Psst. You. Yes you standing there in Dam Square, map in hand, wondering where to eat and not eager to sit down at the dozens of lousy tourist trap spots nearby. Over here. Down this non-descript street not much wider than an alley. Right off Dam Square, about 150 metres. It's Cafe van Kerkwijk.

It's surprising to find such a great, affordable, off-the-beaten path place so close to such a beaten path. My wife and I discovered it quite by accident; I've been in the city for years now and didn't even notice this street until last month.

There are no menus here - your server will come over and list the day's options. And then you'll be treated to a great homemade meal in a cozy environment - I'd call it comfort food but that might imply it is too basic. All the choices are interesting and they vary, from meat dishes to vegetarian options, sandwiches to full meals to great desserts and coffee. The at-home feel is enhanced by the two sisters who own it, one in the kitchen and the other on the floor.

It is busy - often packed with locals, which is a good sign in any city - and you can't make reservations. But wait a few minutes at the small bar and you will be rewarded, day or night.

www.caferestaurantvankerkwijk.nl/eng/11.html
Nes 41, 1012 KC Amsterdam, Netherlands
+31 20 620 3316
Google map: bit.ly/XZWcfU

* Jeff is our Been there local for Amsterdam. You can read his profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/amsterdam-local-jeff-funnekotter.jsp and follow his tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/jefffunnekotter

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Moeders is an excellent little eatery/restaurant located on the Rozengracht, not far form the Anne Frank House Museum in the centre of the city's beautiful Canal Belt district. What makes this place different is the decor. You will find wall upon wall packed with photos of customers' mothers. You are of course encouraged to bring along a photo of your own mum to add to their collection. High tea and cakes is served on charmingly mis-matched crockery and cutlery and you can also treat yourself to some authentic stodgy Dutch cuisine here. Bring your mother on her birthday and they will have a prize in store for her. Book online for a table to avoid disappointment in such cases.

www.moeders.com/
Rozengracht 251, 1016 SX Amsterdam
+31(0)20 6267957
Google map: bit.ly/Q70liJ

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A little better on the food side than De Koffie Salon, with a very fine coffee in its own right, is Anne & Max. The feel here is less retro and artistic than the Koffie Salon and perhaps more generic, but you still feel the ambience (gezelligheid, in Dutch) of Amsterdam when sitting by the window or at the big brown tables upstairs or downstairs. The food selection, with breakfast, lunch, even high tea on the menu, is quite nice and reasonable. You'll find them in Haarlem and Alkmaar as well. The Amsterdam location is well-placed just a block from the "bottom" of Vondelpark, away from the tourist hordes.

www.annemax.nl/
Zijlstraat 68 zw, 2011 TP Haarlem
+31 (0)23 7074535
Google map: bit.ly/Kw4FAh

* Jeff is our Been there local for Amsterdam. You can read his profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/amsterdam-local-jeff-funnekotter.jsp and follow his tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/jefffunnekotter

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While I may not be a total coffee connoisseur, I've downed some grounds. And this is the best coffee I've ever had. The creamy cappuccino is like a holiday in your mouth. The regular coffee is smooth and just strong enough to power you up for an afternoon on the bike. Sipping a latte in front of the rain-dappled stained glass window will have you pondering the good choices you've made in life to get you to this place at this moment. The snacks are decent, with supple croissants and some nice cakes. But you are here for the coffee.

www.dekoffiesalon.nl/
Utrechtsestraat 130, Amsterdam
+31 (0)20 3304314
Google map: bit.ly/LiATkF

* Jeff is our Been there local for Amsterdam. You can read his profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/amsterdam-local-jeff-funnekotter.jsp and follow his tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/jefffunnekotter

