Best Vegetarian and Vegan Restaurants in Amsterdam
Where to eat plant-based in a city where the carnivores will happily follow you. Organized by occasion, not ranking.
Amsterdam doesn't make you apologize for not eating meat. With more than 30 fully vegan restaurants and hundreds of vegetarian-friendly options, the city has moved past the token salad course. The spots below are separated by how you'd actually eat: start with the vegan places worth a whole night out, move through casual vegan lunch and snacking, then try the vegetarian restaurants that treat the food (not the dietary restriction) as the point. Most of Amsterdam's best vegan restaurants cluster in the Jordaan, De Pijp, and Oud-West neighbourhoods. Book ahead for fine dining; everywhere else you can walk in and eat well.
The city's plant-based restaurants work differently than you'd expect. Madre doesn't advertise itself as vegan. Meatless District roasts and smokes vegetables the way a steakhouse chars beef. At Bonboon—which moves to a new menu every eight weeks—you'll find courgette flowers and dolmades alongside the kind of wine pairings you'd get anywhere in the city that costs twice as much. This is not health food masquerading as restaurant food. These are restaurants, full stop.
Bonboon
Hotel Mercier, Jordaan · Fine dining, seasonal tasting menu · 4–5 courses; changes every 8 weeks; book ahead
Housed in the Jordaan's elegant Hotel Mercier, Bonboon brings fine dining flair to vegan cuisine with seasonally inspired courses and optional wine or tea pairings. Fried courgette flowers with labneh take on sweetness from apricots and chilli jam, while dolmades arrive soft and smoky, elevated with piquant walnut aioli, tart lemon, and fragrant mint and dill. This is where you book if you want to prove to the table that plant-based fine dining isn't compromise.
Meatless District
Sint Pietersstraat 19, Centrum · Vegan steakhouse · Plates to share; smoky, roasted vegetables
They roast, smoke, and char everything with one goal: max flavor. Always house-made. Always bold. Always freaking delicious. A juicy steak made out of Lions Mane Mushroom is a standout. The room is spacious (unusual in Amsterdam) and the music low enough to actually talk. Book this for the person who says they could never go vegan.
Madre
Rozengracht 179, Jordaan · Vegan Mexican · Tue–Fri 5:30–1am, Sat 2–1am; book ahead
Amsterdam's most celebrated vegan Mexican restaurant serves bold, colourful Mexican dishes using entirely plant-based ingredients — think smoky tacos al pastor, creamy guacamole made to order, and the most indulgent vegan queso outside of Mexico. The Birria Tacos and Artichoke Tacos are standouts, with well-made margaritas. The weekend brunch is one of the best in the city, but book ahead—it fills up every night of the week.
Men Impossible
Westerpark area, Jordaan · Vegan ramen bar · Reservation only; set menu or à la carte
Men Impossible offers ramen that contributes to a more sustainable society with a 100% plant-based menu—the first entirely vegan ramen menu in Amsterdam. Dishes pack a flavourful punch, with seitan katsu and a chilli and garlic ramen among the à la carte options. Located right in the heart of the Jordaan, the cosy communal dining space has a great view of the open kitchen. This is weeknight dinner that feels like you've discovered something.
Vegan Sushi Bar
Two locations: Oost and West · Vegan sushi · Signature rolls; gyoza; dinner and lunch
Vegan sushi is possibly the biggest sushi trend in Amsterdam right now, and no one is making it better than Vegan Sushi Bar. Two Amsterdam locations offer a menu of 10 meat-less and fish-less signature red rice rolls plus various other inari, maki, gunkan and side dishes. Try the flambé salmon for an extremely convincing vegan replica, or the shrimp-less tempura. The gyoza are excellent too. It reads as a gimmick until you taste it.
Veganees
Amsterdam Oost · Asian street food · 25 creative dishes; lunch and dinner
Enjoy responsible-sourced Asian street food at Veganees in Oost. The menu showcases sustainable, plant-based ingredients in 25 creative dishes taking inspiration from all corners of Asia. Dishes range from Japanese mushroom gyoza with ponzu and Korean cauliflower with gochujang to Thai tom kha soup and Indonesian jackfruit rendang. This is a fast meal that doesn't taste like one.
SOIL
Bilderdijkstraat 141, Oud-West · Vegan bowls and sandwiches · Plant-based, locally sourced
With its selection of bowls, salads and sandwiches, SOIL strikes a balance between healthy and indulgent while keeping the service relaxed. Current gems include the creamy peanut butter curry bowl, kimchi Reuben sandwich, and seasonal specials. All the dishes are plant-based and locally sourced. The Oud-West branch has a chic dining area. This is where you eat well without thinking about it.
Vegan Junk Food Bar
Marie Heinekenplein 9 (De Pijp) · Vegan fast food · Kapsalon, loaded fries, burgers; casual
Vegan Junk Food Bar has drool-worthy vegetarian and vegan options. The kapsalon is a plant-based version of a beloved Dutch takeout food, with a layer of crispy fries on the bottom and tender faux shawarma meat, cheese, and fiery chillis on top. Try the Notorious P.I.G. (smoky 'pork' burger), shawarma fries, or Beyond cheeseburger. It tastes like Amsterdam street food should.
Chez Nina
Van Limburg Stirumplein 10 A, near Westerpark · Vegetarian brasserie · Seasonal menu; dinner
Swedish chef and cookbook writer Nina Olsson focuses her vegetarian brasserie on how tasty the food is. At her cosy restaurant Chez Nina just next to Westerpark, diners delve into sumptuous plant-led dishes such as scrambled eggs with cavolo nero and madam-Jeanette mayonnaise, lentils stewed in coconut with pickled onion, and lima beans with fried capers, spinach and leeks. Polished marble, friendly staff, seasonal pizza with meaty shiitake. This is the vegetarian restaurant for people who don't eat vegetables to be healthy.
De Waaghals
Frans Halsstraat 29, De Pijp · Vegetarian surprise menu · 3 or 4 courses; seasonal; book ahead
Restaurant de Waaghals is an entirely vegetarian restaurant with a seasonal, surprise menu. The contents of your dinner are determined by how you respond to two questions: vegan or vegetarian and three or four courses. De Waaghals is understated and ambient. You can't leave without trying their plant-based meatballs, which have the savory, beefy flavors of traditional meatballs and are doused in a thick tomato sauce that brings a touch of heat. Come when you want to be surprised.
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