World Of Food

The fact I am writing this review while I am actually still here says a lot. I knew what to expect and I was greatly disappointed:
1. There is no atmosphere. Sure it is ‘cool’ they made something of the typical shady Bijlmer garage, but just like they made something beautiful out of the old tram remise, they could easily do a much, MUCH better job:
— white TL lights, wtf! Better lighting would help a lot
— do something with the plane concrete, just like those restaurants in the old factories in Amsterdam Noord.
2. On arrival in the parking garage, the first car parked at the entrance inside the garage was a typical old car with two old black dudes blowing. The whole garage had a strong smell. Sorry World of Food, «nothing changed!» Was my first thought.
3. The pizza dude only accepts cash, had no more dough for his pizzas at 18.30! And didn’t know his own menu.
4. The 1^st of January could easily be one of the busiest days for a place like this. Yet only 3 places were open! Italian, Indian and Thai. The Thai was very busy, we were not into Indian today and the Pizza place had no more dough.
We ended up ordering burgers at McDonalds.

World of Food is another great idea that is typical Amsterdam. Why not give neighborhood cooks/​chefs with average means a chance to open up their own food stand without them having to invest the usual large amounts of cash it normally takes to start a business? And feature foods that reflect the diversity of the people living in Zuidoost. And why not make a food hall out of an unused parking garage? So the biggest food hall in the city was born featuring over 35 food stalls with a unique array of ethnic foods: Surinamese, Indian, Pakistani, Armenian, Indonesian, Turkish, Chinese, BBQ and more. The smallish stalls are flanked in the corners by bigger restaurants– a Doner place, Flavor Town (which isn’t open yet) and unfortunately a McDonalds. (I assume the city had to sell it’s soul to the devil to get the project greenlighted). But no mind, the food at the stalls is authentic, tasty, flavorful and most of the stuff on offer you would never get to try anywhere else in the city or at least at the same time under one roof. There is even a Surinamese pastry/​cake kitchen and a place (Good 4 Us) that teaches young children how to cook simple, healthy meals. Most of the food is street-​style food ranging from appetizers to larger «gerechten». The place never had an official opening so crowds are a bit thin. The stalls really don’t open until 13:00 or 14:00 in the afternoon, when people really start to stream in. It’s very easy to reach by car as it sits right off the Gooiseweg. With public transport from Centraal Station it will take about a half hour with the metro and a bus ride/​walk. It’s all part of the unique experience to get out of the center and try something new. Not only will you be rewarded with a cool dining experience, you’ll be helping out neighborhood chefs realize their culinary dreams. Check out our video here:

As part of an Amsterdam video web series (Amsterdam Calling), we ventured to World of Food because it’s such a cool concept. I’ve been to, and rather like, de Foodhallen (
) so this seemed right up my alley! I will get to the food, but will cover the practical stuff first.
In an old parking garage, it certainly has personality. With restaurants, up, down and literally around the structure, you could get lost finding all of the diverse food spots. Since there were three of us and we wanted to try A LOT, we got some of the smaller dishes the different stands had to offer. And the owners are so happy to talk about their food and where they came from!
First of all, hours. We thought going there on a Saturday at noon was a good bet… the website says they open at 8 am. While some opened *around* noon, looks like 3 or 4 pm on Saturday is best. As we missed out on some spots with a nice line attached because they opened as we left (and were stuffed!). I’m not sure about weekdays, though.
It’s not the easiest spot to get to with public transit, but it does have a parking lot for cars if that’s how you roll. I would suggest taking your bike on the metro or be prepared to walk at least 1 km, or figure out which bus might go near by as I did see one bus stop.
FOOD!
Ground Floor
My favorite was the fried chicken! OH SO GOOD. This is real fried chicken. The kind that you are so happy you are eating. I kind of forgot to share mine. It’s directly across from the bar and can order by the piece. They also have the hot chicken (spicy hot) which my friends seemed to really enjoy as well. I just don’t do spice.
Supu Food was so cool. The man was happy to let us taste the Zoutvlees «salted meat» before we ordered. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it was good! So we got a sandwich with the salted meat in a juice with green beans and topped with a pickle. Not usually my thing, but this guy knows what he’s doing because I thought it was great! He also has a few soups!
Surinamese Pasty is a my go! She not only has cakes and pastries from Suriname, but I believe she also had some from Indonesia. Doesn’t really matter where they are from because they are divine. And if you seen a green colored cake… eat it. So much deliciousness.
1^st floor (2^nd for Americans ;))
Good 4 Us – We started off with a strawberry/​banana smoothie made with yogurt. She has a nice variety of yummy things that you can’t go wrong. But what we thought was cool what that she wants to education the children about food. What a great idea! I think the importance of food education has slipped, so I’m happy to see one woman pushing that movement forward.
Chilli & Spice’s fish burger made with naan was next. It was made with tandoori spices and topped with mango chutney. I didn’t taste the mango but they flavor would have been great. But even without it, I was a very happy woman with my fish in naan.
Bara Man made traditional Bara. And if you aren’t familiar, it’s kind of a bread with spices and we got chicken curry inside. It gets mushy, but I like it! Add a little cucumber in your bite and perfection.
Lastly a super nice Armenian woman served us a pastry with cheese and spinach. I’m not a spinach fan, but it wasn’t bad. The pastry was absolutely perfect and what ever kind of cheese it was, was delicious. I still could have eaten the whole thing, regardless of the spinach.
I hope to be back soon to share the fried chicken with my husband, and to try some of the places that weren’t open when we arrived!

This review is solely on the food. I love the concept but the food can be better. Read on…
This is a cool place because there’s actually a diverse range of ethnic food, not just Thai, Indian, etc. It gets down to Albanian, African, etc. foods. When food courts advertise they are diverse, there is usually a smaller range of cuisines, but here, there is actually a lot.
I went with three friends and tried food from 4 – 5 stands. My favorites were the Kiwa pastry (one or two stands left of the Surinamese bara stand) and the Surinamese bara.
Everything else we had was ok or good, but not outstanding.
Vendors close down earlier than their hours so it’s a bit unpredictable to go on a Friday night to get the food you want, but there’s always McDonald’s lol.
So, the place is definitely a cool concept, but the food does not wow me enough to travel so far and to try it again. I would recommend going once to check it out and support the local community.