This Christmas we challenge you to be more creative with Christmas gifts you bring home from Amsterdam! It’s time to find a worthy alternative to typical Dutch cheese, stroopwafels, tulip bulbs and Delft blue pottery that you usually would get as a souvenir from Amsterdam. This city has so much more to offer when it comes to original presents and fresh ideas. So let us share our favorite unusual Christmas gifts with you.

Scratch maps or solar queens from By Popular Demand

How about a scratch map as an original Christmas present from Amsterdam? A world map poster becomes personalized when your friends take a coin and scratch the surface to reveal the countries they have visited. Look for more of such unique gifts at By Popular Demand, where weird lamps, quirky socks, tote bag with a map of Amsterdam on it and funny pillows only start the list.

Raadhuisstraat 2

Moustache wax or special knives from Concrete Matter

You can find truly manly Christmas gifts at a bit posh Concrete Matter store that has prepared a huge collection of presents for him. Whether it will be whiskey disks to chill a drink without diluting, moustache wax for a great look, a radiometer to have a fancy object or a high quality pocket knife to use while camping, any gentleman would appreciate items from this shop. Just focus on what your man likes and you won’t leave Concrete Matter without a nice buy.

Haarlemmerdijk, 127

Street Art Calendar from ASA

Amsterdam Street Art is proud to present a limited edition calendar 2017. Explore the pieces by 14 greatest street artists of Amsterdam and give this wall calendar as a gift to your friends. The most talented guys did their best to create this unique art item that can add up a nice vibe to any place. Teleport Hotel embraces street art (maybe you have noticed one of the colorful rooms with the street art pieces already) and loves ASA!

Prinsengracht, 64

Wall vases or paper animals from Store Without a Home

If you want to add some creativity to your friend’s cozy place with your gift, then Store Without a Home is the best destination. Choose among extraordinary interior goods like wall vases, 3D puzzles that you can use as wall decorations, storytiles, porcelain monkey masks and lots of other design accessories. This shop hosts interesting shapes, conceptual designs and inspirational items that you will want to get even as a Christmas gift for yourself

Haarlemmerdijk, 26

Gluhwine chocolate from TONY’s Chocolonely

Since there is no Christmas without chocolate, why not bring an exceptional bar made in Amsterdam? We can’t emphasize how good 100% slavery-free TONY’s Chocolonely chocolate with a story to tell, but Christmas special edition suppresses all expectations. This year’s flavor is milk chocolate with gluhwine! Yes, you’ve heard it right-gluhwine as a flavor, and believe us-it’s delicious!

Polonceaukade, 20

Coloring book of Amsterdam at Athenaeum Boekhandel

In the times when coloring is not only suitable for kids, but is much appreciate by adults, get a stress relieving gift from the Netherlands-a coloring book of Amsterdam. Your friend will be making the city alive with colors, while you will be sharing you crazy stories from our vacation. Lots of details, recognizable spots and the most famous streets of the city are ready to be colored.

Rijksmuseum, Museumstraat, 1

A colorful mug from Blond Amsterdam

We don’t suggest you a boring mug as a present (that would be way too cliché), but instead we recommend you a bright collection by Amsterdam’s local brand. Blond Amsterdam will help you choose a very personal mug that shows the interests, profession or character of the future owner. Their blond girl is easily recognizable and will make an amazing gift for any ladies.

Gerard Doustraat, 69

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Have you ever walked around the city not knowing which restaurants are worth checking out for lunch or dinner? Nothing is more frustrating than browsing around with an empty stomach, finding it hard to make a decision. It’s always difficult to find the right place to eat in a new city unless you do your research properly in advance. But let us take all your worries away in magic Amsterdam and recommend you top 8 restaurants that will make you and your stomach happy!

Upon the arrival

We can imagine that some of you can be hungry upon the arrival to Teleport, so we don’t want you to wait long for your delicious meal and advise you to start with the best nearby restaurants.

Grand Café Hermes

This cozy café within a 5-minute walk from the hotel has an excellent tripadvisor rating, and one visit will be enough for you to understand why. Try their chicken sate or juicy homemade double burger- a specialty of the house that doesn’t leave anybody indifferent. Hermes is open only during the weekdays, but the good news is that Teleport reception team will be happy to give you a voucher for a free small appetizer there.

Bret

What looks like a red container is actually a hip spot with good food, cool DJs and ambient atmosphere. They call it an oasis in a concrete jungle, which describes Bret quite accurately. Stop by for their own Nordman beer or local biological lemonade after a long way, reserve a table for a nice dinner or dance to the joyful tunes almost till sunrise here.

In the city

Amsterdam finest restaurants are located not only around Teleport, but also in the heart of the city, where the choice is plentiful. As tastes differ and Amsterdam offers cuisine from all over the world, we will make it a bit easier for you with the greatest food from different countries.

The best Indian food- Shiva

Dive into the harmonious and relaxing atmosphere of this restaurant with a great service, luscious Indian cuisine with a comprehensive menu and modern design. A 3-course dinner with drinks for 2 people will be around €60, and is so much worth the money. Shiva is known among locals for their butter chicken, tikka masala, tasty naans and mango lassi.

