Amsterdam can absolutely be eaten through on a tight budget. The Dutch are not a tipping culture, portion sizes are honest, and a thriving street-food and immigrant-restaurant scene keeps single meals cheap in every neighbourhood. This complete guide to cheap eats in Amsterdam picks the budget places where actual locals eat — old-school herring stands, Foodhallen counters, the famous FEBO automat, Surinamese roti shops, sushi belts, frites, falafel, and popular pancake breakfast spots — organised by category and neighbourhood.
How cheaply can you eat in Amsterdam? Very cheaply if you lean on street food, markets and supermarkets, and a sit-down lunch still keeps the day modest. A herring, a portion of fries or a supermarket lunch costs a few euros; a Surinamese roti or a food-hall plate is a proper meal for not much more. The expensive trap is location, not the city — eat one street back from the canals and the same food costs far less. Prices move, so check the menu board before you order.
| Cheap meal | Where |
|---|---|
| Fries with sauce | Friteshuis / market stall |
| Raw herring | Fish stall (haringkar) |
| FEBO kroket from the wall | FEBO automat |
| Surinamese roti or broodje | Toko, Amsterdam-Oost/De Pijp |
| Falafel or kebab | Maoz, snack bars |
| Food-hall plate | Foodhallen |
| Supermarket lunch | Albert Heijn / Lidl |
This page is the budget end of my wider Amsterdam food and drink guide. If you would rather sit down, see the best restaurants by budget; for eating on your feet, the Amsterdam street food guide goes deeper on the snacks below.
Dutch Street Food Classics
The cheapest good food in Amsterdam is also the most Dutch. None of it needs a restaurant: you eat it standing at a window or a stall, usually for the price of a coffee. Fries come thick-cut and double-fried, served in a paper cone with a sauce of your choice — get them met mayo or, if you are feeling brave, oorlog (with mayo, peanut satay sauce and raw onion). A kroket or frikandel pulled hot from the FEBO automat wall is a rite of passage. And the herring stand is the great equaliser — bankers and builders queue at the same cart. Most of these snacks get fuller treatment in the street food guide.
- Vleminckx Sausmeesters (Voetboogstraat 33) — one of Amsterdam’s best-known frites stands. Fries run roughly €4–6 depending on size, sauce extra, with about 25 sauces to choose from, mayo and peanut sauce among them. Cash and Maestro only.
- Manneken Pis (Damrak 41) — well-regarded frites a short walk from Centraal.
- FEBO (multiple) — the legendary Dutch automat. Hot kroketten and frikandellen pulled out of little windows in the wall, a few euros per item. Quintessentially Dutch.
- Stubbe’s Haring (Singel near Centraal) — Hollandse Nieuwe herring with onion and pickles served traditionally. A local institution.
- Frens Haringhandel (Koningsplein) — another classic herring stand with a view.
- Original Stroopwafels (Albert Cuyp Market) — hot, hand-pressed stroopwafel. €2.50. Mandatory.
- Poffertjeskraam at Vondelpark — tiny puffy pancakes with butter and powdered sugar, sold by the portion.
A Word on Herring
Herring deserves its own note because it is the cheapest, most authentic thing you can eat in Amsterdam and the one most tourists hesitate over. The Dutch eat it raw and lightly cured — “Hollandse Nieuwe” when the new-season catch lands in spring is a genuine event. You will be offered it whole (pick it up by the tail, tip your head back) or, more gently, chopped into bite-size pieces with raw onion and little pickles, eaten with a cocktail stick. It is mild, faintly sweet, not remotely fishy when fresh. At a few euros from a good stand, it is one of the best-value bites in the city — just buy from a busy cart with high turnover.
Eating raw Hollandse Nieuwe (new season herring) is a Dutch summertime ritual. The classic technique: pick the herring up by its tail, dip in the chopped onion and pickle, and lower it into your mouth. Out of season, stands sell saltier preserved herring. Best stands: Stubbe’s, Frens, Volendammer Vishandel.
