Amsterdam’s Japanese cooking is strongest at the noodle end, and the useful way to sort it is by broth and by closing time.
Several of the best ramen kitchens shut at half past nine, and a couple close for the whole afternoon, so the choice is made for you more often than not.
Ramen, by the broth
Ramen-Ya on the Oudezijds Voorburgwal cooks Hakata-style tonkotsu and is open noon to ten every single day, which no other ramen kitchen here manages.
It has also fed more people than any of them, on 5,396 reviews at 4.3.
Sapporo Ramen SORA on the Ceintuurbaan works the northern style, with Sapporo miso alongside shoyu, tonkotsu shoyu and a spicy mala bowl, plus vegetable ramen and the usual gyoza and kimchi.
It splits the weekday in two, noon to three and half past five to half past nine, then runs straight through on Saturday and Sunday.
Tokyo Ramen Takeichi on the Kerkstraat builds its bowls on chicken paitan rather than pork, with takoyaki and karaage on the side, and it stops serving at quarter to nine every night.
Fou Fow Ramen on the Elandsgracht makes its own noodles and leans light, with dashi broths and a proper udon menu -- closed Mondays, and shut between three and five the rest of the week.
OTEMBA RAMEN on the Kinkerstraat is dinner-only from Monday to Thursday, opening at half past five, and only opens for lunch at the weekend.
HINATA on the Westerstraat makes its ramen in-house, keeps a vegan bowl on permanently and pours Japanese whisky, noon to ten and closed on Sundays.
The Takumi branches are not the same shop
Takumi runs three Amsterdam kitchens and each one is built around a different bowl.
Umaimon on the Korte Leidsedwarsstraat by the Leidseplein does chicken ramen and stays open latest, to half past ten on Friday and Saturday.
Takumi Tonkotsu Ramen on the Scheldestraat in the Rivierenbuurt is the pork-broth branch and the best rated of the three at 4.7.
Takumi Ramen Kitchen on the Ferdinand Bolstraat covers De Pijp with the broader menu, and like the Rivierenbuurt branch it closes at half past nine.
Sushi, and when the counters are actually open
Ken Sushi on the Geldersekade is the highest-rated sushi room in the city at 4.8 across 946 reviews, and it opens only from Wednesday to Sunday, five in the afternoon until midnight.
That late finish makes it one of the few places here you can eat properly after a show.
Sushi Fanatics on the Andreas Bonnstraat in Oost runs noon to ten every day, and Miso Sushi does much the same on the Spuistraat with a half-hour extra on Friday and Saturday.
ROBO-BAR on the Lange Leidsedwarsstraat puts an Asian grill and a sushi counter under one roof and is the busiest listing in the whole category, on 4,648 reviews.
Mojo Japanese Kitchen on the Oosterdokskade is the buffet option, running two fixed sittings, one to four and five to half past ten.
Plant-based is where Amsterdam is genuinely unusual
Men Impossible on the Hazenstraat in the Jordaan cooks entirely plant-based Japanese food with ramen at the centre, and at 4.9 across 1,435 reviews it is the best-rated Japanese kitchen in the city by either measure.
It serves dinner only, five to ten, and is closed on Tuesdays.
Vegan Sushi Bar on the Bilderdijkstraat does the same job for sushi, noon to nine every day, and HINATA and SORA both keep a meat-free bowl on the standing menu.
Beef, fusion and a late kitchen
Wagyu Kanata on the Buitenveldertselaan is the yakiniku specialist, grilling Wagyu imported from Japan, five to nine on weekdays with a lunch sitting added at the weekend.
Ku Kitchen & Bar on the Utrechtsestraat runs Japanese and wider Asian cooking alongside a bar, opening at five and going to one in the morning on Friday and Saturday.
NAZKA on the Van Ostadestraat crosses Japanese technique with Latin American flavours and serves from six until midnight, Tuesday to Saturday.
Eating before a gig in Zuidoost
Ichi-E sits on the Johan Cruijff Boulevard within walking distance of the ArenA, the Ziggo Dome and AFAS Live, and it runs sushi and izakaya-style plates from noon to ten.
It closes on Tuesdays, which is worth checking against your ticket.
A note on what is filed alongside
The category also holds steakhouses and buffets that borrow a Japanese element without being Japanese restaurants, so read the listing before you book for someone who wants sushi.
The full set of Amsterdam Japanese and sushi restaurants carries the address, phone number and opening hours for each one.
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