Steakhouses in Amsterdam come in three kinds: premium grills with imported beef, Dutch steak cafés serving biefstuk in gravy, and a dense row of Argentinian-style grills on the busiest streets of the old centre.
The best choice depends on what you want: a big night out with Wagyu and a wine list, or a plain steak with bread and jus in a brown café.
This guide names steakhouses we checked, grouped by area, and is honest about the cluster in the tourist centre.
The Argentinian grills in the centre
Walk down the Damstraat, the Zeedijk, the Warmoesstraat or the Lange Leidsedwarsstraat and you will pass one steak grill after another, many of them with Argentinian names.
Of the 56 places in our directory that Google classes as a steak house or chophouse, 28 have a 1011, 1012 or 1017 postcode, the old centre plus the Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein area, and ten of those 28 also list themselves as Argentinian restaurants.
That is half of all the steakhouses in our directory packed into a small part of the city where visitors walk most.
With so many grills side by side it is hard to tell them apart from the street, so compare the price and the weight of the cut on the menu before you sit down.
If you want a steak dinner that is chosen rather than stumbled into, the places below are a better starting point.
Oud-Zuid and West
Chop House, Amstelveenseweg 128
Chop House is a premium grill house near the Vondelpark that has been open since 2018.
It sources beef from several countries: Argentine cuts such as bife de chorizo and bife de lomo, Japanese A5 Wagyu, Scottish Black Angus and grass-fed fillet from New Zealand.
The Argentine steaks are grilled over an open flame, and there is also a full Italian kitchen with a wood-fired pizza oven, which helps if not everyone at the table wants steak.
Its own site gives opening hours of 15:00 to 23:00 every day, with the kitchen closing at 22:30.
Café Loetje, Johannes Vermeerstraat 52
Café Loetje is where the Amsterdam biefstuk habit started.
Loetje Klinkhamer opened it in 1977 as a billiard café on the Johannes Vermeerstraat and began serving steaks a few years later; they sold so well that the billiard tables went.
The dish is the point: a beef tenderloin steak served without fuss in Loetje’s own jus, with soft white bread to mop it up.
Loetje has since grown into a chain across the Netherlands, and in Amsterdam it also has branches such as Loetje Centraal on the Stationsplein and Loetje aan ‘t IJ in Noord.
De Pijp and Rivierenbuurt
Café Carbòn, Van Woustraat 174
Café Carbòn cooks everything over charcoal, and it is known for steaks and spare ribs.
There is a second branch, Café Carbòn Zuid on the Amstelveenseweg.
Mi Sueño, Maasstraat 40
Mi Sueño is an Argentinian grill in the Rivierenbuurt that opened on 1 August 2005.
Its owner worked for almost 20 years at a well-known Argentinian restaurant chain before opening it, and the menu adds Wagyu beef alongside the Argentine steaks, with fish and vegetarian dishes too.
It is a good answer to the question of where to get an Argentinian steak away from the Damstraat.
In and near the centre, chosen with care
Steakhouse Piet de Leeuw, Noorderstraat 11
Piet de Leeuw has been a steakhouse since 1949.
Expect meat, gravy and bread with no culinary experiments, in a dark interior of wooden panelling, stained glass and oil paintings that has hardly changed since the 1970s.
It has a separate room for groups, and the service is direct in the way of an old Amsterdam café.
Midtown Grill, Stadhouderskade 12
Midtown Grill is the steak restaurant of the Amsterdam Marriott Hotel, near the Leidseplein and the Vondelpark.
It serves dry-aged, corn-fed American ribeye and Dutch filet mignon and offers a choice of steak knives at the table.
Carstens Steakhouse, Hasselaerssteeg 1
Carstens is the hotel restaurant of the Park Plaza Victoria near Centraal Station.
The menu runs from beef tartare to dry-aged rib-eye, bavette, tomahawk and Wagyu, with fish and vegetarian options for anyone who does not eat meat.
Tips for ordering steak in Amsterdam
Dutch menus often use the word biefstuk, which usually means a tender steak from the fillet or the sirloin, and ossenhaas, which is beef tenderloin.
Doneness is asked the same way as in English: rare, medium rare, medium or well done, though you may also hear the Dutch words rood, medium and doorbakken.
Large cuts such as a tomahawk are meant for sharing, so check the weight on the menu before you order.
Booking ahead is wise at the smaller places and on Friday and Saturday evenings.
More places to eat
For an overview of the food scene, start with our guide to eating out in Amsterdam.
For grilled meat with a Mediterranean accent, see our guide to Greek restaurants in Amsterdam.
And if you would rather eat away from the crowds, read Amsterdam restaurants beyond the tourist spots or browse the American restaurants and burgers directory, where many of the city’s steakhouses are listed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are there so many Argentinian steakhouses in Amsterdam’s centre?
Steak grills with Argentinian names are concentrated on the streets with the most visitors, such as the Damstraat, the Zeedijk and the Lange Leidsedwarsstraat.
Half of the steakhouses in our directory have a postcode in the old centre or the Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein area.
What is Loetje known for?
Loetje is known for its biefstuk: a beef tenderloin steak served in its own jus with soft white bread.
It started in 1977 as a billiard café on the Johannes Vermeerstraat.
Where can I eat Wagyu in Amsterdam?
Chop House on the Amstelveenseweg serves Japanese A5 Wagyu, and Carstens and Mi Sueño also have Wagyu on the menu.
Which is the oldest steakhouse in Amsterdam?
We cannot confirm which is the oldest, but Steakhouse Piet de Leeuw on the Noorderstraat has been serving steak since 1949.
Is there a steakhouse near the Vondelpark?
Yes.
Chop House is on the Amstelveenseweg near the Vondelpark, and Midtown Grill is on the Stadhouderskade between the Leidseplein and the park.
Sources
- Chop House
- Loetje
- Amsterdam Foodie: steakhouses in Amsterdam
- Amsterdam Now: Piet de Leeuw
- NH Nieuws: Loetje history
Photo: Steaks grilling over charcoal by Boris Ivas, Pexels licence, via Pexels.
