If you’re visiting IBC later this week, you’ll want to know where to get the best food in a city that will be buzzing with 50,000 delegates.
We’re sharing with you some inside information on where the AIB likes to go during the tech fest – even if it means we might find it more challenging to get places ourselves…! And the beauty of the first three tips is their proximity to the RAI, while our final recommendations are slightly further afield.
Just a short stroll from the RAI is Restaurant As. Nestling in the Beatrixpark and alongside a school in a residential area that’s a world away from the hustle and bustle of Europaplein, Restaurant As is a true gem. This where you can go to get great food that’s sourced within a 20km radius of the restaurant, where practicable. The menu changes almost daily and is governed by what’s available at the local markets and from the restaurant’s top local suppliers. We’ve never been disappointed…unless we’ve failed to book a place at the restaurant’s huge shared tables.
Another favourite with us – and the locals – is the Reuring in the heart of the residential area to the north of the RAI. It’s small, with a handful of outside seats where you can watch the bicycles go by and the locals wend their way home. Great food, reasonably priced and friendly staff go to make this an ideal place to unwind after a hard day of meetings at IBC. Beware – it’s absolutely essential to reserve places as this is a popular restaurant with limited capacity.
Our third recommendation is on the tram route from RAI to the centre of Amsterdam. The Pekelhaaring is in a converted shop and is not a starched linen tablecloth sort of place. Instead it’s relaxed with wooden tables arranged quite close to each other, serving tasty, reasonably-priced food. There’s a constant buzz here as it’s very popular with locals and it’s definitely a good idea to book your place as turning up on the door usually leads to disappointment!
Another recommendation if you’re in need of a quick fix of freshly-made pasta, or a pizza, is Vapiano. This chain has two branches in Amsterdam, the first at Amstelstraat 2-4, 1017 DA Amsterdam, the second at Oosterdokskade 145, 1011 DL Amsterdam, south-east of Centraal Station, alongside the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. While these are reasonably large, they do get busy so allow a bit of time to cope with numbers of young Amsterdammers!
Our final recommendation is Le Debut in the Skotel Amsterdam. This is a fine dining restaurant within Amsterdam’s hotel training school. Your food and drink will be prepared and served by the students under the watchful eye of a tutor or two. We’ve always had remarkable food here – booking’s essential and the restaurant is only open Monday to Friday for lunch from 1200-1400 and dinner between 1800 and 2230 (but you need to be seated by 1830 at the latest).
Don’t share this information too widely – keep it a secret between the AIB and you…