If you are a vegetarian or a vegan and teetotaler like my bestie and me, and you are struggling to find the perfect spots while traveling to Amsterdam and its surrounding cities, this is your article. I have spent the most perfect time with my best friend in one of the most beautiful countries I have ever visited: the Netherlands. Today I will recommend you not only my favourite places to enjoy the great dishes of Amsterdam, but those places for when you are on a budget. Hope it helps!

If you enjoy Turkish cuisine as much as we do, we recommend you Simit Sarayi with no doubt. This is a great place to have breakfast (or any time), especially the Turkish breakfast offer. My friend and I shared one and we fell in love. The Turkish traditional tea, the bread, the Turkish eggs, the salad… I still dream about it. We visited the one placed in Zaandam, in the corner of Zaandam’s train station, but any of its locations is okay, they all have the same dishes. Nevertheless, we really liked the attention the Zaandam team dedicated to all its clients and us, which was impeccable.

If you enjoy menemens, Turkish rolls and well, any kind of simits, wraps and sandwiches with actual Turkish ingredients, this is your place, they have diverse offers and menus you will love. And they have many vegetarian and vegan options, which is quite refreshing. In Spain we are not that lucky. It is quite rare to find some place like that. Plus, the dishes are quite generous, so you will not be hungry at all afterwards. They can also offer a great variety of cakes and desserts, apart from teas and coffee, so you will have many different options to try.

Maoz Vegan is the perfect option if you are on a budget. If you love arab food as much as we do too this is you perfect restaurant. They have not only great falafels and salads, but you can personalise them for free. They even sell the famous Dutch fries at way more affordable prices than the rest of restaurants, so if you do not have as much patiente to wait in the line of many of the others overprices and way more well-known places, this is our tip: go to Maoz Vegan. They are way cheaper and they are normally not empty, but you can have lunch on you own and still enjoy some silence and peace.

If you enjoy falafel, fries wraps or salads as much as me (or you are broke like me) you will love this place. They make you choose, for example for the pita if you want the maoz falafel or veggies, and then you can choose your sauces, couscous, cucumber, salad, etc (and repeat from them as many times as you want).

Flower Burger is our absolutely favourite. They have coloured burgers! I know, it is fabulous. Plus, they have great tasty and healthy options. They make everything from scratch and it is a great place to have a quiet conversation with a friend. The place is tiny but it is beautifully decorated and the ones attending the customers are really kind and funny. I loved it there! Plus, they make discounts for students! You only need your university card.

We loved the pink burgers (mushroom patties) with potato wedges and magik sauce which is the chef’s personal secret recipe and it was the best think I tried in years. I swear I am not exaggerating. I am used to create my own vegan recipes because it is impossible to be vegan and to buy your own food already prepped in Spain and even though my mom and I are great chefs, these patties were indescribable.

Finally, if you do not enjoy drinking or you do not drink alcohol, I recommend you Dino’s Kitchen and Bar, settled in Rotterdam, if you want some mocktails. They are actually pretty cheap (for being located in the Netherlands, I mean) and it is great for a night with friends. Hope you visit this amazing country someday and enjoy these places. I had so much fun with my bestie there and I think you would love these recipes as much as we did.