Vegan in Amsterdam
Vegan Life’s editor Gemma Tadman visits the Netherland's vibrant capital city
With its wonky buildings, magnificent museums, cosy micro-pubs (also known as ‘brown cafés') and hedonistic nightlife, the colourful city of Amsterdam welcomes history buffs and partygoers alike. But it's more than just a concrete city, the Dutch capital is also packed with gorgeous parks, flower markets and never-ending canals. It's a perfect mix of old and modern, of urbanity meets nature with oodles of sustainability, making it a must-visit for anyone who wants to sightsee, but with the choice of escaping to nature, should they wish. Back in March, I was lucky enough to spend my birthday enthralled by this city, staying in the Museum Quarter for four days and three nights. It was my first trip following the pandemic lockdowns, and boy, did it make me realise just how much I had missed travelling.
Things to see and do
There is no end of ways to spend your time in Amsterdam, whatever kind of traveller you are. Here are my favourite places to visit and things to do and see in the city, as well as the eateries that most impressed me.
Museum Quarter
If you are an art and history lover, make sure to pay a trip to the cultural Museum Quarter (Museumkwartier), based near Vondelpark in the south in the borough of Amsterdam-Zuid. All of the below places are located around the area.
Rijksmuseum
The magnificent Rijksmuseum is an allencompassing repository of art and very valuable, very eccentric objects. You will find several national and royal collections, which occupy a massive 1.5km of gallery space and 80 rooms spread across four floors. Don't miss the works by Rembrandt on the second floor (1600-1700), especially his famous, gigantic painting, The Night’s Watch (1642). It's truly something to behold.
Info: adults' entrance €17.50, children free. Museumstraat 1, 1071 XX Amsterdam, rijksmuseum.nl
Van Gogh Museum
Just opposite Rijksmuseum is the acclaimed Van Gogh Museum. I recommend booking ahead of time, as slots sell out weeks in advance. Myself and my partner almost missed out on visiting, having not done so! Luckily, there was one time slot left during our stay — on our last day two hours before we were due to depart!
As the name suggests, the museum holds the world's largest Van Gogh art collection. Visiting is a truly poignant experience, looking over the painter's tragic yet remarkably talented and productive life. Inside, you'll find over 200 paintings and 500 drawings by Vincent Van Gogh and his contemporaries, including Monet and Gauguin. Must-see paintings include the
celebrated Sunflowers (1889), the simple Potato Eaters (1885) and the harrowing Wheatfield with Crows (1890), which was finished shortly before the artist's suicide.
Info: adults' entrance €17, children free. Museumplein 6, 1071 DJ Amsterdam, vangoghmuseum.nl.
Vondelpark
Not too far from Museum Square, you will find the sprawling Vondelpark, spread across 47 hectares of land with lawns, ponds, trees, flowers and winding paths. It's no wonder the park receives 12 million visitors a year! (lonelyplanet.co.uk) The gardens are well-maintained without looking too ‘preened', retaining a bit of the wildness of nature that makes it so beautiful. During our stay, myself and my partner were lucky enough to have gorgeous sunshine, and so we spent most mornings walking around the park coffees in-hand, and many early evenings lazing in the sun recovering from a busy day of sightseeing! The park acts as a base for a dynamic mix of people — roller-skaters, studying students, yummy mummies, nature-lovers, exercise enthusiasts, ‘coffee shop' visitors and break-dancers. It's the perfect place to people-watch, and an even better place to forage! I couldn't help but spot the wild garlic growing frivolously under trees and near bodies of water.
Info: Van Baerlestraat and Vondelpark Museum Quarter, Amsterdam, hetvondelpark.net.
Other places to visit at Museum Quarter: Stedelijk Museum, Concertgebouw and the bare but spacious park that spreads across the middle of the Museum Square.
Anne Frank's House (Anne Frank Huis)
Ahead of your visit to Amsterdam, make sure to book tickets to the Anne Frank Huis, where Anne Frank and her family hid from the Nazis for two years in a secret annexe. The revered site of the most famous Dutch girl always sells out, with tickets released in phases, from two months in advance until the day itself.
Located within the western canal ring of the city, walking through the bookcase is a humbling and heart-breaking experience, discovering the hidden annex and steep stairs into the Frank family's living quarters. You'll step back in time with each stair into a past that seems both distant, and frighteningly real.
Info: adults' entrance €9.50, children €4.50. Westermarkt 20, 1016 DK, Amsterdam, annefrank.org.
Bike and boat travel
Cycling is a way of life in Amsterdam; it's how the locals commute to work, fetch their groceries and meet with friends. There are bike rental shops throughout the city, though many hotels also offer a rental service, so enquire with yours upon checking in. Bike lanes are everywhere, as are cyclists themselves, so do be alert when crossing roads and navigating the streets! Cyclists literally appear out of nowhere. It is amazing to see so many people taking to their bikes instead of vehicles; a model which cities in the UK should really take note of.
