The Bottom Line
It's hard enough to find hot breakfasts of eggs, bacon and the like in Amsterdam. It's even harder to find a place that serves such fare all day, alongside plenty more lunch-like options. Letting, an ideal place for a fresh, affordable breakfast or lunch in between exploring the canals, does exactly that. (See below for the full review.)
Pros
- Hot breakfast meals served all day.
- Fresh food, made to order in open kitchen.
- Very reasonable prices.
- Central location on a quaint street between canals.
- Sidewalk seating.
Cons
- Small space; crowded on weekend mornings.
- Dinner only available to private groups.
Description
- Address: Prinsenstraat 3, Amsterdam
Phone: +31 (0)20 627 9393 - Kitchen open:
Daily 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. - Location: Western Canal Belt, between Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht.
- Tram lines: 13, 14 or 17 to Westermarkt stop (walk north on Keizersgracht, turn left on Prinsenstraat).
- Attire: Casual.
- Décor: No-frills, basic bare wooden tables. Feels cozy.
- Payment: Accepts major credit cards.
Guide Review - Letting - Amsterdam Restaurant Review
When I moved to Amsterdam, I quickly accepted that there just isn't such thing as a favorite little brunch place, that is, where those of us who still want an omelet at 3 p.m. can dine with friends more in the mood for soup, a sandwich or a pasta dish. Places like Letting (and similar Café Nielsen) have proven me wrong.At Letting I can order the bleu cheese omelet with wheat toast and a side salad of mixed-greens (€ 5.80) right up until the early evening closing time. If one day I prefer sweet breakfast treats for a late lunch, I might try the "American" pancakes (that means fluffy!), which come with bacon, maple syrup, coffee or tea and juice (€ 8.50). They also offer a bubbly breakfast of champions for € 15.50: a fried egg, two sausage links, toast with butter and jam, a slice of "sugar bread," fresh yogurt with fruit, coffee or tea and a glass of rosé Champagne to wash it all down!
While I'll likely always order one of the breakfast options out of sheer excitement to have found them, I'll continue to steal bites of my friends' sandwiches, whether the roast beef with truffle mayonnaise (€ 5), the hummus and grilled vegetable sandwich (€ 4.50), or a spin on two American favorites, the BLTA (bacon, lettuce, tomato and avocado; € 4.80) and the "McLetting," a big burger topped with a fried egg (€ 6).
A few soups, a few meal-sized salads, one or two pasta dishes round out the rest of the simple but hit-the-spot menu. I'll certainly be back to try the choco-espresso cake, which sits shining in its case under thick chocolate glaze. Coffee-drink choices abound and even include a soy-milk option so hard to find in this city. Alcohol is kept simple: one kind of bottled beer, one white wine, one red and that chic rosé Champagne. All this tucked in a cozy spot in the canals. Brunch is served in Amsterdam!
