Is there anything better than stumbling upon a tasty snack while on holidays? Actual meals are great and all, but sometimes you want something quick and easy to keep you going. There are countless snacking options throughout the city, but here are five of my favourite snacks in Amsterdam.

Stroopwafels

I completely fell in love with stroopwafels on my first visit to Amsterdam in 2017. If you haven’t had one, it’s basically two sweet waffle biscuits with a syrup filling in the middle. You can find packs of them at some grocery stores in Australia, but a freshly cooked stroopwafel is really something else.

On my latest trip, I tried to locate the best stroopwafel in the city. That seems to be from Rudi’s Original Stroopwafels, at least according to Google, which shows this stroopwafel stall in Albert Cuyp market has an average rating of 4.9 stars with close to 1,300 reviews.

At Rudi’s Original Stroopwafels, your choice is simple. Do you want an original stroopwafel for €2.50 ($4) or one half covered in chocolate for €3.50 ($5.65)? You’ll have time in line to consider your options. Being a bit of a traditionalist, I went with the original.

You’ll likely be warned to hold your stroopwafel flat and to wait a bit before eating it. The syrup does stay pretty hot for a while and can get everywhere, so be careful. It’s undoubtedly worth it though. Just check the opening times in advance, as I only just got there before the stall closed at 5pm.

FEBO

I vaguely remember watching a video about FEBO at some point but had forgotten about it until I walked past one. FEBO is basically a fast food vending machine, of which you can apparently find 22 in Amsterdam and close to 60 across the Netherlands.

You can grab a kroket (croquette), burger or another snack from FEBO. I got a kroket for €3 ($4) and was pretty happy with it. The food won’t blow you away, but both the novelty and convenience make it worthwhile. Note that things are constantly being cooked fresh and put into the machines.

You also have the option to order other things like fries from a separate counter at FEBO. But I’d recommend going to a dedicated place for that…

Fries

I always get confused about which European country claims to have the best fries. They may sometimes be known as French fries, but it seems like Belgium is often seen as one of the best places. I will say that the Netherlands, and Amsterdam in particular, are definitely in the running too.

As with stroopwafels, I wanted to get the best fries Amsterdam has to offer during my most recent trip. There are a surprising number of highly rated places on Google. Fabel Friet seems to come out on top with a 4.6 star rating and nearly 3,900 reviews.

The store opens at 11am but there were already people lining up when I got there slightly before. There are a couple workers positioned outside who initially gave off bouncer vibes but are friendly and helpful, like all the staff seem to be at Fabel Friet.

I decided to go with one of the recommendations for fries served with mayonaise, curry ketchup and topped with onion for €5.55 ($9.00). The chips themselves were hot and tasty with skin on, which I like. Both the mayo and curry ketchup were good, but I’d be keen to try the other sauces.

Cookies

I hadn’t intended on getting a cookie until I happened to walk past Van Stapele Koekmakerij one day. The smell of fresh cookies, and happy customers enjoying their purchases outside, tempted me in. A 4.8 star rating on Google with 9,500 reviews basically forced me to go inside.

The store itself is beautiful and the cookies are as well. There seems to consistently be a line but there’s a window to watch them get made as you wait. I bought one for €3 ($4.90) but you can get six for €15 ($24.30) and there is also a fancy tin in case you want to give them away (I wouldn’t).

The cookie itself is dark chocolate with chocolate chips and a gooey white chocolate filling. My only problem was that I ate it too quickly and wanted more. Next time I guess I’ll order six.

Tony’s Chocolonely

This last one might seem like a bit of a stretch since you can find Tony’s Chocolonely in a lot of places, but a visit to the Tony’s Chocolonely Superstore in Amsterdam is a must in my eyes.

Along with a bunch of flavours you’ve likely never seen, visitors have the option of creating their own customised bar. You get to choose between milk, dark or white chocolate, or even a mix of two. Then you select up to three ingredients to add in. Options include popping candy and coffee crunch.

For my bar, which cost €8.99 ($14.55), I went with sticky cookie, pretzel and… Pink anise seeds. I may regret that. You’ll see an estimated time of when to return while you’re building your bar, which for me was 2.5 hours. I got the pick up notification a bit quicker than that after around 2 hours.

You also get to choose the colours on the packaging and can add your name on the sides too. I was a bit overwhelmed with all the options and potential combinations. As shown the pic above, the bar itself is standard size but in two separate parts if for some reason you wanted to share.

Snacks in Amsterdam

Amsterdam is definitely a great city for snacks and the five I’ve listed here only just scratch the surface. You really won’t have any trouble finding top tier snacks in Amsterdam.