Amsterdam Middle Eastern Restaurants

Top Amsterdam Middle Eastern Restaurants

Essentially Amsterdam Reader's Choice 2026

Esh Pitabar

4.7★★★★★

(2991 reviews)

Essentially Amsterdam Reader's Choice 2026

Van Baerlestraat 51, 1071 BJ Amsterdam

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Middle Eastern restaurant
Falafel restaurant

Esh Pitabar serves Middle Eastern street food in Amsterdam, with homemade falafel, pita and pizza. It has a cozy, casual feel and a large following on Instagram, backed by very strong review numbers.

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Sham Oost

4.7★★★★★

(1855 reviews)

Essentially Amsterdam Reader's Choice 2026

Borneosteiger 1, 1019 KM Amsterdam

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Syrian restaurant

Sham Oost is a Syrian restaurant in Amsterdam with a very strong review record. It has 1,855 Google reviews and 83% five-star ratings, and is active on Facebook and Instagram.

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Dabka

4.5★★★★★

(4144 reviews)

Oudezijds Kolk 69, 1012 AL Amsterdam

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Lebanese restaurant
Restaurant

Dabka is a Lebanese restaurant in Amsterdam with a very large review base and an active Facebook presence. It has more than 4,000 Google reviews.

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middleat

4.6★★★★★

(4032 reviews)

Reguliersdwarsstraat 21, 1017 BJ Amsterdam

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Middle Eastern restaurant
Bar & grill
Fish & chips restaurant
Halal restaurant

middleat serves Middle Eastern food in Amsterdam, alongside bar and grill options, fish and chips, and halal dishes. With a broad menu and a lively restaurant-café-bar format, it’s a popular spot for casual dining in...

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NENI Amsterdam

4.6★★★★★

(3942 reviews)

Stadionplein 8, 1076 CM Amsterdam

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Restaurant
Brunch restaurant
Cocktail bar
Event venue

NENI Amsterdam combines a restaurant, brunch spot, cocktail bar and event venue in Amsterdam. It draws on the Molcho family’s kitchen concept and has a large online presence, with 3,942 Google reviews and active profiles...

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The Lebanese Sajeria

4.6★★★★★

(3208 reviews)

Wijde Heisteeg 1, 1016 AS Amsterdam

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Lebanese restaurant
Restaurant

The Lebanese Sajeria in Amsterdam serves Lebanese food, with hours from 11:30am to 8pm daily. Its website also points to catering and dietary options, and the restaurant has more than 3,200 Google reviews plus Facebook...

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Lila

4.6★★★★★

(2781 reviews)

Haarlemmerstraat 117h, 1013 EM Amsterdam

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Middle Eastern restaurant
Halal restaurant

Lila is a Middle Eastern and halal restaurant in Amsterdam serving traditional homemade dishes. The website highlights a wide choice of food, including hummus and saj bread, and the restaurant has built a large review...

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d&a hummus bistro

4.6★★★★★

(2164 reviews)

Westerstraat 136, 1015 MP Amsterdam

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Middle Eastern restaurant

d&a hummus bistro is a Middle Eastern restaurant in Amsterdam with hummus at the center of the concept. It has an especially large review footprint and a strong social presence on Facebook and Instagram.

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Manoto Restaurant

4.1★★★★★

(2128 reviews)

De Clercqstraat 18, 1052 ND Amsterdam

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Persian restaurant

Manoto Restaurant serves Persian food in Amsterdam and has drawn more than 2,000 Google reviews. It is a well-known Iranian dining spot with a broad local audience.

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SALLORA Amsterdam Restaurant

4.2★★★★★

(2096 reviews)

Osdorpplein 1010, 1068 TG Amsterdam

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Restaurant
Halal restaurant
Lebanese restaurant
Lunch restaurant

SALLORA serves Lebanese mazza, spiezen and other charcoal-grill dishes in Amsterdam. It is a 100% halal restaurant with a lunch focus, and it promotes both cold and warm tapas-style plates. The restaurant also has a...

