Best Asian Restaurants in Amsterdam (2026): Chinatown & Beyond

Geplaatst op: 1 februari 2026

De beste Aziatische restaurants in Amsterdam start in one place — the Zeedijk, the heart of the city’s Chinatown and the oldest in mainland Europe — but they no longer end there. The scene now stretches far beyond Chinatown: Sichuan hotpot and hand-pulled noodles, Indonesian rijsttafel, Jordaan ramen bars, De Pijp pho and Michelin-starred Japanese. I live and eat around the Red Light District, so this guide starts with the Zeedijk spots I keep going back to, then widens out to the best of each cuisine across the city, with prices, what to order and which places are worth booking.

Laatst bijgewerkt: oktober 2026

Best Asian restaurants in Amsterdam at a glance

Short on time? Here are our 17 picks across every major Asian cuisine — sortable in your head by area, price and what each place is known for. The nine Chinatown spots sit within a five-minute walk of each other on the Zeedijk.

Amsterdam’s Chinatown: the best Asian food on the Zeedijk

De Zeedijk — the name means “sea dike” — curves through the old sailors’ quarter on the edge of De Wallen. Chinese sailors and traders began settling here in the 1910s and 1920s, and the street grew into Amsterdam’s Chinatown: a dense cluster of Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Malaysian and Japanese kitchens, Asian supermarkets like Toko Dun Yong, and the He Hua Buddhist temple, the largest traditional-style Buddhist temple in Europe. It is the single best square kilometre of Asian eating in the Netherlands.

A-Fusion — pan-Asian fusion (Michelin Bib Gourmand)

At the Centraal end of the Zeedijk, A-Fusion is the one Chinatown restaurant with a Michelin Bib Gourmand (Michelin’s mark for great food at a fair price). The kitchen roams across Japanese, Chinese, Thai and Korean — sushi, steamed oysters, dim sum and a well-priced tasting menu — in a smart, slightly luxurious room. It works equally for a date, a group or a business dinner; mains run roughly €12–€22.

“Sushi was more than amazing. One of the best in Amsterdam.” — Stefan, 5/5 (Google)

Ratings: Google 4.4 (470+ reviews) · Tripadvisor 4.0 (340+). Good for: a special meal in Chinatown.

Nam Kee & New King — classic Cantonese

Two Chinatown institutions almost next door to each other. Nam Kee (Zeedijk 111–113) has been serving Cantonese food since 1981 and is famous citywide for its oysters in black-bean sauce; it is cheap, busy and no-frills. New King (Zeedijk 115–117) is the dependable neighbour, good for Peking duck, roast meats and big sharing plates without spending much.

Hoi Tin — dim sum

For a proper dim sum lunch on the Zeedijk, Hoi Tin does the full trolley of dumplings, buns and roast meats. It is a reliable, family-friendly pick when you want to point and share rather than order mains.

Hot & Hot Hotpot — Sichuan hotpot

HOT&HOT (Zeedijk 57) is a build-your-own Chinese hotpot: choose a broth (the spicy Sichuan one is the point), then cook your own meats, seafood, vegetables and noodles at the table and mix your own dipping sauce. Great fun for a group and genuinely interactive. Google 4.4.

Wau — Malaysian & Singaporean (halal)

Something different from the Chinese–Thai–Japanese norm: Wau (Zeedijk 35) cooks Malaysian and Singaporean food and is certified halal. Expect nasi goreng, laksa, satay and rendang, friendly service and attention to allergies. Facebook 4.6, Google 4.3.

Vatten Ramen — Japanese ramen

A relaxed ramen bar at the quiet end of the Zeedijk (number 18) with a few coveted canal-view window seats. The chicken ramen and homemade gyoza are the order, and there are genuinely good vegan and gluten-free bowls — not an afterthought. Google 4.5 (860+ reviews).

Little Saigon & Bird — Vietnamese and Thai

Little Saigon (Zeedijk 88–90) is the Chinatown stop for a quick, cheap Vietnamese fix — banh mi, pho and fresh spring rolls. Bird (Zeedijk 72–74) is the long-running Thai favourite, founded in 1998, with authentic curries and tom yum; it gets busy, so go early or expect a short wait. Want Thai specifically? See our full guide to the best Thai restaurants in Amsterdam.

