Amsterdam Cafe
Categories: Coffee & Tea, Greek and Mediterranean, Sandwiches [Edit]
Neighborhood: South Boston483 E Broadway
(between Dorchester St & F St)
South Boston, MA 02127 (617) 464-6488
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Wi-Fi: Free
- Good for: Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol: None
27 Reviews for Amsterdam Cafe
I only get one thing -either at the Amsterdam in South Boston or the one in the South End: The Windmill. Go there, and order it, but not much else because the sandwich is you-ge.
The frozen yogurt also makes me happy.
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Okay, I'm going to REALLY over-simplify things here... Amsterdam Cafe is pretty much the only good grub that I know of that I can get delivered to Andrew Sq. There's plenty of pizza and borderline Asian cuisine around which doesn't offer much competition.
Everything I have ordered from Amsterdam Cafe has been fresh, in general portions and damn tasty; nice ingredient selections and attention to detail, as far as sandwiches go.
They deliver very quickly from the time you order.
I will thus only deduct a half a star for the lack of something appetizer-y on the menu, as I'm a sucker for such... and half a star for the actual ordering process. It proves difficult sometimes.
I'll be honest, when I saw their unnaturally yellow chicken rice soup I was a wee bit scared. But then my boyfriend said it was Lemon Chicken Rice soup and I felt a lot better. The soup has a ton of rice in it which is great since I am not big on broth (hello boring!) and the chicken pieces are tasty. I liked that the lemon is subtle. More like a nuance of lemon. Delicious.
Yes, I realize that this review is based solely on a $3.50 cup of soup but it was good.
Plus one star for being the only food I could keep in my stomach yesterday.
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If you are tired of the same old sub shops with the same menu Amsterdam is definitely a breath of fresh air. Excellent selection with ingredients that you can't find elsewhere. Breads are very good and the option of making whatever combo you can think of with fresh ingredients is great. I love their portobello mushroom with roasted peppers and goat cheese on focaccia. The only problem is that the peppers don't seem truly roasted, just kinda cooked and the paninis can tend to be a bit greasy. All in all a great lunch choice.
Amsterdam Cafe does some of the best sandwiches in Southie! I love their chicken salad on foccacia. (It's huge and I can usually only handle one half at a time). And they are very reasonably priced. The sandwiches even have cute little Dutch names like the "Windmill" or the "Red Light Special." They also do yummy smoothies. You can basically get any combination of the many flavors on the board. I usually stick to something basic like strawberry-banana.
One point off because of this recent conversation I had in AmCafe:
Me: "So are the owners Dutch?"
Girl who works there: Blank stare. "I don't know. Why?"
Me: "Because this place is called Amsterdam Cafe."
I don't think she got it. Anyway...the owners are not Dutch btw.
Also...they have free Wi-fi and delivery from here is super fast.
I work nearby and decided to give this a try Friday afternoon. Not my favorite in the area.
I went for lunch, and got the turkey panini (w/ brie cheese and caramelized onions) on rosemary foccacia bread. They get the bread from Iggy's, so that's nice, but the sandwich itself wasn't all that great. First off, it was really drippy/greasy. They use sliced deli turkey meat (I was thinking I would get hunks of turkey, my fault for hoping, I suppose). The onions were definitely cooked, but not carmelized. I guess I was just overall disappointed; did not taste as good as it sounded.
I got an americano, which tasted OK but was not hot for some reason.
I ended by getting a frozen yogurt to go. This part was definitely good. I got regular vanilla yogurt w/ peanut butter + vanilla wafers. Has this later at the office and was glad I did; I will go back to Amsterdam for this (and only this) in the future.
I absolutely adore this place! It is very vegetarian friendly, which if you know Southie is like not smelling pee at the 711 corner downtown. Not only are they vegetarian friendly but they have VEGAN FROZEN YOGURT (they also have regular don't panic)!!!! Yea when I first heard that I thought...eh its hit or miss...but when I tried it I was drooling down the front of my shirt. The fruit or toppings are literally blended into it when you order it via this crazy 3 foot tall contraption. The staff is really down to earth, the atmosphere is totally chill with couches, WIFI, and big windows. Their food is very fresh with quality ingredients. My friend who always complains about every place we eat loved this place and is obsessed with the tuna melt. I LOVE LOVE LOVEEEEEEEEEEE the goat cheese sundried tomato salad, which is also awesome for summer heat. Long story long this place is choice for wraps, sandwiches, yogurt, coffee, tea, soup, blah blah blah.
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I've never actually eaten in the cafe itself but have ordered delivery many, many times. It's always good and my clients always like what they get. The variety is great and they can cover you, whether you're a carnivore or a vegan. The serving sizes are large and the delivery is always timely. I really like this place. Hmmm, I'l think I'll call for a Pulled BBQ Pork Panini right now.
I work right down the street from this place so I am a frequent customer. Make sure not to order a sandwich on a french roll or it will be tiny. If you get it on any of the other breads, the sandwiches are HUGE.
