From a laid-back vibe and an open-minded attitude to charming canals and local craft beers to a wealth of world-class museums, it’s easy to fall in love with the Dutch capital. Above all, there is an abundance of top-notch vegan restaurants in Amsterdam.
With its infamous cannabis culture and red light district, you might think this Dutch city is all about British stag parties and college-aged tourists. Oh, it’s so much more than that! It’s a multifaceted, lively city with a rich history, creative and innovative food concepts with a focus on seasonal produce and a love for art and design.
Amsterdam is also one of the most vegan-friendly cities in the world. According to The Vegan World, it ranks 7th, just behind Lisbon and Brighton. So which restaurants are the ones to run rings around the competition? To make planning your next trip easy, we’ve summed up the best vegan restaurants in Amsterdam.
The best vegan restaurants in Amsterdam:
Meatless District
Situated in the bustling De Pijp and Oud-West, Meatless District is all about modern, flavour-packed classics from around the world with a creative, plant-based twist. Come here for brunch and try their smoked no salmon bagel and vegan Caesar salad or opt for dinner, where they serve a more adventurous menu including wild mushroom and saffron chowder and asparagus velouté with crispy shallot, truffle, ‘parmesan’ and mustard greens.
Whatever you decide to order, you can expect a truly exciting combination of different textures and flavours – hands down one of our favourite vegan restaurants in Amsterdam.
Website: https://meatlessdistrict.com/
Address: Bilderdijkstraat 65-67 HS and Van Woustraat 189-191 HS
Vegan Sushi Bar
When the craving for exceptional vegan sushi hits, head to this place. With two locations in Amsterdam, the Vegan Sushi Bar is well known for its creative and experimental plant-based sushi. We had the Crunchy California Dream, Tropical Spicy Mango, Mighty Mushroom and Shrimp-less tempura – it’s honestly impossible to pick a favourite, as every bite was absolutely delightful. Make sure to book a table as the restaurants are tiny and in high demand.
Website: https://vegansushibar.nl/
Address: Kinkerstraat 83H and Wittenburgergracht 143
Margo’s
You can feel and taste that everything here is made with lots of love. From delicious vegan danishes with fruity toppings to the classic pain au chocolate and croissant, you can’t go wrong at Margo’s. If you need a snack for later in the day, definitely get a tahini cinnamon bun (or two) to go. During lunchtime, they serve up Italo-American-style submarine sandwiches with freshly made organic bread.
Oh and everything at Margo’s is plant-based and organic – the only ‘right’ way to do things in the eyes of the owners, who aim to change the way we eat for the good of the planet and all living beings.
Website: https://www.margosamsterdam.com/
Address: Eerste Tuindwarsstraat 2A
Vegan Junk Food Bar
If vegan junk food is what you’re after, you have to pay the Vegan Junk Food Bar a visit. With several restaurants across the Netherlands, Spain and Germany, this place is a vegan paradise.
We tried the Mc Cruelty-Free and Daddy burger, which were both very flavourful and filling. Also don’t miss out on the Mac & Cheeze Betterballs, inspired by the popular Dutch bitterballen, which are traditionally made with beef.
Everything is super colourful (think pink buns and baby blue sauces), which we felt wasn’t entirely needed as the flavour was already superb. They’ll make a great picture though.
Website: https://www.veganjunkfoodbar.com/
Address: three locations across Amsterdam, find them here
Saint Jean
Tucked away on a more residential street in the Jordaan, a 15-minute walk from Central station, Saint Jean is the spot where locals get their morning coffee and pastries. From pistachio and almond croissants to buns, cruffins and homemade pistachio paste, everything at Saint Jean is plant-based and absolutely delicious.
Grab a sunny spot outside, slurp your coffee and enjoy the hustle and bustle around you – it’s one of the best ways to spend an Amsterdam morning.
Website: https://www.saintjean.nl/
Address: Lindengracht 158H
Trevi’s
For traditional, authentic Italian food with a vegan twist, head to this small, but extremely charming restaurant in the De Pijp neighbourhood, east of Vondelpark. Definitely order the truffle ravioli with mushrooms and truffle cream and get the Tagliere Trevi’s to share as a starter. We haven’t managed to try the pizzas, but have only heard the very best things about them.
Trevi’s is a delightful spot for couples and small groups, with intimate seating, fantastic service and a small, but truly magnificent menu. Hands down, one of our favourite vegan restaurants in Amsterdam.
Website: https://www.trevisamsterdam.nl/
Address: Pijnackerstraat 6
Mastino Vegan Pizza
Expect both classic and creative pizza toppings prepared with excellence and much amore (you can even order heart-shaped pizzas), plus a colossal selection of vegan cheeses, such as lentil and almond mozzarella. We got the Don’t Call Me Pepperoni for takeaway – with San Marzano tomato sauce, lentil mozzarella, vegan salami, spicy oil, chilli flakes and rocket.
The dough is crisp, light and airy and the cheese delicious, while not overpowering. Mastino proves that great pizza does not need meat or dairy to taste excellent.
