterdam
+31 (0) 20 776 4600
*Map*
open daily from 10.00 to 18.00
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Esther in Amsterdam
July 20th, 2008
Every now and then, when I really don’t feel like cooking and it is still early in the evening, we take the kids to Issa, a little Japanese restaurant around the corner from us here in Amsterdam. This restaurant is particularly popular in our family because not only do we all love Japanese food (even the baby does), it also has a tiny private area in the back with traditional Japanese low tables. Such fun! My daughter loves taking her shoes off and sits at the table as if she is twelve years old instead of three; the baby likes playing the ‘climb onto the table’-game until we finally get enough of it and strap him into his Phil&Teds Me Too chair.
Last night at Issa we tried a new dish: Okonomiyaki, or Japanese Pancake. A true discovery! Initially, the dish almost looked alive — it’s presented on a hot plate and because of the heat, the bonito flakes on top were moving around like wiggly worms! Intriguing! The taste of it was wonderful, and the kids loved it!
We chose the variety with sliced pork belly, but it also comes with seafood, which we are definitely going to try next time as this dish proved to be an instant hit. I will also maybe try to make it myself sometime. This seems like a good recipe…
xxx Esther
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Issa
Stadionkade 249
1076 NX Amsterdam
+31 (0) 20 6628224
*Map*
Closed on Mondays
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Esther in Amsterdam
July 8th, 2008
Last weekend the weather in Amsterdam was nice for a change, so on Saturday we loaded all the children on the bikes, and off we went to our favourite kid-friendly restaurant: Praq.
Praq is located along the Amstel river in the beautiful little village of Oudekerk aan de Amstel — not very far from Amsterdam at all (I would say about a 40 minute, very scenic bike-ride). We love this restaurant so much because not only do they serve great food, they also have a complete section reserved just for kids (and their parents). All this is done in a really tasteful way – no Donald Duck in sight! Parents, children, even business people feel comfortable here!
Cool features include: a puzzle wall, car-tables, a drawing-table, a DVD station, toy-kitchens and plenty of toys in general — even for babies. And it goes without saying that kids’ menus, high chairs and changing stations are readily available!
When you’re in town and toying with the idea of paying a visit, make sure you make a reservation first. Because we are not the only ones in love with this place…
xxx Esther
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Praq
Amstelzijde 37
1184 TX Ouderkerk aan de Amstel
+31 (0)20 496 1570
*Map*
Opened daily from 12.00 to 22.00
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Esther in Amsterdam
June 1st, 2008
We FINALLY enjoyed a nice spring day yesterday in Amsterdam – what joy! I had lunch with a girlfriend (and our children) in the ‘Vondeltuin‘, a lovely café/restaurant with a huge terrace AND playground in the most northwestern tip of the beautiful Vondelpark, and it was perfect – I still feel the sun burning on my cheeks!
I had an enormous smoked chicken sandwich with avocado, which I thought I was never going to finish as it looked so HUGE, but I did anyway — I must have been hungry! My friend had a just-as-big sandwich with smoked salmon and lemon. She must have been hungry too…
The kids were fast asleep in their buggies (lucky us!), but would they have been awake, they could have enjoyed themselves immensely in the playground, or have eaten a huge plate of ‘poffertjes’. Poffertjes are a Dutch specialty that children (and parents) love: a sort of mini-pancakes, but a bit sweeter and a bit softer. High chairs are available (3).
Bigger kids (and parents) can rent skates here — only 15 euros for a full day! Or 5 euros for the first hour and 2,50 for each next hour, if you’re less fanatic…
Don’t worry if you think you’re a disaster on skates – this is no excuse: a workshop can be booked at the Vondeltuin and before you know it, you’ll be an expert!
You will even be able to skate-carry that picnic around you picked up at the Vondeltuin (only by reservation)!
Hello, summer!
xxx Esther
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Vondeltuin
Vondelpark 7
1075 VR Amsterdam
+31 (0)6 2756 5576
*Map*
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Esther in Amsterdam
April 10th, 2008
On the edge of the Vondelpark in Amsterdam there is a wonderful place to bring your kids: the Kinderkookcafé (Childrens’ Cooking Café). The fact that it is a café is good news for the parents – they can meet up and have a cup of coffee and a simple snack like a sandwich, soup or apple-pie. The good news for the kids is that while their parents are catching up and drinking coffees, they can ‘cook’! They have a choice of:
- Making pizza
- Decorate cookies / cup cakes
- Making sausage animals
- Making sandwich faces
- Making carrot or cucumber puzzles
There are also plenty of toys and books around, and a lovely outdoor area to sit and play. For all ages. Mini chairs, high chairs, kiddies toilets and baby changing facilities are available.
xxx Esther
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Kinderkookcafé
Vondelpark 6b (look for the ‘Kattenlaan’ at Overtoom 325)
1071 AA Amsterdam
+31 (0)20 625 3257
*Map*
Open daily from 10.00 to 17.00
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Esther in Amsterdam
March 30th, 2008
Monday:
Go out for breakfast in the Bakkerswinkel. A basket of different sorts of bread, muffins, scones and croissants makes way to your table accompanied by a much needed coffee and orange juice. Fancy jams can be found on the table. Open from 7AM – what a wonderful way to start the week!
