Best Amsterdam Pizza

This is an older version of dutchgrub’s Best Amsterdam Pizza list that I wrote back in May 2009. Please see here for the current version that now includes four pizzerias as well as up to date addresses and a location map.

In January I published my list of the best restaurants in Amsterdam. Many people have posted comments or asked for additional information. So I decided to write additional best of Amsterdam restaurant posts such as best snacks and lunch, best beer and wine or best Asian restaurants in Amsterdam. Today I will tell you where to find the best pizza in Amsterdam.

Amsterdam does not have the best Italian cuisine in the world. If you are a foodie who travels frequently, I would suggest you look into other food options. There are, however, those days when you want nothing else than good pizza. And luckily Amsterdam does have three great pizzerias: Forno Communale, Renato’s and Yam Yam! All three are somewhat off the beaten path. All three require reservations at least a few days in advance. And all three serve great pizza – thin crust, from a wood fired oven, with fresh ingredients and generous toppings. Newcomer Restaurant Forno Communale in West behind Overtoom draws a younger crowd with a simple and fairly priced menu. Renato’s Trattoria in de Pijp is small and traditional and stacks its pizza with fresh greens and herbs. And Yam Yam Trattoria, west of the Jordaan, is very busy with tables close to each other, an artsy feel to it and an incredible truffle pizza.

Restaurant Forno Communale

Forno Communale opened in 2007 as a neighborhood pizzeria in West, behind Overtoom. It draws a young crowd with its stylish, modern interior and fairly priced menu. Forno uses trendy ingredients such as Gorgonzola, apples, raisins, Italian speck and wild salmon. There are some standard pizzas with a twist and some highly unusual ones like the pizza Forno with Gorgonzola, ham, apple, raisins and rucola. The crust is thin and the pizza baked briefly in the hot wood fired oven. The service is quick and many guests swiftly move on to one of the local bars. The wine – organized by categories cheap, decent, good and special – goes down well. And all pizzas are also available to-go – just order  directly from the kitchen and wait for your pizza on one of the bar stools.

Renato’s Trattoria

Renato’s Trattoria is a small, authentic and family-run Italian in de Pijp. There are many bars and restaurants in the area and Renato has built up a great reputation with consistently good food and friendly, quick service. The interior is traditional Trattoria style with a large bar by the entrance, wooden tables and chairs, some food posters and a dominating Italian flag. The pizza selection is mostly classics. Renato uses fresh ingredients – some of them home-grown – on his quest for the perfect pizza. The dough is Italian style, made from the best flour. Toppings are generous, often garnished with heaps of greens and herbs, added after the pizza has been baked. One of my favorites is the pizza with Parma ham and rucola. Renato’s attracts mostly locals from de Pijp, especially in the summer when they bring out tables and chairs to the sidewalk.

Yam Yam Trattoria

Yam Yam is a pizzeria and trattoria with a simple decor and a friendly, alternative flair. It’s located west of the Jordaan, has two dining rooms and an open kitchen and wood fired oven. The tables are very close to each other and Yam Yam has a busy and sometimes noisy atmosphere. The same friendly and cosmopolitan staff has been running the restaurant for a long time. The trattoria menu is written on a black board and the pizza selection is divided into classic and special. I go to Yam Yam for the unusual flavors of the special pizzas, using eclectic ingredients such as mascarpone, goat cheese or fennel salami. My absolute favorite is their pizza Yam Yam with truffle sauce, Parmesan, rucola and ham. The crust of the pizzas is very thin, forming large crusty bubbles in the oven. The crowd is mixed, consists of locals and visitors and anybody from couples on dates and to small groups and families.