Markets & Food Halls
Markets are the single best value in the city, full stop. You can build a whole meal by grazing — a herring here, a portion of kibbeling there, a stroopwafel for the walk home — and spend less than one sit-down main. They are also where you taste the most cuisines in the fewest steps. For opening days, the best individual stalls and how to work each market, see my dedicated guide to Amsterdam’s food markets.
- Albert Cuypmarkt (Mon-Sat) — Amsterdam’s biggest market. Stroopwafels, herring, kibbeling, Surinamese roti, Vietnamese spring rolls, Turkish kunefe. Prices vary by stall.
- Foodhallen De Hallen (Bellamyplein 51) — 20+ small kitchens under one roof in a converted tram depot. Order from multiple stalls, share with friends.
- Noordermarkt (Saturdays) — farmers’ market with hot food stalls; great organic kibbeling.
- Dappermarkt (Mon-Sat, Amsterdam-Oost) — cheaper and more local than Albert Cuyp, with the same mix of stalls.
- Westerstraat Market (Mondays) — Surinamese and Turkish food stalls.
- De Hallen Sunday Market — seasonal designer-and-food event.
- Bloemenmarkt — tourist-priced; skip for food, but the surrounding cafes are decent.
Cheap Asian Eats
Some of the best-value cooking in Amsterdam comes out of its Asian kitchens, partly thanks to the city’s deep Indonesian and Surinamese roots and a steady stream of newer Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese spots. Surinamese food in particular is the budget traveller’s secret weapon: a roti — flaky flatbread with curried chicken or vegetables, an egg and a long-simmered potato — is a genuinely filling meal for under a tenner, and the broodjes (filled rolls) are cheaper still. Look for tokos (small Asian-Surinamese shops) in Amsterdam-Oost and the southern stretch of De Pijp.
- Yumi Sushi (Leidsekruisstraat 12-14) — conveyor belt sushi with plates from about €2.25, so you set the bill yourself.
- Thaise Snackbar Bird (Zeedijk 72) — Laotian-Thai street food in Amsterdam’s Chinatown. Mains from about €10.
- Pie-Nong Thai (multiple) — Pad Thai, Keng Kai red curry and Pad Sieuw.
- Asian Bites at De Foodhallen — bao buns, dumplings and noodles.
- Wok to Walk (multiple) — build-your-own stir-fry, cooked in front of you.
- Sumo Sushi & Grill — all-you-can-eat sushi, a step above cheap eats in price; check Sumo’s own site for the current rate.
Kebabs & Falafel
Kebab and falafel shops are the backbone of cheap, fast eating in Amsterdam, and quality is generally high thanks to genuine competition. A döner or shawarma wrap costs little and will keep you going for hours; falafel spots like Maoz let you build your own at an unlimited salad bar. These are also your most reliable hot meal late at night and on Sundays, when smaller kitchens close.
- Leeman’s Doner (multiple) — widely regarded as Amsterdam’s best kebab.
- Maoz Falafel (multiple) — classic falafel pita with self-serve salad bar.
- Falafel Tof (Eerste Sweelinckstraat) — top-rated De Pijp falafel.
- Sir Hummus — hummus plates; check sirhummus.nl for the current address and menu.
Cheap Italian
Italian is the reliable fallback when someone in your group has decided they cannot face another kroket. Amsterdam has plenty of honest, family-run pizzerias and pasta spots away from the tourist drag where a wood-fired pizza or a plate of fresh pasta won’t stretch the budget. Skip the photo-menu places on the main squares; the good, cheap Italian tends to hide on residential streets in De Pijp, Oost and the Jordaan, often with a short handwritten menu and a queue of regulars.
- Spaghetteria (multiple) — fresh pasta; check spaghetteria.nl for the current menu.
- Mastino (Eerste van der Helststraat 78h) — pizzeria with vegan pizzas on the menu.
