Amsterdam has good, cheap restaurants, but you need to know where to look. The best budget meals in the city come from Turkish, Surinamese, Indonesian, and Middle Eastern spots, where you can eat well for somewhere between eight and fifteen euros. This article breaks down where locals actually go, what to order, and why eating cheaply here has gotten harder over the last few years.
Where do locals actually eat on a budget in Amsterdam?
Locals eating on a budget head to the Pijp, Indische Buurt, De Baarsjes, and Oud-West. These neighbourhoods have a high concentration of independent, immigrant-owned restaurants that serve generous portions at honest prices. You will not find these places on the first page of most tourist guides, which is precisely why they still offer good value.
The Albert Cuypmarkt in the Pijp is a reliable starting point. The surrounding streets are packed with Surinamese snack bars, Turkish grills, and Indonesian takeaways that have been feeding locals for decades. Indische Buurt, in Amsterdam-Oost, is arguably the best neighbourhood in the city for cheap, filling food from a wide range of cuisines. It is also one of the most genuinely local parts of Amsterdam, which means prices have not yet been inflated by tourism.
The rule of thumb is simple: the further you get from the canal ring and Leidseplein, the better the value. Central Amsterdam has become almost entirely tourist-priced. A short tram ride east or west changes everything.
What types of cuisine are cheapest in Amsterdam?
The cheapest cuisines in Amsterdam are Surinamese, Turkish, Moroccan, Indonesian, and Chinese. These food traditions have deep roots in the city and are served by family-run businesses that compete on quality and price rather than atmosphere and Instagram appeal. A solid meal at any of these spots typically costs between eight and fourteen euros.
Surinamese food deserves special mention. Amsterdam has one of the largest Surinamese communities outside of Suriname itself, and the food reflects that heritage beautifully. A broodje pom or a full roti meal with chicken and vegetables is filling, flavourful, and remarkably affordable. It is also distinctly Amsterdam in a way that a generic pizza or burger simply is not.
Turkish and Moroccan spots, particularly around Mercatorplein and along the Kinkerstraat corridor, offer excellent grilled meats, fresh bread, and mezze at prices that feel almost out of step with the rest of the city. Indonesian food, the legacy of the colonial relationship between the Netherlands and Indonesia, is another strong option, though quality varies significantly between establishments.
How much should a cheap meal in Amsterdam actually cost?
A genuinely cheap meal in Amsterdam in 2026 costs between eight and fifteen euros for a main course or a filling plate at a casual restaurant or snack bar. Below eight euros, you are in street food or market territory. Above fifteen, you are moving into mid-range dining, even if the restaurant does not look particularly fancy.
Amsterdam is not a cheap city. It never really was, but the gap between local and tourist pricing has widened considerably. A simple pasta at a canal-side restaurant can easily cost eighteen to twenty-two euros. A burger at a trendy spot in the Jordaan will set you back similar amounts. Budget eating in Amsterdam requires either knowing the right neighbourhoods or being willing to skip the sit-down experience entirely.
Street food and market stalls are the genuine budget option. A herring from a haringkar costs around four euros and is one of the most authentically Amsterdam food experiences you can have. Stroopwafels, bitterballen at a brown café during happy hour, and fresh frites with mayonnaise are all cheap, local, and good.
What are the best cheap restaurants in Amsterdam right now?
The best cheap restaurants in Amsterdam right now are concentrated in the Pijp, Indische Buurt, and De Baarsjes. Rather than naming specific restaurants that may have changed by the time you read this, the more useful answer is to describe the types of places worth seeking out and the areas where they cluster.
In the Pijp, look for Surinamese roti shops and small Indonesian eateries on the side streets off the Albert Cuyp. In Indische Buurt, the main drag of Javastraat has an excellent range of affordable spots from multiple cuisines. In De Baarsjes, the streets around Mercatorplein offer Turkish and Middle Eastern options that are consistently good value.
For a sit-down meal with a full kitchen and a proper menu, Indonesian restaurants remain among the best value in the city. A rijsttafel for two at a no-frills Indonesian spot will cost significantly less than the equivalent experience at a trendy European restaurant, and the food will be more interesting. Chinese restaurants in the old Chinatown area around Zeedijk also offer solid value, particularly at lunch.
Should you use apps like Thuisbezorgd or eat in for the best value?
Eating in almost always offers better value than ordering through Thuisbezorgd or Uber Eats in Amsterdam. Delivery platforms add service fees, delivery charges, and in some cases menu markups that can add four to eight euros to the total cost of a meal. For budget eating, these platforms largely defeat the purpose.
