It's safe to say that Dutch food doesn't have the same caché as other European cuisines. Amsterdam is better known for its raunchy red light district, smoke-filled coffee shops and charming canals. But if you spend a little time seeking out the gems in the city, it is easy to find some really excellent food. We had some of the best meals of our trip during our five days in Amsterdam and wanted to share them with you (visuals only, we are not magicians)!

If you're interested in what to see and do in Amsterdam aside from pig out, send us a message on our Contact page and we'd be happy to help!

Night 1 - Wilde Zwijnen, Javaplein 23

Wilde Zwijnen translates to "wild boar." The focus is on fresh, quality ingredients in a clean and cozy space. Recycled wood tables and chairs, simple hanging lightbulbs, concrete floors, an open kitchen, hipster servers, and a packed house. You can either choose a pre-fixe menu or opt to order a la carte like we did. Some dishes not pictured are pea and mint ravioli and white chocolate rice pudding.

Our table at Wilde Zwijnen.  What a nice greeting! — Our table at Wilde Zwijnen. What a nice greeting!

Inside Wilde Zwijnen.  Felt like we were back in Williamsburg! — Inside Wilde Zwijnen. Felt like we were back in Williamsburg!

Deer steak tartare with caviar and a poached quail egg.

Tender pork with pork belly, purple potatoes and greens.  Yum! — Tender pork with pork belly, purple potatoes and greens. Yum!

Day 2 - Koffiehuis De Hoek, Prinsengracht 341

Just south of our hotel, this simple and affordable cafe does breakfast really well. I tried the apple and bacon pancake - perfect blend of sweet and savory.

Apple and bacon dutch pancake with syrup.

Night 2 - Assaggi, Tweede Egelantiersdwarsstraat 6

Assaggi is a simple Italian restaurant in the cool Joordan neighborhood recommended by our hotel concierge. Maybe I was just high on Amsterdam, but Assaggi made the best pasta that I have eaten outside of Italy. We started with homemade bread with olive pate and a simple salad of bresaola, or air-dried beef, on a bed of arugula and parmigiano reggiano. Feeling a little carb craving, instead of ordering main courses we created a sampler of three different pastas: linguine with lobster, homemade pappardelle with wild boar ragu, and fresh lemon fettuccine with prosciutto di parma. All of the pastas were perfectly al dente, and the food in general was just too good for me to remember to take photographs - sorry! I still dream about this meal. The reviews for this place are shockingly average, but I can't stress enough how amazing I thought the pastas were!

Night 3 - Restaurant Blauw, Amstelveenseweg 158

Given the Netherlands deep history of Asian colonization, it's not surprising that cultural aspects of those former colonies are still prevalent in Amsterdam today. While interpreted in a Dutch way, Indonesian food can be found all over the city. We found what we think is the place that does it best, and it was Stephen's favorite meal outside of Japan. We ordered what the Dutch call Rice Table, or Rijsttafel. This consists of many small dishes filled with different meats, fish, veggies, and rice of course! Definitely a unique and delicious meal, and a must when visiting Amsterdam.

Arriving at Restaurant Blauw, an Indonesian spot in Amsterdam.

Rijsttafel, or "rice table," at Blauw.  You can order a meat/fish/vegetable rice table, an all seafood rice table, or all vegetarian rice table.  We ordered both the meat and all seafood options.  When the food arrived, we were presen… — Rijsttafel, or "rice table," at Blauw. You can order a meat/fish/vegetable rice table, an all seafood rice table, or all vegetarian rice table. We ordered both the meat and all seafood options. When the food arrived, we were presented with over 20 little dishes filled with different meats, shellfish, fish, veggies, and rice, not to mention one with fried bananas!

25 different goodies to try.  Definitely come to Blauw and definitely order the Rijsttafel! — 25 different goodies to try. Definitely come to Blauw and definitely order the Rijsttafel!

At this point, we had only made a small dent.  It was a challenge (in a good way) to finish everything! — At this point, we had only made a small dent. It was a challenge (in a good way) to finish everything!

Day 4 - Cafe Papeneiland, Prinsengracht 2

Having read that this place serves up a delicious, caramelly deep-dish apple pie, we were both excited to test it out. The cafe was not far from our hotel, and the divey, old school vibe was really nice. The pie however was a bit dry and not what we'd hoped. You win some, you lose some!

Deep dish apple pie.  I read reviews that this place was great, but the pie was a bit dry. — Deep dish apple pie. I read reviews that this place was great, but the pie was a bit dry.

Day 4 - Henri Willig's Cheese & More, Singel 540

Walls and walls of cheese. We bought three wheels to snack on, plus our favorite, the sweet stroopwafels.

Try the Dutch cheese at Cheese & More.  It's touristy, but we loved the cheese. — Try the Dutch cheese at Cheese & More. It's touristy, but we loved the cheese.

The best stroopwafels!  We were addicted to these. — The best stroopwafels! We were addicted to these.

Night 4 - Restaurant As, Prinses Irenestraat 19

We had a really interesting experience at Restaurant As. We arrived to a fenced-in lot draped with strings of colored lights and wooden picnic tables spread throughout the open space. A giant open kitchen was to our left, and the servers just told us to sit wherever we liked. We were not expecting a laid-back casual atmosphere because we had read that Restaurant As was a little on the pricey side, but the vibe was perfect! When we sat down, our waitress essentially asked how hungry we were, and then proceeded to serve us what the kitchen was whipping up that night and what wines she recommended with the dishes. No written menu, no wine list. Genius!