Fall in love with Café Amoi’s decor while you dine
 

Café Amoi
Relatively new to the scene is Café Amoi , the ‘little sister’ (or amoi) of the infamous and now sadly defunct Indonesian restaurant Sarang Mas. This is a refreshing take on the city’s Indonesian heritage. A warm glow immediately envelops you here; there are lush green walls and rattan chairs setting the tone, while bright design accents provide a modern touch.
 

Come for the food, stay for the impeccable surroundings
 

Start by ordering an Indonesian-inspired cocktail, like ‘Bobby’s Gin and Tonic’ with orange and clove, before digging into a whole host of shareable dishes. Co-founder Willemijn Koppelman suggests the satay kambing (spicy lamb skewers), the udang blado (grilled shrimp with fresh tomatoes and chillies) and the daging rendang (slow-cooked beef in a spicy coconut sauce).

Sie-Joe
Another well-known spot among Indonesians in Amsterdam is this small all-day eatery hidden behind the Nieuwe Kerk. Run by the same Chinese-Indonesian family for over 20 years, the tiny and unassuming Sie-Joe serves a smaller selection of traditional dishes like nasi goreng (fried rice) and satay (skewers) that are sure to please. They don’t take reservations and only have 15 spots, so getting a table might be tricky - but believe us, it’s definitely worth it!

Tempo Doeloe
Food critic Anthony Bourdain stopped by this restaurant on his 24-hour layover in Amsterdam, so you know it must be good. For decades, Tempo Doeloe has been a popular, slightly more elegant (and pricier) place to indulge in rijsttafel. They serve three different kinds but their most famous is the rijsttafel istimewa. This amazing, spicy menu consists of a range of popular dishes like gadon dari sapi, a beef dish seasoned with coconut and coriander; ajam bali, which is chicken in a sweet soy sauce with red peppers and tomato. The gado gado is great too - a vegetable-based Indonesian staple that comes in a killer spicy peanut sauce.

Eat to your heart’s desire with The Mangkok lunch special at Kantjil & De Tijger

Kantjil & De Tijger
Located in the heart of Amsterdam for more than 25 years, Kantjil & De Tijger is an Indo-Dutch classic. The restaurant serves four variations of rijsttafels, each with at least 12 different dishes and flavours that range from sweet to intensely spicy. The Mangkok lunch special gets you a full meal of rice or noodles, vegetables and a meat of your choice for just EUR 10.95.

Afternoon tea, Indo-Dutch style

Another good deal is Asian High Tea and Asian High Wine, which is a selection of sweet and savoury snacks with either a pot of tea or a pitcher of house wine. They also have a takeout corner next door if you’re more up for sampling something on the go.
 

Sari Citra
“They cook like my mother does,” says Alfan Asyari, Kantjil & De Tijger’s manager, of the unpretentious takeaway spot Sari Citra, in the neighbourhood of De Pijp. ‘Sari Citra’ means ‘authenticity’ in Indonesian and there’s really no better way to describe this small, no-nonsense restaurant that’s been serving locals since 1996. Sari Citra is around a half-hour stroll from our Amsterdam hostel, or can be reached by bicycle in around 10 minutes.
 

Enjoy the best yellow rice in the city at Sari Citra
 

Their most famous dish is probably the Nasi Koening Ibunda, which is a plate topped with Indonesian delicacies including yellow rice and fried tofu tempeh. Another amazing dish is beef rendang and Lontong Tjampoer, which is compressed rice cakes with numerous Indonesian meat and vegetable specialties. Sit by the window to watch the bicycles, trams and tourists pass by on Ferdinand Bolstraat.