Best Asian restaurants in Amsterdam beyond Chinatown

Best Chinese: FuLu Mandarijn & Sea Palace

FuLu Mandarijn on the Rokin earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2026 for its Sichuan cooking, with Cantonese dishes and dim sum alongside — the most decorated Chinese kitchen in the centre. Sea Palace is Amsterdam’s floating Chinese restaurant, a three-storey pagoda on the water at the Oosterdokskade near Centraal; go for the dim sum and the only-in-Amsterdam setting.

Best Indonesian: the rijsttafel classics

Indonesian food is Amsterdam’s signature Asian meal, thanks to long Dutch–Indonesian history, and the way to eat it is a rijsttafel (“rice table”): a spread of many small dishes — satay, beef rendang, vegetables and sambals — around a bowl of rice. Tempo Doeloe (Utrechtsestraat) is the most-praised classic, Blauw is the modern option with a serious wine list, and Sama Sebo near the Rijksmuseum has been doing it since 1969. All three reward booking ahead.

Best Japanese: sushi, kaiseki & ramen

For a blow-out, Yamazato at Hotel Okura is Amsterdam’s Michelin-starred Japanese restaurant, serving refined kaiseki and sushi. For ramen, Fou Fow Ramen in the Jordaan is one of the city’s original bars (and Vatten on the Zeedijk holds its own). For everyday sushi, A-Fusion in Chinatown is the central, affordable choice.

Best Korean & Vietnamese

Korean is booming: The BAB (three locations) is the accessible all-rounder for bibimbap and Korean fried chicken, with dedicated Korean BBQ spots such as Seoul Sista around the centre. For Vietnamese beyond Chinatown, Pho 91 by the Albert Cuyp market in De Pijp does fresh, affordable beef pho that locals queue for.

Michelin-recognised Asian restaurants in Amsterdam

Amsterdam’s Asian scene is well represented in the MICHELIN Guide Netherlands. Worth knowing when you want a guaranteed level of quality:

• Yamazato (Hotel Okura, Zuid) — one Michelin star for traditional Japanese kaiseki.
• A-Fusion (Zeedijk, Chinatown) — Bib Gourmand, pan-Asian.
• FuLu Mandarijn (Rokin) — Bib Gourmand (new for 2026), Sichuan.
• Utage Sake Bar (Zuid) — Bib Gourmand (new for 2026), izakaya.

Good to know: the Okura’s teppanyaki restaurant Sazanka was once Europe’s only Michelin-starred teppanyaki, but it is no longer on Michelin’s starred list — so don’t go expecting a current star there.

Best Asian food in Amsterdam for…

• Cheap eats: Nam Kee, New King, Pho 91, Little Saigon.
• A special occasion: Yamazato (Michelin star) or A-Fusion (Bib Gourmand).
• Groups & sharing: Hot & Hot hotpot, a rijsttafel at Tempo Doeloe or Blauw.
• Vegan / vegetarian: Vatten Ramen, plus most Indonesian and Thai menus.
• Halal: Wau (certified).
• A one-off experience: Sea Palace, the floating Chinese restaurant.
• Dim sum: Hoi Tin or Sea Palace.

How we chose these restaurants

This is a locals’ shortlist, not an algorithm. We eat on and around the Zeedijk regularly and have visited the Chinatown picks ourselves (the A-Fusion photo above is our own). Beyond the centre, we cross-checked our choices against the MICHELIN Guide, the city’s own iamsterdam recommendations and thousands of recent Google and Tripadvisor reviews, and we only list places confirmed open in 2026. Prices and opening hours change — always check the restaurant’s own channels before you go.

Veelgestelde vragen

Over de auteur — Martijn

Martijn writes practical, locally-rooted guides to Amsterdam, with a focus on the Red Light District, the Zeedijk and the city centre. He eats his way around Chinatown often and keeps these lists current when places open, close or change.

Laatst bijgewerkt: oktober 2026. Gevestigd in: Amsterdam, Nederland

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