Boi Boi

A decade-old Dapperbuurt corner where a Laotian kitchen crew wok-fries isaan food under a grumpy monkey sign.

Boi Boi has been feeding the Dappermarkt corner since 2015 and still looks more like a funky bar than a Thai restaurant: street art, warm lights, a scowling monkey watching over the door. The kitchen is the real thing though, a Laotian crew cooking Thai and Lao isaan food from an open kitchen, with a chef lineage that runs back to Bird on the Zeedijk. Hiske Versprille gave it an 8 in Het Parool and the tom yum still tastes like the review reads: aromatic, sharp, properly spicy. Order sticky rice with the laab, get the tam mak-hung when you want your sinuses rinsed, and trust the daily curries over the pad thai. Everything is made without MSG and the vegan list is long enough to bring your most difficult friend. Ten years in, it is the Dapperbuurt default for a loud, cheap-ish, chili-soaked Tuesday dinner, and the neighborhood keeps it busy without any tourist help.

Skip the pad thai reflex and go for the panaeng curry or laab with sticky rice. Kitchen opens at 16:00, so an early dinner before a Studio K screening always finds you a table.