Gone are the days when fish restaurants meant starched white tablecloths and stuffy waiters. Today’s seafood restaurants and fish cafés are catering to an altogether less formal clientele. Plus, with meat consumption looking like a less and less sustainable option, fish and seafood has become the protein of choice among the younger generation of climate-conscious diners. And with the Netherlands right on the North Sea, there are plenty of pescatarian options in Amsterdam nowadays.
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8 of the Best Fish and Seafood Restaurants in Amsterdam
Whether you’re looking for classic French fruits de mer, Belgian-style mussels, Peruvian ceviche or freshly caught North Sea fish, Amsterdam has something for every seafood lover.
The Marlin Bar
You show your age when you can remember a restaurant several incarnations ago. Way back in the day, The Marlin Bar on Van Baerlestraat used to be Brasserie Bark – the lobster tanks are gone, but the old-school classy Oud-Zuid charm and seafood-led menu remains. We enjoyed the traditional Bouillabaisse that was gently fragrant and comforting, the generous portion of gravadlax with potato rösti and buttery sauce laced with fish eggs, and the seasonal halibut with white asparagus, clams, peas, mint and samphire. Plus, there’s an impressive wine cellar, from which we picked a rich Roussanne blend from the Languedoc. It all felt rather French and elegant and like a throwback to my younger years in Amsterdam (in a good way).
Transparency disclosure: I was invited to eat at The Marlin Bar as a journalist, and I didn’t pay for my meal. Obviously I try to be as objective as possible, but I always disclose when I’ve had a freebie.
Vis aan de Schelde
Despite what I said about the death of white linen tablecloths, Vis aan de Schelde is probably the most upscale of all the fish restaurants on this list – smart, chic and with a price tag to match. But it’s definitely worth it: in addition to oysters, caviar, lobster and fruits de mer, diners can select the monthly changing chef’s menu from three to five courses. The day I went, my favourite dish was the haddock with scallop, pata negra ham and black venus rice, although I also enjoyed the monkfish wrapped in pancetta and served with fish croquettes, kohlrabi and purees of aubergine and peas. The service and wine pairings were also top-notch.
Pesca
While Pesca calls itself a “Theatre of Fish”, it could perhaps be better described as a market: on entry, you’re invited to peruse the catch of the day, and choose your fish by weight or by the piece. There’s no menu, as the seafood on offer differs depending on availability. Plus, Pesca’s dynamic pricing policy means the price of the fish decreases during the day so as to sell out and avoid food waste. Having selected the fish (each of which is prepared differently) and side dishes, you then step into a wine market, where a member of staff is on hand to help with wine selection. Once at your table, the food is prepared and served to be shared. On the Sunday lunchtime I visited, I loved the softshell crab with mango and jalapeno, the fresh oysters and the grilled octopus. Plus, Pesca’s patatas bravas were also some of the best I’ve ever tasted.
The Good Companion
Tucked at the end of Westerstraat, this cosy neighbourhood find has been serving up its signature fish & chips since 2017. And while the Brits among us are thrilled at this (the cod and chips that I tried came complete with mushy peas, Sarsons vinegar and tartare sauce – exactly as they should), The Good Companion in fact serves seafood that’s almost exclusively caught off Dutch shores. Their menu features not only the fantastic fish & chips, but also feisty ceviche, plump oysters (prepared a few different ways – it’s definitely worth venturing away from the classic lemon), grilled seabass and home-canned sardines. The ultimate in comfort seafood.
Transparency disclosure: I was invited to eat at The Good Companion as a journalist, and I didn’t pay for my meal. Obviously I try to be as objective as possible, but I always disclose when I’ve had a freebie.
The Seafood Bar
You can’t really go wrong with a huge platter of fruits de mer and a bottle of chilled Sancerre so long as the seafood is unfailingly fresh. And that’s exactly what you can expect at The Seafood Bar, now with multiple locations in Amsterdam. The “Fruits de Mer Seafood Bar” was a colourful sculpture of fishy delights arranged artistically over ice. The gamut ran from heavy hitters like lobster and oysters through to understated molluscs like winkles and clams. A true treat with a bottle of bubbles.
Brut de Mer
Also worth checking out is the aptly named Brut de Mer on the always-bustling Gerard Douplein in De Pijp. As well as plateaus loaded with fruits de mer, they specialise in oysters, lobster, freshly caught fish, Champagne and other wines. Lovely pavement terrace, too.
Mossel & Gin
Mossel & Gin serves (you’ve guessed it) mussels and gin. The mussels come in one of five sauces: classic (the usual moules marinières), classic with beer instead of wine, Japanese, Thai and various cheeses. I went for the Thai version on the grounds that I wanted to try something different, but not so different that it involved blue cheese and seafood (which doesn’t sound like a match made in heaven to me – but I could be wrong!). The Thai mussels were pleasantly fragrant, creamy from the coconut milk, and came with dippable bread, chips and salad. The lobster croquettes we shared to start were rather delicious, as was the fantastic G&T (there are ten to choose from). Don’t miss the outdoor terrace in summer for perfect park dining.
Sjefietshe
I’m not sure what’s so difficult about pronouncing the word “ceviche”, but apparently were a Dutch person to say it phonetically, it would sound something like Sjefietshe. Luckily, the rest of the restaurant is far more Peruvian than it is Dutch. The ceviche itself was just as I’d anticipated: it came in six different versions, all of which sounded heavenly. Sadly I could only manage two, so I made it the classic ceviche – with crunchy chulpe corn and red onion that had been slightly pickled from the acidic leche de tigre – and the shrimp and haddock ceviche, which came with a slightly sweeter (but still pleasantly sour) combination of pumpkin purée, coconut milk, hot yellow chillies and crispy puffed rice. Both were full of delightfully bright, feisty flavours, and went wonderfully with a pisco sour. A cosy neighbourhood gem in De Pijp.
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