The best Thai food- Bird

Thai food lovers will feel at home at Bird, where authenticity and quality come together. We would recommend you to go to the tiny café/takeaway of theirs right across the street from the bigger restaurant, as the food tends to be better tasting, faster served and cheaper there. The longer real Thai dining experience is of course guaranteed at the restaurant itself.

The best Dutch food- Hap-Hmm

If instead of international dishes you prefer to try some local Dutch dishes, then Hap-Hmm is your best choice! Their cuisine tastes like the yummiest home-made food at the Dutch granny’s  who puts extra flavors, love and care into it. They don’t accept reservations and the house is always full, so try your luck during weekdays just by heading directly to the location and mingling with locals. Hap-Hmm is closed on weekends and open only till 20:30 during the week. It doesn’t matter what you will pick from the menu, as everything will be a huge success and a nice introduction into the Dutch culture.

The best Belgian food- Lieve

This Belgian restaurant on a beautiful canal offers you way more than a regular dining experience, but three different ambiances instead. You can choose between a very affordable and easy-going Mom’s Kitchen table, a fancy gourmet Belgian Baroque full of small mouthwatering dishes and a chic and glamorous Mrs. Bubbles option. Of course, all three atmospheres come at different prices.

The best Japanese food-Kaiko

If you’re a sushi fan, then go no further-Kaiko serves the best sushi in town! It can be quite expensive, but you can’t get closer to the true Japanese dining experience in Amsterdam than there. Family-run business, this restaurant has been around for years and become one of the locals’ favorites.

The best Italian food-Pazzi

A real Italian pizza from the oven is waiting for you at this small restaurant. They have 2 locations, but we recommend you to visit the scenic Jordaan and hop on for pizza there. Fresh ingredients, amazing dough and nice mozzarella are sure-fire!

In the hotel

In case it was a long day for you and you don’t feel for going out to try the best cuisine in Amsterdam, then you can always order food online at Thuisbezorgd or Justeat. Your favorite restaurant doesn’t deliver? Deliveroo will bring you food from any place in the city with no problem! And our team is always happy to help you with making the right decision or order the food for you. Delicious meals will be delivered to your room!

Every day we keep recommending you the best places in Amsterdam for having a coffee or drink, lunch or dinner, Dutch cheese or chocolates, good time and fun. We carefully select our favorite spots before sharing them with you. This time we went even further and explored Amsterdam and its finest with the whole team of Amsterdam Teleport Hotel. We hopped on the bikes and discovered the numerous food and beverage opportunities this marvelous city has to offer. Now we’re proud to share our impressions of the best day out in Amsterdam!

Westerpark and its heap of hip spots

It’s not a secret that the easiest way to get around the city is by bike, so don’t hesitate to rent one from us and follow our exciting bike route. We started with cycling through peaceful Westerpark with its more creative places like the Westergasfabriek with a great terrace and the Espressofabriek with freshly brewed coffee. In addition to drinks and snacks, there are lots of special events at the Westergasfabriek, like music and food festivals, local produce and flea markets, concerts, DJs and more.

Haarlemmerstraat and its choices

We couldn’t visit all the places that were worth it due to the time limit, but we will still mention them as they are deserve a special recommendation. In general, Haarlemmerstraat is full of cozy vibe coffee places, bars, coffeeshops and nice stores. Make sure to check out Two for Joy and Screaming Beans for a cup of good sustainable coffee, where baristas will tell you all about where their beans come from. Both of these places roast the beans themselves, which allows for extraordinary freshness of each cup you drink.

Stout!

Instead of stopping by for coffee, our team grabbed a drink at Stout! That’s a great café restaurant that serves delicious lunches and dinners with a beautiful food presentation. They also offer amazing plateaus with 10 different small dishes, ideal for trying by a larger group. Stout’s nice terrace is the best spot to hang out on a sunny day.

Cheese tasting

After the drinks Teleporters felt like having a bite, and what can be a better idea than having some cheese in such a case? Due to the central location of most of the places we recommend, it’s easier to visit them all in one day by bike or on foot. As we were cycling, we ran into our super talented artist Frankie, who created the hotel’s joyful chalkboard with all the must-dos! And when we finally reached one of the best cheese stores in town Reypenaer, the cheese food feast began. It’s not one of those typical touristy Dutch cheese stores, but it’s one and only that sells the finest cheeses with a long history of 110 years. They have mastered the craftsmanship here for you to be able to taste old traditional cheese like no others. Needless to say that it’s a heaven for your taste buds, and we enjoyed the variety and high quality of cheese there.

Sweet tooth’s paradise

After all the savory flavors it was time for something sweet, and we continued to our favorite chocolaterie and patisserie tearoom Pompadour. Each chocolate that you choose has an unforgettable deliciousness and mouth melting charm at this magical place. So we got a perfect selection of hand-made chocolates and were delighted with unique flavors.

The last good drink

Even though it was the best day out for our team, it had to finish at some point. So we celebrated this mini trip around Amsterdam with cheerful drinks at ‘t Loosje. It is a wonderful local bar that’s perfect for a beer with some international snacks, lunch or coffee on the terrace. A great place to mingle with true local Amsterdam people too.

If you wish to learn more about the finest places in town or follow our experience and visit them all in one day, don’t hesitate to ask any of our Teleport team members. We will be happy to help and make sure that you have the best time in Amsterdam!

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