After, take your children to the Amstelpark, where there is a lovely playground and a little city farm. A ‘real train’ can take you around the park – a sure hit with your little ones.
Had enough of the park? Go to the Scheldestraat where you can find the great kids’ shoe store Meys&Co (open from 1PM onwards), with Koter&Co across the street where they sell a big selection of the cool Dutch kiddie brand Imps&Elfs (and more).
Before going back home, don’t forget to visit Italian delicatessen Feduzzi for a cappuccino and one of their mouth-watering Panini. And don’t forget the babyccino for your little angel! You can pick up something for dinner here too – I promise you, the food is great and prices are reasonable.
Tuesday:
TunFun is an indoor playground that your children will LOVE. There are different soft play areas for different age groups, and there are also benches and a lounge area for the grown ups. A good place to start the day with a cup of coffee (and a great place to go if it’s raining)!
Artis, the Zoo of Amsterdam, is not far from here. Because of the mix of historic buildings, huge amounts of green and great variety of animals, this is truly a magnificent place to spend half a day.
In the unfortunate but not unthinkable case of bad weather, Artis provides many indoor activities for your children and yourself to enjoy: the aquarium, the greenhouses, reptile house, Planetarium and the new butterfly-garden.
The playgrounds and restaurants are very good, but if you feel like having lunch in a different environment, you can go to restaurant Plancius across the street from Artis. It’s a good place to go with children (high-chairs are available).
Wednesday:
Make your way to the Central Station because right next to it is NEMO: the science centre. Great for kids! There only rule here is: forbidden NOT to touch!
From the sloping roof-piazza, the view over Amsterdam is magnificent. In summer, this roof-piazza transforms to a city beach (sand, bean bags, stunning harbour views and tapas-style snacks)!
If the weather is not good enough to enjoy lunch on the roof (it happens often in Amsterdam, this is why I keep mentioning it), you better go to the new Public Library next door. On the top floor is a self-service restaurant with a wonderful selection of fresh food, sandwiches and fruit juices (yes, cakes too), with again a great panorama over Amsterdam and plenty of high-chairs. After lunch, you can visit the VOC ship in front of NEMO to have a taste of life on a ship in the Golden Age (18th century).
Thursday:
Go shopping in the Nine Streets where boutique after boutique makes you wish you came with a truck instead of a pushchair (to load all the goodies in)!
After, take your little ones for lunch in restaurant Pancakes! where you’ll find high chairs, toys, kids’ menu and a friendly staff! Or, get ‘friet’ with mayonnaise at the ‘Vlaams Friteshuis’ in the Voetboogsteeg; arguably the best Belgian French Fries in Amsterdam.
Friday:
Grab your bakfiets (or rent one) and make your way to the Amsterdamse Bos. Go for a long stroll, let your children run around for a bit, and then visit the macrobiotic goat farm. There are chickens, pigs, cows, and, of course, goats. Kids can help feed the baby goats and are allowed to cuddle. The cheese factory can be visited and there is a cheese shop – so don’t worry too much about dinner; goat cheese will do just fine. The playground is made from all natural materials and there is a maze!
You can have lunch here, or at ‘Boerderij Meerzicht’, with chickens and peacocks roaming around the farmyard.
In summertime there are wading pools, and an adventure island (with footbridges and a little ferry) to be explored in the Amsterdamse Bos; building huts is allowed here!
After the journey back home, put your children to bed early as they will be exhausted, and enjoy a quiet evening with your man (or find a babysitter and hit the streets of Amsterdam)! Cheers to the weekend!
Esther in Amsterdam
February 18th, 2008
What exactly are pancakes? In America they are thick and small and eaten for breakfast in stacks – the higher the stack the cooler the cowboy! In France they are called crêpes and are very large, thin and delicate and eaten for lunch or a snack from one of the little street stands.
In Holland, ‘pannekoeken’ are the size of an average frying pan, and are a bit thicker than a crêpe but thinner than American pancakes. Traditionally they are eaten for dinner, usually after the traditional Dutch pea soup called ’snert’, with a variety of savoury (bacon&syrup, cheese&paprika) or sweet (apple, banana, icing sugar, sugar syrup, confiture) toppings. It’s a children’s favourite.
We just discovered a restaurant called Pancakes!, which serves, well, pancakes (in all different varieties) and is conveniently located in the center of the ‘nine streets’ in Amsterdam (a little shopping delight for the ones who don’t know it yet)! They have highchairs (I counted at least three) and a children’s menu that comes with a little surprise. Might your little one get bored after all, a toy-box filled with books, toys and games is present, or the staff can provide crayons and paper. There’s a microwave for warming up milk, and a baby changing table in the basement. Eet smakelijk!
xxx Esther
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Pancakes
Berenstraat 38
1016 GH Amsterdam
+31 (0)20 528 9797
*Map*
Open daily from 10.00 to 19.00
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Esther in Amsterdam
December 13th, 2007
