Dutch-cuisine restaurants around Leidseplein increasingly popular with tourists

A growing cluster of restaurants serving traditional Dutch food has emerged in the streets off Leidseplein. Walking down the Leidsekruisstraat toward De Balie, visitors now encounter numerous venues offering stamppot, herring, kibbeling, erwtensoep and poffertjes.

For decades, the area was dominated by international dining such as pizzerias, pasta spots, curry houses and steakhouses. Several existing Italian and Greek restaurants have recently shifted their culinary focus to meet visitor appetite for Dutch meals.

Dutch & Beyond, formerly the pizzeria Il Palio, made the switch to Dutch cuisine in May. Nearby, Hollandse Pot took over the location of the 50-year-old chess cafe Het Hok in April 2025.

Shifting from pizza to stamppot

Older establishments on the street are also seeing brisk business. The Pantry has operated on the street since 2000, while De Blauwe Hollander opened in 1979.

The owner of De Blauwe Hollander opened Stamppot Amsterdam just down the street two years ago and is searching for another location. Restaurateurs say their dining rooms are filled primarily with visitors from abroad, with The Pantry estimating around 95% of guests arrive from overseas.

In 1982, about 40 pizzerias operated around Leidseplein, often run by entrepreneurs from Armenia, Turkey, Greece, Israel and Egypt. Today, many of those same kitchens have adapted their decor with Delft blue tiles and switched their focus to traditional mash and meatballs.

The hunt for local food

Tourism researchers attribute the trend to shifting travel habits and the power of social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

Tilburg University researcher Greg Richards notes that visitors who once sought Dutch culture exclusively in museums now look for it in everyday experiences such as dining.

Tourism historian Aimee Plukker notes that while Dutch dishes were historically eaten on the street or in bars, restaurants are repackaging them into sit-down, three-course meals. With pizza available everywhere globally, visitors in Amsterdam increasingly look for items they cannot order at home.

Source: Het Parool