Café-Restaurant Amsterdam

I went to Cafe Amsterdam during a business trip with my colleagues on a Sunday night in winter. It's a nice, quaint venue with good, friendly service. I ordered the mussels, which were okay but nothing to rave about. My friends ordered the duck and a side of fries. The atmosphere was pleasant, with an old hotel feel. Overall, it's a good place for beers and good company, but nothing particularly amazing.

This is when I wish Yelp allowed half-star ratings. I would be inclined to go with a 3.5 star rating. The location and ambiance - well, that is what everyone writes glowingly about in their reviews. The space is uber urban and super cool and inviting. Complete with old industrial equipment and ceiling riggings. The food . . . good, but not great. I guess the best description I have for the food is - unremarkable. It was a decent meal and we enjoyed the variety of offerings on the menu; however, the meal was not the sort of "I need to get back there" kind of dining experience. As for the service - I think the place is just so large - there must be one hundred tables - that it is easy for tables to get lost in the shuffle. We were one of those tables. We just got sort of forgotten. When the servers did present table-side, they were kind and attentive . . . but the times we actually saw our server were few and far between. One note, the servers for our table changed three times over our two hour dining time slot. This may have been the reason we got "lost." My take away - give Café-Restaurant Amsterdam a go. It is worth it. And, make certain you have a reservation - they are a very large dining space that is popular and the tables fill.

the interior was super cool. the food was eh. some items were hit or miss. reccomended items: tomato soup, pumpkin ravioli, vegan chocolate cake, and sticky toffee pudding. do not get items: burrata salad, lamb chops, or creme brulee. service was good but we had a total of like 3 servers the hour we were there.

If you are really hungry and thirsty, don't come here. After 15 minutes I went to bartender to ask for a glass of water. I may as well have asked for plutonium. He didn't have a glass and poured tap water into a bottle and handed me 2 glasses with his fingers in them. I did not understand their menu and my salmon sandwich was sashimi between 2 slices of bread (bread was good) Pat got a burger. She liked it. Took mercy on me and gave me half. I was already nauseous from the salmon. So I got sangria. How bad can that be? Bad if made freshly per order. They should have marinated the fruit instead of the salmon. Their food is probably regional and neither my American nor Italian palate can stand it. Then their is the waitstaff. Children that just smile and nod at you when you ask about their menu. I asked what exactly was "mama's meatball." She said "I don't know." At the end of the day, I should have gotten it. I am leaving thirsty, starved and 20 euros poor. Sigh

This was my favorite meal in Amsterdam! I had the vegetarian stamppotje. It was fantastic. My husband had the salmon over samphire greens, which were a vegetable we've never heard of before and fell so in love with. Additionally, we shared the burrata salad which was absolutely perfect, with cherry tomatoes cooked so well they melted in your mouth. Afterwards we shared a dessert that I can't remember what it was called, but loved it none the less. The ambiance was nice and relaxed, the service was fantastic and the food was the best we had on our entire honeymoon. Can't recommend enough!

Mediocre food presented in nice and elegant way. The only food you can go here for is the dessert. Would not go here if you want to enjoy a nice meal

Set in what seemed to be a large and bright old train station in Amsterdam, the café/restaurant Café-Restaurant Amsterdam serves you the warm ingredients used to make a confit de canard in a fashion that will nostalgically remind you of your middle school's cantina. I should also have guessed that this is a de facto self service place, given the big "Amsterdam" in the name of the restaurant. One star for the good herring, out of the six dishes we tried.

This is a real Amsterdam institution: great industrial setting, happy shiny personnel and nice food. One example: the gemberbolus (Jewish ginger bun). http://www.amsterdambitestodiefor.com/sweet/gimme-ginger/

I love this space, it's an old Pumping Station, 1897. Very huge and open. We had an amazing lunch here, bistro style. The Schnitzel was amazing as was the Tomato Basil Soup. Very nice and efficient staff. You can easily take the #10 tram from American Hotel area, 8 minutes. This restaurant also know as Cradam.

