Good baklava is a small miracle of timing. The best baklava in Amsterdam is thin, flaky, soaked in just enough honey to stay glossy without turning to sugar paste, and stacked with real pistachio or walnut rather than dust. Get it right and it shatters at the first bite, then goes soft and rich underneath. Get it wrong and it is either dry as cardboard or drowned in syrup. This is our guide to the places doing it properly, and where to grab a piece without trekking across the city.
We run Ruma (formerly De Beste Lekkernij), a Mediterranean bakery in the Nine Streets, so we have skin in the game. We also eat a lot of baklava that is not ours. Amsterdam has more good baklava than most visitors realise, you just need to know where it hides.
What makes baklava actually good
Before the list, a quick word on what we are even judging. Baklava is layers of paper-thin filo, brushed with butter, packed with chopped nuts, baked golden, then finished with a sugar or honey syrup. Sounds simple. It is not.
The things that separate great from forgettable:
- The filo. It should be many layers, each one thin and crisp. You want crackle, not a thick doughy slab.
- The butter. Real butter, generously brushed. Cheap baklava skimps here and you can taste it.
- The nuts. Proper pistachio or walnut, chopped, not ground to powder. Pistachio gives that green, earthy richness. Walnut is more savoury and bitter, which balances the syrup.
- The syrup. Enough to keep it moist and glossy, never so much that it pools. A good piece is sticky, not soggy.
If a piece nails all four, it earns a spot below.
The best baklava in Amsterdam, spot by spot
1. Baklava at Ruma (formerly De Beste Lekkernij)
We will start with ours, because there is not a lot of properly made baklava in the centre of town and we are right in the middle of it. Our baklava is layered thin, baked until golden, and soaked in honey so it stays glossy and moist rather than dry and brittle. Pistachio is the one to get. We bake it by hand every morning alongside our viral trilece, simit and a rotating set of sweets, so it is fresh, not sitting in a case for days.
Pair it with a Turkish coffee and you have the best ten minutes of your afternoon. We are at Herenstraat 24A, in the Nine Streets, a short walk from Amsterdam Centraal and the Anne Frank House. See the full menu or plan a visit.
Where: Ruma, Herenstraat 24A, in the Nine Streets. Honey-soaked, pistachio, baked fresh daily.
2. Serifoglu, Nieuw-West
Ask serious baklava people in Amsterdam where to go and Serifoglu comes up first. This Turkish patisserie out by Plein 40-45 in Nieuw-West has cases stacked with trays of the stuff, from classic pistachio to walnut to colder, creamier styles. It has a real reputation among locals and is well worth the tram ride if baklava is the whole point of your trip.
3. Divan Pastanesi, Oost
Over in Amsterdam Oost on the Javastraat, Divan is a small shop with a big range. You will find just about every variant going, from the traditional pistachio and walnut pieces to more modern things with chocolate or coffee. Plenty of real butter and fresh nuts. If you like to stand at a counter and dither over choices, this is your kind of place.
4. Tugra Baklava, Oost
Also on the Javastraat, Tugra is a connoisseur favourite. The baklava holds its crunch well, which makes it a good pick if you are buying a box to take home rather than eating on the spot. One thing to know before you go: it is cash only, so come prepared.
5. Gulluoglu
Gulluoglu is a famous Turkish baklava name with a long history and branches in many countries. The Amsterdam outpost lets you sit down with a tray of baklava and a real Turkish coffee, which is a lovely way to do it if you want the full cafe experience rather than a quick box to go.
6. Syrian and Moroccan styles, around Oost and West
Baklava is not only Turkish. Syrian baklava tends to be a little less sweet and often features kataifi, the fine angel-hair pastry, wrapped around pistachio. Moroccan versions lean on almond and honey for a different crunch. Amsterdam Oost and West are where these styles cluster, and they are worth seeking out if you want to taste the range. When in doubt, a good local Middle Eastern sweet shop will steer you right.
Where to find good baklava in the centre
Here is the honest geography. The densest baklava scene in Amsterdam sits in Oost and Nieuw-West, away from the tourist core. If you are staying near the canals and do not fancy a tram trip, your central options thin out fast.
That gap is part of why we make our own. Ruma sits right in the Nine Streets (De 9 Straatjes), on the edge of the Jordaan, so you can have a proper honey-soaked piece without leaving the centre. It is a short walk from Dam Square, Amsterdam Centraal and the Anne Frank House, which makes it an easy stop on almost any day in town. For the full sweep of the city's sweets, our guide to the best desserts in Amsterdam maps out the whole loop.
Baklava by craving
- Most classic: Turkish pistachio baklava, the green, buttery, honey-soaked benchmark.
- Most savoury: walnut baklava, slightly bitter, better with strong coffee.
- Lightest: Syrian kataifi styles, less sweet, more crunch.
- Easiest to get fresh in the centre: ours, baked every morning in the Nine Streets.
Buying, storing and bringing baklava home
Baklava actually keeps well, which is part of its charm. A few practical notes:
- Store it at room temperature in a sealed container. The fridge can soften the filo and dull the crunch.
- Eat it within a few days for the best texture, though a good piece holds up longer than you would expect.
- It travels. Crisp baklava survives a journey home far better than a cream cake, which is why it makes such a good gift or souvenir.
If you would rather not carry a box across town, you can order ours for delivery across Amsterdam on Uber Eats and Thuisbezorgd. Baklava is one of the few desserts that arrives in roughly the same state it left in.
Baklava is one piece of a bigger picture
If you love baklava, you are most of the way to loving the rest of the Eastern Mediterranean sweet table. The same buttery, nut-and-syrup logic runs through a lot of it. Our rundown of the best Turkish desserts in Amsterdam covers the cousins, and our Mediterranean food guide widens it to the savoury side, from simit to fresh sandwiches. Baklava is a great start. It is rarely where people stop.
The short version
For the deepest baklava scene, head to Oost or Nieuw-West and the specialist Turkish patisseries. For a properly made, honey-soaked, pistachio-packed piece in the centre, without crossing the city, come to us in the Nine Streets. Either way, look for thin crisp filo, real butter, generous nuts and just enough syrup. That is the whole game.