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Perfectly situated at the intersection of local and tourist, Cafe van Zuylen is quintessentially Amsterdam. It’s located on a corner overlooking a canal in the city’s Jordaan area.
If you want to get away from the cringe-inducing ugliness of Rokin, the main tourist drag that leads straight to and from Amsterdam’s Central Station, this is the perfect spot. It’s only five minutes away by foot from Rokin and the almost equally garish Dam Square, but it’s as authentic and charming a place as you’ll find in the city.
Full of natural light, natural wood furniture, and naturally a fat house cat, van Zuylen is a great spot to fire up the laptop (free Wi-Fi) and waste away the afternoon with cheap beer and friendly service (a rarity in the city). Not to mention the decent Dutch snacks and pub-ish fare and a very decent cappucino and apple tart (There’s also a restaurant attached - haven’t eaten there yet - for a more intimate setting). And on a nice day, the seating spills over to a bench outside and a sizable collection of tables overlooking a canal.
Better yet, open up your map on the table and plot your next stop, or open the travel journal and watch the people going by - your first entry will likely start with “Maybe I should just move here...” It’s like a movie about Amsterdam, with more than enough interesting faces going by to offset the occasional hipster twirling his sad mustache while looking for jobs online.
How else to put it? It’s a cosy, unassuming, cool place. And it's one of those unique spots that is always busy, but somehow there’s always a spot for you.

www.cafevanzuylen.nl/
Torensteeg 4-8, 1012 TH Amsterdam
+31(0)20 639 10 55
Google map: bit.ly/xCUXte

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An Italian breadshop, very tasteful in both design and baking. Fresh veggies, pretty cakes, firm breads, delicious cookies, they have it all. Did I mention it looks great?

It is on the Nieuwmarkt, near the central station. Walk down the famous Zeedijk and you will reach it.

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A bit of a nerd alert here ... the following post deals with a place many of us haven't visited since grade school - so feel free to fast-forward if you are not a fan of the literary arts. The rest of us will geek out at places like Bibliotheek Amsterdam - an architectural and bibliotheq-lical wonder located about five minutes walk from Amstedam's Centraal Station.
It's part of what might be called the "new" Amsterdam. "Old" Amsterdam buildings are the homes, bridges, and cobblestone streets from the past several centuries - beautiful, quaint, happily cramped, and the stuff that most of us see on postcards. What is less often seen is the really cool and modern interior/exterior design that also permeates the city.
Overlooking the water and the entire city to the south, the main central library cost 80 million Euros to build and is easily the coolest library you've ever seen, seemingly intended as much for the tourist as for the student.
The lighting and layout - seven floors in total - evokes an Apple store-ish feel, with several hundred Mac displays and hundreds of quiet corners to read or study.
Occasionally, you'll be able to catch a concert here, with a piano player or singer belting out tunes on a given afternoon, in addition to cultural events like art openings. If you're handy with it, you can simply sit down at the piano on the main floor and tickle the ivories.
Any time of day, you can head to the affordable chicness of Vapiano attached to the front of the building, or head to La Place on the 7th floor for all meals (tip: get the Thai stir-fry for lunch) or a dessert and a coffee, with sweet views and photo ops of the entire city.

www.oba.nl
Oosterdokskade 143, 1011 DL Amsterdam
+31(0)20 523 0800
Google map: bit.ly/qXStAK

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Small World is a small deli/takeaway join that offers the BEST sandwiches in Amsterdam (along with cakes, coffee, juices, salads and warm meals). It's Aussie-owned and staffed by friendly young expats. The sandwiches can easily feed two and are stuffed with incredibly fresh ingredients in fresh baked bread. It's a local gem and not to be missed!

www.smallworldcatering.nl
Binnenoranjestraat 14, 1013 JA Amsterdam
+31(0)20 4202774
Google map: bit.ly/j02hyu

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Full of character, situated in the trendy Jordaan area. Excellent Dutch apple cake, and a wonderful array of interesting lunchtime snacks with healthy options. Very reasonably priced as well. Sit outside on the canal and watch the world go by.

www.cafethijssen.nl/
Brouwersgracht 107, 1015 GD Amsterdam, Netherlands
+31(0)20 6238994
Google map: bit.ly/lJQBuN

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Amsterdam’s Museum of Modern Art has a fabulous collection from Piat Mondrian to Karel Appel. There’s a host of galleries in the city centre but this has one of the best collections of contemporary art and is definitely worth a look. It’s free with a Museumkaart or Amsterdam Stadspas and there’s a nice little café on the second floor where you can grab a coffee and discuss the exhibits.

