Let’s set aside ramen for a moment, about which I’ve written an entire separate article (that evolves continuously) and instead focus on the rest of Japanese cuisine in Amsterdam. There’s sushi of course, plus Izakaya-style casual dining, the whole shebang of the Omakase experience, plus various forms of Japanese street food. All of this and more is represented in Amsterdam – below is just a short, curated list of some of my favourites.
Planning your trip to Amsterdam
Before you can sample the city’s Japanese food, you’re going to need to get here! Below are a few trip essentials, but my Amsterdam travel planning guide covers everything from transport to the best time to visit.
- Getting to Amsterdam: Schiphol airport is well-connected, and Expedia and Omio are good starting points for comparing flights and rail options. If you’re coming from London, Paris or Brussels, the Eurostar is a relaxed alternative to flying, though Dutch national carrier KLM has direct flights from most major cities in Europe, the US and beyond.
- Getting around: Amsterdam is compact enough to walk, and public transport covers everything else. Skip the rental car unless you plan to leave the city – use GVB to plan your route, or do as the locals do and rent a bike!
- Where to stay: From canal-side luxury (Pulitzer) to boutique quirkiness (Hotel Not Hotel), there’s plenty of choice. Browse the full range on Booking.com or visit my neighbourhood guide for specific hotel recommendations.
- Tours and experiences: A canal boat trip is a must – find options on Viator or GetYourGuide. For food tours, I recommend Eating Amsterdam plus any of the other Amsterdam tours and experiences in my dedicated article.
- Further reading: For restaurant and wine bar recommendations, grab a copy of my Amsterdam Restaurant Guide or Amsterdam Wine Lover’s Guide. And if you’re looking for other Asian eats – from Sichuan to sushi – take a look at my guide to the best Asian restaurants in Amsterdam.
What are the best Japanese restaurants in Amsterdam?
For casual Izakaya-style dining: Kyo
Close to the Nieuwmarkt, you’ll find Kyo: an Izakaya-style Japanese restaurant with an extensive selection of fresh sashimi, traditional gyoza, grilled things on skewers (if you like eel, you’ll love the unagi), delicately fried vegetable tempura and chicken karaage with Japanese mayo, thick udon noodles with umami-rich chicken and veg, and lots, lots more (the menu goes on for pages). If all that doesn’t represent enough choice, get stuck into the sake list and you’ll be busy for days: I only tried two out of the dozens on offer (and I can no longer tell you which they were) but they came in a curious little shot glass, inside a wooden box, into which the sake overflowed for later drinking. I’d never seen that before and found it quite charming!
Izakaya-style dining at Kyo
For fine-dining Omakase: TSUNARIÉ
In the spot formerly occupied by ramen restaurant Fou Fow in de Pijp enters Japanese restaurant TSUNARIÉ. An intimate, 10-seat counter restaurant offering a kappo-style Omakase experience, the chefs prepare the dishes right in front of you and the kitchen feels like a screen on which you’re watching the action unfold up close. Unlike a purely sushi-focused chef’s table, this is a broader exploration of Japanese cuisine. There’s exquisite sushi, of course – from rich tuna belly to smoky hamachi to sweetly umami eel. But TSUNARIÉ is also exceptionally proud of the quality of its wagyu beef (A5 grade, if that means anything to you!) prepared every which way. Raw in tartare format; thinly sliced and just-poached in a shabu-shabu style broth; fried with matcha, taro and shiso in a tempura roll; and grilled over burning hay with egg sauce, black truffle and rice. It’s a veritable celebration of wagyu in all its opulent glory.
Opulent wagyu and sushi at TSUNARIÉ
There are other dishes too, of course, and well thought-out sake pairings. The menu changes monthly, and differs depending on which tier you choose (my experience is based on the €125 mid-tier menu). But either way, you can expect exquisite ingredients, simply yet imaginatively prepared, using a range of techniques and with a story to match.
For informal Omakase: Omakase Amsterdam
Before I visited Omakase Amsterdam on Ferdinand Bolstraat, I had it in my head that the word omakase was essentially synonymous with Japanese fine dining. But in fact, it just means you leave your menu choice to the chef. As such, it doesn’t have to be a rarefied, chef’s table experience that costs the earth; it’s perfectly possible to sit at a regular table for two and enjoy something altogether more casual.
Marinated tuna and quail’s egg gunkan – a masterpiece by Omakase Amsterdam!
