Oost

The only doner shop in Amsterdam that passed a national TV investigation for actually using real lamb. On the Dappermarkt, cheap as hell, and my coworker's lunch spot three times a week.

My rainy day default. When Amsterdam is being Amsterdam and it is cold and grey, this is where I go. The tonkotsu broth fixes everything.

Farm-to-table in a restored greenhouse, before farm-to-table was trendy. My neighbor took his girlfriend here for their anniversary and she cried. The good kind.

My neighbor's go-to bar in Oost. No tourists, just locals who have been coming every week for years. Cheap beers, good music, terrace on Oosterpark. This is where Amsterdam actually hangs out.

Twenty beers on tap, a big terrace near the Tropenmuseum, and the kind of beer selection that makes my friend Bram try something he has never heard of every single time.

The taproom of Brouwerij De Eeuwige Jeugd — they brew their own beer, have board games on the tables, and the vibe makes you stay longer than planned. Every time.

A modern brown cafe where locals end their nights. Tuesday pub quiz, heated terrace, and the kind of place where the bartender remembers your order. Bram's team has never won that quiz.