Some recommendations:
The Windmill (Chicken Salad Club)
The Red Light District (Pastrami and other meat with coleslaw)
Meatball Panini
Some things to avoid:
Anything made with grilled chicken
Eggplant wrap
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Not the best place for food, but the frozen yogurts are AMAZING.
When I first moved to South Boston I went in on a hot night around 9:20, I guess they were closing at 9:30 because the girl that was making the yogurts was pissed that I was coming in so late. She was complaining a lot, but she turned out to be my favorite worker at the Cafe!
She makes the best combos- Tofu with oreos, heath, and PB... yum
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I'm willing to bet I ordered wrong given all the rave reviews. But, I had the most God-awful Greek salad with grilled chicken from here last night. It had no business being called a Greek salad actually.
- Old pale iceberg lettuce in big inedible chunks
- Chopped up black olives. Not Greek olives. I mean the kind of chopped up black olives they put on pizza
- flavorless feta
- Nasty Ranch dressing (instead of the Greek I ordered)
- Microwaved chicken breast. I knew it was microwaved because it had that tell-tale sign when some pieces are hard and overcooked while others are rubbery and chewy. Oh, and it was beige. Not a grill-mark on it.
- No pepperoncini (sp?)
- The few grape tomatoes, shredded carrots and cucumber slices were the only good thing about it.
Damn, I'm still mad thinking about it.
The man gave his beef kabob dinner a C which I guess, if he wrote a yelp review, would have meant 3 stars.
The fact that they deliver is their only saving grace, I guess. But I would have been happier with a can of soup from my kitchen cabinet.
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I always see people come in for the frozen yogurt. They have a huge selection of flavors (peanut butter is the best, IMO), and a large serving size. Just don't expect the line to move too fast since there's usually only one guy working and he doesn't mind taking his time. Otherwise, really nice and cute place.
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This place is for real. Great food here. Two things to order:
Turkey-Mozzarella-Roasted Red Pepper Wrap
Peanut M&M Frozen Yoghurt
Great place to break up with your four-year girlfriend at.
Whoever said this place was good for breakfast . . . I'll have the drugs he's having.
I had the turkey & avocado with lettuce, tomato and mayo last night for dinner and it was great.
I like that you can add on to your wrap or sandwich as you go along at just about no cost (as long as you're adding condiments not additional meat). Their fro yo is also yummy and pretty inexpensive as well.
As with places like this I would stick to the lunch time fare and skip the brownies & spaghetti dishes; they just aren't their forte.
My "castle friends" and I often congregate here because it brings back good memories. "Castle kids" are people I spent a semester abroad with, living in a castle in The Netherlands.
The Amsterdam Cafe is small, run by friendly people, and has some pretty good food. The soft serve (CREEMEES) is to die for! The menu has mostly sandwiches, given witty names appropriate to the restaurant's name: "The Red Light District" is just one of them.
I had a vegetarian wrap. I can't remember what it was called, but it was HUGE!! I had to take half of it home to eat later. And I can eat a lotta veggies.
It's usually not very crowded, so it's good to go and sit down, drink a cup of coffee, and stare out the window at people walking by. Or chat with a buddy.
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God, I almost don't want to review this place because all I had was the spaghetti with meatballs, and it seems more like a salad/sandwich/fro yo kinda place.
The pasta with meatballs was just ok. The sauce was a bit sweet. The garlic bread that came with it was very garlicky, which I liked... but it wasn't super toasty. I want to give 5 stars for service, the gentleman on the phone was VERY courteous and attentive. 3 stars though for this particular food sensation. I'll have to try a sandwich some time and then add the necessary info to this review.
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I just got back from lunch there. This place has great "roll-ups" which are these sandwich type of things in these huge pitas. I had the spicy buffalo chicken roll-up and it was fantastic. They also have very good yogurt that you can mix will all sorts of toppings.
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Apartment hunting in Southie today, so I stopped in to Amsterdam Cafe for a little lunch and free wifi. The sandwich - a turkey, cranberry sauce and stuffing sandwich on foccacia - was huuuge and tasty. They also have Arizona Green Tea in the cooler, so that was a major bonus. I didn't have room for the yogurt, but I will be back to try it when I finally make the move. The service was also really friendly.
... Only missing a star because the music was a little too loud, and I think it was on Kiss 108... in my opinion, not the best fit for a cafe.
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I do like Amsterdam Cafe. I'll stop by occasionally to get some of their frozen yogurt (worth going for just that alone) and one of their wrap-ups.
It amuses me that they insist that I'm pronouncing 'Gryo' wrong. (they say Jeer-ro) But the food is good and keeps my tum happy.
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Amsterdam Cafe has a mean foccacia sandwich, tops in the neighborhood. I usually just get the turkey and it's excellent. The ingredients are all super fresh and service is great, at least it is for take out. I've gotten a few other things too (the Van Gogh, the red light, and the falafel - which are all decent), but I now stick w/ the simple and great foccacia bread sandwich made to order... you can't go wrong.
