Twelve years in, this annual restaurant round-up has become one of my favourite traditions: a look back at the restaurants that defined my year of dining and drinking. In 2025, that meant a flurry of newcomers that opened their doors this year, plus a few 2024 arrivals that I was simply too slow to get to at the time. What they all share is the kind of cooking or hospitality that reminded me: yes, this is why I go out to eat.
This year’s line-up spans Europe to Asia, from neighbourhood bistros to hand-pulled noodles to modern Mediterranean feasts – with a couple of excellent wine bars thrown in for good measure. As always, it’s entirely subjective: Amsterdam sees hundreds of openings every year, and I only make it to a tiny fraction of them. But the opinions here are mine alone: independently curated, with no pay to play going on.
So, without further ado, let’s dive into the dishes, the discoveries and the glasses of wine that made this year delicious. Cheers, merry Christmas and until next year!
Looking for more restaurant tips in Amsterdam? Download my Amsterdam Restaurant Guide!
Top European restaurants in Amsterdam 2025
esra
You know it must be good when two friends who don’t even live in the Netherlands are telling you to go. That was the case with Mediterranean/Turkish restaurant esra, which I visited in January after its opening in late 2024. Picky eaters beware: there’s no choice, just a sharing menu for the whole table that’s set by the kitchen.
First, you’ll be treated to a couple of mezze dishes – in our case, a tangy feta, yoghurt and mint dip, plus a caramelised onion, walnut and pomegranate number – served with pide. Next came an array of tasty brassica, cooked in various ways and accented with grated aged ricotta. Then cod with a Turkish take on beurre blanc, followed by a meaty mixed grill with beef-fat chips. There was dessert, too, but by then we’d ordered (ahem) four bottles of wine between five of us and I struggle to remember much about it other than that it was good. In fact, the whole experience was more than good. It was exactly what dining out should be: surprising dishes that you wouldn’t cook at home, interesting wines that you don’t find in many shops, and perfect service that can be hard to come by in Amsterdam restaurants.
Roef
Opening in autumn 2025, newcomer Roef in Watergraafsmeer is already delivering accomplished cooking. The menu is made up of small bites, medium-sized à la carte dishes, and large sharing plates (or you can opt for the chef’s menu) – allowing you to try a bit of everything.
The “Bites” all offered a pop of small but perfectly formed flavour: Asian oysters were umami-sweet with miso and spring onion, kaassoufflé was laced with jalapeno and truffle, and steak tartare on slices of brioche was accented with sesame and bottarga. Next, we tried an elegant presentation of red gurnard with yellow beetroot discs and buttermilk sauce studded with jalapeno and lime gel (perhaps my favourite dish of the evening). The brandade was reminiscent of a Portuguese cod croquette, but served with Dutch witlof and a punchy salsa verde. While an earthy, autumnal salad of red beetroot, blackberries, hazelnuts and goat yoghurt brought a welcome hit of veggies. Lastly, we shared the “Tomapork” main: essentially a hefty pork chop with a savoury red onion and mustard seed chutney, plus chips and Brussels sprouts. I was eating out with my parents, and Mr Foodie Senior (aka my dad) was effusive in his praise for the contrasting flavours of the small dishes, plus their juxtaposition with the hearty meat ‘n chips main. And if he’s happy, I’m happy!
Leo Bistro
With a large terrace on the Beukenplein, Leo Bistro is the kind of place where you can rock up without a reservation on a Friday night and still get a table (almost unheard of in Amsterdam in 2025). It’s part of the Goudvisch restaurant group that’s also behind Arie, and it’s similarly casual with a friendly neighbourhood vibe and good service. Leo offers a very affordable three-course menu but everything is also available à la carte – and the snacks alone are worth the detour from the fixed menu.
With beer, we split some salty, crispy chorizo croquettes and spicy vegan vlammetjes, followed by the smash burger on a helpfully manageable brioche bun with melty cheese, pickles and a sort of piccalilli mayo. Upscale bar food, perhaps, but done well and for a good price. The wine selection is well curated too: I enjoyed the light Spanish orange Grenache and the rich Pfalz Spätburgunder – both chilled on a warm day.
Neuf
Bistrot Neuf first opened in 2009, but it got a rebrand – simply to “Neuf” – in 2025 as well as a new menu, hence why I decided to include such an old classic in a new list. The monthly changing chef’s menu showcases the restaurant’s modern French flair: think scallops and blood sausage with pickled cauliflower and noisette sauce. Or you can opt for the à la carte menu, which offers French classics like steak tartare, moules marinières, escargots and homemade pâté. Whichever direction you choose, be sure to add the chef’s signature “Brioche Neuf” to your order: a richly decadent dish of duck liver, lobster, truffle mayo and red onion compote stacked onto pillowy brioche.
Bistrot Neuf’s wine list is also impressive, featuring a whopping 40 wines by the glass. But if that’s not enough to choose from (or if you have more money than I do), there’s a huge selection of rare and expensive bottles they’ll bring up from the cellar. It might have something to do with the fact that Neuf shares an owner with Chabrol Wines next door…
Looking for more European restaurant recommendations in Amsterdam? Download my Amsterdam Restaurant Guide!