This – plus a borderline insane obsession with tuna – is what seems to drive Omakase Amsterdam. Sashimi comes neatly sliced up on a long, skinny plate – contrasting the light, clean flavour of kingfish with the umami, soy-ginger marinade of sea bream. Next, a plethora of sushi (nigiri, gunkan, temaki and more) appear one by one on a small wooden board in front of you, including iron-fresh lean tuna and butter-rich fatty tuna and quite a lot in between. If you opt for it, there’s also a sake pairing that moves from sparkling to sweet to dry over the course of the 15 or so mini-dishes (don’t worry, you’re not expected to drink 15 glasses of sake). Plus some upgrades and add-ons if you’re feeling fancy and/or still hungry. The pace is, well, pacy: we arrived at 17:30 and were finished before 19:30. But there’s a second (and slightly more expensive) sitting at 20:00 that focuses more explicitly on tuna that perhaps invites more time for reflection. Either way, the quality is unmistakeable and the service approachable: Omakase Amsterdam manages to take its food seriously, without taking itself too seriously.
For date-night Japanese food: House of Noa
Buried in the vault beneath the Beurs van Berlage (the old, and rather grand, stock exchange building by Dam square), House of Noa exudes seductive boudoir. Plush red velvet banquettes, opulent cushions with gold tassels, romantic lighting – it’s more bedroom than dining room. But don’t let that fool you, because the food and service are definitely restaurant quality. If you have deep pockets, order the premium sashimi: melting wagyu beef and equally fatty otoro, silky salmon with pops of caviar, crispy wasabi-flavoured fish skin. Luxury on a plate. We also loved the sweetly glazed unagi (eel) temaki and the black cod with miso-caramel – the sweet-savouriness of which went well with the top-shelf sake we drank.
The opulent interior of House of Noa
The cocktails were also a picture: glimmering with gold and edible flowers, they looked as good as they tasted. Of course, all this comes with a price tag to match and (unfortunately) the risk of TikTok wannabes conducting a noisy photoshoot at the table next to you. The staff do their best to contain the disruption, but House of Noa’s interior does attract a certain type of clientele who are there more to be seen than to eat.
For top-notch sushi: Sushi Fanatics
No article about Japanese restaurants in Amsterdam would be complete without at least one recommendation for traditional, high-quality sushi, where every authentic piece is crafted by hand. That’s what you’ll find at Sushi Fanatics, where they are (as the name suggests) fanatical about sushi. If you eat upstairs, you’ll even get to sit at a traditional low-slung Japanese table on a cushioned bank on the floor – although people with knee problems would be advised to sit downstairs. You can order individual pieces of nigiri or rolls of 4-8 pieces from Sushi Fanatics’ menu (also available for takeaway and delivery). But to get a broader taste experience, go for one of three “combo” options made up of 13 pieces of sushi – one being more traditional, one more creative, and one vegetarian. Sushi Fanatics also has an extensive sake list featuring sakes in a range of different styles – ideal for the sake newbie wanting to try a few options.
Sushi Fanatics: fanatical about sushi
For Japanese street food: De Japanner
Although De Japanner calls itself a street-food concept, it’s not actually a food truck or a market stall out on the street. Although its first branch does occupy a venue along the Albert Cuypmarkt, so perhaps that kind of counts? The style of food, however, is definitely small bites that you can eat with your hands (or perhaps a pair of chopsticks). Think kimchi gyoza, herring sashimi, beef tataki and chicken katsu. For the price and the atmosphere, it’s a good-value, fun night out. Plus, it’s open till midnight. Now with four locations in Amsterdam.
For gyoza every which way: OTEMBA-gyoza
OTEMBA were first known in Amsterdam for their ramen, but in February 2024 they opened a second branch in de Pijp – this time specialising in gyoza. And who doesn’t love a dumpling? They serve them three different ways – naked with a slick of mayo, “soaked” in a dressing, and swimming in broth – and we tried all three. I absolutely loved the chicken gyoza in tonkotsu broth, not least because it’s like a mini bowl of ramen and gyoza in one. But the hoisin veggie gyoza soaked in cha siu dressing was a flavour bomb as well: sweet, savoury and silky. Try them all!
Chicken tonkotsu gyoza at OTEMBA
For onigiri in a metro station(!): Wagaya
Yes, really – one of the best quick Japanese bites in Amsterdam is tucked inside Wibautstraat metro station. Wagaya specialises in onigiri: hand-pressed triangles of sushi rice filled with everything from pork belly to shrimp mayo to unagi (eel), wrapped in crisp nori (seaweed) just before eating. They recommend two to three per person – so I bought four. Ideal for a quick, satisfying lunch while on the go. Since this article was first published, Wagaya has branched out – now occupying locations at Waterlooplein metro station and De Pijp as well.
Want to eat more than Japanese food in Amsterdam? Download my Amsterdam Restaurant Guide:
Transparency disclosure: I was invited to TSUNARIÉ, Omakase Amsterdam and House of Noa as a journalist and my meals were (partially) comped by the restaurants. I try to remain as objective as possible, but I always disclose when I’ve had a freebie.
This article is also featured on GPSmyCity. To download it for offline reading or create a self-guided walking tour to visit the featured restaurants, go to Walking Tours and Articles in Amsterdam.
