A lot of people find the Rijksmuseum restaurant too lavish for their tastes. A little over a mile away, people concluding their private Van Gogh museum tour often have a different issue to deal with – the museum’s in-house café is only good for getting casual bites. Unless wandering around on an empty stomach is something that you want to remember about your trip to Amsterdam, you should know a bit about the following popular restaurants in the vicinity.
Boeuf, and Martinot
Located less than half a mile from Museumplein, these establishments offer an “international” menu of delicious items, which you get to enjoy in a cozy ambience. Situated right beside each other, these places are popular foe their simplistic takes on lunch, and inventive spins on dinner. The former includes soups, salads, and sandwiches, while the latter brings you fish, pasta, and meats.
Café Loetje
Placed at a 10-minute walk from Museumplein, this place draws quite the crowd from natives. While tourist are busy flocking at the food stalls right outside the museum, you should probably head to Café Loetje and grab a table (no reservations here). You will want to check out their signature dish, which may well be the finest steak you can get in the city.
SamaSebo
One of the longest-running as well as popular Indonesian restaurants in Amsterdam, SamaSebo is hard to get a table at unless you book well in advance. The traditional rijsttafel (rice table) gets you about 20 small dishes served alongside rice. One major problem with this kind of food is that it leaves your eyelids drooping, and your body demanding a long nap. Same Sebo serves lunch and dinner.
Wildschut
Located half a mile from Museumplein, this neighborhood café has a terrace that stays packed during days when sunny weather asserts itself. The interior is styled along Art Deco aesthetics, while admiring which you get to enjoy a varied menu of affordable items including enormous smoked salmon salads and pita bread burgers.
Hap-Hmm
This place too is inside a half-mile radius from Museumplein, which favors an ambience reminiscent of the Old South, complete with wood-paneled interior. The menu here mixes seasonal fare with perennial Dutch classics, and offers items at rock-bottom prices. That last bit explains how this restaurant has stayed the go-to for Dutch food since the 30’s.