There are few places in the center where less than four euros will get you a decent midday meal. Caldi e Fredi is one of those. Located on Spuistraat, near Dam Square, it is easy to miss from the outside, but the line of people on the sidewalk at lunchtime already betrays what goes on inside. No frills, no reservations, just fresh Italian food flying out the door.
All sandwiches cost a fixed price of about €4 each. That sounds like a joke in a city where a coffee with something small quickly costs a bill, but it's just right. Regulars like Roos and James Coenraad return there regularly, as does Atacan, who also knows how to find the place. The names on the menu are named after Italian places: the Madesimo is a sandwich with pesto and fresh cheese on ciabatta, the Venosa has stracchino-rucola cream as a topping, and the Cortona is especially recommended for those who stop by early in the morning.
The interior is small, as you expect from an Italian deli that doesn't want to be bigger than it needs to be. Freshly baked products fill the space with fragrance before you reach the counter at all. You can sit at a table, but most people pack up their order and continue eating on a bench near Dam Square or somewhere on the canals. The concept runs on simplicity: good ingredients, fixed prices, fast service. Consequently, the lines move remarkably smoothly for such a busy place.
The Spuistraat is not a tourist promenade, but a busy thoroughfare where Amsterdammers and visitors intersect. Caldi e Fredi fits right in: no bigger than necessary, no bells and whistles, but fresh daily. The stracchino-rucola cream on the Venosa sounds simple, but that's exactly why it works. Here, nothing needs to be more than it is.