I love breakfast. It is one of my favourite meals of the day. My other favourite meals of the day are morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, pre-dinner and dinner (and can dessert count as a seperate meal? In my case it often is). Lovely cafes and restaurants for the other meals of the day are not so difficult to find in Amsterdam. A decent breakfast however, is near impossible.
My English galpal Hayley and I share the same love of breakfast, and having been to Australia Hayley knows that we Aussies are spoilt with fabulous breakfast bars and know how to make a first meal of the day like no other (we concur that the North Americans also do a darn good job at it too). So we are on a mission to find the best (or simply above average) breakfast places around Amsterdam. After a year of heavy research, many breakfast dates and analysis, we’ve found one!
It’s called Letting and is in the Jordaan (on the Prinsenstraat 3 – just off the Keizergracht). It’s lovely – good friendly service (they didn’t hesitate or look at me strange when I asked for milk and honey for my tea!), good food, and a great interior (so very important for the likes of us fussy interior lovers n’est-ce pas?). Although the breakfast menu is not vast, it is very decent. We had the American pancakes with bacon, smothered in delicious maple syrup.
I do have a rule that I have to go an eatery at least 3 times before I announce that it gets the ‘enhance the everyday’ tick of approval but I’ve stretched the rules a bit for this one because after a year of living in Amsterdam, this is all I’ve got for stand-out breakfast suggestions and I’ve only been once.
So when you are in Amsterdam, check out this place for breakfast and then go for a little wander around the area, it is postcard-perfect, every time of year. Enjoy!
xx
PS if you have Amsterdam breakfast place suggestions please leave a comment with the details and Hayley and I will be happy to try it out. But note: to count as breakfast you have to serve it from no later than 8am, and preferably all day, if not at least until mid afternoon, and it has to include more than a piece of bread with cheese on it.
Have you been to ‘Pancakes! Amsterdam’ yet Pia?
http://www.pancakesamsterdam.nl/
Berenstraat 38
They sell the most intriguing pancakes – topping combinations you’d never imagine. But they also have simpler ones too, and they can cook the topping inside the pancake if you’d like – eg a pancake swirled with banana. Yum.
It’s a cute, tiny little place with red and white checkered tablecloths and the kitchen is integrated into eating area so you can see them being cooked.
It was so busy when I went and the atmosphere was great. As was the coffee, and the service was smiles all round.
I recommend!!
-Sarah
November 6th, 2008 | #
Thanks Sarah! I’ve been meaning to go there and try it out, i will now that you have reminded me and that you personally recommend it!
mmmmm,pancakes.
November 6th, 2008 | #
Oops and I forgot to mention – after brekkie you HAVE to walk a little down the same street (to Berestraat 16) to a bookstore called “BOEKIE WOEKIE” – its a collection of books made by artists….it’s pricey but very cool.
I bought a tiny little book called “Other Exercise” by Kurt Johannessen and each page has a quirky instruction for you – a random act. Sometimes silly, sometimes poetic.
I also got a great pack of illustrated postcards which I love so much I’ve kept them instead of sending them 😉
November 6th, 2008 | #
i don’t know amsterdam i have been just twice, but i loved it, and i love now your pictures where you show it so well
November 6th, 2008 | #
De Bakkerswinkel on Warmoestraat is great, I think they have other locations too. Their coffee is very average however, despite having all the right equipment. Have an OJ then mooch down to the Dam for a Coffee Company hit (is that the right name? just near the big church on the Dam, anyway.) Also Broodje Bert on Singel is very very good.
Love your blog Pia, Amsterdam is my favourite place in the world, and your pictures really capture the spirit of the place beautifully.
November 7th, 2008 | #
Thank you for your wonderful blog! We are headed to Amsterdam soon and can’t wait to try Letting! Aslo recommended is Gartine for breakfast (they open @ 8am!)
August 6th, 2009 | #
Thanks for the tip – walked a little out of my way over to Letting to experience the American Pancakes and wasn’t disappointed. Cheers!
October 10th, 2009 | #
Pancakes were too big, as was the orange juice, bacon was cooked into the pancakes, there was too much syrup, and the coffee was too good. And I made a complete pig of myself and can’t wait to go back!