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Persian parsa Restaurant

4.1★★★★★

(2070 reviews)

De Clercqstraat 2, 1052 NC Amsterdam

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Persian restaurant
Bar & grill

Parsa Restaurant serves Persian food in the heart of Amsterdam, combining Iranian cooking with a bar-and-grill setting. It has a very large review base, with more than 2,000 Google reviews, and shares updates on Facebook...

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Cedars

4.2★★★★★

(2044 reviews)

Heemstedestraat 80, 1058 NP Amsterdam

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Lebanese restaurant
Bar & grill
Cocktail bar
Lounge bar

Cedars serves Lebanese and Arabic cuisine in Amsterdam, with mazzaa, cocktails, a lounge area and on-site catering. It also operates as a bar and grill, and has 2,044 Google reviews alongside Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn...

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How to choose a Middle Eastern restaurant in Amsterdam

"Middle Eastern" on this list covers Lebanese, Syrian, Yemeni, Israeli, Persian, and Turkish-leaning kitchens, and the format changes by cuisine more than the ingredients do. Lebanese and Syrian menus usually build a meal from shared mezze plates, while Turkish ocakbaşı-style rooms center on charcoal-grilled meat and mixed grills.

Location matters too: De Pijp around Albert Cuypstraat, Amsterdam Oost near Javastraat and Javaplein, and the Nine Streets and Haarlemmerstraat area in Centrum each carry a cluster of options. Our own guide to where to eat Middle Eastern food in Amsterdam picks a shortlist across those areas and styles, and Amsterdam Turkish restaurants is the separate list to check if it's specifically grilled meat and baklava you want.

Walk-up saj and falafel counters run on a queue with no reservations, while sit-down mezze restaurants are worth booking ahead, especially for a group. Confirm halal status, vegan options, and current hours directly with the restaurant or on the listing rather than assuming, since practice varies even within one style of cuisine; for the wider Amsterdam dining picture beyond this cuisine, see Amsterdam Restaurants.

Questions people ask

What's the difference between mezze and a mixed grill?

Mezze is a spread of shared small dishes, dips, salads, and stuffed or fried starters, meant to be picked at slowly across a table rather than eaten as a single plate. A mixed grill is built around charcoal-grilled meat skewers as the main course, typical of Turkish ocakbaşı-style restaurants. Many kitchens on this list serve both formats, so the menu is the fastest way to tell which one a given restaurant leads with.

What is saj, and where can I find it?

Saj is a thin flatbread baked on the curved sides of a large dome-shaped oven, then wrapped around fillings such as za'atar and halloumi to order. It anchors the menu at Lebanese saj specialists in the Nine Streets, on Haarlemmerstraat, and on Utrechtsestraat, where lunchtime queues are common. It is a walk-up, eat-on-the-go format rather than a sit-down dinner, and vegan fillings are usually available.

Is Middle Eastern food in Amsterdam halal?

Some restaurants in this category serve halal meat and some don't state a policy on their own site, so it isn't safe to assume either way from the cuisine alone. Check the listing or contact the restaurant directly before booking if halal certification matters to you, since we list these businesses without vetting or verifying that detail ourselves.

Is there vegetarian and vegan food in this cuisine?

Yes: mezze dishes such as hummus, baba ganoush, and stuffed vegetables are vegetarian by default, and falafel counters are built around a naturally vegan core dish. Several saj and falafel specialists on this list explicitly offer vegan wraps and fillings. Ask at the counter if a dish isn't clearly marked.

Do I need to book a table?

Walk-up counters serving saj, falafel, or shawarma wraps don't take reservations and expect a queue, especially around lunch. Sit-down mezze and grill restaurants get busy for shared dining, particularly in the evening or with a group, so booking ahead is worth doing.

How much does a meal cost?

Costs vary widely by format: a wrap or plate from a walk-up falafel or saj counter runs far less than a multi-course mezze dinner with wine at a sit-down restaurant. Check the individual restaurant's own menu or website for current prices, since neither format has a fixed citywide rate. For a lower-commitment way to sample multiple kitchens in one outing, see our comparison of food tours in Amsterdam.