Amsterdam Noord restaurants adding edge to the city’s dining scene

Once the centre of shipbuilding and heavy industry, Amsterdam Noord has evolved into one of the city’s most dynamic cultural hubs. As industrial activity moved out, and creatives moved in, drawn by affordable rents and expansive warehouse spaces. The neighbourhood is now home to experimental art, music and nightlife, alongside a vibrant and ever-evolving culinary scene.

Independent art galleries, warehouse clubs, and multi-course fine dining restaurants occupy former garages, as well as urban agricultural projects and rule-breaking craft breweries and wineries. The IJ Hallen flea market is the largest of its kind in Europe, drawing vintage hunters in their droves each month.

How to get to Amsterdam Noord

To get to Amsterdam Noord, cross the IJ by hopping on a free ferry from Centraal Station to Buiksloterweg (F3), which runs 24 hours a day. Ferries to NDSM (F4) are less frequent and stop at 23:45. If you do get stuck in NDSM after hours, it’s a 30-minute walk to the main ferry point.

From Noorderpark to NDSM, these are the best restaurants and bars in Amsterdam Noord.

Bars and restaurants in Amsterdam Noord

Euro Pizza

Best for: Wood fired pizza with locally sourced, seasonal toppings
Location: Gedempt Hamerkanaal 79, 1021 KP Amsterdam
Price: $$

Don’t let the casual exterior or name fool you into thinking this is just another takeaway. Euro Pizza bakes deliciously puffy pizzas with creativity and flavour, utilising local ingredients. Pizza Jaap, for example, is topped with seasonal lettuce and vegetables sourced from a local farmer.

While pizza takes centre stage, appetisers are also worth your attention, like radish carpaccio with fermented pepper or oysters with grapefruit and confit lemon. On warm evenings, grab a table out front, or sit inside below the high pitched ceiling. There is also an excellent organic wine list.

Copain

Best for: Creative cooking in a dramatic warehouse setting
Address: Tt. Vasumweg 42, 1033 SC Amsterdam
Price: $$$$

Occupying in a glass-walled warehouse, Copain is both a restaurant and event space. It is anchored by a moveable deep red stainless steel bar, alongside dramatic floor-to-ceiling white curtains and mahogany tables. The contemporary menu is playful, fresh and largely vegetable-led, punctuated by the occasional lamb tartare or scallop. A young, design-conscious crowd extends beyond the dining room, with big-name brands regularly booking the space for a private events, leaning into Copain’s more experimental, artistic edge.

Restaurant Barracuda

Best for: Fresh catches in a bright industrial space
Address: Ridderspoorweg 31, 1032 LL Amsterdam
Price: $$$

Barracuda is one of Amsterdam’s best fish restaurants, housed in a large warehouse that spills outside on warm days. The daily changing menu includes whole grilled fish, shellfish and smaller plates designed for sharing, including of the Dutch staple, kibbeling – morsels of fried white fish. A concise wine list, largely European, supports the menu. You may be in Amsterdam, but on a sunny day it feels like a Mediterranean beach town.

Cornerstore

Best for: Japanese, sake and a vinyl soundtrack
Location: Papaverweg 11, 1032 KD Amsterdam Noord
Price: $$$

Cornerstore has fast gained a reputation as one of the best restaurants in Amsterdam for its Japanese-inspired menu, combined with a soothing cross-section of mid-century modern and Japanese minimalist design. A record collection and turntable take centre stage at the dedicated vinyl bar, and small wooden tables are spread throughout the space below the steel struts of the pitched roof. Cornerstore is particularly celebrated for its natural wines and sake, as well as sharing dishes using local produce with a Japanese twist.

Oedipus Brewing

Best for: Craft beer in a laidback, arty taproom
Location: Gedempt Hamerkanaal 85, 1021 KP Amsterdam
Price: $$

It’s likely you’ll have spotted brightly labelled Oedipus beers around Amsterdam. At its mural-covered HQ in Noord, you can try seasonal brews and unique creations not found anywhere else. The Thai Thai Spicy triple is infused with red chilli peppers, coriander, lemongrass, orange and galangal root, capturing the essence of a spicy Thai meal, while the Pantry is a thick stout with roasted chocolate flavours. Soak it all up with a great selection of burgers and fries by The Beef Chief. There are often DJs playing, while the outdoor tables are a real suntrap.

