NEIGHBORHOOD GUIDE: AMSTERDAM OUD WEST

EAT & DRINK, NEIGHBORHOODS, SHOPPING, WEST

Amsterdam’s Oud-West neighborhood is a bustling melting pot with great shopping and dining. Let’s explore Oud-West!

NEIGHBORHOOD GUIDE • AMSTERDAM OUD WEST

Bordered by Vondelpark on one side and De Clercqstraat on the other, the busy Oud-West neighborhood is constantly changing and evolving.

Oud-West Neighborhood Facts

Oud-West has that great mix of cultures and economic levels which makes it a vibrant neighborhood. It’s fun to explore the posh streets near Vondelpark and the ethnic grocers on De Clercqstraat and Kinkerstraat. You’ll find lots of students and young creative people in this area, as well as families with small children.

Wander through the neighborhood streets and along the wide canals. Most of the buildings in Oud-West were constructed in the first half of the twentieth century. Some streets are really lovely with interesting details on the buildings. The streets near Vondelpark are filled with impressive 19th century houses while at the end of Jacob van Lennepkade are great apartments with all kinds of animal heads in the entryways. Cool!

In May of 2010, the district of Oud-West merged with the districts of Bos en Lommer, De Baarsjes and Westerpark to form the district of Stadsdeel West. We’ll consider some of the western edges of De Baarsjes and Bos en Lommer as well as the Westerpark area as a separate neighborhood for the purposes of this site as they also offer a lot of great places to highlight. Not to mention the Spaarndammerbuurt!

Shopping in Oud-West

One of the most well-known streets in Oud-West is Kinkerstraat. This relatively short street is filled with businesses, making it easy to get errands done. On Kinkerstraat you can find HEMA, Blokker, Albert Heijn, Xenos, and Etos as well as ones of the best stores on the street: Volkskruidentuin. This small shop sells all manner of herbs and spices along with some Asian and Middle Eastern ingredients.

Here are a few more of our favorite businesses in Oud-West:

Sourced & Sold: vintage industrial decor items for your home
Bouncespace/de Fietskantine: a bike shop, coffee shop, barber shop and more!
The Beer Tree: craft beer paradise
Local Goods Store: a terrific place to buy local gifts
The Mad Processor: gamers paradise but also a great place for printing documents as it’s open nearly 24 hrs
De Sleutelklus: get your keys made here
The flower stand at the end of J P Heijestraat
In My Kitchen Kookwinkel: great shop for kitchen items
Friday Next: unique interior design items plus a charming cafe
Sterk Avondwinkel: the best night shop in Amsterdam and also one of the best liquor selections

Ten Katestraat crosses Kinkerstraat close to the middle of its length. Here you can find Ten Katemarkt street market six days a week. Vendors sell fruits, vegetables, flowers, cheese, fish, bicycle accessories, clothing and many other items. It’s a terrific neighborhood market that is always busy. Look (listen) for the guys in the middle of the market yelling out the deals of the day, we are always amazed at how they can yell that loud for so long. And their deals are usually dirt cheap!

Overtoom and De Clercqstraat are also good shopping streets. On Overtoom you will find the bustling Marqt organic supermarket with all kinds of delicious, healthy foods. A bit further up Overtoom are quite a few furniture shops, a great place to look for household items like lighting and sofas.

Eating and Drinking in Oud-West

Oud-West is full of excellent restaurants, cafes and bars. If you’re craving pizza, coffee, burritos or beer you can find it all in the neighborhood.

Here are a few of our favorites broken down by their main specialization.

COFFEE • BREAKFAST • BRUNCH

Trakteren: the BEST latte art in town, hands down! Yummy food too, and lots of chocolate
Lot Sixty One: perfect cappuccinos on the corner and visit their sister at de Fietskantine too
Berry Amsterdam: love their milky Berry White latte and the red juice is fab
Ted’s serves brunch all day and cocktails too
Screaming Beans: terrific coffee and gourmet dining
Staring at Jacob: brunch, borrel and bites
The Breakfast Club: go for the pancakes

LUNCH • BORREL • DINNER

De Foodhallen has it all!
Voldaan: healthy, flavorful soup and meatballs, so yummy!
Bar Brouw: BBQ meats and great beer
Juice & Salad: the healthy place for lunch
Cafe Kostverloren: popular cafe with great food and large terrace
‘t Saoto Huisje: Javanese/Surinamese takeaway and the best saoto soup
Fuoco Vivo: amazing pizza hot from the woodburning oven
Panache: a beautiful restaurant and bar
Spaghetteria: the pasta place has found its way west
Gollem and Craft&Draft are two great beer bars on the Overtoom
Beyrouth: fabulous Lebanese food
Fier: Flemish comfort foods
Happyhappyjoyjoy: Asian bites and small plates to share
Café L’ Affiche: fun neighborhood bar with good late-night tosti
Golden Brown Bar: a cool cafe with Thai style food
De Italiaan: lively restaurant with delicious pizza
Razmataz: cocktails, lunch, dinner and popups at En Suite
Edel: hip restaurant with a huge terrace on a wide canal
Deegrollers: tasty pizza and other Italian goodies
Waterkant: a waterside cafe perfect for sunny afternoons
and many many more!

Things To Do in Oud-West

As the neighborhood is bounded by Vondelpark and Rembrantpark, there are lots of green places to wander. Rembrandtpark is a quiet open park, a great place to walk your dog or catch a quiet nap on the grass.

With its location close to the city center, Vondelpark is much busier. On a warm day Vondelpark is packed with tourists and locals enjoying the sunshine with picnics and parties. It’s a great place to people watch! There are also a few great cafes in Vondelpark including the Vondelpark3, Blauwe Theehuis and Vondeltuin. And check out the Vondelpark Open Air Theater in the summertime.

Kanen bij Ten Kate a weekly food truck event that is popular for evening socializing in the better weather months. Don’t miss it!

Getting Around in Oud-West

Of course in Amsterdam the preferred mode of transport is always the bicycle but it is easy to reach Oud-West by tram or on foot. Tramlines 1, 3, 7, 12, 13, 14, and 17 all service the area.

If you need the Metro or NS Trains Amsterdam Lelylaan Station is close by.

Come visit Amsterdam Oud-West and enjoy all the things this neighborhood has to offer!