Tho Vietnamese Street Food is a halal Vietnamese snack stall at Ten Katemarkt in Amsterdam-West. It’s best known for fried loempia’s filled with chicken or vegetables. The stall trades on market days, Monday to Saturday, and serves takeaway only. You might also see it listed as Tho Vietnamese streetfood or Tho Vietnamese Loempia’s.
Tho at a glance
| Detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| What it is | A Vietnamese street-food stall on an open-air market, not an indoor restaurant |
| Where | Ten Katemarkt, Ten Katestraat, Kinkerbuurt, Oud-West. Yelp lists Ten Katestraat 99a, 1053 CC Amsterdam. |
| Days | Monday to Saturday. Closed on Sundays and public holidays, like the market. |
| Hours | The market runs 09:00 to 18:00. The stall’s own closing time isn’t confirmed, and one listing gives 17:00. |
| Known for | Loempia’s with a chicken or vegetarian filling |
| Also sells | Noodle soup, bapao and pasteitjes |
| Halal | Yes, according to the market’s vendor listing |
| Seating | None on the market itself |
| Nearest tram | Nicolaas Beetsstraat, trams 7 and 17, about 200 m away |
What to order at Tho
Loempia’s are Tho’s specialty. The Dutch word loempia means a fried spring roll, and Tho fills them with either chicken or vegetables. In 2019, local paper De Westkrant used Tho’s “loempiahonk” (loempia spot) as a landmark for the cluster of Asian food stalls in the middle of the market.
Beyond loempia’s, the market’s vendor listing mentions noodle soup, bapao and pasteitjes. Bapao is the Dutch name for a steamed filled bun, while pasteitjes are small filled pastries. The listing doesn’t say what fillings they use, so ask at the counter if you’re avoiding particular ingredients.
There aren’t many online reviews, but the ones you’ll find are loyal. On Tho’s Yelp listing, a Kinkerbuurt local called them the best loempia’s in town in 2014 and said he’d been coming for years. A visitor from Seattle said much the same in 2017, adding that everything is halal. Both reviews are several years old, so they speak more to the stall’s long-standing reputation than to its current offering.
When to go
Tho follows the market’s rhythm. Weekday mornings are usually quiet, while locals queue at the food stalls around lunchtime, from about 12:00 to 14:00. Saturday is easily the busiest day. Traders start packing up around 17:00, so if you arrive late, the stall may already be closed.
Fridays and Saturdays have historically brought extra food vendors to the market, making them good days to try a few stalls in one visit. The stalls have covers for wet weather, but you’ll still be eating outdoors. Pick up your loempia’s and take them inside to De Hallen if you’d rather stay dry.
How to get there
- By tram: take tram 7 or 17 to Nicolaas Beetsstraat on the Kinkerstraat, then walk about 200 m into the Ten Katestraat. Tram 17 runs direct from Amsterdam Centraal.
- On foot: about 15 minutes from Leidseplein, or about 25 minutes from Dam Square.
- By bike: the market street is pedestrian-only during trading hours, so lock up on a side street.
- Old guides: the Ten Katestraat tram stop was replaced by Nicolaas Beetsstraat in March 2023, and Rembrandtplein is on the other side of the city centre.
Some market stalls take cards, others don’t. It hasn’t been confirmed whether Tho does, so bring a little cash just in case.
Make a longer stop of it
A few loempia’s won’t take long, so you might as well explore nearby. Our Ten Katemarkt guide covers the rest of the market, from cheese and bread stalls to other street food. Right beside the market, the Hannie Dankbaarpassage leads into De Hallen, a former tram depot that now houses a cinema, a public library and Foodhallen. This indoor food hall has shared seating and opens daily from 12:00 to 23:00. It also has a Vietnamese stand, Vietview, making it an easy Sunday fallback or a good option if you’d rather sit down.
Frequently asked questions
Is Tho Vietnamese Street Food open on Sunday?
No. Tho trades on the Ten Katemarkt, which runs Monday to Saturday and closes on Sundays and public holidays. On a Sunday, Foodhallen in De Hallen next door opens at 12:00 and has its own Vietnamese stand, Vietview.
Is the food at Tho halal?
Yes. The Ten Katemarkt vendor listing says all of Tho’s products are halal. If certification matters to you, ask at the stall.
Does Tho sell vegetarian loempia’s?
Yes. You can choose between chicken and a vegetarian filling. The fillings of Tho’s other items aren’t listed, so ask before ordering.
Where can you sit down to eat food from Tho?
There’s no seating on the market. Most people eat standing up or walk through the Hannie Dankbaarpassage into De Hallen, which is right beside the market.