Top Asian restaurants in Amsterdam 2025
Jinweide
Opening in December 2024, Jinweide specialises in hand-pulled noodles that stem from Northwest China. I’d watched a video of someone making hand-pulled noodles years ago, then thought “that looks complicated, I wonder where I can get someone to make them for me?” Well, Jinweide was my answer. You can watch the chefs pull the noodles in front of you, and pick which thickness of noodle you want in your meal. We went for the wide, flat ones in the spicy cold noodle dish, and the thinner round ones in our beef noodle soup. Both were full of flavour (especially if you get the spicy version like we did), and come with some exceptionally moreish salads on the side. A great value taste of Northwest China!
Peijie Hotpot
Amsterdam’s cuisine scene is getting excitingly specific these days, and Peijie Hotpot – arriving in Amsterdam in autumn 2025 – is a case in point. Not to be confused with Sichuan hotpot, Chongqing hotpot is purported to be even fierier than its Chengdu rival. We ordered the “medium” spice level for our beef tallow broth, and it was not messing around! Into the bubbling broth, we dipped thinly sliced beef (marinated in more chillies), dainty balls of pork and cuttlefish, slices of starchy lotus root and leafy greens – the latter of which sopped up more of the chilli-laced liquid than anything else. Once cooked, we doused the dipped ingredients into a custom blend of sesame oil, spring onions, garlic and coriander before popping them in our mouths and then reaching for a cooling glass of passion fruit juice. The flavours were fragrant as well as fiery, and we kept going back for more.
To avoid disaster, I suggest you do not wear your best clothes (you will smell like a hotpot from hair to socks by the end of it) and do take Peijie up on their offer of an apron!
Kim’s So Korean Food Oost
There are not a lot of genuine Korean restaurants in Amsterdam, and even fewer that are any good. So I was keen to try Kim’s So Korean Food – albeit many months later than I’d planned (their Oost location opened in 2024 but I didn’t make it there until summer 2025).
Kim’s décor is sort of lunar but the cocktails are stellar (see what I did there?!). Try the sweetly citrusy yuzu martini, and make sure you save some to cool your mouth down after the “crazy spicy” Korean fried chicken. After the chilli high of the chicken, we tried the Kimchi Samgyeopsal – Iberian pork belly stir-fried with kimchi, garlic and gochujang – which was phenomenal but I wouldn’t suggest kissing anyone afterwards (unless they had also indulged in that amount of garlic!).
Looking for more Asian restaurant recommendations in Amsterdam? Download my Amsterdam Restaurant Guide!
Top wine bars in Amsterdam 2025
Vermeers Wijnkamer
Restaurant Vermeer has been on my round-up of fine dining restaurants in Amsterdam for a while, so I was curious when they opened a dedicated wine bar in autumn 2025. The space itself is low-lit and loungey and would make a great date spot. As for the wine, it’s a clever concept that would appeal to both wine geeks and to the many customers who find the whole business of pairing wine and food a bit intimidating.
The menu features around half a dozen “bites”, each of which offers two options for by-the-glass wine pairings – generally one under €10 and one higher-priced option. I tried the Hollandse garnalen on brioche with a soft, peachy Chenin Blanc from South Africa, and the pork terrine with a juicy-fruity Syrah from southern France. I also tasted my friend’s uber-earthy Spätburgunder from Franken (although I declined to try the mushroom/herb dish that went with it as we all know mushrooms are the devil’s fungus!). That aside, the matches were spot on, and offered an accessible glimpse into the world of wine pairing.
Charcuteria | Barlotta
The Czaar Peterstraat is home to all sorts of hidden gems, including wine bar Charcuteria and sister restaurant Barlotta next door. I stopped by twice in summer 2025 for various types of charcuterie (obviously!), aged Manchego, roasted cauliflower and bread with a creamy horseradish dip. Not to mention two lovely bottles of wine: an Aligoté from Burgundy (a grape that’s having a bit of a moment in wine circles right now) and a Puglian Negroamaro that reminded me of a trip to Salento last summer. The service was lovely, and the ambience reminiscent of a French bar-brasserie. All the more reason to visit the Czaar Peterstraat!
Amelie
Located in Amstelveen, just southwest of Amsterdam proper, Amelie is a wine bar that pairs its bottles with Chinese food from neighbouring restaurant Amber Garden. Let’s face it: most Asian restaurants in Amsterdam are offering a cheap Merlot or Savvy B, so being able to get a decent glass of wine with your dim sum is pretty unique.
And I was blown away by the pairings: Propizio’s Grechetto from Lazio offered all things lemony (lemon peel, lemongrass, lemon curd, lemon thyme) and was a perfect seasoning to har gaw dumplings. Grenache Blanc by Rall Wines in South Africa tasted like a classically bees waxy white Rioja, which was a good match for the umami richness of steak tartar with chilli-sweet soy bean paste. A fruity, unoaked Tempranillo (this time from actual Rioja) had the heft to stand up to cumin-spiced lamb ribs. And Garnacha Tinta from Montsant in Catalonia was the perfect partner for the sweet fattiness of Beijing roast duck. Worth the detour to Amstelveen? Absolutely.
Editor’s note: having celebrated their one-year anniversary at the end of 2025, Amelie’s owners took the decision to switch concept from a public wine bar to a private event space. This makes my review somewhat redundant, but I have no doubt that the high quality of Amelie’s wine and food pairings will continue. So if you’re planning an event in 2026, I urge you to get in touch with them!
Looking for more wine in Amsterdam?
Download my Amsterdam Wine Guide.
Book a wine tasting with me.
Or join me on Substack for The Wine Edit!