I moved to Amsterdam in September 2021 and have been living here for about 6 months now. I love Amsterdam and everything it has to offer. If the area was not so polluted due to Schiphol and Tata Steel I would even consider living here all my life. Amsterdam is modern, that’s why it has the most sustainable hotspots in the country. Today I am writing a guide for you, about the most sustainable hotspots in Amsterdam.
Never Complete
I have been living in Amsterdam for 6 months now, but also before that I visited the city quite often. That’s because it’s a popular city in The Netherlands, if there’s something new, it’s in Amsterdam. So, the list I am sharing today is not only from the last 6 months, but more like the past 6 years. However, this list is never finished. New hotspots open all the time and some old ones close. I will update this list whenever I need to. This way, you can always visit this site and find the best sustainable hotspots in Amsterdam.
Food
I’ll start with my favorite category: food! All the restaurants, café, etc. are in alphabetical order. Most are 100% vegan, otherwise they have great vegan options.
Deer Mama
There is one special thing why I love Deer Mama so much and those are their vegan milkshakes! I keep coming back for them, because vegan milkshakes are quite rare. And oh my, they make a party out of the milkshakes at Deer Mama. It’s a spectacle. But then again, everything else is too. Deer Mama is a place for vegan junk food. They offer burgers, cake, milkshakes and much more. The restaurant is really funky too. Trust me, you’ll love this place.
Address: Ceintuurbaan 71, 1072 EW Amsterdam
Accessibility: The menu is not in Braille. I do think the restaurant can be entered by people who use a wheelchair, but they don’t have a proper toilet for people with a disability.
Delicious food organic
This is not really a place where I would recommend you to go if you’re on a one-day trip to Amsterdam. But if you live in Amsterdam this is very important place. Why? I do my groceries here. Delicous Foods Organic is an organic bulk-shop. They offer organic food, zero waste! It’s a small store but they have a lot of options. I stock up here once every 3 months to buy foods that last long, like grains, pasta’s, rice, dried fruits, etc. This is an essential store if you want organic and zero waste food.
Address: Westerstraat 24, 1015 MJ Amsterdam
Accessibility: Accessible for people who use wheelchairs. I don’t think their labels offer braille.
Mooshka
Mooshka, a vegan restaurant for soul food, as they call it themselves. Well, they are right. Mooshka offers a mixture of vegan Ethiopian food and classic vegan comfort food. The menu is not too big and that is lovely, no choice stress. I would recommend trying their Injera dish, it’s amazing. And if you have room for a starter, go with the Mooshka’s Tropical Combo platter. I was amazed by this platter. The look of this restaurant is amazing too. It’s small and very cozy.
Address: Van Woustraat 110H, 1073 LS Amsterdam
Accessibility: I don’t think this place is accessible for people who use a wheelchair. The menu is not in braille.
Mr. Stacks
I only discovered this place recently and I’ve already been there twice. It’s amazing! Mr. Stacks is a breakfast and lunch café for vegan pancakes. They offer sweet pancakes and savory pancakes (my personal fav). I have only tried the savory pancakes but I loooved them. They offer all kinds of tea too, since it’s kind of their specialty along with the pancakes. I don’t like the flavor of tea so I can’t say much about that. But definitely visit them for the pancakes!
Address: Govert Flinckstraat 122, 1072 EM Amsterdam
Accessibility: The menu is not in Braille. I do think the restaurant can be entered by people who use wheelchairs, but they don’t have a proper toilet for people with a disability.
Mr. and Mrs. Watson
It’s been a while since I’ve been here, since it was one of the first places I visited when doing a day trip to Amsterdam. I loved it that one time. I had a sandwich with jackfruit and I remember I tried to make it myself too when I got back home. That did not go well since the food at Mr. and Mrs. Watson is extremely good. I want to go back soon too, since they offer a vegan cheese platter and I’m so curious. Mr. and Mrs. Watson is 100% plant-based and the menu is amazing, I struggled to choose just one thing.
