Best Pancake Houses in Amsterdam

pancakes amsterdam

Who doesn't love a tasty pancake? Not you, that's for sure, or you wouldn't be here reading these words. Those fluffy, sweet, tasty treats are championed in lands far and wide, including the Netherlands. So, if you're vacationing in Amsterdam, you'll want to know which are the best pancake houses in the city? Right you are, and read on to find out our picks!

Including:

  • Pancakes Amsterdam
  • The Pancake Bakery
  • Moak Pancakes
  • The Breakfast Club
  • Coffee & Coconuts
  • and more!

 

Pancakes Amsterdam

If you're looking for the best pancake houses in Amsterdam, why not first try one that's literally named after the city? That would be Pancakes Amsterdam, and their selection of tasty battered treats will nd easily sort your fix.

Rather than sticking to the tried and tested Dutch style of pancakes, they take influences from pancake styles across the globe. That's just as true for their kitchen too, which is opened up to visitors. That way, you can see your delicious sweet treats being created in real-time, just how the gods intended.

Oh, and why not indulge in a free pancake tasting session - on us, of course. You're free to choose anything from their massive selection. And, if one's simply not enough, go grab a table and tuck into many, many more.

 

The Pancake Bakery

After nearly 50 years in the egg, flour, and butter business, it's no wonder that The Pancake Bakery has made quite the name for itself in Amsterdam.

Offering a selection of international pancakes from the likes of America, Chile, Norway, and Mexico, in a variety of sweet and savory varieties, you're certainly not spoiled for choice. Couple that with a massive omelet menu, starters, desserts, and even a kid's menu, and you've got yourself one handy pancake paradise.

Oh, and if none of the menu options take your fancy, you can even create your own masterpiece. Ham, mushrooms, and cherries? Why not, you absolute grot monster.

 

Moak Pancakes

Moak started out in Oud-West, but has now made its way to multiple locations across Amsterdam. Its humble facade may betray its awesomeness, but the inevitable queue outside should put those fears to rest.

Over two floors, you'll find packed tables full of guzzling pancake fanatics. A relatively new joint, having only popped up in 2016, they still smash it left, right, and center. The focus here is on the classic American pancake, with an entire subsection of the menu dedicated to various sweet and savory American delights. If you're feeling fruity, you can also partake in a glass of Champagne, or mix it up with a Mimosa.

Their piece de resistance is unarguably The Gold Digger - a huge stack of pancakes topped with three 22-carat gold leaves, Champagne on the side, and served with Versace cutlery. This testament to American extravagance will set you back €100, mind.

Definitely one of the best pancake houses in Amsterdam!

 

The Breakfast Club

Cheekily named after the classic 80s hit, The Breakfast Club is a worldwide brand at this point. You'll find them in cities all over the world, so it's hardly surprising they've made their way to Amsterdam's shores.

With a massive offering of breakfast treats, from full English breakfasts to eggs of all shapes and sizes, you can really take your pick. But we're talking about pancakes here, so focus, guys. They have a pretty solid offering of American-style pancakes, with a bevy of toppings to get your sweet tooth truly tweaked.

However, it's worth mentioning that pancakes is hardly The Breakfast Club's specialty, so you won't have the limitless options you do at the other places on this list. Having said that, if you're with a group and they're not looking to dip their toe in the pancake game. The Breakfast Club will likely serve their needs too.

 

Coffee & Coconuts

One of the fancier joints on this list, Coffee & Coconuts is one of De Pijp's trendy hotspots. The setting - an old 20s theater. The cuisine - divine. Like The Breakfast Club, Coffee & Coconuts caters to feeders of all sorts, and their pancake offerings may amount to a single choice. However, this choice is one of the best on this list.

The appropriately named Coconut Pancakes mix almond and buckwheat flour for the base, then dollop on some banana, berry compote, coconut chips, coconut cream, and top it all off with lashes of maple syrup. Sign us up.

Plus, with three pages of menus dedicated to coffee, teas, wines, beer, and anything else worth drinking, you can be sure to pair your pancake with the perfect beverage.

 

Photo courtesy of StudioPortoSabbia/Shutterstock

The Pancake Boat

Yes, you read that right. They didn't just pick that name out of a hat. It's called The Pancake Boat because it's located on a freaking boat. But wait, there's more!