- Pizza Project (Wilhelminastraat 153H and Maasstraat 18) — Neapolitan-style pizza.
- Mama Roma (Frederiksplein) — proper sit-down Italian with kids welcome.
Brown Cafe Lunches
The bruin café — Amsterdam’s wood-panelled, tobacco-stained neighbourhood pub — is an underrated lunch option. The food is simple and honest: a tosti (toasted ham-and-cheese), a bowl of pea soup in winter, an uitsmijter (fried eggs on bread with ham or cheese), or a plate of bitterballen to share. Prices are fair because locals would revolt otherwise, and you get to sit in one of the city’s most atmospheric rooms while you eat. It is the cheapest way to feel like you live here.
Amsterdam’s brown cafes (bruin cafés) often serve solid, inexpensive sit-down lunches, with the bonus of some of the city’s most atmospheric interiors.
- Cafe ‘t Gasthuys — affordable lunch and dinner.
- Cafe Hoppe (Spui) — bar food & daily specials.
- Cafe Berkhout (Stadhouderskade) — classic Amsterdam breakfast and sandwiches.
- Cafe Chris (Bloemstraat) — beer-and-broodje setup in a cafe that claims to date from 1624.
- Cafe Krull (Sarphatipark) — De Pijp’s local favourite.
- Cafe de Tuin (Tweede Tuindwarsstraat) — chill Jordaan brown cafe with daily specials.
Lunch Spots & Sandwich Shops
Lunch is where Amsterdam quietly saves you money. The Dutch lunch is famously modest — a broodje (filled roll), a tosti, or a bowl of soup — which keeps prices low at sandwich shops and bakeries across the city. Look for a broodje gezond (a loaded healthy roll) or a fresh-filled baguette, and pair it with a coffee rather than a sit-down service charge.
- Singel 404 — beloved sandwich shop near the Spui.
- Stach Food (multiple) — quick deli-style takeaway lunches.
- De Bakkerswinkel (multiple) — French-leaning lunch and high tea.
- Vinnies (Haarlemmerstraat 46) — daytime deli-cafe with plenty of vegan options.
- SLA (multiple) — fast-casual ready-made and build-your-own salads.
- The Cottage (Westerstraat) — Jordaan breakfast and lunch.
- Toki (Binnen Dommersstraat 15) — Japanese filter coffee + pastries.
- Pluk (Reestraat) — bowls and smoothies.
Diaspora & Ethnic Food Bargains
Amsterdam’s immigrant kitchens are where your euro stretches furthest. Turkish and Syrian grills, Egyptian and Lebanese spots, Ethiopian sharing platters and Moroccan tagines all turn up across the city, concentrated in Amsterdam-Oost, the Indische Buurt and west around De Baarsjes. Portions tend to be generous and prices stay honest because these places feed their own communities, not just tourists. If in doubt, eat where you see big family tables and a queue of locals.
- Roopram Roti (Eerste Van Swindenstraat) — cheap Surinamese roti shop.
- Warung Spang Makandra (Gerard Doustraat) — Surinamese-Indonesian.
- De Tropische (Albert Cuypmarkt) — Surinamese roti from a market stall.
- Café Toko Anda (De Pijp) — quick, cheap Indonesian.
- Tongtong Festival pop-ups in summer — Indonesian street food.
Vegan & Veggie on a Budget
Eating plant-based and cheap is genuinely easy here. Falafel is the obvious workhorse — Maoz and the independent shops let you pile on unlimited salad — but the markets, food halls and Asian tokos all do affordable veg-forward plates. Even the snack bar has you covered with a kaassoufflé or a cone of fries. For a sit-down treat, a pay-by-weight vegan buffet keeps the bill in your hands if you are sensible at the scales.
- The Lilac (De Vlinderboom) — pay-what-you-can vegan community kitchen (Mon, Tue, Thu).
- Robin Food Collective — vegan 3-course dinner on set weekday evenings; check the days before you go.
- Spirit Vegan (Westerstraat) — pay-by-weight vegan buffet.
