Maartje Diepstraten is a fashion producer, writes about hotspots for ELLE and runs www.bartsboekje.com. A site full of nice hospitality addresses that we don't know yet. No popular hipster nonsense, just cozy, good food and not ridiculously expensive. Exactly what I feel like. I ask her where we should go in our own city. Now that I've spoken to Maartje, I believe I'm going to discover a whole new Amsterdam in the coming time. Here it comes.

Breakfast
“I can hardly say it, but I have breakfast every day with a sugar-free Red Bull and a sandwich with filet americain at Broodje Mokum on the Rozengracht. I wear a neat size 36 and I really do eat healthy, but I can't shake this habit. Besides, I also get a spinach shake almost every morning at Dokter Blend in the Herenstraat. That's really healthy!”

Lunch
“Oh, there are so many nice lunch spots here in the city and since I often have a lot to do, I also eat just fine with a sandwich in hand on the bike. Then I stop by De Laatste Kruimel in the Langebrugsteeg. There you can get a really tasty sandwich for 3 euros. I love normal prices and not too much fuss around it.

If I want to sit somewhere, I like to go to Jaques Jour in Noord to brunch. Jessica Lek is in the kitchen there and she makes the most delicious things: smoked trout with beet salad or steak tartare. It's a really nice Sunday spot.”

Dining
“My biggest problem is that I have too many favorites. For bartsboekje.com I try a lot of new restaurants, but where I really come back often is Koevoet in de Lindenstraat. Especially a very nice last-minute restaurant. You can easily join at 9 PM. They have an Italian kitchen and I always take the St. Jacob's scallops and a good glass of wine. Bar Brouw on the Ten Katestraat is where you should go if you feel like a really good piece of meat and a beer. No bullshit, just good food. I must admit that I always order a glass of wine, but I really love the beer culture. There are real guys behind the bar and there's nothing fancy about it. Just what I find so nice. I'm really a carnivore, so you make me very happy with a hamburger from De Biertuin. It's fantastic there. They also have really good sausage sandwiches from Brandt & Levie. You can also order a whole assortment of chicken, burgers, and sausages. Divine, but you really have to be very hungry.

And may I recommend as a final tip Repéré ? Just a little further on the Prinsengracht, where Gespot used to be. SO good! And temporarily: they are running Repéré at this location for 100 days and then they will move on. They have been open for about 70 days now. Reservations really need to be made 2 weeks in advance, but it's worth it!

And where do you go on a sunny day?
“Rainarai in the Westerpark. They have a delicious Algerian kitchen and maybe it's not very convenient to say it now, but it's really a terrace that hasn't been discovered yet. There's always space and sun all day. La Vallade is also a lovely place. As if you're on vacation. Do go there with a lot of hunger, because you eat what the pot offers and that's a lot. Especially on summer days, this is my favorite spot.”

Date
“I am happily married, but if a friend has a date, I recommend a brown pub. Somewhere busy, but where you can still hear each other well. For example at Cafe Louis on the Singel or Bar Mick in the Spaarndammerstraat.

For a business meeting, I find Lion Noir a nice place to quietly have a cup of coffee.”

A night’s sleep in your own city
“Estherea is a bit of an old-fashioned hotel in the middle of the city. You have rooms complete with floral wallpaper, which matches the duvet and towels. I love quaintness, but it has to be clean and have a good price-quality ratio. Here you pay about 80 euros per night. Stout&co is a luxury bed and breakfast on Hoogte Kadijk with five rooms. The building used to be a brewery and is run by two really nice sympathetic men. All the spaces are clean and every corner is designed. There are nice tips for outings ready for you and you can order delicious food all day long. All ingredients come from the Landmarkt. Now that I'm talking about it, I really feel like sleeping there for a night.”