Not only will you sail the seven seas (or canals in this case) while you eat, you'll be eating whatever you can, because this bad boy is an all-you-can-eat cruise.

Set your phone's stopwatch to 75 minutes, start your engines, and then eat, eat, eat. Just make sure you're belly is seaworthy - the last thing anyone wants is for you to bring all the fluffy, syrupy goodness back up. What a disappointment you'd be. Easily one of the best pancake houses in Amsterdam, if you can call a boat a house. Well, houseboats exist...so, yes?

 

Bakers and Roasters

With locations near the Rijksmuseum and in De Pijp, Bakers and Roasters are just getting started. The brainchild of a New Zealander and a Brazilian, the franchise's great food and commitment to hospitality will surely see them reach all corners of the city and beyond before long.

But enough flirting, what about the pancakes? Well, they only have room on the menu for one choice, but it's a choice you won't soon forget. American-style blueberry pancakes cooked to perfection, glazed with syrup, and topped with blueberries and chopped bananas.

Feeling fancy? Add an unusual side to go with it. Sure, you can lean on the ol' reliable bacon. But why not try chorizo, jalapenos, and cottage cheese? Or don't, you know, you do you.

 

Carousel Pancake House

Located on a former fairground carousel, and a stone's throw from the Heineken Experience, you'll find the appropriately named Carousel Pancake House. A unique setting, for sure, but what about the pancakes?

Well, they have a delicious menu full of the beauties, including a whole section dedicated to Nutella variants. Delightful. Couple that with a burgeoning menu of waffles, baguettes, burgers, and beers, and you've got yourself a top place.

And that's our list of the best pancake houses in Amsterdam!

Dom Bewley
Go City Travel Expert

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Things to do in Amsterdam for Pride Day

