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    De Ballenbar

    4.4 (28 reviews)
    InexpensiveFood Stands

    De Ballenbar Photos

    DE BALLENBAR ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

    Recommended Reviews - De Ballenbar

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    5 Bitterballen - Tasting Platter (~€8)
    Aya E.

    Ordered: 5 Bitterballen - Tasting Platter (~€8): beef, bouillabaisse (fish), thom kah kai, old cheese/spinach, cashew, and truffle Aya's take: Bitterballen is a classic Dutch snack that is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside with various fillings. I decided to come to De Ballenbar to get a nice variety. Off the bat, the presentation is super nice for this flight of bitterballen. Out of all of them, the truffle was my favorite but you can't go wrong with any of these fried delectables. And honestly, they're very filling! If you find yourself at De Foodhallen, check them out.

    Inside Foodhallen
    Cathy C.

    Yelp Review 2023 #84: In a foodhall with many options, I picked to get bitterballen. Don't let "bitter" throw you off - it's not bitter at all. All it basically is is a thickened stew/ soup/ roux with meat that's refrigerated so they can be rolled into a ball, breaded and then fried. The result? Crunchy savory hot balls. Who doesn't want that? You can get 5 balls for €7+ or 10 balls for €14. You can also get 3, 6 or 12. Your options: rund, bouillabaisse, truffle, thom-Kha-kai, and spinach and aged cheese. Sauce options: bitterballsauce, truffle mayo, and mustard (free). What I tried (2 of each): rund, truffle, and thom-Kha-kai with truffle Mayo, and mustard for my sauces. Thom-kha-kai doesn't need to be dipped in any sauce - it has enough strong flavors of its own. I liked all 3 bitterballen I picked. They're very hot. You can use the toothpicks they give you to poke a hole so the steam would come out.

    Enjoying my Bitterballen.
    Morris D.

    Food: As my first time trying Bitterballen, it did not disappoint. We couldn't decide on which one to get but luckily, they had a tasting platter! Out of the platter I'd say the Truffel was my favorite. The sauces also compliments the bitterballen! Service: Awesome service and team! Ambiance: They are located towards the back of foodhallen. Its a food hall so there are seats around the area. If you're in Amsterdam, its a must to try this place!

    Variety of Ballen
    Chloe T.

    Absolutely delicious. Doesn't matter what flavor you get, each one is delicious! Purchased the sampler and it did not disappointed. Cooked to perfection. Super flavorful. A good time for your taste buds! Great customer service. Lively ambiance with a queue because of how good these balls are.

    Tasting Platter
    Darlene Y.

    Get the TASTING PLATTER, you'll get to try all the lovely flavors and if there is anything else you want to get more of you can always go back and order it! ENJOY!

    10 Assorted Bitterballens
    Jacques I.

    Ya gotta have bitterballen when in the Netherlands. We found De Ballenbar while at the De Foodhallen, and knew that we had to try this Dutch delicacy. Bitterballen is a fried ball that is usually stuffed with ground meat, sauce and cheese and does vary from different flavors. At De Ballenbar I ordered an assortment of 10, ranging in five different flavors for the three of us to share, as De Ballenbar specializes in various bitterballens. It also came with a side dip. Of all the different kinds of bitterballen we ordered I liked the beef one the most, as it had a nice mushroom gravy and beef stuffing to it. But I will say that it was hard to eat bitterballens one after another since the fried balls were so heavy. After eating three I had my fill and needed something much lighter to accompany the bitterballens. Try it with the truffle mayo that is a popular sauce in the Netherlands. I would recommend trying bitterballen if you haven't had it before, but know that it's truly something that you'd eat with a pint. It would be hard to make a meal out of this since it was heavy with the stuffing and fried texture, but makes for a good snack. Glad to have tried this while in Amsterdam.

    Inside of the truffle (€2 for one$ & beef (€1,10 for one) bitterballens
    Corina Q.

    Located at the very back of Foodhallen, this lil stand serves up Bitterballen, which is essentially deep fried beef balls, but this place has other flavors. They have a tasting platter that comes with five different flavors for 6,75 euros (or 10 pieces for 13,00) for those that are indecisive. This was my last stop of my trip and I'd been eating SO much that I was so full by the time I got here. Yet, I couldn't leave without checking bitterballen off my food list, so here I was. Their menu only lists the prices in 3/6/12 pieces, but I asked the very friendly girl working and she said I can order by the piece. I ended up getting the original rund (beef) for 1,10 and a truffle for 2,00. It took about 5 minutes and they came out hot and fresh. The outside is super crispy, and the inside of both were very creamy. The Beef Bitterballen was basically the same thing as a croquet, which is another food that Amsterdam is famous for, apparently. It reminded me of a cream of mushroom type of filling. The truffle one was amazing - the moment i cut into it, the aroma of truffle filled my nose. It wasn't super overpowering, but it definitely was worth the 2,00.

    Cassy W.

    Great place to try bitterballen! They have a sampler of 5 different flavors for 7 Euro which is a great way to try without a heavy price tag!

    Melanie M.

    Bypass all the other vendors in Food Hallen and head straight to De Ballenbar... THE BEST bitterballen I've had - my mouth is watering just writing this review! My favorite 2 were the beef & the bouillabaisse! I get deeply saddened when I think these aren't readily available to me since I don't live in Amsterdam. Whatever you do - make sure to get to De Ballenbar!

    Tonyia F.

