Best Chinese restaurants in Amsterdam

Jinweide Beef Noodles

This popular Chinese chain brought its famed noodles to Amsterdam in December 2024, marking its first location in the Netherlands. Rooted in the Hui Muslim community of Lanzhou in China’s northwestern Gansu province, these hand-pulled wheat noodles have been perfected there for over a century. True to tradition, the halal noodles feature the "five essential elements" — a clear, rich beef broth, white radish, green coriander and garlic shoots, vibrant red chilli oil, and golden-yellow noodles. Diners can customise their bowls by selecting a stock, noodle style and protein, with the option to add a tea egg. Generously portioned bowls include a complementary side salad like shredded potato, cabbage, wood ear and carrot. We particularly liked the beef mince noodles with sweet bean sauce, soybean paste, shredded carrots, cucumber, greens, mushrooms, spring onions and thin, round noodles with bounce in every bite. For more noodles, head to Xian Delicious Foods Express for steaming bowls of spicy hand-pulled hot-oil noodles, Chinese burgers, vermicelli soup and dumplings (Lange Leidsedwarsstraat 21H).

Jinweide Beef Noodles | Hobbemakade 63, Zuid

Café Wu

This minimalist modern bistro, expertly run by Chi Ling Wu, Danny Lee and Timo de Beurs, combines Chinese flavours, European techniques and fine wines from France, Italy and Germany. Recent highlights from the à la carte menu included bone marrow with calf tongue and chilli oil, youtiao (deep-fried bread) with leafy choy sum greens, wild mushrooms and hoisin cream, and crispy aubergine with soya caramel. Or opt for the 5-course chef’s menu (€55 pp). The vinyl comes out after 10 pm, with soft Hip Hop and Bossa Nova trickling through handmade 360-degree speakers designed by the Amsterdam-based speaker guru Yuji Tsutsumida. Tip: Danny Lee’s parents own the nearby Cantonese classic Fook Sing (Molukkenstraat 55). Bedecked with red lanterns and with a warm, welcoming vibe, it’s a great place to mix with neighbourhood locals.

Café Wu | Dapperstraat 1, Oost

Nam Kee

Head to Europe’s oldest Chinatown for a dragon’s hoard of classic Cantonese cooking. This award-winning spot stands out as one of the best in this bustling buurt. Nam Kee’s tried-and-true oysters in black bean sauce have achieved such a cult-like status that there’s even a bestselling Dutch book and film bearing their name, De Oesters van Nam Kee. Its namesake sister around the corner is not as well-known and certainly less crowded. If it’s still too busy, try the other Mandarin maestros nearby: Hoi Tin (Zeedijk 122), with its delicious dumplings and famous in-house bakery, or New King (Zeedijk 115-117) for affordable and dependably good Chinese noodles, roast duck, and more. Looking for a late-night Chinese food fix? Taste of Culture (Korte Leidsedwarsstraat 139) is where the city’s chefs unwind after hours over crispy Peking duck with paper-thin pancakes.

Nam Kee | Zeedijk 111-113/Geldersekade 117, (Chinatown) Centrum

China Supreme

Chef-owner Mike Ng started with a Chinese street food stall at the ill-fated Magna Plaza food court but has since taken his concept to Zuidas (Claude Debussylaan 33) and Buitenveldert – with success. Today, the menu features freshly made noodles from different regions of China, Beijing-style jianbing (savoury pancakes), superb shrimp toast and delectable potstickers with delicate dumpling lace. The biangbiang, thick, flat and long hand-pulled noodles with tender braised pork and bok choy, are a must-order. And the dan dan noodles with minced pork and Sichuan pepper - almost an Asian take on Spag Bol - are pure comfort food. Don’t sleep on the sides: the shredded potato salad is particularly good here.

China Supreme | Buitenveldertselaan 114, Zuid

Noord-Oost Chinees Eethuis

Hearty and vastly underrated, North Eastern Chinese cuisine is characterised by its use of pickling, steaming and stir-frying techniques, with bold, sweet-and-sour flavours often featuring ingredients like cabbage, pork, offal and wheat-based staples. You’ll find a good selection of it at this humble eatery near the Albert Cuyp market, with highlights including sticky stir-fried eggplant, crisp-chewy sweet-and-sour pork and palm-sized pan-fried dumplings filled with juicy meat and veg. Noord-Oost Chinees Eethuis stands out in a city dominated by Cantonese and Sichuan spots, offering a taste of Dongbei cuisine with its distinctive dishes rarely found elsewhere.

