Walk along the Zeedijk, between Central Station and the Nieuwmarkt, and at number 99 you pass a narrow shop with a counter full of meat. The window has said it for decades: het kleine slagertje, the little butcher. This is Slagerij Vet, and this is where you get the broodje Zeedijk.
The little butcher
The shop was founded in the 1950s by grandfather Vet, a man who was not especially tall. That is how the shop got its nickname, which still adorns the window. It became a true family business: his sons took over, and today the fourth generation stands behind the counter. All that time it remained an ordinary neighbourhood butcher, with meatballs, ossenworst, chops and fresh ready meals.
Meanwhile the Zeedijk changed a great deal around it. It is one of the oldest streets in the city, once a real dyke against the water of the IJ. In the 1970s and 1980s it had a bad name; afterwards it recovered and became the heart of Amsterdam's Chinatown. The little butcher simply stayed put.
The sandwich
At some point the shop started selling sandwiches, so customers could taste its meat as a lunch. It was an instant hit. The best known became the broodje Zeedijk: a crusty white roll, sometimes still warm, with lettuce, crispy bacon and chicken smoked in the shop itself. And then the sauce.
The police sandwich
The sandwich has a nickname too. Police officers in the city centre pick it up so often that locally it is also called the police sandwich. A former officer even wrote about it: of all the snacks in the city centre, this one was simply unbeatable.
Want to try it yourself? Slagerij Vet is at Zeedijk 99 and is open Monday to Saturday from half past seven in the morning. It is closed on Sundays. It can be busy at lunchtime, so take your time, and grab a few extra napkins.
More about this area? Read why some street names around the Nieuwmarkt are also in Chinese.
- 01The window of Slagerij Vet has carried the nickname for decades: het kleine slagertje, the little butcher.
- 02The chicken on the broodje Zeedijk is smoked in the shop itself.
- 03The Zeedijk sauce is a sweet and spicy curry mayonnaise whose recipe stays in the family.
- 04Since the partnership with Oliehoorn you can also buy the Zeedijk sauce in a bottle.
- 05Because police officers buy it so often, the sandwich is also known locally as the police sandwich.