    If you've never had Amsterdam's bitterballens, this should be the place you sample them. They have variety of selections of fillings to choose from as well as dipping sauces. They are made on the spot, fresh and hot. Located in a food court called the Foodhallen, there's plenty of seating as well. Social atmosphere with a young, professional crowd.

    Lexi R.

    Best bitterballen I tried in Amsterdam! Bitterballen is essentially the Dutch version of a meatball and is a traditional bar snack. I love that this particular spot has different flavors apart from just the traditional stuffing. They are perfectly fried and crispy on the outside and bursting with flavor on the inside. My personal favorite was the truffle one.

    Menu
    Wahed K.

    This is one of the last stalls in Foodhallen and I'm glad we were able to taste their bitterballen. My wife and I went for the 5 bitterballen pack in which they give you 5 unique flavors. You don't get to choose which flavors but it's not a problem as they only listed about 7 choices any way. Each bitterballen was crunchy on the outside with a very soft interior. I think the "Dutch meatball" label is a bit off the mark. They are closer to croquettes IMHO. In any cases, we really enjoyed them. The truffle and spinach were my two favorites while the others weren't as flavorful but they were all quite good. If you are Foodhallen, I think this is a must-try. It's only a snack anyway so it probably won't be your only stop.

    Canny F.

    Saw pictures on yelp and had to try it! I ordered the tasting platter which is more expensive but totally worth it. I wasn't sure what ball was what expect the truffle because it was so strong! I love when the taste of truffles are strong. The balls were so crispy and googy in the inside. Perfectly deep fried goodness. I don't think sauce is necessary. The balls have enough flavor on it's on.

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    I ordered a sample of five different flavors and I loved all. Sauce was amazing too. The truffled one is out of this world!

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    De Ballenbar Reviews in Other Languages

    Review Highlights - De Ballenbar

    Bitterballen is essentially the Dutch version of a meatball and is a traditional bar snack.

    Mentioned in 12 reviews

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    Frens Haringhandel

    Frens Haringhandel

    4.5(62 reviews)
    1.4 kmCentrum

    This place is ALL OVER social media, but is it worth the hype? Absolutely…read more We stopped here in October 2025, after an already filling late lunch. But we knew we had to try it, and life is short. It is a tiny stand located along a central canal in the heart of the city. Business is hopping here. We got the picked herring and kibbeling, which are the main staples here. The pickled herring was, well, something you either love or don't. It has somewhat of a gelatinous texture that can be off-putting, but when you take a bite with the sides of sweet pickles and onions, it shines. The Kibbeling was out of this world. Perfectly fried with a crunchy batter that had a hint of, hmmm, curry, maybe. It was amazing. Although the batter was thick and tasty, it didn't outdo the delicious cod. The staff here was friendly, and having this Dutch food along a canal in Amsterdam made for a memorable experience. There are plenty of places to sit near the stand - enjoy this tasty food and watch the world go by.

    Street food in Amsterdam, does it get any better? There were three street foods I wanted to try…read morewhen visiting. Herring was on the top of the list. Most herring I had eaten was Swedish herring or "sill" usually prepared in a pickled solution. We returned to this stand, located near the Bloemenmarkt, across from UNIQLO. It was quite a popular area, located on a bend over a canal with trams and trolleys rolling by. The line on the two days we were there wasn't long and waited less than 5 minutes both times to place our order. The first stop I bought one order of herring with pickles, onion and the "Nederlandse vlag." We returned two days later and purchased another order of the herring and a herring sandwich with the herring served on a simple white roll with onion and pickles. Both were excellent. Didn't sample the fried cod, eel sandwich or the mackerel. Would I return? Without a doubt! While we had some excellent food in Amsterdam, Frens topped my list as a must visit stand when walking around Amsterdam!

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    Frens Haringhandel
    Frens Haringhandel
    Frens Haringhandel - Pickled Herring

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    Pickled Herring

    Market 33 - Bitterballen

    Market 33

    4.2(6 reviews)
    3.3 kmWTC, Zuid
    €€

    I enjoy food halls, especially when I'm on vacation. Market 33 was a short walk from my hotel. It's…read morelocated in the Business District not too far from Station Zuid. There's 10 food vendors and they offer a nice variety of cuisines. I was on a mission to try bitterballen and discovered that a vendor called Snackbear had it. The bitterballen was good, but I couldn't eat all of it (the order came with 6 pieces). All drinks (including non-alcoholic) are ordered at the bar. They have two bars. I found that to be a little different from the food halls that I've been to in the U.S. The building is split level. They have a patio at the front entrance. There's plenty of tables throughout the building, however if you have mobility issues, you may have difficulty. I only recall one or two vendors being on the bottom floor. I'm not sure if they have a lift. I visited on a Tuesday afternoon during lunch so it wasn't terribly busy. They have live music on Fridays as well as other events like sports watch parties. If you're in the Business District, check it out!

    So much fun and great food! We are a group of 6 people and everyone enjoyed something different. We…read morehad burgers, pizza, sushi, dim sum and ramen from the different food places. The bar is great for a variety of gin and tonic drinks. Service was quick and staff is very efficient with cleaning tables. The atmosphere is fun with great music.

    Photos
    Market 33
    Market 33 - Mustard for the Bitterballen

    Mustard for the Bitterballen

    Market 33 - Granelli

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    Granelli

    De Ballenbar - foodstands - Updated May 2026

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