about us
The founders of hungry birds
HUNGRY BIRDS BEGAN ITS FAMOUS AMSTERDAM STREET FOOD TOURS IN 2013. IT WAS FOUNDED BY ZOSIA KONIECZNA AND ESTHER-HANNA VAN DER MEER
street Food Tours in Amsterdam for over 10 years
How we met and started Hungry Birds
Zosia and Esther-Hanna crossed paths in 2012. First briefly in Amsterdam and later for two days in North-Sulawesi (Indonesia).
During their short conversation while waiting for a mutual friend at the cinema (thank you Lotus for being late 😉 ), they quickly discovered that they had quite a few things in common. Both just graduated in Tourism Management and both were going to be in North-Sulawesi around the same time. Esther-Hanna got so excited that she invited Zosia to stay with her family and introduce her to some of the local homemade food.
When the time arrived they shared their stories and connected over home-cooked dishes made by Esther-Hanna’s family. From delicious Saté to fresh seafood and tropical fruits. It soon felt like they have been friends for a long time.
The thrill of tasting new foods together with the warmth of the family atmosphere turned out to be key ingredients in making Zosia and her partner Lennart feel right at home.
After their trip to Indonesia, Zosia and Lennart headed to Vietnam where Zosia joined her very first street food tour. Saddled at the back of a trusty scooter and guided by a local, they zig-zagged through the lively streets of Ho Chi Minh, feasting on local delicacies.
That experience inspired Zosia to dream about starting a street food adventure for like-minded travellers who are curious about Amsterdam’s street food and daily culture. That’s when it clicked and she remembered her new friend Esther-Hanna who gave her a taste of ‘home’ away from home in Indonesia.
So on a sunny morning in July 2013 the company Hungry Birds Street Food Tours spread it’s wings and received their first hungry guests. It has been almost a decade since the Hungry Birds journey began. By now they have fed thousands of travellers from around the world with lots of food & love. A dream that came true. And for that they are still very grateful to this day. The story continues and hopefully there are many more happy Hungry Birds years ahead.
In 2022 we embarked on the journey of becoming and a more sustainable street food tour company. Through the support of the Tourban Acceleration Programme we aimed at becoming a certified sustainable tour company. We see this as a starting point to further grow our knowledge and expertise about how to run a responsible food tour company.
Great Food. Amazing Tours. Lovely Guides
Meet The Owner
Esther-Hanna
Esther-Hanna was born and raised in between two cultures (Dutch and Indonesian) in a small Frisian town in the north of the Netherlands. Her mother and grandmother were the ones who taught her the beautiful love language of food in order to connect people.
She decided to study International Tourism Management because of her curiosity about the world. This decision led her to do part of her studies in Bangkok and Bali, as well as an internship in London.
After she finished her studies, she moved to Amsterdam in 2012 because she fell in love with the international and intimate character of the city. Somehow she knew Amsterdam was the next step in the pursuit of her dreams.
