ruudmaaz.nl – The Online Grocery Store for Foodies

We have complained many times about the poor state of food stores in Amsterdam, dominated by dreaded Albert Heijn supermarkets. With the online options even more limited we often ended up zigzagging all across town to get the ingredients we wanted in many small specialty stores.

A few weeks ago we discovered online grocery store ruudmaaz.nl which quickly has changed all that!

ruudmaaz.nl is a small operation with a big dream. The name is a play on “duurzaam”, Dutch for sustainable, as Ruud Maaz is set on providing Amsterdammers with an easy way to order the tastiest foods from local producers and entirely without plastic packaging.

The basics seemed well covered. Delivery is next day during a two hour time window in the evening. The selection is great and we quickly managed to put the minimum of € 50,= worth of groceries into our shopping cart and place our first order.

The arrival of our food certainly was a happy moment. Being used to delivery by a grumpy and sweaty Albert Heijn kid, the tone was set when the delivery team rang the door bell with a big smile. It was obvious that they were completely sold on the sustainable idea and proud of the tasty groceries they had in their bag. Everything was delivered right into the kitchen which looked like we had just gotten back from the farmer’s market.

There was milk and yogurt in glass bottles from local dairy producer Weerribben Zuivel, fresh fish from Fishes who also have a store in Amsterdam, smoked salmon from our favorite Frank’s Smokehouse, individually packaged sausages and organic chicken from Amsterdam based butcher De Wit, a whole week’s supply of seasonal local fruit and much more. Basically it was like all of our favorite shops had huddled together and sent us a great package of their best foods!

We’ve quickly adopted placing orders regularly and hope that ruudmaaz.nl continues to expand while maintaining the small scale spirit!

Bringo – Finally Good Delivery Food in Amsterdam

It used to be that in Amsterdam you could have food delivered to your home or have good food – but not both. The only delivery options were greasy pizzas, bland Asian food or other snack bar style fast food.

That’s changed now, in a rather innovative way, thanks to Bringo, an “advanced delivery service”. Bringo is a logistics company, specializing in providing delivery for shops and restaurants.

Several of dutchgrub’s favorite restaurants have already contracted Bringo to do deliveries for them. For example you can now have great Mexican food from Tomatillo or the excellent BurgerBar burgers delivered right to your doorstep.

The orders are usually placed through the thuisbezorgd.nl or justeat.nl food order portals. Check the Bringo site for available restaurants and ordering details.

Burger Bar Amsterdam – Another Great Option for Burgers

I’ve written a few times about Burgermeester, the self-proclaimed master of burgers in Amsterdam. Their formula of high-quality burgers in a no frills setting has just been copied quite successfully by the Burger Bar. The Burger Bar has two shops in Amsterdam, one near the Dam and one just off Rembrandtplein.

Both Burgermeester and the Burger Bar focus on quality meat, fresh ingredients and burgers made fresh on the spot. Where Burgermeester excels at a menu of inventive burgers, the Burger Bar lets you pick and choose your own burger. You can pick from three types of bread, a number of extras such as cheese, onions or mushrooms, as well as twelve sauces. Trying to fully cater to everybody’s preferences, you can even choose the type of meat! There’s the standard Irish beef, the superb black Angus and a 100% Kobe Wagyu option.

It’s rare to see quality food and take-away in the touristy areas around the Dam and Rembrantplein and the Burger Bar is a great option when you’re around there looking for a quick lunch or snack. I thoroughly enjoyed my black Angus burger with cheese and mushrooms on an Italian roll! I’ll try the Wagyu burger next time.

burger bar amsterdam - menu

Burger Bar Amsterdam
www.burger-bar.nl

Reguliersbreestraat 9
1017 CL Amsterdam
Tel.: +31 (0)20-3305968
Open daily: 11:00 – 03:00, Friday, Saturday: 11:00 – 04:00
Public transport: Tram 4, 9, 14, 16, 24, 25 to Muntplein.

Kolksteeg 2
1012 PT Amsterdam
Tel.: +31 (0)20-6249049
Open daily: 11:00 – 03:00
Public transport: Any tram, bus or train to Central Station

Pizza to Go at Forno Communale

One of the nice things about Forno Communale, one of dutchgrub’s best pizzerias in Amsterdam, is the possibility to get pizza to go!

They don’t do delivery or take advance orders by phone. So you will have to make your way over to Rhijnvis Feithstraat, order your pizza and wait for it to be freshly made. The wait is actually a lot more fun than it sounds since you get to hang out in the kitchen, admire the wood fired pizza oven and watch the expert pizza maker roll out the pizza dough and garnish it lusciously!

Pizza oven at Forno Communale
Pizza oven at Forno Communale