The 5 best places for a great lunch in Amsterdam

Tucked away in an alley between the busy Kalverstraat and Rokin, Gartine serves delicious breakfast and lunch in their cosy restaurant. They grow fruit and veg in their own cottage garden outside Amsterdam. Their selection of pies is mouth-watering, with surprising combinations and strong flavours, changing with the seasons. 

For years, Hanneke Schouten has been single-handedly running this teeny-tiny (40 square metres) Lyon-style bistro, called a bouchon Lyonnais. The menu changes weekly and is classic French, down to earth, high quality, and anything but vegetarian-friendly. Think sausage, rabbit stew, vol-au-vent and onion soup. Open from Wednesday to Saturday, from noon to 4 pm. Call ahead to book a table.

Okay, maybe (award-winning!) French croissants and pastries don’t count as a proper lunch, but for those who can resist there are plenty of responsible choices here too: like a big salad, scrumptious sandwiches or a fresh fruit shake.

Lavinia serves three types of veggie cocktails (green, orange and red), and big sourdough sandwiches for lunch, with mashed avocado, tuna or grilled pepper, or spelt pizzettas with lamb or salmon. If you’re lucky, there might be a space on the comfy leather sofa. A second location opened at Amstelveenseweg 192. 

In the green fringes of the Indische Buurt sits Elixer, a cosy restaurant that calls itself ‘circular’. What does that mean, you ask? Well, for starters everything you see here is reused or recycled, and the ingredients are sourced from local producers. But most importantly: the food here is tasty and healthy!