Talking shop: top ten Amsterdam specialist food shops


Daar ben ik weer. This week, the third in my series of posts answering the FAQs posed by my readers about Amsterdam’s food highlights.

Question: Where can I buy allspice/preserved lemons/unpasteurised cheese/Thai basil/sushi rice/[insert random ingredient here]?

Answer: You’ve tried the supermarket to no avail… these are the alternatives.

1. Volkskruidentuin (Kinkerstraat 142), for North African spices (and probably preserved lemons. If they don’t have them here, they do at Slagerij Westerpark at Spaarndammerstraat 65).
2. Kaaskamer (Runstraat 7), for the smelliest cheeses
3. Dun Yong (Stormsteeg 9), for Vietnamese noodles, Thai basil and all things Asian
4. Caulils (Haarlemmerstraat 115), for polenta, prosciutto and, randomly, Worcester Sauce
5. Hollandaluz (Haarlemmerstraat 71), for chorizo, piquillos di pimiento and Spanish stuff
6. Tel (Kloveniersburgwal 11-13), for fish and seafood
7. Yolanda en Fred de Leeuw (Utrechtsestraat 92), for meat and general yumminess
8. Duikelman (Ferdinand Bolstraat 68), for kitchen equipment
9. Kookboekhandel (Haarlemmerdijk 133), for cook books
10. Wijnkelder (Brouwersgracht 202), for wine

Toko Dun Yong: Asian supermarket

Slagerij Yolanda en Fred de Leeuw

PS. I apologise for the westerly (Haarlemmerstraat specifically) bent of these shops… it’s my ‘hood, what can I say?

Restaurant of the month!


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Comment number:
1
Written by:
Klary
Posted on:
July 26, 2010 at 5:14

I´m sure lots of people will want to chime in with their favorite stores, but, please let me mention Tjin´s International Foodstore, 1e van der Helststraat 64, for everything but specifically for Mexican stuff. As far I know, the only place in Amsterdam to find masa, corn tortilla´s, Mexican chiles etc.

Comment number:
2
Written by:
Vicky
Posted on:
July 26, 2010 at 6:04

Sounds excellent – it’s impossible to find Mexican produce over here…

Comment number:
3
Written by:
ingrid
Posted on:
July 26, 2010 at 10:20

fantastic information. thank you!

Comment number:
4
Written by:
ingrid
Posted on:
July 26, 2010 at 10:30

Have you been to the cooking classes at Dun Yong? If so, can you recommend them?

Comment number:
5
Written by:
Mark
Posted on:
July 27, 2010 at 8:56

Tjin’s is also one of the only places in town to buy American BBQ sauce…but yes, I mostly go for tortillas, tomatillos, and masa.

Comment number:
6
Written by:
Vicky
Posted on:
July 27, 2010 at 10:23

@ Ingrid, yes, been to Dun Yong and the classes are great! See this post: http://www.amsterdamfoodie.nl/2010/notjustasian-and-the-dream-team/

@ Mark, looking forward to checking this place out!

Comment number:
7
Written by:
Craig
Posted on:
July 27, 2010 at 4:09

Where can I buy almond flour?

Comment number:
8
Written by:
Vicky
Posted on:
July 27, 2010 at 5:15

Hi Craig, I’ve never bought almond flour myself (I always just grind up whole almonds in a blender) but since it’s used in a lot of Middle Eastern/North African/Spanish food, you could try the Volkskruidentuin, Hollandaluz or one of the Turkish supermarkets. I know they sell it in de Kweker, but that’s only accessible for food businesses, not individuals… sorry not to be of more help, but I’ll let you know if I see it anywhere!

Comment number:
9
Written by:
Allison
Posted on:
July 31, 2010 at 9:21

Almond flour can probably be found in one of the Naturwinkels, but it will be a lot more pricey than from an ethnic source. I’ve been having trouble finding lentils, so I’ll be checking out Volkskruidentuin. Where are these Turkish supermarkets you mention?

Comment number:
10
Written by:
Allison
Posted on:
July 31, 2010 at 9:25

Oh, the other thing I haven’t seen here yet is sweet potatoes (the orange-flesh kind). Any tips on a market or shop that will sell those?

Comment number:
11
Written by:
Vicky
Posted on:
July 31, 2010 at 7:17

Hi Allison, the Turkish shop I go to is actually a butcher, but it sells other things. It’s at Spaarndammerstraat 65. They sell sweet potatoes too, as it happens, and I’ve seen them at Noordermarkt…

Comment number:
12
Written by:
Janneke
Posted on:
August 4, 2010 at 1:08

Behind the concert building in the Barentszstraat you can find an artisan pate bakery. They make beautiful pate’s and sausages from the so called ‘lesser parts’ of the pig. But also other animals like rabbit, goose or deer. This tip is for those who are not afraid to eat a pate made from the head of a pig and care for some old fashion craftsmanship. There is no official shop so the building with the sign of the previous butcher with ‘verse kroketten’ is still on display and the place will look deserted but just walk in to ask to buy something.

Comment number:
13
Written by:
Vicky
Posted on:
August 5, 2010 at 12:27

Sounds fantastic, can’t wait to try it!

Comment number:
14
Written by:
anton
Posted on:
January 9, 2011 at 1:45

Does anyone know where to buy tinned clams (for clam chowder) at a decent price? Eischoltz on the Leidsestraat has small cans for €7.95, which is extortionate even for them.

Comment number:
15
Written by:
Linda
Posted on:
January 17, 2012 at 7:44

You can find almond flour at the Volkskruidentuin Kinkerstraat 142 as well as a selection of other nuts, dried fruits, and nearly any dried spice you can think of.

Comment number:
16
Written by:
Willie
Posted on:
January 23, 2012 at 9:48

Can anyone recommend a place to buy Hungarian paprika? The most likely spot I found online was a Polish shop (Sklep Polski), but I haven’t tried it yet.
Tijn’s is a great little store – I never thought I’d find decent chipotles in Amsterdam :)

Comment number:
17
Written by:
erika
Posted on:
February 5, 2012 at 9:27

do you know, by any chance,the name of the tortilla factory in amsterdam???

thanks!

Comment number:
18
Written by:
Vicky
Posted on:
February 5, 2012 at 11:03

@Willie, thanks for the tip on the chipotles!
@Erika, no idea we even had a tortilla shop! But curious to find out too as I needed to buy some just today…