Amsterdam Specialty

By appointment only, Natasja Sadi makes what are quite possibly the most beautiful cakes and sugar flowers in the world. Clients fly her around the globe to bake custom cakes for their special occasions (collection can also be arranged from Sadi's Amsterdam address). These culinary masterpieces are created in the kitchen of Sadi's picturesque, Dutch canal house dating from 1776. The baker started her career as a wedding dress designer but after several years realized her passion had moved from the dress to the edible design element of the day—the cake. Wedding gowns are often kept by the bride as a keepsake, or passed on to future generations, and Sadi has adapted this experience to the cake in the form of her incredibly sculptural sugar flowers—made by hand and often taking several weeks to complete—these edible decorations can be kept (frozen) for years, or re-used perhaps on a birthday cake down the line.

Vegabond is a canal-side all-vegan café and food shop that's a nice solution when you've gone a bit too heavy on the carbs. It has a low-key homey vibe, and is the sort of place where you can just take a load off with a cup of coffee—there's also a small grocery offering vegan/organic/gluten-free/sugar-free items.

Amsterdam is full of great hipster coffee shops, but Headfirst is a standout for a few key reasons. First, the coffee is so good—strong but not bitter, plus they have alternative milks like almond or soy. Their Helmersstraat location shares a space with an adorable interior shop, so you can test out some Scandinavian couches (both new and vintage) while you sip your latte. Bonus: Plenty of WiFi.

JuiceBrothers was founded by four friends, who decided in the summer of 2013, while on a canal boat, that Amsterdam needed a really good pressed juice place. Two years later, the first JuiceBrothers shop opened in De Pijp, followed by a second location in Amsterdam-West, and another in Centrum. (There's also a JuiceBrothers in the suburbs outside of Amsterdam, in the Amstelveen mall.) JuiceBrothers' main thing is still cold-pressed juice, using as many organic ingredients as possible. But they also make smoothies and serve a limited amount of breakfast (acai bowls, chia pudding, coconut yogurt) and lunch (a couple salads and a coconut wrap), along with some snacks and sweets (kale chips, oat bars, chocolate truffles).

The Cold Pressed Juicery has two locations in Amsterdam: One in De 9 Straatges and one on Willemsparkweg near Vondlepark—both well situated for grabbing a juice/smoothie in the morning before touring around the city. The juices are cold-pressed and organic, and largely made from locally grown produce. This is also a good option for a quick lunch (salads, wraps, soups)—instead of throwing out juice pulp, they use it to make nut milks and other snacks.

JuiceBrothers was founded by four friends, who decided in the summer of 2013, while on a canal boat, that Amsterdam needed a really good pressed juice place. Two years later, the first JuiceBrothers shop opened in De Pijp, followed by a second location in Amsterdam-West, and another in Centrum. (There's also a JuiceBrothers in the suburbs outside of Amsterdam, in the Amstelveen mall.) JuiceBrothers' main thing is still cold-pressed juice, using as many organic ingredients as possible. They also make smoothies and serve a light breakfast menu (acai bowls, chia pudding, coconut yogurt) and lunch (a few salads and a coconut wrap) items, along with some snacks and sweets (kale chips, oat bars, chocolate truffles).

JuiceBrothers was founded by four friends, who decided in the summer of 2013, while on a canal boat, that Amsterdam needed a really good pressed juice place. Two years later, the first JuiceBrothers shop opened in De Pijp, followed by a second location in Amsterdam-West, and another in Centrum. (There's also a JuiceBrothers in the suburbs outside of Amsterdam, in the Amstelveen mall.) JuiceBrothers' main thing is still cold-pressed juice, using as many organic ingredients as possible. But they also make smoothies and serve a limited amount of breakfast (acai bowls, chia pudding, coconut yogurt) and lunch (a couple salads and a coconut wrap) items, along with some snacks and sweets (kale chips, oat bars, chocolate truffles).

While it’s not especially difficult to get your hands on a solid cup of coffee around these parts, the skilled staff at this teeny café really know their way around an almond milk latté, and coffee snobs will be especially impressed by their stellar pour-over technique. There's a second location in Haarlemmerbuurt.

The Cold Pressed Juicery has two locations in Amsterdam: One in De 9 Straatges and one on Willemsparkweg near Vondlepark—both smartly situated for grabbing a juice/smoothie in the morning before touring around the city, or during a mid-afternoon pit stop. The juices are cold pressed and organic and largely made from locally grown produce. This is also a good option for a quick lunch (salads, wraps, soups). Another cool thing about The Cold Pressed Juicery is that instead of throwing out juice pulp, they use it to make nut milks and other snacks.

Within Amsterdam's picturesque canal-side shopping district, De 9 Straatjes ("The Nine Streets"), you'll find De Kaaskamer van Amsterdam, which has to be one of the world's most wonderful cheese shops. Obviously there's a lot of gouda, much of which is organic, along with ready-made food—homemade salads, sandwiches, and snacks—as well as specialty hams and wines. And should you be so inclined after visiting, they ship to more than 25 countries, including the U.S.