Tapas bars laden with legs of jamón, giant steaming pans of paella, carafes of rich red Rioja wine – these are the things we associate with Spanish food internationally. But of course there’s much more to the country’s cuisine than the stereotypes. And while the Spanish culture of tapas (and beyond) may not be extensive in Amsterdam, it’s certainly there if you know where to look.
Top tapas bars in Amsterdam
Tapas-style dining works on many an occasion: a first date, a quick drink and a bite after work or a shareable feast. Amsterdam is not exactly awash with good tapas, but here are a few places that are generally reliable.
Tia Rosa
Tia Rosa presents as a historic brown café in a typical Dutch canal house, just off the Herengracht. But looks can be deceiving: Tia Rosa (along with only 12 other Spanish restaurants in the Netherlands) recently received the official “Restaurants from Spain” quality label from the Royal Academy of Gastronomy of Spain and ICEX Foods and Wines from Spain. And for good reason – the tapas are some of the best in Amsterdam.
My personal favourites included the ham croquettes (topped with an extra slice of jamón and dipped in a garlic sauce), the Ibérico Secreto (pork served pintxos-style on a piece of bread with romesco sauce and pickled apple), and the lamb cutlets with chimichurri. But there were plenty of less meaty options that were just as delicious, including staples like patatas bravas and Padrón peppers. We also enjoyed the Basque cheesecake, which our server told us was a never-ending work in progress: apparently the chef has tweaked the recipe dozens of times already, and is still perfecting it!
Tasca Bellota
Tucked away on Prinseneiland, Tasca Bellota is the definition of a hidden gem – although I shy away from that term given its overuse. This tapas restaurant’s cosy atmosphere will transport you straight to sunny Spain on even the rainiest of Amsterdam evenings, especially if you order a bottle of well-priced Spanish red wine. Tasca Bellota’s tortilla de patatas (always my first test in a tapas bar) is fresh and soft and comforting – just as it should be. Other highlights included their sunshine-flavoured pan con tomate, their Iberian pork skewers (with deliciously moppable sauce), and their garlicky prawn and potato gratin. But you also can’t go wrong with classics like jamón Iberico and Manchego cheese. A delightful dinner at any time of year.
Pata Negra
A long-standing Amsterdam tapas institution, Pata Negra has been going strong on the Utrechtsestraat since 1997. With enormous legs of pork everywhere and freely flowing wine, you can’t go wrong. Try the flavoursome manchego cheese, the grainy melt-in-your-mouth jamón Iberico, and the tasty patatas bravas.
Pepito
An atmospheric little tapas bar on a convivial square in Amsterdam West, Pepito certainly looks the part: white tiles on the walls, rickety wooden chairs and tables, and legs of jamón hanging from the ceiling. We tried much of the menu, and particularly enjoyed the pan con tomate (bread with tomatoes), sardinas a la plancha (grilled sardines) and pulpo a la gallega (grilled octopus with potato and paprika). Our only complaints were that the tortilla was rather dry – like it had been sitting out, pre-sliced, under a heat lamp for a while – and the restaurant’s eponymous steak sandwich (pepito de ternera) took a staggering two hours to make its way out of the kitchen. Luckily, we weren’t in a hurry, and had plenty of the house red wine and conversation to keep us going.
Taparia
Occupying a large space with an even larger terrace, Taparia is a useful spot for a night out with a big group. I’m not going to pretend it’s authentically Spanish, but there’s generally good music, flowing drinks and a reliable menu of tapas classics like patatas bravas, calamari, Padrón peppers and meatballs. I’m also a big fan of their dates stuffed with cream cheese and bacon, which are exceedingly moreish – especially when washed down with a cocktail or a glass of sangria.
La Oliva
I first discovered La Oliva way back in 2009: a pintxos bar that’s the Basque Country’s answer to tapas. For those unfamiliar with the concept, pintxos are bite-sized snacks that often (but not always) come on top of the piece of bread. They’re held down with a stick that’s later used to count how many pintxos you’ve had and charge you accordingly. Ordering works by pointing at what you like the look of: over the years, I’ve enjoyed the figs stuffed with blue cheese, classic tortilla, aubergine with tomato sauce and rocket, asparagus and tuna wrapped in ham, and roasted vegetables with goat’s cheese. La Oliva’s terrace might not be huge, but its Jordanian location makes pavement dining seem almost Mediterranean.
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Spanish restaurants in Amsterdam
There are not many authentic Spanish restaurants in Amsterdam – perhaps because “Spanish food” as a ubiquitous concept doesn’t really exist. Instead, Amsterdam is now home to an impressive restaurant specialising in Valencian and Catalan dishes, and another in traditional Basque cuisine.
HORTA Restaurante
Have you ever eaten Valencian paella in Amsterdam? No, I hadn’t either! So I was excited when the folks behind NAZKA (one of my all-time favourite restaurants in Amsterdam) announced that they were starting a new venture: HORTA Restaurante, in the Zuidas. As well as paella (the squid ink version known as arroz negre), chef Polo Alemany Molina also cooks up the most wonderful ajo blanco (a chilled almond and garlic soup, in this case garnished with green grapes and raw tuna), plus esclavida (slow roasted aubergine, red pepper and onion) and tuna tataki with a rich, ratatouille-like stew. As you might expect, wine pairings are Spanish and spot on: I loved the fresh vermouth and olives to start, as well as the rich, beeswaxy white Rioja with the paella. Raul Lansink and his team (including one of my fellow WSET 3 graduates from the class of 2023, who’s now a sommelier at HORTA) have done it again!
Sagardi
Bang in the centre of town on the Spuistraat, Sagardi is Amsterdam’s most authentic Basque restaurant. And it specialises in three things: premium grilled beef, fresh fish, and pintxos. The first is on display in Sagardi’s meat fridge and charcoal grill – which are quite the sight to behold. A two-kilogram hunk of on-the-bone, premium txuleton (otherwise known as ribeye) came grilled to rare perfection, with sweet piquillo peppers and hot potato wedges. Served with a bottle of Rioja Reserva, it was a thing of great beauty. The fish is equally worth your attention – on a separate visit I had an outstanding grilled, buttery monkfish. And then there are the pintxos: I particularly enjoyed Sagardi’s lardina – prawn wrapped in cheese and bacon, breaded and deep-fried. All the meaty pintxos were pretty good too, from the regional txistorra sausage to the charcoal-roasted pâté, pairing perfectly with a glass of full-bodied Basque red wine.
Transparency disclosure: I was invited to eat at Tia Rosa and HORTA 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.
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This article is also featured on GPSmyCity. To download it for offline reading or create a self-guided walking tour to visit the featured restaurants, go to Walking Tours and Articles in Amsterdam.