Shopping for Asian Groceries in Amsterdam

Essentially Amsterdam Life · July 21, 2026

If you have ever stood in a Dutch supermarket aisle wondering where they hide the fresh noodles, the answer is: somewhere else entirely.

Amsterdam’s Asian supermarkets and tokos (small Asian grocery shops, a word borrowed from Indonesian) are the city’s real pantry for pan-Asian cooking, stocking the sauces, produce, and staples that turn a decent kitchen into a great one.

Asian supermarkets to try first

Toko covers a lot of ground in this city: Chinese, Indonesian, South Asian and globally stocked shops all trade under the word, and their shelves are not interchangeable.

Two of the six below shut on Sundays and one keeps going until ten at night, so the hours are worth a glance before you cross town for one specific ingredient.

Amazing Oriental Amsterdam Noord

Buikslotermeerplein in Noord holds the busiest of these by review count, a Chinese supermarket and general oriental goods store rolled into one, with 1,429 reviews at 4.3.

Thursday runs late to nine and Sunday afternoons are covered from eleven, which is more than most tokos manage.

Toko Dun Yong

Dun Yong trades from Stormsteeg in the old centre and runs a webshop alongside the shop floor, which helps when the order is heavier than the walk home.

Weekdays are nine to seven, Sunday afternoons are open, and 1,331 reviews put it at 4.5.

Tjin’s Toko

Global rather than strictly Asian, Tjin’s on the Eerste van der Helststraat in De Pijp stocks food from around the world and ships orders across Europe.

It closes on Sundays and at half past six the rest of the week, on 791 reviews at 4.5.

Saeed’s Curry House

Saeed’s works the Javastraat in the Indische Buurt and, the name notwithstanding, is a grocery shop rather than a kitchen.

Ten to six six days a week and eleven to six on Sunday, and no toko in the city is rated above its 4.9 across 259 reviews.

Toko Ramee

For the Indo kitchen specifically, Ramee on the Ferdinand Bolstraat carries Chinese-Indonesian ingredients and sells the finished dishes as takeaway, so the shopping can end as dinner.

It keeps the shortest week of the six, shut on Mondays and Sundays and opening at eleven otherwise, on 111 reviews at 4.2.

Toko De Poort

Ten in the morning until ten at night, seven days a week, and no other toko in the city trades that late, which is what Toko De Poort offers from Bijlmerplein in Zuidoost.

Beyond those hours there is little to go on and its 383 reviews average 4.0, the lowest here, so ring +31 20 609 0570 before crossing the city for something particular.

Why locals shop here

Chain supermarkets in the Netherlands carry only a thin slice of Asian ingredients, and often at a markup.

A dedicated Asian grocer, by contrast, devotes whole aisles to soy and fish sauces, dozens of noodle types, fresh herbs, and the specialty produce that Dutch stores rarely stock.

For anyone who grew up cooking these dishes, it is the difference between an approximation and the real thing.

These shops are also a gift for the merely curious.

Even if your usual routine runs through the city’s everyday restaurants, a single visit here can spark a month of cooking experiments at home.

Half the appeal is discovery: shelves of snacks, teas, and condiments you have never seen invite you to try something new, and the staff are usually glad to explain what an unfamiliar package is for.

What you will find on the shelves

Expect a wide sweep across the continent: Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, and Filipino staples all under one roof.

Freezers hold dumplings, seafood, and roti; chilled cabinets carry fresh tofu, kimchi, and noodles; and long shelves of sauces, pastes, and dried goods let you stock a pantry properly rather than one jar at a time.

The fresh produce is often the real draw, with bok choy, lemongrass, Thai basil, daikon, and chilies that are hard to find elsewhere.

Prices tend to be gentle, especially on rice and store-cupboard basics bought in larger bags.

Pair a big shop here with a stop at one of the city’s cafes and you have an easy, satisfying afternoon.

Amazing Oriental and the big stores

The best-known name is Amazing Oriental, a well-stocked chain with branches serving the wider region, including one in Amsterdam-Noord that many locals treat as their default.

These larger stores are the place to go when you want everything in one trip, from a wok and a cleaver to fresh produce and freezer staples.

Smaller neighbourhood tokos are worth seeking out too.

They often specialize in one cuisine and stock harder-to-find regional items, and the owners are usually happy to explain an unfamiliar ingredient or suggest how to use it.

Many also sell hot, ready-to-eat dishes and snacks over the counter, which makes them a tempting stop even when you had only planned to buy rice and sauce.

Tips for a first visit

Go with a loose plan and room to improvise, because you will almost certainly leave with more than you intended.

Bring a sturdy bag or bike panniers, since rice and sauces get heavy fast, and do not be shy about asking staff for guidance; many have cooked the very dishes you are attempting.

Check labels for heat levels and, if you cook a specific regional style, learn a few brand names in advance, as quality varies more than the packaging suggests.

When you would rather eat out than cook, the city’s Chinese restaurants often shop from these same suppliers.

Building a home pantry

A well-stocked Asian pantry pays for itself quickly.

A bottle of good soy, a jar of chili paste, some dried noodles, and a bag of jasmine rice unlock dozens of quick weeknight meals, and everything keeps for ages.

Once you have the basics, you can add fresh produce as you need it and cook on impulse rather than by shopping list.

It is a habit that makes settling in feel easier, sitting comfortably alongside the flavours of the city’s Dutch restaurants and everything in between.

Ready to stock up?

Explore the full range of Amsterdam Asian supermarkets to find a store or toko near you.