Coba Taqueria
Amsterdam's most serious Mexican cooking, in a shed behind the workshops.
Named for the Mayan city and parked in a shed on Schaafstraat behind Hotel de Goudfazant, Coba is where Amsterdam finally got serious about Mexican food. The menu shifts with the seasons but the method holds: proper tortillas, salsas with real heat, tacos and tostadas landing whenever they're ready, and a guacamole that comes with fried grasshoppers for the brave. Count on three to four plates each, around fifty-five euros before drinks, and let the mezcal list, one of the deepest in the city, do the steering. The room is dim, loud and cantina-cozy; Gault&Millau lists it, locals book it out, and the kitchen refuses to rush anything. Reserve ahead, budget a slow hour and a half, and start with whatever tostada is on that week. A taqueria in name, a genuinely serious restaurant in execution.
Order the guacamole with chapulines, fried grasshoppers, and a mezcal cocktail alongside.
What to order
Full menu- Tostada de Ceviche Lubina€14.50
Sea bass with sea-urchin mayo, mandarin and habanero, the dish everyone writes home about.
- Tacos de Jaiba€14.50
Crunchy deep-fried soft shell crab; a recurring reviewer obsession.
- Taco de Gaonera€10.50
Ribeye, minimal fuss, Mexico City style, and the cheapest way in.
- Tostada de Pulpo€15
Octopus with guacamole, peanuts and salsa morita; rich and nutty.
More in Noord
The whole chapter
Vuurtoreneiland
Boat out, six courses over fire, a lighthouse island to yourselves.
Hotel de Goudfazant
The garage that invented Noord dining, still its best-value French table.
Café Modern
Set-menu cooking in a former bank, with private dining in the vault.