Amsterdam takes its baking seriously. The best bakeries in Amsterdam run from a tiny shop selling one perfect cookie, to a French boulangerie with a queue around the corner, to a Mediterranean bakery turning out a three-milk cake that the internet cannot stop filming. This is our shortlist: the places worth crossing town for, what to order at each, and where to find them.

We run Ruma (formerly De Beste Lekkernij), a Mediterranean bakery in the Nine Streets, so yes, we have skin in the game. We also eat around this city constantly, because that is the job. Everything below earns its spot.

How we picked the best bakeries in Amsterdam

No sponsored slots, no padding. We looked for three things. The baking has to be genuinely good, not just photogenic. It has to be made with care, ideally by hand and fresh that day. And it has to give you a reason to make the trip. A bakery that is all queue and no flavour did not make the list.

The best bakeries in Amsterdam right now

1. Ruma (formerly De Beste Lekkernij), Nine Streets

Start with the one that broke the internet. Ruma is a Mediterranean bakery on Herenstraat, in the heart of the Nine Streets, and our signature is trilece, a Turkish three-milk sponge soaked slow until the texture sits between cake and custard, then finished with a thin caramel top. It has pulled over 600 million views, and the queue down the street most days tells you the hype is earned. We bake everything by hand every morning: trilece in rotating flavours like pistachio, raspberry and Lotus, honey-soaked baklava, warm simit, Dubai-style pistachio cannoli, plus breads, savoury pastries, sandwiches and proper coffee. Light, cold, not too sweet. If you only have time for one bakery, make it this. See the full menu before you go.

Where: Ruma, Herenstraat 24A, Nine Streets. Open daily, a short walk from Amsterdam Centraal, Dam Square and the Anne Frank House. The most-tagged treats in the city.

2. Le Fournil de Sebastien

The French institution. Sebastien Roturier moved his boulangerie from the Vendee to Amsterdam back in 2007, and the loaves and croissants have built a following that borders on obsessive. There is almost always a queue, and the products are made the old way, with time and patience and not much else. Go for the croissants and a proper sourdough loaf.

3. Van Stapele Koekmakerij

One product, done perfectly. Van Stapele bakes a single dark chocolate cookie with a soft white chocolate centre, served warm, and you can watch them being made through the window while you wait. The shop is tiny and tucked down the Heisteeg, a two minute walk from us. Get there early. They sell out, and they do not pretend otherwise.

4. Bakkerij Wolf

The neighbour. Bakkerij Wolf sits right in the Nine Streets and is an easy pick for breakfast or a mid-shopping break. The interiors lean Scandinavian and calm, the croissants come with butter and jam, and the cinnamon bun has its fans. A solid all-rounder if you want to sit down rather than queue on the pavement.

5. Breadwinner

For bagels and sourdough. Breadwinner in the Jordaan was started by baker Jon Fairclough and built its name on sourdough bagels during the pandemic. People still line up for one fresh, loaded with avocado, pastrami or cream cheese. If your idea of a good bakery is a chewy crust and a proper crumb, this is your stop.

6. Hartog's Volkoren

The bread purist's choice. Hartog's is a longstanding Amsterdam name with its own flour facility next door, which is about as serious as it gets. The wholewheat bread is the reason to go, dense and honest and made from good Dutch grain. Not flashy. Just very, very good bread.

7. Lanskroon

The stroopwafel landmark. Lanskroon near the Spui has been doing the Dutch caramel waffle for decades, and its oversized version is a proper one, the caramel soft and the waffle fresh. Pair it with a coffee and watch the canal go by. A neat bit of old Amsterdam in among the newer arrivals.

8. Fort Negen

The artisan upstart. Fort Negen shot up the rankings on the strength of its bread, and locals in De Baarsjes swear by the farmer's loaf. The chocolate and almond croissant gets a lot of love too. Worth the short trip west if you want to see where the city's bread scene is heading.

9. SAINT-JEAN

The cult croissant. SAINT-JEAN in the Jordaan is fully plant-based and the smell of butter, somehow, still dominates the street. The pistachio cruffin is the headline act, flaky and rich and gone before noon most days. Come early or come disappointed.

Best bakeries in Amsterdam, by what you are after

Where the best bakeries in Amsterdam cluster

The densest run of good baking sits in and around the Nine Streets (De 9 Straatjes) and the neighbouring Jordaan. You can walk a warm cookie, a French croissant, a slice of trilece and a stroopwafel inside half an hour, which is exactly the loop we would send a friend on. Ruma sits in the middle of it at Herenstraat 24A, a short walk from Amsterdam Centraal, Dam Square and the Anne Frank House. If you want the full sweet version of this route, our guide to the best desserts in Amsterdam maps it out, and our must-visit bakeries rundown is built for visitors short on time.

A few tips before you go

Go in the morning. The best places bake in small batches and the good stuff sells out, sometimes well before lunch. Expect a queue at the famous spots, especially on weekends, and treat it as part of the experience rather than a problem. Bring cash for the markets, though most bakeries take cards. And do not try to do all nine in a day. Three is a good morning. Pick a neighbourhood, walk it slow, and let one good bake lead to the next.

A few other things worth knowing. Sunday and Monday are quieter, and some smaller bakeries close one of those days, so check before you set out. If you want a table rather than a takeaway window, the sit-down spots fill up fast on weekend mornings, so an early start pays off twice. And if you are after one specific thing, a particular flavour of trilece, the warm cookie, the cruffin, call ahead or get there as the doors open. The signature bakes are the first to go.

What makes a bakery worth the trip

The difference between a good bakery and a great one usually comes down to two things: time and hands. The places on this list ferment slow, bake fresh that day, and make their signature items themselves rather than buying them in. You can taste it. A croissant laminated properly shatters when you bite it. A trilece soaked properly is cold and soft all the way through. Bread made with patience has a crust that means something. None of that survives a freezer or a shortcut, which is why the best bakeries in Amsterdam are the ones still doing the slow work every morning.

If you cannot make it in, you do not have to miss out. You can order Ruma for delivery across Amsterdam, trilece and baklava included. Planning a visit instead? Find us and our hours on the location page. Want the full sweet itinerary? Start with what trilece actually is, then plan your stops.

Come taste the viral one

You have probably seen our trilece on your feed. It is better in real life, cold and soft and gone in four bites. Find Ruma in the Nine Streets daily, or get it delivered to your door anywhere in the city.