Piadina Bar

Last Saturday, Amsterdamers put their shorts and T-shirts on and took over the city – with 27°C outside, it felt like a proper summer day. Hayden and I enjoyed it by visiting the Moco Musem, and bar hopping through De Pijp (ok, mainly bar hopping). Our day ended at the Piadina Bar, a small place that brings a piece of Italy to Amsterdam – a really tasty piece. The bar was celebrating their 3 year anniversary with a small party, good music, free bites and of course their authentic specialty, the piadinas.

First things first – sooo, what’s a piadina?

A piadina is a folded flatbread, filled with all kinds of fresh Italian goodies – veggies, meats, cheeses, pesto, spreads – the list can go on and on. It’s colorful, light (so more appropriate for lunch or a snack), and delicious. It comes from the Emilia-Romagna region, Northern Italy.

The flatbread is served warm, while the ingredients inside are mainly cold (at least the ones I tried?). It’s crispy but not crumbly, it’s got a very nice consistency, and should be cooked with all natural ingredients.

I’ve had the Golosa, a special recommended by the chef – it had Praga ham, buffalo mozzarella, pesto and sliced tomatoes. It was really tasty and I liked the consistency – with the flatbread being crunchy, the mozzarella and tomatoes added well, making it tender and juicy.

I wanted to stick with basic, classic ingredients, as this was my second piadina experience and I’m still learning. If you want to go a bit crazy though, the menu offers plenty of options, vegetarian as well. There’s even one with black truffle!

My Italian friend however can safely confirm that the piadinas here are “legit”. She had the Mortadella, which contains a cold cut (slightly spicy, they say), pistachio pesto and mixed salad. She recalls the piadinas she had back in Italy tasting very similar to this one.

We all ended up enjoying a couple of hours at the Piadina Bar, sharing bites, piadinas and who knows how many Aperol Spritz. I’ve heard a lot of Italian around me, which is always a good sign when looking for the real deal. I liked the vibe, the people and the food.

Head there for a light, healthy lunch – it’s cheaper than most places around, and you can certainly find something for your liking in their menu.

Note – I was not charged for my piadina order.

Value for money: 9

Food Quality: 8

Location: 8 (Stadhouderskade 82A)

Service: 8

Website: http://piadinabar.nl/

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