Best of Amsterdam: Waterfront Restaurants

The 'Venice of the north', Amsterdam is famous for its network of canals. It's not surprising then that the city has its fair share of waterfront restaurants. Here's Eat Amsterdam's pick of the best.

Nevy

Sister of Envy delicatessen and Vyne wine bar, it's not hard to guess that Nevy is a seafood restaurant. It’s location on Westerdoksdijk, with an enormous terrace on the IJ, underlines the marine theme.

The menu changes with the season and incorporates fish dishes from around the world: classic French bouillabaisse, Moroccan fish tagine, and Asian-inspired cod cooked in a coconut crust.

The sleek interior and higher than average prices tend to attract a business crowd during the week. Things are more relaxed at weekends when wine-sipping sunworshippers fill the terrace.

Image of Odessa restaurant Amsterdam Odessa

Quite literally on the water, Odessa is a replica of an old Russian merchant ship and is named after the Ukrainian city where the original was built in 1974.

Odessa is moored permanently in Zeeburg, a couple of kilometres east of Central Station. It attracts a trendy crowd, who lounge on the sun deck, sip Prosecco cocktails on the middle deck and dine in the plush restaurant on the lower deck.

On Friday and Saturday nights at around 10 o'clock, the tables are pushed back, the glitter ball is turned on and the restaurant transformed, Cinderella-like, into a club where DJs rock the boat into the wee hours.

Food is French with Mediterranean and Asian influences. Dishes include scallops with caramelised lettuce, oyster sauce and beetroot reduction; chicken in lemongrass sauce; or an inspired vegetarian grilled aubergine involtini stuffed with sweet potato and shiitake mushrooms.

Pier 10

Nestled behind Amsterdam’s Central Station in a former shipping office, Pier 10 offers respite from the jostling pedestrians with bikes waiting for the boats to Amsterdam North.

Hurry through the gaudy front room and you'll be rewarded with a small, intimate backroom with curved windows – which are thrown open in summer - offering a 180-degree panorama of the IJ and the boats plying to and fro.

The quality of the food at Pier 10 isn't always consistent, but flashes of inspiration, like salmon with Pernod sauce, or blackberry pudding with a delicate pink ginger cream, make this Amsterdam restaurant worth a visit for more than just the view.

Image of Restaurant Open Amsterdam Restaurant Open

Located in a former railway bridge that has been converted into an elegant, glass-clad dining area, Restaurant Open offers watery views of Westerdokskade on one side and the IJ on the other.

The menu covers Holland, France and Italy, and combines the modern trend for seasonal, sustainable products with traditional and so-called 'forgotten' vegetables such as parnsips and black salsify.

The elevated walkway leading to Restaurant Open also doubles as a terrace in summer - a great spot for a sundowner.