When I first moved to Amsterdam over 20 years ago, the sandwich scene was pitiful: most lunches consisted of the ubiquitous broodje kaas, which was essentially supermarket sliced bread with a thin slice of Gouda and nothing else. (To the point that I was inspired to write an entire cookbook about alternative lunches for the working week.) Luckily, times have changed and we now have a bounty of gourmet sandwich shops to choose from. Whether you’re looking for a top toastie, banging bagel, serious sando or royally good wrap, Amsterdam has a sandwich with your name on it.
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Amsterdam sandwich shops and what to order from them
Rosèl: chef’s signature sandwich
Right in the centre of the city and handily close to the Canal Belt, Rosèl only serves four sandwiches but it does them so well that further choice would be superfluous. Get the chef’s signature “Rosèl”: Dutch ham, guanciale compote, sweet ‘n tangy pickles, mustardy mayo and fresh rocket. Take it to a nearby canal-side bench and enjoy in the sun (ideally) or bring an umbrella as Rosèl doesn’t have indoor dining.
Monty’s: cheese & chutney toastie
There’s not many toasties I’d bike through a hailstorm to get to, but the calorific goodness at Monty’s was worth braving the elements for. They use sourdough bread from fancy Fort Negen, plus four types of cheese (two Dutch, two English) in every toastie. From there, you have a choice of three other fillings: sweet onion chutney, spicy kimchi, or umami Marmite. I think the chutney just edged it for me, but the kimchi came a close second.
Broodje Popov: Philly cheese steak sandwich
On the always-bustling Van Woustraat, Broodje Popov is know for its Philly cheesesteak sandwich (or Philly cheesecake as I keep accidentally calling it): thinly sliced hot beef in gravy with melty American cheese, caramelised onions and mayo. We added jalapenos for 50 cents extra, which was a good idea as they helped cut through all that richness. Amazingly, given the gravy situation, the bread held together. A triumphant sandwich, if ever there was one.
Zero Zero: mortadella sandwich
Serving real-deal Italian sandwiches, Zero Zero started in the centre but now has a branch in de Pijp too. I ordered the “Mortadella”: sourdough bread stuffed with mortadella, stracciatella, pistachio and parmesan, and it took me straight back to Lucca where I ate huge Tuscan sandwiches a couple of years ago. But everything on the menu looked delicious – I saw other people coming out with several different sandwiches and I was jealous, even as I was eating my own. The Gerard Doustraat location doesn’t have any space to eat inside, but there are benches on the nearby square for an impromptu picnic if the weather’s ok.
Dough Studio: porchetta sandwich
After being away for five months at the start of 2024, I was happy to come home and discover Dough Studio, just down the road from me behind the Weesperzijde, serving enormous schiacciata (Italian sandwiches that give Zero Zero a run for their money and are so big you could easily split one between two people). The first time we went, we ordered the porchetta with truffle pecorino, rucola, mayo and caramelised onions (pictured below), and both the fillings and the bread itself were fabulous. Dough Studio’s other sandwiches have been just as good on every subsequent visit.
Ranchi: Japanese sando
There’s something aesthetically delightful and also quite childlike about the Japanese sando, with its cut-off crusts and perfect symmetry. At the eastern end of the Albert Cuypmarkt, tucked behind the market stalls, you’ll find Ranchi – serving up Japanese classics like chicken katsu and ton katsu. But I was not in the mood for meat the day I visited, so I ordered the egg salad instead: a soft and comforting mix of egg mayo, spring onions, miso and wholegrain mustard. Like something you’d find in your school lunchbox – only nicer.
Le French Café: croque madame
Surely the queen of breakfast sandwiches, the croque madame is a thing of great French beauty: two thick, crusty slices of bread filled with ham, gruyere and mornay sauce, topped with a fried egg. So simple and yet remarkably hard to find in Amsterdam. Well, search no more: Le French Café is here to help! They also do a range of other French-inspired lunch sandwiches plus aperitif hour and dinner in the evening. The interior and terrace are pure French bistro – you can’t help but feel a bit like Emily in Paris.
Flo’s Deli: lox bagel
For years, it was impossible to find real-deal New York-style bagels in Amsterdam (although old-time Amsterdammers like me will still have a soft spot for Tony’s New York City Bagels). But then along came Flo’s Deli, now with two locations in the city. Their authentic bagels come topped with smoked salmon and a schmear of scallion-chive cream cheese, but there’s also a carrot version for vegans.
Breadwinner: everything bagels
Several years after Flo’s Deli came Breadwinner, purveyors of hand-rolled, baked-on-site, sourdough bagels that are extremely good (and extremely popular among the expat crowd). I got the hot-smoked salmon with cream cheese; my friend got the pastrami with sauerkraut. But you’re really here for the everything bagels: chewy, salty, satisfying and all-round delightful.
Singel 404: brie and smoked chicken open sarnie
I’ve been going to Singel 404 ever since I was a student in Amsterdam over two decades ago. In fact, it’s where I met my oldest and best friend in the city for the first time. In all those years, the menu hasn’t changed much and I order the same thing every time I go: it’s an open sandwich on brown bread, topped with smoked chicken, guacamole and sun-dried tomatoes, then brie that’s been melted over the top, followed by a smattering of cress. This felt very exotic back in 2001. Now, it’s perhaps a little more pedestrian (and more expensive) but still just as delicious.
Chun Café: stuffed toast
You’ll want to arrive early to beat the queues at this TikTok favourite in the Negen Straatjes. Alongside bubble tea and other specialty drinks, Chun Café does a line in gourmet stuffed toast that’s not to be found anywhere else. I tried the egg with garlic shrimp, which came in its signature toasted brioche pocket – warm, garlicky and perfectly seasoned. Mr Foodie ordered a breakfast classic of egg, bacon and cheese, which was similarly good – but we’ll have to go back to try the rib-eye bulgogi as it sounds awesome.
De Tokoman: broodje pom
The Netherlands’ history with Suriname may be problematic, but it thankfully saved us all from a lifetime of bland food. Surinamese sandwiches stuffed with all sorts of spicy fillings make an excellent alternative to the ubiquitous broodje kaas. Popular favourites include broodje pom – a spiced chicken and pomtajer filling – and broodje bakkeljauw, a Surinamese preparation of salt cod. Try both at hole-in-the-wall De Tokoman (now with four locations in Amsterdam) for affordable, satisfying sandwiches at lunchtime.
De Hapjeshoek: roti roll
Continuing the Surinamese theme, the roti rolls at De Hapjeshoek – a diner-style eethuis that’s literally inside Waterlooplein metro station – are hearty to say the least. One flaky warm flatbread stuffed with a curried mix of chicken, potatoes, long beans and sambal will probably feed two people for lunch quite easily. But when they’re that good (and that good value) why not order the whole roll for yourself?
Tigris & Eufraat: sucuk and mozzarella flatbread
On the Javastraat, Tigris & Eufraat is a supermarket on one side, and a cooking station for takeaway on the other. Which means that there’s no place to sit, so heading here for lunch probably only makes sense if you live or work in the area. That said, I hope you do live or work in Oost because the “Middle Eastern sandwiches” (which are in fact more like wraps) are some of the best on offer in Amsterdam. My favourite was the sucuk version, stuffed with spiced minced meat, melted mozzarella and perfect pickles. The halloumi sandwich was also fresh and tasty, while the falafel and manouche (which I’ve sadly not tried yet) looked delicious, and the prices were extremely affordable.
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