This place is responsible for making my baby boy weigh almost 20 pounds in utero instead of a normal 7 pounds six ounces. Thank you, Amsterdam for making me a healthy, healthy baby boy.
I spent almost every night out of the nine months of my boy's gestation here fetching my wife's lactose craving. His mother (my wife) would literally spin her head if she didn't have Amsterdam's "frozen yogurt with double snickers" to ease her back into humanity instead of the crazed, homicidal hormone that she could have been and occasionally exhibits even today (when we are too far away from Amsterdam). Aside from self-preservation and self-defense, I would still order my frozen yogurt here - it's better than soft-serve or scooped, or, for that matter, any other form of frozen dairy. Really. I mean, you can literally order anything with your "yogurt" - hot dog, cat, dog, Butterfinger, granola, fruit, Snickers, marshmellow, ANY CANDY, etc. It's limitless. They don't care - as long as it fits into their "yogurt" press. Don't worry, they clean it after each press. And, they only use the freshest, bestest ingredients, of which, again, there are a ton to choose. It's special watching your food made right before you. Trust me. Go there. Enjoy life. Eat frozen "yogurt." Have a double snickers. Really enjoy life.
They just added really comfy couches and free WIFI - it's slowly turning into a really nice cafe to chill in, albeit a bit too bright. Go there. Eat yogurt (they also have great wraps, coffee, etc. - I'm sure they'd add them to the "yogurt" if asked). Surf the web. Life will be good. And, my 500 pound 14-month still loves it here - it's good for him to run around, and the staff loves kids.
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Open just late enough to cure your craving.
So often these small family owned places are not that great--but THIS ONE IS GREAT. Amsterdam Cafe has a huge selection of tasty sandwiches and a smaller but well edited select of deserts. Their soup menu is limited and for the most part lousy. Their corn chowder is the only one I tend to order repeatedly.
If you can't find something on their regular menu they have a list of specialty sandwiches, my suggestion is the Van Gogh on focaccia with an extra side of dressing. This massive hunk of sandwich can be purchased as a half sandwich (good for beginners) and consists of smoked turkey, smoked ham, thousand island dressing, cole slaw, and cheese. From their regular menu I am a fan of the chicken salad sandwich on muligrain-I am often only able to stomach half of this three decker bite and wrap the rest up for another meal.
They have this big machine that makes the most delicious frozen yogurt and frozen soy. Pick your flavor from a huge bord and this big corkscrew grinds the candy into the yogurt. Don't bother with some of the candy bars or the chocolate chips they always come out lacking flavor and the pieces just get in the way of enjoyment.
My top flavors are
M&M Malt
Peanut Butter and Marshmallow
Cracklin' Oat Bran-believe it or not!
And in the Soy yogurt the Peppermint is such a treat!
The people that work there are nice. We often hope the guys will be working (but not just because they are cute) because they can multitask. There is one girl who works there who manages to create a backup of upwards of 7 people-I often see folks just walk out. Not only is this one girl super incompetent she is also rude. The other woman there is a little better (and getting better) at taking orders and making the food. I do wish this particular women could find a shirt that fit her and didn't expose so much skin, it weirds me out that she is handling food with 12 inches of her body hanging out.
My picky attitude and odd observances shouldn't take away from this place. They do deliver and the food is well conceived and executed (Especially for the price).
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I love this place. I usually end up getting the same few things every time and it doesn't matter, it's always so good. The Chicken Teriyaki wrap is my favorite, filled with teriyaki marinated chicken, roasted peppers, and rice. It's warm and fabulous and huge, and I eat the whole thing even if I try desperately to save half.
Next up, the frozen yogurt. It's great. They swirl it right up with fresh ingredients and even have a tofu version for those who shun dairy like yours truly. Definitely one of my favorite lunch places in Southie.
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Family owned, free wireless and a killer soy latte....this makes me very very happy:)
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Amsterdam Cafe is amazing. Their sandwiches are unbelievable. All of them. They use fresh ingredients and have good ideas. Their foccacia is very good and their other breads aren't terrible (as long as multigrain tastes like multigrain and has some texture, in my book its ok). The frozen yogurt is equally amazing. Try cinnimin, its very, very good. Also, though the help can be frustrating they are always trying to help you. Ive been caught a few times without my wallet and they always offer to have me pay later. Also, anyone who criticizes this place either for quality, cleanliness, or help is out of their mind. For under $10 you will geat a wonderfuly large, well- made sandwich, a delicious frozen yogurt, with money left over to tip with (which they deserve). You simply cannot find that in boston for these prices. One more thing- and I know people get frustrated with this- it IS pronounced jerr-O not gyro like the gravitational balancer.
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Amsterdam Cafe is OK. Cafe Arpeggio is much better.
The California Roll-Up is the best sandwich I have ever had in my life. Seriously. Try it.
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