I’ve been to several cities in Europe, and the vegan scenes never disappoint. Safe to say, I had high expectations for vegan Amsterdam.
My expectations were exceeded.
Here are the top 5 dishes I ate from vegan and veg-friendly restaurants (ie. restaurants that serve animal products but also have clearly marked vegan dishes) in Amsterdam, Netherlands!
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Ramen-Ya
This was my first stop in Amsterdam after dropping off my carry-on at our hotelboat. I went on this trip with my friend, Destiney, who also follows a plant-based lifestyle.
I was in the mood for pho, so we checked out the menus at a couple of Vietnamese places. Neither offered a vegan option, so we ended up at Ramen-Ya instead.
I am so, so glad we did!
The staff here is very friendly, and it’s easy to veganize their ramen. I got the veggie ramen without the egg, and added kimchi. Destiney had never tried it before, so she was surprised at how good kimchi is!
Ramen-Ya also puts oyster mushrooms in their ramen. I’d never tried them before, but wow! They have a thick texture that is almost meaty, and then burst with a sweet and salty flavor.
Needless to say, this was a great start to Amsterdam for a vegan foodie traveler like me!
Deer Mama Vegan Mylk & Burger Bar
On our first full day in Amsterdam, Destiney and I had tickets for the Van Gogh museum. We decided to walk there even though it was quite a trek.
Had we not done so, we never would have found Deer Mama.
And that would have been tragic.
Deer Mama is a 100% vegan burger and mylk bar serving Beyond Meat burgers, milkshakes, ice cream sundaes, soft serve, and other varieties of desserts that change daily.
I hadn’t eaten an ice cream sundae in years, so this was a big deal for me. Destiney ordered nachos, I got a burger, and I tried a sundae for dessert.
Our time here was so wonderful, from the fun staff, to the cute interior, to the food. We ended up coming back for dessert a couple days later, and I had a slice of monster cake while Destiney got a sundae. In the monster cake was blueberry and lemon curd. Yum!
Bake My Day
On our first day, I ended up sleeping in until 11am, since I’d had a crazy travel day from Paris the day before! We had a slow morning, but soon, it was time for coffee.
On our way to the Van Gogh Museum, we walked down winding streets and took some cute photos. That’s how we found Bake My Day.
This place is too cute! I was sure it was a special coffee shop at first from the name (lol), but it’s really a “normal” coffee shop.
On display, they had vegan croissants even though this is not a fully vegan coffee shop. I was thrilled!
I ordered one of their vegan croissants with a flat white. Both the taste and the texture of the vegan croissant were high-quality. I was super impressed!
It’s difficult to get a vegan croissant to be flaky, since they’re made without eggs. But wow, Bake My Day somehow made it work!
Terrazen Centre
Terrazen Centre was a super cool vegan restaurant in the central part of Amsterdam that Destiney and I found on HappyCow. The owners are a husband-wife duo that shares fusion vegan food from their home cultures.
The husband is Jamaican, and the wife is Japanese. They serve Jamaican-Japanese cuisine at Terrazen Centre! How cool is that?
If you’re a little wary to try such a unique fusion, don’t be. So was I before we had our lunch here, but I was open to the combination.
I ordered the vegan plate, which included tofu, soy chicken, teriyaki veggies, rice, a salad with creamy dressing, and more delicious ingredients I can’t even remember now.
I will definitely be back. The portions are huge, the quality is amazing, and it’s the most unique combination I’ve ever had.
SLA
Our last meal in Amsterdam before heading to the airport was an impromptu lunch at SLA. Destiney found it while we were sitting in a cute coffee shop trying to figure out where we had time to get food from.
SLA is a Dutch chain salad bar restaurant with several locations. We headed to the closest one, and I got the green protein salad. It came with tons of fresh lettuce, veggies, proteins, nuts, and a delicious dressing.
Since I’m not a fan of quinoa, and that’s the usual grain on this salad, they were willing to exchange it for rice. So, if you want to amend the normal ingredients on their salad menu, ask to see what your options are.
This salad was such a good meal. And that’s saying a lot for me, because salads aren’t my go-to! I got to detox my body a little bit from all the desserts and rich meals I’d had in Amsterdam.
I would most definitely go back to SLA, and highly recommend it!
. . .
That’s it for this guide to vegan Amsterdam! I love seeing the world and trying new vegan foods in each country I visit. Even if you’re not vegan, give some of these restaurants a try! They may surprise you.
Are you interested in going vegan? Then I have a guide just for you. It’s tough to make the transition at first, but it doesn’t have to be.
If you’ve been to Amsterdam, what were your favorite foods to try? If not, which from this list will you try when you go?
As always, happy traveling, and happy eating!
*Cover photo by Nadine Primeau. Thanks, Nadine!
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