Oosterdokskade 3–5

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One of ‘the’ things to do in Amsterdam is visit one of the notorious coffeehouses. Although they are mostly good quality, Gaeper is one of the best in the city. It has a laidback but funky atmosphere and is usually crammed with an international studenty crowd.

Staalstraat 4

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The archetype of a brown cafe, with a good selection of beers and cosily 'gezellig', despite its proximity to Leidseplein, it's a retreat from the lager louts.

Korte Leidsedwarsstraat 86
0031 206248901

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For unique and panoramic views over the city, within ten minutes walking distance of the station, visit the Metz cafe on the top floor of the Metz department store - and enjoy wonderful coffee and cakes at the same time!

Keizersgracht 455

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Find ‘De Erste Klasse’ on platform 2b of Amsterdam Central Station and be infused with years of rail travel atmosphere. This huge late 19th century wood paneled brassiere is the epitome of European railway romanticism: think ‘Brief Encounter’ without the tea urn.

Central Station

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Café Du Prins is a wonderful slice of Dammer life, on the Western fringe of central Amsterdam. When I visited, we popped in each morning as we strolled along the canals into the city, stopping by for a strong coffee, a glass of freshly-squeezed orange juice, or one of those very small beers that the Dammers seem to like so much.

By the third day, we were on first-name terms with the landlord and bar maid, and the old man on the stool at the bar would nod in a manner that seemed to say 'Well, if you must'. It was mid-March, and it rained almost every day, but inside Café Du Prins we always felt cosy, despite the rickety tables and bare brick walls.

I would like to know what percentage of my stay in Amsterdam was spent in Café Du Prins, admiring the artwork on the walls, poring over the flyer racks, listening to the atmospheric soundscapes from the stereo, or eating pancakes, ham and eggs, or little biscuits.

The other thing about Café Du Prins is that it conforms to the Dammer mould of tallness, narrowness, and shambolic order. Once this status quo dawns upon you, you notice it in many guises. Of course, the city is packed into the concentric semi-circles formed around the canals, and as the buildings teeter on their foundations, standing tall, narrow and tightly packed, the essence of the city somehow follows suit.

Tall men and women sat upright on high bar stools, Heineken drunk from narrow vessels, the streets densely packed with upright cyclists on high-seated bicycles, and of course the Dammers themselves … Café Du Prins is a beautifully welcoming retreat and is well worth a visit.

www.diningcity.nl/deprins/

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Cafe de Jaren on Nieuwe Doelenstraat offers delectable food (and staff!). It's the ideal cafe, with a reading room, restaurant and - my favourite spot - terraced decking right on the River Amstel.

The view takes in the University and Muntplein, and the cafe is only a short walk from Central Station. Their cocktails make the day and their apple tart is to die for, even in a city famous for them.

www.diningcity.nl/cafedejaren/nl/index.html

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Vertigo, the café-restaurant in Vondelpark, has a wonderful atmosphere at any time of the day and in any season.

www.vertigo.nl/

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Visit the Cafe Restaurant Amsterdam in the middle of an eco-friendly housing estate!

www.cradam.nl/

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Visit the M l Café at the top of the Metz & Co department store. Good food, excellent wine and a stunning view of the city.

www.metzenco.nl/restaurant.html

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American hotel is an extremely good place to stay, though a bit pricy. Fantastic location close to museums & night life. Very friendly staff, a real treat, and the hotel's cafe is a fantastic place to have a meal or just a cup of coffee, very beautiful with a distinctly old-times flavour. Excellent value for money. Strongly recommend both places.

Leidsekade 97, Amsterdam (close to Ledsplein);
tel: (0)20 556 3000;
email: info@AmsterdamAmerican.com;
www.amsterdamamerican.com

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