That said, delivery apps are useful for one specific thing: discovering restaurants you did not know existed. Browsing Thuisbezorgd by neighbourhood and cuisine type is actually a decent way to find smaller, independent spots that do not have a strong Google presence. Just go there in person once you have found them.
The best value in Amsterdam is always eating in, at the restaurant, during off-peak hours. Many smaller restaurants offer lunch specials or dagschotels (daily specials) that represent significantly better value than the evening menu. Arriving at noon rather than eight in the evening at a popular spot in the Pijp can mean the difference between a twelve-euro meal and an eighteen-euro one.
Why is eating cheaply in Amsterdam harder than it used to be?
Eating cheaply in Amsterdam is harder than it used to be because of a combination of rising rents, tourism-driven price inflation, and general cost of living increases that have affected the whole city. Restaurants that were genuinely affordable five or ten years ago have either raised prices, closed, or been replaced by something more expensive and more tourist-oriented.
Gentrification has pushed many of the most affordable restaurants out of the central neighbourhoods. The Jordaan, which once had a working-class identity and cheap, unpretentious eating options, is now one of the most expensive areas in the city. The same process is underway in parts of the Pijp and even in areas of Amsterdam-Oost that were considered local strongholds not long ago.
The restaurant industry across the Netherlands has also been squeezed by rising energy costs, higher minimum wages, and the lingering economic effects of the pandemic years. These are not complaints against fair wages or reasonable energy pricing. They are simply the structural reasons why a city that once had a thriving culture of affordable, independent restaurants now requires more effort and local knowledge to navigate on a budget.
The cheap food still exists. It has just moved further from the centre, and finding it rewards curiosity over convenience.
How Klagen Niet Klagen helps you eat well in Amsterdam without overpaying
Finding genuinely good, affordable food in Amsterdam is one of those things that looks easy until you are standing on a tourist-trap terrace paying twenty euros for mediocre pasta. Klagen Niet Klagen exists precisely to cut through that kind of noise. Written by someone who has lived and worked in Amsterdam for over thirty years, the blog gives you the honest, insider perspective that no tourism board or sponsored city guide will ever provide.
- Honest takes on Amsterdam city life, including food culture, without advertorial pressure or tourist-board influence
- Long-form essays and opinion pieces that go beyond “top ten lists” to explain the real dynamics of the city
- A perspective grounded in three decades of lived Amsterdam experience, from someone with genuine skin in the game
- English-language content written for people who actually live here or want to understand the city at a deeper level
If you want more of this, the blog archive has plenty more where this came from. Amsterdam is a complicated, fascinating, occasionally maddening city, and it deserves better than the sanitised version most platforms serve up.
And while you are planning your Amsterdam experience, do not overlook Boom Chicago. After thirty years, it remains one of the best things to do in Amsterdam on any budget, and it is one of those rare nights out that locals and visitors both genuinely love. Check the shows and agenda to see what is on, or get in touch if you are thinking about a group booking. Good food and a great show make for a pretty solid Amsterdam evening.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it worth getting a public transport day pass just to eat in cheaper neighbourhoods?
Absolutely, and the math works out quickly. A single GVB day pass costs around nine euros, but if it gets you to Indische Buurt or De Baarsjes instead of eating on a tourist-trap terrace in the canal ring, you can easily save fifteen to twenty euros on a single meal. Think of it as an investment in eating well rather than an added expense, especially if you are spending a full day in the city.
What are the most common mistakes tourists make when trying to eat cheaply in Amsterdam?
The biggest mistake is equating a low menu price with good value in the wrong neighbourhood. A twelve-euro pasta near Leidseplein is poor value; a twelve-euro roti plate in the Pijp is an excellent deal. The second most common mistake is relying on review platforms like TripAdvisor, which tend to surface tourist-friendly spots over genuinely local ones. Use Google Maps to browse by neighbourhood, look for places with reviews written in Dutch, and trust foot traffic over star ratings.
Are there any cheap eating options that are actually open late in Amsterdam?
Yes, though the options narrow after ten at night. Turkish and Middle Eastern spots, particularly around Mercatorplein and the Kinkerstraat area, tend to stay open later than most and offer solid value well into the evening. Falafel wraps, grilled meat plates, and freshly baked bread are all reliably available and typically stay under ten euros. The old Chinatown area around Zeedijk also has a handful of spots that keep later hours and offer decent late-night value.