Thanks for the tip! been here for 5 months looking for that! -b
December 5th, 2009 | #
Oh such a perfect day, I`m glad it started with pancakes with bacon and maple syrup!
Thank you!
April 11th, 2010 | #
Funny enough both Letting on the Prinsenstraat and Pancakes! on the Berendstraat are owned by the same two lovely ladies!
btw Letting also has the best cheesecake in the city. However it has just been sold (won’t change ownes until Jan. 2011 though) and I have been told they will bring there cheescake to Pancakes then.
August 5th, 2010 | #
My wife and I went to Letting based on the recommendation of this site and thought it was fab. Living in London (I’m actually American and she is English) we opted for the ‘English Breakfast’ of eggs, bacon and toast. It wasn’t as good as you would get in England, but it was very close.
We will definitely go there again and will be referring people there as well.
Thanks for the post!
db
September 19th, 2010 | #
Hi Sarah!
I loved reading your blog. I am an aussie myself and have lived in Amsterdam for a year now. One thing that I terribly miss is a nice big breakfast!!!!!!! I am very eager to try your recommendation! I have also noticed in the comments that most of the other recommendations are mainly just pancakes + bread places. In my opinion a good brekkie place has museli bircher/ toasted etc.. etc… + Toast with avocado / tomato/ poached eggs / ricotta cheese etc.. etc… I am also now on the hunt for the best brekkie in Amsterdam!!!!!
October 28th, 2010 | #
A great breakfast. Although sadly the American pancakes are no longer available. I’ll definitely be back.
Another firm favourite is Latei, on Zeedijk – with the quirky bonus that everything’s for sale – including the light fittings, chairs and tables.
March 13th, 2011 | #
I went to Letting yesterday based on your recommendation. Simply the best meal I’ve had in Amsterdam yet. My two friends and wife all loved it as well. Any other places I *have* to try in Amsterdam?
April 1st, 2011 | #
hi pia!
i live in wonderful Amsterdam as well.
i discovered letting back in 2009, and i’m hooked!
fab location, cute interior, helpful and friendly staff!
greets!
john
May 16th, 2011 | #
Hello Pia!
We just went today and had an amazing lunch at Letting. Absolutely amazing! Thanks for the recommendation. We were too late for the breakfast, but managed the following;
WARNING: if you are hungry stop reading now…..
omlette with parmesan cheese and tomato, omlette with green onions and tomato (without the ham that normally comes with this omlette), slice of whole wheat bread with avocado tomatoes, and old Amsterdam cheese, topped it all off with some freshly made, piping-hot scones with homemade raspberry preserves, and cream. My god! It was all amazing!!! Coffee is fantastic. As you can see, we wanted to try everything. We initially ordered one omlette and the amsterdam cheese avocado slice…. But wanted to try more.
Thank you for the recommendation, we will definitely be coming back again.
July 3rd, 2011 | #
Thank you for the recommendation! I loved this place and will try to go back every weekend! I had the eggs, bacon, brown bread, amazing raspberry preserves, butter…Yumm! I loved my black coffee.
October 16th, 2011 | #
You should try garys dally! They serve blueberry pancakes on sunday.
January 8th, 2012 | #
I’m heading to Amsterdam for 4 nights on Friday. Saturday is my birthday and I’ll be starting it at Lettings. Thanks for the recommendation
🙂
July 18th, 2012 | #
Thanks for the recommendation! I am a Melbourne girl who has been living in Amsterdam for only a few weeks and already I’m craving smashed avocado with goats fetta, home made bakes beans with dukkah (Heinz doesn’t cut it!) and poached eggs with toast, grilled tomato and spinach. Not all at once, of course.
I wish I had a beautiful brunch spot to recommend for you 🙂
November 1st, 2012 | #
Wonderful site. Plenty of useful information here. I’m sending it to some friends ans also sharing in delicious. And obviously, thanks to your effort!
April 25th, 2013 | #
Thanks for the recommendation! I am a Melbourne girl who has been living in Amsterdam for only a few weeks.
August 8th, 2013 | #