Getto
Getto is a burger bar with a difference: each burger is named after a drag queen who performs there – keep an eye on the website if you're keen to catch an act. It describes itself as "an attitude-free zone, for gays, lesbians, bi, queers and straights". Relaxed and friendly, the bar staff mix great cocktails, and the interior has a chilled vibe. The burgers don't disappoint: try the Jennifer Hopelezz beef burger with guacamole and bacon, or the Dolly Bellefleur lamb burger with tzatziki and grilled courgette. They're served with chunky seasoned wedges and a mayo-heavy salad. And try the Gettopolitan – a cosmo made with Dutch Jenever liqueur.
• Warmoesstraat 51, +31 20 421 5151, getto.nl, mains from €10. Open Tues-Thurs 4pm-1am, Fri-Sat 4pm-2am, Sun 4pm-midnight
Van Kerkwijk
Tucked down the Nes – what looks like a back alley running south of Dam square – Van Kerkwijk is unprepossessing from outside, but inside it's habitually packed with customers at small wooden tables. They don't take reservations, so get there early and have a drink while you wait. There's no menu (in the ink-on-paper sense) so expect your waiter to recite a list of dishes. These range from French and Italian classics such as steak tartare and carpaccio, through to north African tagines and Indonesian curries. To start, try their house pâté, which is coarse, gamey and full of rustic French flavour. Van Kerkwijk's meat is generally good, with mercifully undercooked, well-seasoned steaks and generous, chunky chips.
• Nes 41, +31 20 620 3316, caferestaurantvankerkwijk.nl, mains from €15. Open daily 11am-late
De Zotte
Don't go to de Zotte if you're teetotal. This "brown cafe" is a mecca for Belgian beer lovers, with several good brews on tap and scores more in bottles. To stop you getting too sozzled, a simple but filling menu is on offer. It's classic brown cafe fare: steaks with pepper, blue cheese or mushroom sauces, grilled lamb or chicken simply prepared. Non meat-eaters are also in for a treat: try De Zotte's hartige tart – essentially a deep-pan quiche. The filling changes, but generally involves some kind of cheese and green vegetables. It's huge, filling and feels like a hug on a cold day. Try it with sweet, dark bokbier on an autumn evening and breathe a contented sigh.
• Raamstraat 29, +31 20 626 8694, dezotte.nl, mains from €10. Open Sun-Thurs 4pm-1am, Fri, Sat 4pm-3am
Restaurant Azmarino
East African food isn't widely represented in Amsterdam, but where it is, you can expect generosity and pride in the cuisine. Azmarino's decor is cosy and kitsch, with a convivial atmosphere to match. The food is served in giant sharing platters, the base of which is formed by a layer of the slightly sour, spongy pancakes that are typical of the region, with a further pile of the pancakes on the side to mop up the juices. Dishes are hot, sour, sweet and spicy all at the same time: marinated, juicy chicken drumsticks, slow-cooked lamb, and lentil-based sauces. Small piles of salad dotted around the platter offer welcome cool relief from the chilli.
• 2e Sweelinckstraat 6, +31 20 671 7587, azmarino.nl, mains from €9. Open Tues-Sat 5pm-11pm
Singel 404
Something of a lunch institution, Singel 404 has the best sandwiches in Amsterdam. Not surprisingly, a lot of locals (especially students) know this too, so tables are hard to come by after noon. If the sun's shining, tables spill out on to the pavement next to the canal, improving your chances of scoring a seat. Try the broodje (a generic name for sandwiches, made with your choice of bread) with avocado, smoked chicken, sun-dried tomatoes and melted brie. If perfection took the form of bread, this would be it: salty, smoky, creamy, with a touch of tartness. And big enough to fill you up until late afternoon, when it's time to return for a coffee and a slice of cake …
• Singel 404, +31 20 428 0154, sandwiches from €5. Open daily 10.30am-6pm
Poco Loco
With a terrace overlooking the Nieuwmarkt and all-day opening, Poco Loco is the kind of joint you can pop into for morning coffee, lunch, afternoon tea, beer and tapas after work, or dinner. At lunchtime, think pimped-up club sandwiches with smoked chicken, crispy bacon, Dutch cheese, salad and sauces with a kick. The tapas are superb, and deviate from the Spanish norm with Italian bruschetta and Dutch croquettes. The main courses are also international, with recent dishes including fajitas and a skewer of mixed grilled meats. Traditional Dutch white beer and glühwein are on offer till late, and the interior is all funky 70s oranges and browns.