Address: Linnaeuskade 3h, 1098 BC Amsterdam
Accessibility: The menu is not in Braille. I do think the restaurant can be entered by people who use a wheelchair, but they don’t have a proper toilet for people with a disability.
SLA
Another place I discovered just recently and I wish I had been there before. SLA is an organic salad bar which I adore. Healthy, fresh, delicious and organic food, it’s all I want. I have had the Soba So Good bowl recently and I can recommend it to anyone. Also, I think SLA is not too expensive for a place which offers organic food. My bowl costs me 12 euros and it was a massive lunch, I didn’t need dinner anymore that day. The stores are located in multiple places in Amsterdam, so there’s often a store close-by, very convenient.
Address: there are multiple locations in Amsterdam, I think 7 in total.
Accessibility: this differs per location I think, but the menu does not have braille.
Falafel by sir hummus
I have to say, I was not excited about this place when I heard about it. My boyfriend convinced me to go. I mean, I am not too enthusiastic about falafel, since I though it is not too special. It’s always hummus or falafel for vegans when you get food offered by non-vegans. I was wrong! The falafel at this place is very special and it can’t be compared with anything. They also offer fried cauliflower, the best I have ever tasted. When I visit this place I always order those two things, the falafel balls and the fried cauliflower. Please, if you need a snack, go to this place.
Address: Ruysdaelkade 181, 1072 AT Amsterdam
Accessibility: The menu is not in Braille. I do think the restaurant can be entered by people who use a wheelchair, but they don’t have a proper toilet for people with a disability.
Vegan Junk Food Bar
I think this is the first vegan food restaurants ever that I visited in Amsterdam. I just had to go there, this place is famous. And well, it lived up to its expectations. The Vegan Junk Food bar is a place for well, amazing vegan junk food. It did not let me down and I don’t even know how often I have visited this place already. It will always be a favorite. I would recommend the Sumo Platter and the classic Kapsalon. This place is always a hit for non-vegans too, when I take anyone there, they love it. And so do I.
Address: The Vegan Junk Food Bar has multiple locations in Amsterdam, 4 in total.
Accessibility: I’ve not been to all locations yet, it differs. The menu is not in braille.
vegan sushi bar
Yes people, my dream came true. Sushi is my favorite food and I have been a vegan for over 4 years now. The Vegan Sushi Bar is the best thing ever for a person like me. I’ve been there only once and that’s a shame really. I think I’ll love everything on the menu. I’ve tried two rolls now and both were absolutely amazing. I gave the biggest tip ever, because please, take my money. Keep existing and making vegan sushi. I really hope that one day every city on the planet will have a restaurant like this.
Address: The Vegan Sushi Bar now has two locations in Amsterdam, one at Kinkerstraat 83, 1053 DH Amsterdam and one at Wittenburgergracht 143, 1018 MX Amsterdam.
Accessibility: The menu is not in braille. I don’t think the location at Kinkerstraat is accessible to people who use a wheelchair, the other location I don’t know much about.
Willie Croft
This is not a place where you can eat, but you can buy amazing vegan food here. Willie Croft is a tiny store in Amsterdam where you can buy vegan cheese. And not just normal vegan cheese, but special vegan cheese. From blue cheese to cheese fondue, it’s here. I would especially recommend this place for their platter cheeses which are really special. It’s expensive yes, but it’s worth it. I wish more stores would offer their cheeses too. I personally have been there only once since I try not to eat so much vegan cheese as it’s not really whole-foods and not the healthiest vegan food. But for special occasions this is the place to be.
Address: Spiegelgracht 30, 1017 JS Amsterdam
Accessibility: Not available to people who use wheelchairs.
Clothing
Then the next category: sustainable clothing. Most of the places in this list are for secondhand clothing since I believe that’s most sustainable. This list is in alphabetical order.
Episode
I think this secondhand shop is most famous, since it also has stores in other European cities, like Paris. This store has a very specific style, but if you like that this is your heaven. I would call it a bit of a vintage, 90’s style. I have bought some great things at Episode, but recently I don’t shop there often anymore. They offer a lot of clothing with brands showing and I try to avoid that. This also makes them quite expensive. But still, Episode is a great place for secondhand clothing.