Restaurant Europa

Best for: Fine dining in a converted garage
Location: Gedempt Hamerkanaal 81, 1021 KP Amsterdam
Price: $$$$

Restaurant Europa is a fine dining experience from the team behind Euro Pizza, set in a stripped-down former garage. Guests perch at a long turquoise bar while chefs cook over open flame. Choose from a five or seven course tasting menu (89 and 105 EUR), each featuring sourced fish, meat and vegetables. Highlights include the pike-perch served in a gooseberry and koji sauce, and the Tsukune made from cod cheek and shrimp with habanero, castelfranco and lemon balm.

Barossa

Best for: South American flavours on the NDSM waterfront
Address: Werfkade 39, 1033 TA Amsterdam
Price: $$$

Barossa sits along the NDSM waterfront in a converted warehouse, where expansive windows and high ceilings open onto the water. A warm, wood-heavy interior and patterned tiles soften the industrial shell. Led by a Peruvian chef, the menu brings a South American lens to seasonal European produce, with bold, shareable dishes like spicy mussels and whole roasted poussin. An open kitchen adds to the energy, while the waterside setting creates a sense of calm.

Bacalar

Best for: Quality tacos and cocktails with curious garnishes
Location: Chrysantenstraat 4, 1031 HT Amsterdam Noord
Price: $$

Considered one of the best restaurants in Amsterdam, this garage-turned-taqueria draws diners from across the city for its perfectly formed tostadas, tacos and ceviche. Toppings and fillings including zesty octopus with pickled red onion, crispy lamb sweetbreads, or raw tuna and creamy avocado, served with a vast collection of mezcal. Cocktails are served with inventive garnishes such as worm salt and dried crickets – don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. Pair your visit with a trip to the nearby NXT museum.

Papa Thang

Best for: Vietnamese street food with a creative twist
Location: Melkdistelstraat 94, 1031JX Amsterdam
Price: $

Papa Thang is a local gem hidden behind a residential block of buildings. But this self-proclaimed ‘ghetto chic street food bistro’ deserves the limelight. After stints in Paris, Barcelona, and New Orleans, chef Thang Pham returned to his roots, creating delicious Vietnamese street food with an international twist. Try his fresh take on classics like the Nems Chay spring rolls with vegetables, green apple, shiitake mushrooms and ginger, or sample the Vietnamese-Mexican poke nachos – crispy wonton chips topped with fresh salmon, avocado, herbs, sriracha and wasabi mayonnaise. Forty per cent of the menu is vegetarian.

Pllek

Best for: Laidback vegan and vegetarian plates on the waterfront
Location: TT Neveritaweg 59, 1033 WB Amsterdam
Price: $$

Pllek sits within NDSM, a former shipyard-turned-cultural-hotspot. The vegetarian and vegan-leaning restaurant focuses on organic, seasonal and locally sourced ingredients, with a low-waste approach at its core.
The menu changes regularly, with experimental dishes such as coconut beet curry or Korean falafel. During the summertime, take in Amsterdam’s skyline from the beachfront right along the IJ or attend an outdoor film screening.

De VerbroederIJ

Best for: Inclusive, relaxed dining beside a community garden
Location: Johan van Hasseltweg 21, 1021 KN Amsterdam
Price: $$$

Amsterdam Noord district held a local competition in 2017 to activate a neglected stretch of land along the IJ. The winning project was De VerbroederIJ, developed by a collective of local growers, with a focus on creating space for urban agriculture and community.

Today, the site includes a restaurant that uses ingredients grown on the neighbouring allotment. It is designed as an inclusive space with ample vegan and vegetarian options, while a pay-it-forward system encourages guests to contribute to meals for others

Helling 7

Best for: French fine dining with views of the IJ 
Location: tt. Melissaweg 57, 1033 SP Amsterdam
Price: $$$$

In a glass-walled former warehouse with views of the IJ, Helling 7 serves classic French fine dining in a casual, sunlit setting (the space was previously occupied by cultural collective NDSM, who moved to another location nearby). In summer, the doors open up to form a warm alfresco terrace for evening meals and drinks in the sun. The open kitchen cooks much of the four or five course tasting menus (From 65 EUR) on an open wood fire, lending smoky, charred flavours to their simple ingredients. Helling 7 is equally suited to a day of remote working, a lunch with friends, a coffee meet up, or cocktails and wine in the evening.