There’s something truly special about exploring Jordaan in the morning and the neighbourhood tends to remain relatively quiet until after midday. Thankfully, there are many excellent restaurants in the neighbourhood that cater to early risers, including the following spots that serve everything from American-style brunches to steaming bowls of fresh ramen.
Fou Fow Ramen
Restaurant, Ramen, Japanese, Chinese, $$$
Fou Fow Ramen serves bowl after bowl of steaming hot noodle soup to hungry customers over lunchtime, before closing for an afternoon break at 3 pm. The restaurant has amassed an impressive fanbase over the past few years due to its incredible and authentic Sino-Japanese ramen bowls and simple, affordable menu. The restaurant lies roughly midway between Amsterdam’s historic city centre and its outlying neighbourhoods – making it a perfect pitstop for travellers heading south from Jordaan towards Vondelpark or Museumplein.
Winkel 43 makes some of the finest apple pie in the entire city and serves this fabled crumbly dessert with generous dollops of thick Dutch whipped cream. There are many other reasons to visit this cafe, aside from its incredible apple pie, and scores of locals head to Winkel 43 throughout the day to enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner. Its menu tends to lean toward Dutch home cooking and includes many hearty dishes, such as prawn bisque or sandwiches stuffed with wild boar steaks. There’s plenty of room inside Winkel 43 and even more space outside on its stunning canal-side terrace.
At this peaceful spot on Lindengracht, guests are encouraged to choose between two or more smaller items, including sandwiches, soup and salads, in order to create smorgasbord-style lunches. There are many tasty light dishes available on the cafe’s pick-and-mix menu, ranging from small bowls of Italian tomato soup to mini-brioche sandwiches topped with smoked salmon. Guests on-the-go can also order charming takeaway picnic baskets from PIQNIQ, which are filled with fresh bread, salads and cake.
This popular hangout features an incredible waterside terrace that curves around Singelgracht canal. A barrel-shaped, multi-storey carpark stands above Waterkant’s terrace and provides shade for the restaurant’s outdoor seating. Waterkant serves food throughout the day and has many breakfast and lunchtime meals on its menu, which are inspired by Surinamese, Indonesian and American cooking. Its selection includes several classic dishes from the aforementioned cuisines, such as gado-gado salads and pumpkin roti rolls, as well as lighter bites like avocado toast or granola with coconut yogurt.
This aptly titled restaurant serves many pancake-centric dishes that are topped with tasty ingredients, ranging from authentic maple syrup to camembert cheese. Its extensive menu draws from Dutch home cooking and North American cuisine in equal measures and features many different pancakes that have been turned into full-blown meals. The minds behind the restaurant are dedicated to the art of pancake-making and have developed a special flour mix for their mouthwatering creations in collaboration with millers based in Utrecht. Although the restaurant started in Jordaan, it has since grown into a city-wide brand with several other locations spread out around Amsterdam.
This down-to-earth cafe stands on the western corner of Reestraat and overlooks Prinsengracht canal. The menu at Koffiehuis de Hoek features many typical Dutch breakfast and lunch meals, including fluffy omelettes topped with veggies and open-faced sandwiches (broodjes) topped with cold meats, cheese and butter. Like many other restaurants of its kind, Koffiehuis de Hoek serves a mean apple pie, which tastes amazing alongside a frothy cappuccino or a large cup of hot chocolate.
A married couple run this charming restaurant on Rozengracht and have pooled together their culinary skills in order to create an enviable menu that features many perfectly-balanced breakfast, brunch and lunch dishes. There are many mouthwatering French, British and Dutch staples on the restaurant’s menu, including several difficult-to-find dishes like creamy Welsh rarebit and Jerusalem artichoke soup. The restaurant also serves classic Dutch snacks like bitterballen and kroket, which are baked at Patisserie Holtkamp.
Brunch-obsessed foodies should definitely check out Gs Jordaan, as this awesome restaurant serves many hearty egg-heavy dishes, alongside a perfectly-mixed Bloody Mary. There are five different styles of poached eggs available at this restaurant, which are plated with spicy, sweet and savoury accompaniments, ranging from fresh hollandaise sauce to sauerkraut. Other highlights on the menu include pancakes covered in Hennessy and crispy chicken waffle burgers. It is also possible to enjoy Gs’ incredible brunch menu on the restaurant’s tour boat, which sails through Amsterdam’s canals during the weekend. If you’re looking for more brunch spots, check out our guide to the best brunch spots in Amsterdam.