Address: Episode has multiple stores in Amsterdam, 4 in total.
Accessibility: Some stores are available to people who use a wheelchair, others are not. Berenstraat 1, 1016 GG Amsterdam is not, that I know.
LENA
I love LENA! LENA is a fashion library, so you can lend clothes at this place. Therefore I would say that LENA is only interesting when you live in Amsterdam or nearby. You can get a membership, which costs you 10 euros only once. After that, you only pay for the amount of days you lend clothing. I have done this a few times now, where I lended a dress for a special occasion at LENA. I can highly recommend this for clothing you don’t wear so often. Buying a dress you will wear once is ridiculous. Instead, you can lend it here. When you’re done with the item, you simply return it.
Address: Westerstraat 174H, 1015 MP Amsterdam
Accessibility: Accessible to people who use a wheelchair.
Marbles Vintage
Marbles Vintage is a shop for well, vintage clothing. I have bought beautiful pieces there. I don’t really know how I would define their style. It’s quite random if you’d ask me and I like that. But that also means that you have to be lucky to find something good. I guess this is always the case for secondhand clothing so just visit and see what’s out there.
Address: Haarlemmerdijk 64, 1013 JE Amsterdam & Staalstraat 30, 1011 JM Amsterdam.
Accessibility: A big part of the store at Haarlemmerdijk is not available for people who use a wheelchair. Staalstraat I don’t know.
Zipper
This is a place where I can always score. I have bought sweaters, hats, pants and even earrings here. A good quality of this store, besides that they sell secondhand clothing, is that they also sell dead stock. Dead stock is leftover clothing and accessories from other stores that would otherwise be burnt or thrown away. Therefore you can find a lot of ‘new’ items in this store. I usually buy my earrings here, since secondhand earrings are hard to find. Having a store that sells dead stock is therefore amazing.
Address: Haarlemmerstraat 8, 1013 ER Amsterdam & Huidenstraat 7, 1016 ER Amsterdam.
Accessibility: I don’t know about the Haarlemmerstraat, but the Huidenstraat is not accessible for people who use a wheelchair.
Other Stores
Some stores don’t fit into one category because they offer multiple things. That’s why I listed them here in alphabetical order.
Faire Oosten
Het Faire Oosten is a store that offers just about everything. I see it as a sort of a HEMA, but then everything is ethical and sustainable. I have been there twice now, but I have never bought anything here. That’s because I rarely buy anything new. However, it is still nice to go to this store and see all the ethical and good stuff they offer. I think it’s just fun to see what’s out there. I love this place.
Address: Waldenlaan 208, 1093 NH Amsterdam
Accessibility: I think this place is accessible for people who use a wheelchair.
Sight-Seeing
Whenever I visit a city, there are two things most important. One is good vegan food. The next is nice sight-seeing. I try to avoid going to a city to only go shopping, since I try to move away from a materialistic lifestyle. Amsterdam itself is really pretty because of all the canals. If you want to see the city I would recommend doing a biking tour, eco-friendly and fun! Below are the not-so-obvious sight-seeing options for Amsterdam.
Amsterdamse Bos
This is my happy place. One of the few places where there is much green still in the city. It’s great for walking, biking and running. You can even go swimming here when the weather is good enough. Het Amsterdamse Bos is always pretty, in whatever season. So, whenever you visit Amsterdam, visit this forest. There are also some café’s near the entrance so that’s great for after your walk. Nature is where we thrive best.
Pluktuin West
This place is far off the center of Amsterdam, but I think it’s worthwhile the visit. It’s a picking garden! During about half of the year, you can harvest your own fruits here. It’s a massive garden where you just harvest what you want and afterwards pay for it. There’s a café in the middle and the fruits are organic. There’s also a store in the middle where you can buy all kinds of organic foods. What I loved most about this place is the cute animals that live freely in this garden.
What do you think are the most sustainable hotspots in Amsterdam?
Yours sincerely,
Romee