Noord-Oost Chinees Eethuis | Albert Cuypstraat 65, De Pijp

Jiang Nan

Amsterdam’s only Hangzhou-inspired Chinese restaurant was named for the picturesque region south of the Yangtze River. Hangzhou cuisine, a key style of Zhejiang cooking, is known for its fresh ingredients and subtle, mild and slightly sweet flavours, often highlighting the natural taste of the food. Order the best-selling sweet and sour pork ribs, signature beggar's chicken (pre-order only), delicious steamed pork with tangy preserved vegetables or the century egg with silken tofu – if you dare. Helmed by Chen Huirong, a celebrated Chinese chef and culinary judge, and his son Chen Jun, this 40-seater family-run gem offers decades of expertise in Hangzhou specialities.

Jiang Nan | Amstelveenseweg 172, Zuid

Amber Garden

Situated in a serene spot opposite Amstelveen’s Stadstuinen park and conveniently near a tram stop, this class act redefines Chinese fine dining with a seamless fusion of East and West. The menu, which includes a four-course option for €70 pp, showcases specialities from all corners of China, celebrating diverse regional flavours with modern flair. Their signature Amber Beijing Roast Duck is the star. Unlike the Cantonese version most are familiar with, this duck is prepared using a traditional method for a richer, fuller flavour: 40-day-old duck is air-dried for 36 hours, lightly glazed with malt sugar and rice vinegar, then roasted to perfection for 90 minutes for the ultimate in crispy golden skin and buttery, tender meat. It’s served with all the traditional accompaniments, as well as pickled vegetables, sugar and sweet bean paste. A newly opened wine bar upstairs enhances the experience, while elegant private dining rooms provide an intimate space for family or business gatherings. 

Amber Garden | Van Heuven Goedhartlaan 15, Amstelveen

Oops Malatang

Malatang is a Chinese street food concept where raw ingredients are selected and weighed by the diner, then mixed with a spicy, numbing Sichuan-style broth.

At the recently opened eatery along the Albert Cuyp market, you can choose from three bases: the original rib bone broth, spicy Sichuan (mild or spicy) soup, a tomato base with pork and a (plant-based) mushroom soup, then choose from ingredients like prawns, vegan lucky bags, pork meatballs, silky tofu, enoki mushrooms and various dried or fresh noodles, to customise your bowl (from around €12). It’s great for solo diners, too. Vegans should also check out MOGU Malatang, a plant-based “Make Your Own Ramen” spot in West (Admiraal De Ruyterweg 334a).

Oops Malatang | Albert Cuypstraat 92H, De Pijp

Sichuan Territory

Expanding the reach of Sichuan Amsterdam’s fiery empire, this new outpost at Garage Noord’s greenhouse delivers bold buzzing Sichuan flavours and vibrant vibes. Bathed in chilli red neon and ninja-themed cool, the BBQ whole eggplant (garlic galore!), tofu skin salad, sizzling popcorn chicken and kung pao prawns with crispy scorched rice bring the heat, while the Sichuan Pineapple Sour, a mezcal cocktail with a spicy twist, fuels the fire. With terrace seating, it’s also perfect for balmy summer nights. Or, for a high-end feast, head to FuLu Mandarijn at the heart of Centrum (Rokin 26), which has built a stellar reputation for authentic Sichuan fare for over 40 years.

Sichuan Territory | Gedempt Hamerkanaal 40, Noord

Yuan’s Hot Pot

First established in Chengdu, China in 1996, there are now over 900 branches of this hot pot specialist across China, Canada and the Netherlands. The first European outpost opened in the Rijnstraat in 2019. There’s a dazzling array of Eastern Chinese options, from chewy flat sweet potato vermicelli, enoki mushrooms, tofu and spicy beef to chicken feet. Slip your bamboo-skewered selection into the simmering soup base, which can be ordered extra spicy (beware, this is Sichuan hot!), vegetarian, or half-half, with a sesame oil-based dip on the side, and enjoy. 

Yuan’s Hot Pot | Rijnstraat 51, Zuid / Beethovenstraat 633, Zuid / Ferdinand Bolstraat 18, De Pijp