Website: https://mastinoveganpizza.com/
Address: Eerste van der Helststraat 78
Other restaurants we were recommended:
These are the vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants in Amsterdam which were on our hit list but we didn’t quite get time to visit! If you have the chance, stop by and let us know if they live up to the hype!
Apart from the best vegan restaurants in Amsterdam, we also wanted to share the best things to-dos, places to stay and more:
Things to do in Amsterdam
1. Rent a bike
If you’ve been to the Netherlands before, you’ll know that people love to bike everywhere. Therefore renting a bike for the day is probably the most Dutch way to explore the city. That said, it can get a little stressful cycling around the inner city if you’re not used to it.
We’d recommend leaving the centre and cycling north to the more laid-back Amsterdam Noord area and the NDSM Werft, a hip, arty district with beach bars and restaurants. The area also hosts festivals, exhibitions, flea markets and other goings-on.
You will have to take the Centraal Station – Buiksloterweg ferry from the back of Amsterdam Centraal, which is fun and pretty straight-foward. It is free to use, runs every 10-30 minutes and has enough space to bring your bikes.
2. Rent an electric scooter
If you like to get around on two wheels but want something a little faster, we can highly recommend using the electric scooter share app Felyx. It basically works like Share Now, just with scooters.
Riding an e-scooter will cost you about the same as public transport and is almost always cheaper than driving a car or taxi. And it’s definitely a lot of fun!
3. Visit Rijksmuseum on a rainy day
If you want to spend a few hours soaking up art and culture, it doesn’t get much better than the Rijksmuseum. This grand Gothic and Renaissance building is home to some of the world’s most famous artworks and artefacts. Using their free app, we did an audio tour of the museum’s highlights – definitely the best way to find your way around the museum and learn more about the artworks, their history as well as their artists.
4. Shop vegan cheese at Willicroft
The Dutch are famous for their cheese. In fact, they produce and export hundreds of millions of tons of it every year. However, following a plant-based diet doesn’t mean you have to miss out.
Based in the heart of Amsterdam, Willicroft sells a variety of insanely delicious plant-based cheese. From soft cheeses to hard cheeses, with camembert, parmesan, gouda and other alternatives made from beans, cashews and other nuts, it’s honestly hard to leave this store without buying something.
Another store selling vegan cheese and other vegan products is Vegabond on De Clercqstraat 48.
Website: https://willicroft.com/
Address: Spiegelgracht 30
5. Hop onto a canal cruise
Amsterdam has a vast array of water canals, over 100km in length, about 90 islands and 1,500 bridges. Naturally, exploring the Dutch capital from the water is one of the most popular attractions. Even though they are very touristy, canal cruises offer a perfect introduction to the city’s highlights and are a real treat, if you’ve been up on your feet all day.
There are plenty of different tours available from a one-hour tour (we can highly recommend the Lovers Canal Cruise) to a hop-on, hop-off experience to romantic candlelight dinner cruises.
6. Get an Iamsterdam card
With the Iamsterdam city card, you can access all major highlights, more than 70 museums, city-wide public transport, canal cruises and bicycle rentals. They offer passes for any time period from 1 to 5 days.
So if you’re looking to see as much as possible during a short city trip, the Iamsterdam card is your ideal companion. Plus, their website provides useful info on what to do during your visit, and practical information including how to book time slots, special events and more.
7. Take the train to Utrecht
Utrecht is a super charming city south of Amsterdam, known for its beautiful historic city centre, its inner city canals and venerable university. The train ride from Amsterdam Centraal only takes about 30 minutes and doesn’t cost more than 10 euros one way.
Utrecht’s city centre is just as beautiful, lovely and charming as Amsterdam, but definitely less busy than the capital! The streets get really lively in the evenings, with everyone sitting outside, enjoying a drink or two or having dinner. There are many vegan-friendly restaurants to choose from too – we’ve been able to try the following:
ANAN Saigon Streetfood: A vegan-friendly Vietnamese with plenty of outdoor space. Definitely try the vegetarian spring rolls and dau hu xao sa ot with tofu and lemongrass.
Vegitalian: A mix of classic and creative Italian dishes, all vegetarian and most of them vegan-friendly with amazing vegan cheese options.
Life is a peach: Utrecht’s first Focacceria with amazing focaccia, coffee and sweet treats. All 100% vegan and homemade.
Other places we were recommended:
Where to stay in Amsterdam
We stayed at the Ruby Emma, situated southeast of the city centre. Rooms were really spacious with a lovely attention to detail and plenty of style. It’s the first Ruby hotel to open in the Netherlands and the location is ideal if you want to avoid the hustle and bustle in the city centre —it’s a convenient 15-minute metro ride from the central station.
Another great option are the Consious Hotels with four sustainable hotels in Amsterdam, located at green locations close to the city centre.
We hope you enjoy these vegan restaurants and travel tips in Amsterdam and have the best time in the Dutch capital. Tag us @weareveano if you try any of the above spots on our recommendation!
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