Albert Cuyp Market

The market has run the length of Albert Cuypstraat since the early twentieth century and it is a working street market rather than a food hall, which is the whole difference. The stalls sell what a dense neighbourhood actually buys: fish and fried fish, cheese cut off the wheel, vegetables in bulk, olives, socks, phone cases, fabric by the metre, flowers. Threaded through them are the ones visitors queue at, chiefly the stroopwafel griddles turning out warm waffles and the herring carts. De Pijp around it is a tight nineteenth-century grid with Surinamese, Turkish and Indonesian kitchens on almost every corner.

What you actually see

• The stroopwafel griddle - waffles split and filled with syrup in front of you.
• The fish stalls - herring, kibbeling and smoked eel sold to eat standing up.
• The Surinamese counters - roti, bara and pom, sold to take away.
• The other half - fabric, hardware and cheap clothing, which is most of the street.

When to go

Monday to Saturday, roughly nine to five, and closed on Sunday, which catches a lot of people out. Mornings are for shopping and early afternoon is the crush. Heavy rain thins the stalls out noticeably. Come hungry rather than planning a sit-down meal, because there is almost nowhere on the street to sit.

Honest expectations

The stalls facing visitors do not charge neighbourhood prices, and the gap is obvious once you compare. A large share of the market is cheap clothing and phone accessories with no interest at all. The street is narrow, and prams and delivery vans jam it solid. Some traders are brisk to the point of rudeness if you dither.

Nearby

De Pijp's kitchens surround it; the Rijksmuseum end of town is fifteen minutes on foot.