Amsterdam is an absolute blast during Pride week, which usually runs up to and including the first Saturday of August, and includes hundreds of ace LGBTQ+ events across the city. This epic festival of love, diversity and inclusion draws in over half a million visitors, all eager to get involved in the huge club nights, street parties and cultural events that have become its calling cards. Then there’s the parade. Not just any old Pride parade, this one takes place along the Dam’s famous canals and lasts for much of the afternoon, kicking off an all-day party that continues well into the wee small hours. Hop aboard for our guide to all the best things to do in Amsterdam during Pride Week… Pride March Amsterdam’s Pride’s opening event is an absolute corker. Get dressed in your brightest, most flamboyant colors for the annual Pride March, a love-soaked meander through central Amsterdam that (while the route varies year by year) will generally take you along picturesque canals and down cobbled streets, passing major attractions like the splendid Rijksmuseum along the way. Inspiring opening speeches are followed by much singing, dancing and general merriment as the festival gets into its stride at the opening party after the march, with live performers, food stalls and bars galore. Find out more about this year’s Pride Walk here. Pride Park Slap bang in the middle of Amsterdam’s lush Vondelpark, Pride Park runs in tandem with the opening march, with all manner of festive fun and games for the whole family. There’s an open-air theater, plus live music, sporting activities and more. There’s even a special area especially for kids. The Junior Pride x Pride Park event comes complete with bouncy castles, popcorn and cotton candy, and there are plenty more things to do in and around the park if the kids get bored (or they need to run off some of that sugar-based energy). Check out our guide to Vondelpark and Amsterpark here. LoveSwim “We don’t even swim straight.” So goes the tagline of this fun annual event, which sees hundreds of willing participants plunge into the Amstel River in support of LGBTQ+ causes. You’ll need to register well in advance if you want to take part, with distances starting at just 250 meters meaning swimmers of (almost) all abilities can dive in from the famous platform and take part. Of course, you could show your support by simply spectating instead: it’s drier, for a start. There’s also a bar and several food stalls, and everyone knows there’s nothing worse than a soggy falafel wrap. Live DJs keep the party atmosphere going throughout.  Find out more and register to take part here. Cultural Events at Amsterdam Pride Culture vultures rejoice! Amsterdam Pride has dozens of events just for you. We’re talking the likes of open-air cinema, queer walking tours, gay improv comedy, even fetish-friendly classical music concerts. It’s also worth checking out some of Amsterdam’s museums. Many, including the famous Rijksmuseum, put on special tours during Pride, highlighting the work of LGBTQ+ artists and exploring themes around sexuality and gender in art. Find out more about queer cultural events across Amsterdam here. Milkshake Festival An open-minded and inclusive electronic music and dance festival, Milkshake generally runs across Pride’s opening weekend, bringing high-energy techno, house, pop, disco and r’n’b to the masses. Rustle up your best outfit and get ready for a three-day love-fest that includes international DJs, drag acts and musicians – performers in previous years include Ana Matronic, The Blessed Madonna and Ultra Nate. Expect multiple dance floors, a huge inflatable pink church and many more epic entertainments. There are usually also all-night after parties at the legendary Paradiso venue on the Saturday and Sunday nights of the festival. You’ll need to book well in advance for both events – these are hugely popular and tend to sell out fast. Get more info on Milkshake here. Canal Parade The absolute centerpiece of Amsterdam Pride is the quite extraordinary and frankly eye-popping flotilla that is the annual Canal Parade. This marks the grand finale to a week of Pride events and takes place on the first Saturday of August. We won’t sugar-coat this: the route gets *extremely* busy both on and off the water during the parade. On the plus side, it’s seven kilometers long, so do your research to find the less crowded areas, or go all in and wake up early to bag your spot on one of the (unsurprisingly) popular canal bridges. For this is where you’re guaranteed the very best views, photo opportunities and, well, bragging rights. The parade starts in the east of the city at around noon, reaching popular Prinsengracht about an hour later, and continuing on through the canals towards the Westerdok. But that ain’t the end of the party. Far from it, in fact… Parties! Pride Amsterdam’s official closing party takes place in front of the opulent Royal Palace on on Dam Square, featuring a huge stage and performers from around the world. But there are plenty more options available, not least the huge number of street parties that will be taking place across the city, including a big one at Amstelveld just off the Canal Parade route. Afterwards, hit up some of Amsterdam’s best clubs, where the post-Pride party goes into overdrive. Try FunHouse, Taboo, the Paradiso and Club NYX for some of the best Pride events in town. Best of the Rest: Amsterdam’s Top Attractions So you’re mainly in Amsterdam for Pride. But don’t let that stop you checking out some of this Venice of the North’s many fine attractions. You could save up to 50% on a variety of tours, activities and attractions with a Go Amsterdam pass, including bucket-listers like… Sampling one of Amsterdam’s greatest exports at the Heineken Experience. Saying ‘hey’ to Lady Gaga, Harry Styles and the Incredible Hulk at Madame Tussauds. Having a poke around Rembrandt’s old house. Ogling masterpieces of the Dutch Golden Age at the incredible Rijksmuseum. Taking a cruise along the Amsterdam canals (though not during the parade, obvs). Letting loose at an 80s-themed roller disco, complete with glitter balls and neon lights. … and many more! Find out more and get your Amsterdam attractions pass here.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
Sunflowers in front of a sign pointing to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam
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Van Gogh Museum vs Rembrandthuis Museum Comparison Amsterdam

