Amsterdam supermarkets, in a nutshell.
What do you mean there is no Whole Foods!
In London it is very simple, the hierarchy (in terms of quality) goes like this; at the top, sitting on the throne is Whole Foods, followed in a successive order by Waitrose, M&S, Tesco’s and all the many others. Living in London I knew the order of things and I knew which supermarket was best for which shopping need and how price/ quality differs between them.
On arrival to Amsterdam, I didn’t have a clue. I assumed Albert Heijn with it’s garish blue branding must surely be a “budget” supermarket and the same going for the equally garish yellow branded Jumbo. It took me a while to understand that Dutch supermarkets are far more “practical,” they sell necessary products, people go in and buy them, hence the loud and commercial branding and there isn’t the same kind of excitement to say a Waitrose shop, with it’s inviting meat and fish counters. Basically, when it comes to supermarkets here, don’t judge a shop…by the colour of it’s shopping bag. Albert Heijn is the king of Dutch supermarkets and generally has a wide variety of very decent, good quaity products. In close second, Jumbo is really not that different. It’s slightly cheaper and the stores are generally smaller.
Premium, swanky, supermarkets is far less of a thing here. There is Marqt/ Ekoplaza which feels like a smaller, more modest and limited version of Whole Foods, yet it has a number of really good quality, organic, products and the bakery and cheese sections are quite decent. There is however a newish more “premium” supermarket on the block….and it’s the closest thing to Whole Foods in the city. Let me introduce you to Landmarkt, a supermarket where the fresh, high-quality food and products are beautifully presented and the shopping experience feels fun. Located in Amsterdam Noord, it is a cycle or car journey for many, but if you are craving a more exciting and engaging grocery shopping experience, even if you only leave with a tub of organic peanut butter, it is absolutely worth the journey.
What is key to understand is that grocery shopping in Amsterdam is treated differently and whereas in the UK, the US and many other places, we often buy everything we need from one supermarket, here there is an abundance of really excellent bakeries, butchers, fishmongers, greengrocers and cheese shops. Spoilt for choice, being able to bakfiets from one high-quality specialist food shop to another, no wonder supermarket shopping is a rather different experience here.
If you want to find out more about my recommendations for the best specialist food shops, I have a detailed directory in my expat lifestyle brochure available for every signed up client.