Aside from cycle lanes, Amsterdam is bursting with canals — did you know that there are more here, than there are in the Italian city of Venice? One of best ways to view and understand the capital and its UNESCO Heritage Site listed waterways, is to jump on a canal cruise. There are plenty of operators throughout the city, which was actually reclaimed from the sea; we chose Blue Boat Company, simply because our hotel recommended them and because they had a base a short walk from our hotel! Our cruise floated through the southern canal ring at a wonderfully lazy pace over two hours, allowing us to sit back, relax and take in the sites. We would love to return to Amsterdam and enjoy an evening cruise, too, which I imagine would be even dreamier.
Other places to visit: The Sex Museum, Albert Cuypmarkt and the funky De
Pijp district.
Food
Now, we come to the important part… food! Vegan food is abundant in Amsterdam, with plenty of vegan cafés, restaurants and fast-food joints. However, we found that vegan options within ‘normal' restaurants were lacking. There didn't seem to be anything suitable on offer at any non-vegan restaurants, except the old, tired option that is chips and salad… Yet, the wealth of vegan restaurants absolutely made up for that. Here are some of my favourites.
Mr Stacks
The ideal brunch venue, Mr Stacks is based not too far from Rijksmuseum and Vondelpark. The vegan pancake and bubble tea eatery makes pancakes that are true works of art, complete with edible flowers, sesame cotton candy and wonderfully arranged toppings. Both sweet and savoury options are on offer, from vegan English breakfast pancakes to a cinnamon rollercoaster stack! I enjoyed the banana breakfast stack, which came with three grilled banana pancakes (very thick American-style), caramel sauce, pecans, spiced caramelised apple, homemade granola, coconut yoghurt, banana-ginger jam, banana coulis, vanilla cream cheese glaze and sesame cotton candy! Honestly, I don't think I will ever enjoy pancakes that good again.
Info: Govert Flinckstraat 122, 1072 EM Amsterdam, mrstacks.nl.
Vegan Junk Food Bar (VJFB)
With seven branches around Europe, including three in Amsterdam, Vegan Junk Food Bar is an absolute must-visit for comfort food lovers who want more than just a plain burger and fries. We visited the VJFB Downtown located in Regliersdwarsstraat, an extremely trendy street in Amsterdam that is known for its incredible LGBTQIA+ nightlife. VJFB have really innovated the vegan fast-food scene, with their colourful Signature Burgers, loaded Freak Fries and Zeafood. For starters, my boyfriend and I shared the Kapsalon, French fries topped with VJFB Shawarma (insanely good!), cheeze, jalapeños, chilli peppers, garlic and VJFB sauce. For our mains, my partner had the Notorious Sumo — a ‘beef' and crunchy Fly Wings burger, whilst I enjoyed the Daddy, which contained Crunchy Fly Wings on a pinky bun, cheeze, lettuce, tomato, pickles and Blue Daddy Sauce. If we'd have had room for dessert, we'd have loved to have tried VJFB's ‘desserts in jars'!
Info: Reguliersdwarsstraat 57, Amsterdam, veganjunkfoodbar.com.
Plant-Based Sushi
Quite possibly the most beautiful meal I have ever consumed, the food at PlantBased Sushi is a marvel that I'm sure even Van Gogh would have appreciated! It's tucked away in a quiet residential area of the city, and quite a walk or cycle away from the main sites, but it is a journey that is well worth taking. Plant-Based Sushi work to the consensus that a lot of vegan sushi can be ‘boring', with options at most restaurants offering only cucumber maki and similar dishes. They aim to reimagine sushi; they believe that by removing the fish component, you can unlock the real potential of the cuisine. The quaint venue has six different plant-powered sushi rolls on the menu, with various gyozas and other dishes. We tried the new Katsu Seitan and the Chef's Sushi Special for two, which included 32 pieces of expertly made sushi, four pieces of each of the venue's ‘inside out' rolls, eight pieces of maki, two gunkan and two nigiri. My favourite component was the Blue Ocean inside out roll, which contained vegan tuna, spring onion, white radish and lettuce.
Info: Kostverlorenstraat 11,
1052 GS, Amsterdam, plantbasedsushiamsterdam.com.
Factory Girl
For a hip and healthy breakfast, brunch or lunch make sure to stop by Factory
Girl. The restaurant concept offers an abundance of wholesome and delicious free-from meals, with ingredients that seek to nourish mind, body and soul. It's a super chilled environment, complete with comfy cushions, lush green plants and soft lighting. The vegetarian eatery offers an abundance of vegan options, just make sure to request the vegan version of each dish you order, as most dishes can come with eggs if wanted. My partner enjoyed the Turk's Mom, Çilbir — sautéed spinach, dairy-free yoghurt sauce and roti bread with herb-infused vegan butter, whilst I enjoyed the Healthy Shakshuka, with Mediterranean bell pepper tomato sauce, houmous, fresh herbs and sprouts, sautéed mushrooms and aubergine, and toasted sourdough.
Info: Saenredamstraat 32, 1072 CH Amsterdam, factorygirl.net
Other delicious eateries to visit: Moaz Vegan, Mastino Vegan Pizza, The Avocado Show, Meatless District, Betty's.
All in all, Amsterdam is a city that is a real treat for all the senses. It's ideal for a weekend getaway, although you could absolutely spend a week or more roaming the cobbled streets. If you love sightseeing, food, nightlife, parks and cycling, add Amsterdam to your must-visit list and go there as soon as you can!