- Vegan Junk Food Bar — burgers and dirty-vegan plates.
- Meatless District (Bilderdijkstraat) — Buddha bowls.
Late-Night Cheap Eats
After midnight your options narrow to snacks, and that is fine — Amsterdam does late-night snacking well. The FEBO automat wall stays open into the small hours: feed it coins, pop the little door, pull out a hot kroket or kaassoufflé. Kebab and falafel shops around Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein run late and cheap, if a touch chaotic at closing time. Avoid the sit-down “tourist” places still touting at 1am; the honest late food is at the window, not the table.
- FEBO (multiple) — many branches open late, some until 4am on Fridays and Saturdays; hot croquettes from the wall for a few euros.
- Manneken Pis — open late.
- Maoz Falafel — open late; hours vary by branch.
Self-Catering: Albert Heijn & Supermarkets
Do not sleep on the supermarket. Albert Heijn is the ubiquitous one, but Lidl, Aldi and the Dutch chain Dirk are noticeably cheaper for the same staples. Beyond the obvious bread-and-cheese lunch, the chilled sections do decent ready meals, fresh stroopwafels, and a surprisingly good range of Indonesian and Surinamese components if you want to assemble something at your apartment. A useful trick: many supermarkets discount fresh items late in the day with a yellow sticker, so an evening shop can be cheaper still.
If your accommodation has a kitchen, Dutch supermarkets are excellent value. Albert Heijn is on every other street corner. Lidl, Aldi and Dirk are cheaper still. An Albert Heijn lunch (bread + cheese + fruit + drink) costs a few euros, well under what a cafe charges.
- AH To Go at Centraal: sandwiches and salads for a few euros.
- Albert Heijn XL: full-size supermarkets in De Pijp, Jordaan, west.
- Lidl Centraal Markt: cheaper than Albert Heijn for own-brand staples.
- Dirk van den Broek: Dutch budget chain.
- Picnic: app-based grocery delivery if you’re staying multiple days.
Cheap Eats by Neighbourhood
Cheap eating clusters in specific parts of town, so a little geography goes a long way. De Pijp and Amsterdam-Oost are the heavy hitters for value; the Jordaan rewards you with brown-café lunches; Oud-West has Foodhallen for all-weather grazing; and Noord, a free ferry ride from Centraal, is the up-and-comer. If you have not settled on a base yet, read this beside the Amsterdam neighborhoods guide — staying somewhere with good cheap food nearby quietly saves you a fortune over a week.
Centrum
Vleminckx, FEBO, Stubbe’s Haring, Yumi Sushi, Cafe Hoppe, Maoz.
Jordaan
Winkel43 (apple pie), Cafe de Tuin, Toki coffee, Spirit Vegan, Pancakes Amsterdam.
De Pijp
Albert Cuypmarkt, Sir Hummus, Falafel Tof, Mastino.
Oud-West & De Hallen
Foodhallen, Vinnies, Bakers & Roasters, Vegan Junk Food Bar.
Noord
Pllek (beach bar), Pancake Boat, NDSM food trucks.
Practical Money-Saving Tips
- Lunch menus usually cost less than dinner — eat your big meal at noon.
- Many cafes have a daily lunch special (dagschotel) — ask.
- Tap water is excellent — refill any time, free.
- Service is included by law — don’t double-tip.
- Cash isn’t always king: plenty of places are card-only, so carry a debit card.
- The Fork app offers discounts at some restaurants for off-peak slots.
- HEMA sells good Dutch hot sausage rolls (rookworst) for a few euros.
- Tony’s Chocolonely from supermarkets makes an easy edible souvenir: a 180 g bar runs about €4–5, and often drops to around €3 on promotion.
Cheap Eats to Skip
- Restaurants on Damrak and Leidseplein — tourist prices for tourist-grade food.
- Coffee shops on the main canals often charge more for a basic espresso than cafes a street back.
