Bistro Bij Ons

Bistro Bij Ons is the small Dutch comfort-food restaurant on Prinsengracht — a five-minute walk from the Anne Frank House — that has been serving stamppot, hachee, suddervlees and pannenkoeken to locals and accidental tourists for decades. The owner, Carla, runs the room. The kitchen sticks to traditional Dutch dishes done correctly. The atmosphere is unfussy, warm, occasionally loud with smartlappen (Dutch sing-along music) from the speakers, and entirely sincere — there's nothing performatively 'authentic' about it because the place is just authentic.

What to order

Stamppot is the headline — mashed potatoes mixed with kale (boerenkool), sauerkraut (zuurkool), or endive (andijvie), served with a smoked sausage (rookworst) and a meatball or rib pork. Order the stamppot with sauerkraut and the rookworst on top; it's the dish the kitchen has done thousands of times and does best. Other safe bets: the hachee (Dutch beef stew with red cabbage), the bitterballen plate as a starter, the Dutch apple pie for dessert. Mains are around €17-22; bitterballen €8.

Thursday nights run an all-you-can-eat satay special. Vegetarians have one or two options on the regular menu; vegans are limited.

Why visit

Most Amsterdam restaurants near the canals serve international or upscale food at international or upscale prices. Bistro Bij Ons is the rare canal-side spot that does what your Dutch grandmother would have made, at prices that haven't matched the neighbourhood's inflation. For visitors who want to actually eat Dutch food (not just look at canal views during a Dutch-themed dinner) this is the most direct route.

Practical

Reservations recommended for weekend dinner — the restaurant is small (45 seats) and locals fill it. Walk-ins easier on weekday lunches. Closed Mondays. Cash and major cards accepted. The Westerkerk and Anne Frank House are 3 minutes' walk; the 9 Streets shopping area is 5 minutes south.