Quick Bites

Raw herring is a Dutch specialty, and there are dozens of haringhuis fish stands in town. The best of all is Zeebanket van Altena, Stadhouderskade at Jan Luijkenstraat (tel. 020/676-9139; tram: 7 or 10), a class-act operation across from the Rijksmuseum. Connoisseurs stock up on Pieter van Altena's raw or pickled herring (peppered with Piet's acerbic observations), and lunch on salmon or crab salad, or a dozen other fishy delights, on warm whole-grain buns. You'll use proper stainless-steel flatware and drink chilled white wine from a stemmed glass. It is basically a stand, but a few lucky diners can even sit down to dine at a couple of tiny tables (though local style is to eat standing). It's open Tuesday to Sunday from 11am to 7pm.

To eat a genuine Dutch broodje (sandwich) in a real broodjeswinkel (sandwich shop), go to the ever-crowded Eetsalon Van Dobben, Korte Reguliersdwarsstraat 5-9 (tel. 020/624-4200; www.vandobben.nl; tram: 4, 9, or 14), off Rembrandtplein, where you might try a smoked-eel sandwich. It's open Monday to Saturday from 9:30am to 1am (Sat to 2am), and Sunday from 11:30am to 8pm.

Popular with Amsterdammers on the go, another good choice is Broodje van Kootje, Spui 28 (tel. 020/626-9620; tram: 1, 2, or 5). A specialty is the creamy kroket broodje. Broodjes and snacks cost under 6€ ($9.60). It's open Monday to Thursday from 10am to 1:30am, and Friday to Saturday from 10am to 2am.

Should Amsterdam's shortage of good pastrami on rye get to you, head out to Amsterdam South, to the great kosher sandwich shop Sal Meijer, Scheldestraat 45 (tel. 020/673-1313; www.sal-meijer.com; tram: 12 or 25), off Churchill-laan. The sandwiches go for under 2.75€ ($4.40); the plate of the day begins at 13€ ($20). Sal's is open Sunday to Thursday from 10am to 7:30pm, and Friday from 10am to 2pm.

If you thought Amsterdam was a bagel-free zone, think again. Some of the best bagels come from Gary's Deli, Kinkerstraat 140 (tel. 020/412-3025; www.garysdeli.nl; tram: 7 or 17). Choose from plain, sesame, whole-wheat, poppy-seed, pumpernickel, cinnamon raisin, onion, and garlic bagels, which range from 2.75€ to 4.50€ ($4.40-$7.20). The 20 different kinds of toppings include pesto, cream cheese, goat cheese, guacamole, tomato, smoked salmon, and honey and walnuts. Gary's -- which uses organic ingredients whenever possible, brews a range of herbal teas, and offers takeout service -- is open Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 7pm, Saturday from 9am to 7pm, and Sunday from 10am to 7pm.

Homesick Brits and admirers of traditional British fish and chips should head straight for Al's Plaice (get it?), Korte Nieuwendijk 10 (tel. 020/427-4192; www.fishnchips.nl; tram: 1, 2, 5, 13, 14, or 17), where business gets done with the requisite amounts of salt and vinegar. The pickled onions are big and juicy, and the paper wrappers all you could hope for. There's takeout service and seats inside. Al's is open daily from noon to 10pm.

As in most European cities, you find the best meal bargains are the offerings of the most recent immigrants. In Amsterdam's case, the Middle Eastern snack bars and Surinamese fast-food restaurants have the cheapest meals. The former specialize in shwarma and falafel, and can be found in high concentrations around Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein; the latter are known for their chicken roti, mildly curried pieces of chicken served with a pancake-like bread, and can be found in the vicinity of Albert Cuypstraat, the site of a popular daily market. About 3€ to 7€ ($4.80-$11) gets you a filling meal in either type of place.

Another quick-bite alternative, particularly for seriously cash-strapped budget travelers, are the branches of Febo Automatiek that you'll find all around town. They open directly on the sidewalk and look like giant street-side vending machines. Drop a few euro coins in the appropriate slots and -- voilà! -- you have a lunch of Indonesian nasi goreng or bami goreng, hamburger, fries, and a milkshake. Be prepared to order a few things.