Amsterdam-Oost

Created as a “concept store-with-more” at the Oostpoort shopping center by Wiske Beemsterboer and Jildou Fleur, there's a makeup bar, retro furniture, organic and fair-trade fashion, and hip vegan accessories. For more sustainable "products with a solid story,'' head to Het Faire Oosten (Waldenlaan 208) just across the way.

Owner Calidris Poorter sells hip, colorful brands such as Atracktion, Duns Sweden, Iglo + Indi, and Maxomorra. Sustainably manufactured using transparent processes, everything is available in a wide range of sizes, from preemies to tweens.

By day, this sleek Swedish-owned establishment serves cinnamon or cardamom buns and seriously good specialty coffee from La Cabra in Copenhagen. By night, take your pick of the premium (mostly natural, mostly French) wines displayed in a ceiling-high wine chamber before indulging in a six-course set menu by chef Túbo Logier (formerly from innovative eateries such as London's The Clove Club and P Franco and Belgium's Chambre Separeé). The new chef's Asia-inflected style and love of ferments nicely contrast 48/50's Scandi-schtick. A selection from the evening menu is also available to order à la carte at lunchtime.

Craving coffee with tiny travelers in tow? Head to this colorful café on trendy Javastraat, where there's a play area for the little ones, plus a children's concept store and in-house hairdresser. A small menu offers sandwiches, cakes, juices, and healthy kids' snacks. Blitskikker is also a great place to stock up on original gifts for the (grand)kids back home.

Situated in a 1926-built former municipal greenhouse is a lovely, modern, and light-filled restaurant (you're surrounded by glass) serving Mediterranean-influenced food. Wim de Beer and Jos Timmer took over the menu in 2018, changing the focus to include more freshly grown vegetables, often from the restaurant's own greenhouses and garden, though the restaurant is not strictly vegetarian because both meat and fish are served. The daily changing prix-fixe dinner menu, with dishes chosen by the chef (vegetarians can be accommodated), always consists of five or six dishes (lunch is three or four).The wine selection is delightful, and they do a wonderful job with pairings.

Inside the InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam Hotel—the lodging of choice for royalty, dignitaries, and movie stars—La Rive remains a stalwart of modern French and Mediterranean cooking. The setting is chic and refined, with views directly onto the river and formal service that is solicitous but not stuffy. There are several prix-fixe choices with optional wine pairings, though you can also order à la carte. Ingredients focus on the best of the best, from caviar to langoustine to Wagyu flat iron steak, all expertly prepared and gorgeously presented.

A cozy candlelit atmosphere and French country cooking inspire many to cycle out here up the Ringdijk, which runs east of the Amstel. Every night, a new five-course menu is posted; Monday night's menu is always strictly vegetarian. Dishes rotate seasonally but may include fish soup, a chicory salad, veal with parsnips and baked potatoes, and chocolate fondant with vanilla ice-cream. In the summer, you can dine on the charming terrace.

With a bright, modern dining space lined with white-clothed tables and an open kitchen, this popular French-Flemish eatery is one of the liveliest in town. The food is simply prepared but delicious, and reasonably priced; the three-course menus change frequently and always include daily specials. When it's offered (nearly always), don't miss their signature poussin, a perfectly roasted chicken with rosemary, served with a side of seasonal vegetables. Although the menu is in Dutch, the personable staff are happy to translate.

Located on bustling Beukenplein, this self-proclaimed ''guilty pleasures bar'' serves from-scratch renditions of crowdpleasers such as succulent spit-roasted chicken, cheesy fries, double patty burgers, hot wings, and decadent rum and Oreo milkshakes. There's a second location in West (De Clercqstraat 81H).

With the northern Dutch province of Friesland's wealth of local ingredients from fertile pastures and seafood-rich seas, this hidden bar-restaurant was a thúskomme (''homecoming'') of sorts for its young Frisian chef-owners. Stop off for a beer or indulge in New Dutch Cuisine with Frisian flair. Located in the lesser-known Indische Buurt, Thúskomme attracts creative locals with its easy vibe, living room-like looks and regular musical interludes.

This local hot spot in the most gentrified part of East has a sunny corner terrace facing the Oosterpark and a weekend cocktail spot, Henry's Bar, in an adjoining space—all invoking the spirit of its namesake, the hard-drinking writer Charles Bukowski.

Perched under a windmill on the eastern outskirts of the city center is an evocative microbrewery where organic home brews can be enjoyed on the large terrace, weather permitting. Or head to the brewery's other tasting room in Vondelpark (Proeflokaal 't Blauwe Theehuis, Vondelpark 5).

A neighborhood classic since 1890, this inviting brown café with a huge terrace on the Amstel has an amazing selection of beer—including 20 on tap—and after its 2019 renovation now also offers a bistro menu.

Housed in a former newspaper building rechristened the Volkshotel, or People's Hotel, Canvas offers splendid views over the city from its seventh-floor perch. The restaurant and bar is satisfactory but really comes into its own with sunny weather when you can enjoy the rooftop terrace. Meanwhile, Canvas Nights (Friday–Saturday) is known for its relaxed vibe and progressive programming of live jazz, experimental house, hip-hop, indie, and so forth.

Since 1910, this popular market has been a consumer crossroads in Amsterdam-Oost. Running the length of the eponymous street, the market's 250 stalls sell everything from discount clothing and cosmetics to flowers and fabrics. The food offerings are just as diverse and include halal lamb kebabs, Indonesian loempia (egg rolls), and Dutch kibbeling (deep-fried battered cod).

This trusted gourmet food shop has more than 100 foreign cheeses and a large selection of local varieties, including various boerenkazen (artisanal raw milk farmhouse cheeses) and a few own-brand labels. There's also a well-chosen assortment of charcuterie, artisan bread, and more than 150 wines, with an emphasis on organic, biodynamic, and French bottles. It's a perfect stop for picnic essentials before heading to the stunningly redesigned Oosterpark nearby.

This prizewinning artisan bakery, which mills its own flour and uses no additives or preservatives, was founded by the Hartog family back in 1896, and despite its good name (or perhaps because of it) remains a small-scale operation to this day. To sample the whole-wheat specialist’s breads and Dutch treats, such as speculaas cookies and oliebollen (a must-try in the holiday season), join the queue.