Ask anyone to name all the Dutch painters they’ve ever heard of and you can guarantee the first two out of their mouths will be Rembrandt and Van Gogh; one the leading artist of the Dutch Golden Age, the other the OG ‘tortured artist’ of Post-Impressionism who, in death, became one of the most famous and influential figures in the history of western art. Unsurprisingly, given their incalculable contribution to Dutch and European art and culture, both have been honored with their own dedicated museums in the Netherlands’ capital. But which of these essential Amsterdam attractions is best? Read on for the lowdown as we pit the Van Gogh Museum vs the Rembrandthuis (aka the Rembrandt House Museum)...  Van Gogh Museum vs Rembrandthuis Museum: Vital Statistics Size: Compared to Amsterdam’s main art museums – the Rijksmuseum and Stedelijk among them – both Rembrandt’s House and the Van Gogh Museum are relatively small, requiring only 1-2 hours of your time to get a real feel for the life and work of these visual virtuosos. Age: The Rembrandt House Museum opened in 1911, welcoming the Netherland’s Queen Wilhelmina and Prince Hendrik as its very first visitors; the Van Gogh Museum opened at Amsterdam’s Museumplein in 1973. Artworks: The collections are quite different, in that – as the name suggests – the Rembrandt House Museum is Rembrandt’s actual former home, where he lived with his family (and various lovers) from 1639 until bankruptcy forced him to give it up in 1658. Inside, you can experience the house roughly as it would have looked in Rembrandt’s day, the furniture having been carefully sourced and replaced, based on a 1656 auction inventory of its art, furnishings and various other household items.  There’s also a near-complete collection of Rembrandt etchings here (260 of the approximate 290 he created in his lifetime), plus paintings by his students, teacher and contemporaries, as well as a pair of pots used to mix quartz and clay for canvas preparation by Rembrandt himself. The Van Gogh Museum on the other hand, is a straightforward gallery of the Post-Impressionist prodigy’s work. There’s nothing ordinary about the collection here though, which comprises some 1,300 Van Gogh paintings, drawings and letters, including iconic works like The Potato Eaters and Sunflowers. Alongside this, the largest collection of Van Gogh pieces on the planet, the museum also showcases notable works by his Impressionist and Post-Impressionist contemporaries, among them paintings by Monet, Gauguin and Toulouse-Lautrec, and sculptures by Rodin. Annual visitors: The Van Gogh Museum outflanks most of the local competition here, pulling in around 2.2 million visitors every year to Rembrandt’s 250,000. The Van Gogh Museum vs Rembrandt House: Highlights We’re talking about two of the greatest all-time wizards of western art here, so your expectations are likely to be high, and the Van Gogh Museum does not disappoint. Here’s where you can view some 200 of the maestro’s paintings, among them his beautiful Almond Blossom which – if you like it – is also available to purchase in a gazillion different formats in the museum’s gift shop. Then there’s his Sunflowers, his Irises, his Wheat Field with Crows, his Self Portrait with Pipe, and the challenging masterpiece that is The Potato Eaters, Van Gogh’s depiction of 18th-century Dutch peasants at dinner. Add to this some 400 drawings and 700 letters, and Van Gogh votaries will be in clover. The Rembrandt House Museum is more of an immersive experience, one in which you can step into the Golden Age master’s former home and experience the living quarters and studio roughly as Rembrandt and his family would have done in the 17th Century. Authentic contemporary furnishings and artworks adorn the rooms, including pieces by Rembrand’s teacher Pieter Lastman, and his students Ferdinand Bol and Govert Flinck. Rembrandt’s etchings were far better-known than his paintings during his lifetime (due to the relative ease of mass reproduction), and are considered some of the greatest examples of the art form to this day. The museum owns the vast majority of these, and some of them can be viewed here, alongside relics including pots used by the artist, as well as his funeral medallion. If it’s an insight into Rembrandt’s life you’re after, this is very much the place for you. If, however, you want to ogle some of the artist’s most celebrated works up close, you’ll need to hit up the nearby Rijksmuseum, home of The Night Watch pictured above), Self Portrait with Disheveled Hair and other world-famous Rembrandt masterpieces. Van Gogh Museum vs Rembrandt House: Which is Better? Well, it’s less a question of which is better and more a case of whether you have a particular fondness for the (very different) work of Rembrandt or Van Gogh. Of course, you could kill two birds with one stone and see works by both of them (and many many more) at the Rijksmuseum, but if you’re looking for a deep dive into the life and works of these Dutch masters in particular, you’ll find no better place on the planet than the Van Gogh Museum and Rembrandt House in Amsterdam. Rembrandt House and the Van Gogh Museum: Fun Facts Did you know? In 1656, Rembrandt’s spiraling debts led to him petitioning for bankruptcy. The contents of his house were meticulously cataloged for sale, making it much simpler, 250 years later, for the house to be restored to its original state before opening as a museum in 1911. Did you know? Van Gogh is one of the original selfie takers, painting some 36 self-portraits across his brief 10-year career. His tally is topped only by – you guessed it – Rembrandt, who racked up around 100 paintings, etchings and drawings of his own fair phizog, but over a much longer period. Save on Tours, Attractions and Activities in Amsterdam Save on admission to Amsterdam attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak

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