Amsterdam eats well and internationally. The city's colonial history means Indonesian food is everywhere — rijsttafel (rice table, a spread of a dozen small dishes served with rice) is worth trying at least once, and the city has some of the best Indonesian restaurants outside Indonesia itself. De Pijp, around the Albert Cuypmarkt, has the most authentic and affordable options: Surinamese roti shops, Moroccan bakeries, and small Turkish places sit alongside natural wine bars and slow-food restaurants that have moved into the neighbourhood in the last decade.
The Dutch eat early — kitchens across the city stop taking orders at 21:30 or 22:00, and by 23:00 most places are emptying. Book ahead for anywhere serious; Amsterdam has a strong restaurant culture and the better places fill up on weekdays as well as weekends. The Korte and Lange Leidsedwarsstraat near Leidseplein are the most concentrated restaurant streets for variety in a small area, but quality is variable. Utrechtsestraat, running south from Rembrandtplein, is a more reliable strip with a mix of independent restaurants.
For cheap and good: the markets — Albert Cuyp in De Pijp and Dappermarkt in Oost — have food stalls with raw herring, stroopwafels, fresh frites, and the city's most honest prices.