• Nieuwmarkt 24, +31 20 624 2937, diningcity.nl/pocoloco/, mains from €12. Open Sun-Thurs 10am-1am, Fri-Sat 10am-3am (kitchen closes 10.30pm)
Yam Yam
Yam Yam is the Dutch translation of "yum yum" – the sound you make when you try their Tartufata pizza. This house speciality involves Italian ham, rocket, parmesan and (most importantly) truffle sauce. The dough is thin, crisp and nutty with ever-so-slightly charred edges; the toppings are fresh, authentic and generous, and the truffle is plain addictive. There is an array of other pizzas, as well as bresaola, buffalo mozzarella, bruschetta and other classic Italian antipasti. Despite (or possibly because of) its off-the-beaten-track location, Yam Yam has a local, neighbourhood feel and is always busy.
• Frederik Hendrikstraat 88-90, +31 20 681 5097, yamyam.nl, pizzas from €11. Open Tues-Sat 6pm-11.30pm, Sun 5.30pm-11.30pm
Pannenkoekenhuis Upstairs
You must try Dutch pancakes, or pannenkoeken. Thick and filling, with savoury or sweet toppings, they make perfect hangover food and are reasonably priced. At Pannenkoekenhuis Upstairs, you have to climb the most vertiginous staircase ever. At the top, the restaurant has just four or five tables, nestled amid hundreds of eclectic teapots, dangling from the ceiling and on any inch of available space. The pancakes are not the cheapest, but they're worth it for the location alone. Try the pancake with bacon and stroop – like maple syrup without the maple. Or switch the syrup for cheese. Either way, arrive hungry because a dinner plate-sized pancake will leave you full all afternoon.
• Grimburgwal 2, +31 20 626 5603, mains from €6. Open Fri, Sat noon-6pm, Sun noon-5pm
Sawaddee Ka
There is plenty of Thai food in Amsterdam, but Sawaddee Ka distinguishes itself by being consistently good and inexpensive. Located near the popular Leidseplein, it's an ideal option for a post-shopping or pre-clubbing dinner. The menu is long and features the usual Thai suspects, including curries, noodles, fish cakes and soups. Main dishes come in silver pots balanced on tiny candle-lit burners, while rice comes in large, silver urns. Try the Neua Phad Namman Hoi: beef in oyster sauce with broccoli, mushrooms, and spring onion – the savoury, umami flavours of the oyster sauce and beef make a mean mouthful with the freshness of the broccoli and the tang from the spring onions.
• Overtoom 49, +31 20 612 7537, sawaddeeka.nl, mains from €10. Open daily 4pm-11pm, last orders 10pm, Sat 10.30pm
Café Het Paleis
Café Het Paleis is conveniently located just to the west of Dam square, making it the perfect place for a break between seeing the tourist sites of the city or shopping in the nearby Kalverstraat – more of a recommendation for lunch or an afternoon coffee than for dinner. No visitor should leave Amsterdam without having a slice of appelgebak (apple tart), and Paleis's is one of the best the city has to offer: thick, buttery pastry, soft, cinnamon-flecked apple and a big helping of gloriously indulgent whipped cream. An absolute treat after a day's sightseeing.
• Paleisstraat 16, +31 20 626 0600, facebook page, sandwiches from €4.50, mains from €12.50. Open Sun, Mon 9.30am-midnight, Tues-Thurs 9.30am-1am, Fri, Sat 9.30am-2am
• Vicky Hampton is the Amsterdam Foodie