- "Authentic Dutch" tourist restaurants near Anne Frank House — overpriced bitterballen and pancakes.
- Steakhouses near Rembrandtplein — neon menus = tourist traps.
- Anything in a clipboard-touted brochure handed out at Centraal.
- Vegan and vegetarian restaurants — the best plant-based cooking in the city.
The pattern is simple: the closer a restaurant sits to a famous sight or a tram-stop square, and the more languages on its photo menu, the worse the value. None of this means the centre is off-limits — it just means you walk a few minutes further to eat. Building a rough food plan into your itinerary helps; the Amsterdam trip planning guide has more on pacing your days so you are never stranded hungry in a tourist trap at 2pm.
Cheap Eats Amsterdam: FAQ
What’s the cheapest meal in Amsterdam?
A FEBO hot croquette or a Stubbe’s Haring herring, each a few euros. For a proper meal on a small budget: a kebab, falafel, or Vleminckx frites.
Where do locals eat cheaply in Amsterdam?
Albert Cuypmarkt, the Foodhallen, brown cafes (Cafe Hoppe, Cafe Berkhout, Cafe Krull), and the immigrant restaurants on Zeedijk, Westerstraat and the Eerste Sweelinckstraat in De Pijp.
How much should I budget for food per day in Amsterdam?
It depends mostly on how many sit-down meals you want. Street food, markets and supermarket lunches keep the daily bill low; add one mid-range dinner and it climbs, and a proper sit-down dinner with wine pushes it higher again.
Is street food safe in Amsterdam?
Yes — Dutch hygiene standards are strict. Albert Cuyp Market and Foodhallen vendors are inspected regularly.
What’s the best cheap eats neighbourhood?
De Pijp (around Albert Cuyp) for variety, Foodhallen Oud-West for variety under one roof, Chinatown/Zeedijk for Asian.
Do I need to tip in Amsterdam?
Service is included by Dutch law. Tipping is optional; rounding up the bill for good service is common.
Final Thoughts
Eating cheaply in Amsterdam is not about going without — it is about eating like a local instead of like a tourist. The city’s best-value food is also its most characterful: a herring on a bridge, a roti in Oost, a plate shared across a food-hall table, a late kroket from a coin-operated wall. Spend your money on one or two meals that actually matter and graze happily the rest of the time. Prices and opening hours shift, so double-check anything you are crossing town for, then follow your nose.
Cheap eats are some of the most fun food in Amsterdam, and they come from the places locals have always used: the markets, the herring stands and the immigrant kitchens. Build at least one meal a day around the Foodhallen, Albert Cuyp Market, a fresh herring stand or a FEBO croquette window, and you’ll eat as Amsterdammers do for far less than you’d assume.
Keep exploring: the Amsterdam food and drink guide for the full picture, must-try Dutch foods for what to order, Amsterdam street food for snacks on the move, food markets for grazing, and the best restaurants by budget when you want to sit down.
Related Amsterdam guides
- Backpacker budget guide — doing Amsterdam on the cheap, day by day.
An uitsmijter in a brown café costs a fraction of a brunch plate — our guide to the best brunch in Amsterdam covers both ends of that trade, and which streets to avoid entirely.
A rolled pancake eaten standing up is one of the better cheap lunches in the centre — our guide to the best pancakes in Amsterdam says where to get one and which griddles to walk past.
A cone of chips is still one of the few cheap things in the centre — our guide to the best fries in Amsterdam says which hatches are worth the wait and which queues are pure social media.
Photo Credits
- Cheese stall at Albert Cuyp Market: Albert Cuyp markt, foto12 by Alf van Beem, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
- Food counters at Albert Cuyp Market: Albert Cuyp markt, foto11 by Alf van Beem, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
- Fries with mayonnaise in a paper cone: Cone full o’ fries with mayo, Amsterdam style (2164277255) by Ryan, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
- Eating and shopping at Albert Cuyp: Albert Cuyp markt, foto2 by Alf van Beem, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.