Bordered by Vondelpark on one side and De Clercqstraat on the other, the Oud-West neighborhood is a bustling melting pot with great shopping and dining. Let's explore Amsterdam Oud-West!

Oud-WestNeighborhood Facts

Oud-West has that great mix of cultures and economic levels which makes a vibrant neighborhood. It's fun to explore the posh streets near Vondelpark and the ethnic grocers on De Clercqstraat and Kinkerstraat. You'll find lots of students and young creative people in this area, as well as families with small children.

Most of the buildings in Oud-West were constructed in the first half of the twentieth century. Some streets are really lovely with interesting details on the buildings. The streets near Vondelpark are filled with impressive 19th century houses while at the end of Jacob van Lennepkade are great apartments with all kinds of animal heads in the entryways.

In May of 2010, the district of Oud-West merged with the districts of Bos en Lommer, De Baarsjes and Westerpark to form the district of Stadsdeel West. We'll consider Westerpark as a separate neighborhood for the purposes of this site as it offers a lot of great places to highlight.

Shopping in Oud-West

One of the most well-known streets in Oud-West is Kinkerstraat. This relatively short street is filled with businesses, making it easy to get errands done. On Kinkerstraat you can find HEMA, Blokker, Albert Heijn, Xenos, and Etos as well as the best store on the street: Volkskruidentuin. This small shop sells all manner of herbs and spices along with Asian and Middle Eastern ingredients.

Here are some more of our favorite businesses on and around Kinkerstraat:
  • The Mad Processor: gamers paradise but also a great place for printing documents as it's open nearly 24 hrs
  • De Sleutelklus: get your keys made here
  • The flower stand at the end of J P Heijestraat
  • In My Kitchen Kookwinkel: shop for kitchen items
  • Friday Next: unique interior design items plus a charming cafe

Ten Katestraat crosses Kinkerstraat close to the middle of its length. Here you can find a street market six days a week. Vendors sell fruits, vegetables, flowers, cheese, fish, bicycle accessories, clothing and many other items. It's a terrific neighborhood market that is always busy.

Overtoom and De Clercqstraat are also good shopping streets. On Overtoom you will find the amazing Marqt organic supermarket with all kinds of delicious, healthy foods. A bit further up Overtoom are quite a few furniture shops, a great place to shop for household items like lighting and sofas.

Eating and Drinking in Oud-West

Oud-West is full of excellent restaurants, cafes and bars. If you're craving pizza, coffee, burritos or beer you can find it all in the neighborhood.

Here are a few of our favorites:
  • Cafe Alverna: popular cafe with huge terrace
  • Tazzina: excellent Italian coffee
  • Zola: charming cafe on the corner
  • Opera Prima: an elegant new patisserie and cafe
  • Cafe Kostverloren: popular new cafe with great food and large terrace
  • Fuoco Vivo: amazing pizza hot from the woodburning oven
  • Edel: restaurant and cafe with a huge terrace on a wide canal
  • Golden Brown Bar: a hip cafe on JP Heijestraat
  • My Burrito: big fat burritos with fresh ingredients
  • Gollem: Belgian beer bar on the Overtoom
  • Café Toussaint: chic yet cozy French cafe
  • De Italiaan: lively restaurant with delicious pizza
  • Dönerland: excellent dürüm shoarma
  • Beyrouth: fabulous Lebanese food
  • Café L' Affiche: one of the best neighborhood bars in Oud-West with a great late-night tosti
  • Cafe Oslo: cool modern bar and restaurant

Things To Do in Oud-West

As the neighborhood is bounded by Vondelpark and Rembrantpark, there are lots of green places to wander. Rembrandtpark is a quiet open park, a great place to walk your dog or catch a quiet nap on the grass.

With its location close to the city center, Vondelpark is much busier. On a warm day Vondelpark is packed with tourists and locals enjoying the sunshine with picnics and parties. It's a great place to people watch! There are also a few great cafes in Vondelpark including the Blauwe Theehuis, Melkhuis and Vertigo. And don't miss the Vondelpark Open Air Theater in the summertime!

Getting Around in Oud-West

Of course in Amsterdam the preferred mode of transport is always the bicycle but it is easy to reach Oud-West by tram or on foot. Tramlines 1, 3, 7, 12, 13, 14, and 17 all service the area.

If you need the Metro or NS Trains Amsterdam Lelylaan Station is close by.

Come visit Amsterdam Oud-West and enjoy all the things this neighborhood has to offer!

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