This place is close to a five-star restaurant, but unfortunately despite its best efforts is not the London spot it wishes it was. There are a good many things on the menu, but a lot of them seem pedestrian and put together in haste, poor plating and presentation- which of course does not effect taste, but makes things more fun. The real star of the show seems to be the seafood platter- which many people are talking about and posting pics of on here. Everything was fresh delicious and actually very well priced for this type of scene, which seems to not know what to do with itself as it grows up around us. A last note- the service we were provided was above and beyond. Interactive and fun, with great excitement about the job and restaurant. It is this type of service which ams so desperately needs. And will keep people coming back for more. End of novel.

So good! Went here yesterday after being super healthy with our meals but, to be honest very bored with home cooking. So date night on Thursday is what we earned with our daily exercise and healthy diet. We arrived for our 7 pm reservation on time and were seated promptly. The menu looked splendid, and we ordered for two people: - escargot - scallops - 800gr Cote de Boeuf - French fries (side dish) - mixed vegetables (side dish) - fried banana with almond ice cream - bottle of pinot noir I don't know what the total was, but every single bite was a pure luxury! The steak was fantastic, cooked to medium rare, the vegetables were bright and al dente! I couldn't decide what do I like more! All of this with a glass of red wine made me feel so appreciative of our healthy meals and cardio and resistance training! Seriously I have not enjoyed a fine dining meal as much as I did yesterday. To be honest, the French fries were a bit too much; we did not even touch them. And barely finished the steak. :) Jubilant place, I'd recommend it.

The room is four stars - the food is three stars. The food may have been a little disappointing because we were a group of 25 people. On the positive side, the room is large and airy. The service was good. The ribeye steak was tough - something you would encounter in a lower quality Dutch restaurant. The fish plates were better.

I was told, once, by a Dutch worker, that "there is no Dutch kitchen". I beg to differ. Dutch food is simple and old-fashioned - the equivalent of what you might find in a diner or caff in the UK or Ireland. But what's there is actually really nice, and it's a pleasure to have a modern-ish take. The resto is in an old pumping station, and it's a gorgeous setting. The thing here is seafood. Oysters: excellent. Dutch shrimps on toast: lovely. Salmon and swordfish: massive and delicious. At around €50 pp with wine and puddings - the Dutch aren't known for their pudding, but these are a notch above. Simple but good wine list, and it's a bit out of the way- but worth the trip.

OMG, seafood heaven. I found this place on yelp prior to our trip to Amsterdam, and we made a special trek out to go try it, and it was worth the extra walk. We got the regular seafood platter for 2, and it was amazing. 6 (or was it 8?) fresh briny oysters, 3 different types of small clams, razor clams, mussels, prawns, langoustines, king crab, stone crab, and half a lobster. My favorites were the stone crab (sweet and delicate) and the lobster (sweet and firm). We were fortunate to go on a day with beautiful sunshine and mild temperatures, so we were able to sit outside on the terrace, where we were able to enjoy the weather and our toddler was able to run around to his heart's content. No food poisoning is a bonus!!!

Quite surprised by the high rating as we were disappointed with their Fruit de Mar .. We were told that they put it in the freezer overnight and that is a norm. The flesh of the crab claw was brittle. Not what we expect for a high rated restaurant. Was told by the staff is because we were not used to it (being tourist) but it definitely tasted way better in other restaurants. Good news is their Grilled Sea bass was awesome.. That is all .

We are a couple from the U.S.A, and discovered this place by walking through neighborhoods. It is in suburbia Amsterdam, a great local 4 star dining restaurant. Great atmosphere, great food, makes you really feel like one of the locals. The environment is an open restaurant so it is loud, but not noisy if that's sense. Service could have been better, we were looked over several times by the service staff. Would definitely recommend a visit!

The seafood is very fresh and good, especially the lobsters. After the seafood I had some dessert, and the sticky toffee cake is the best one I have ever tasted!

Been coming here since it began. Its consistent, intelligent concept, unbelievably good service for Amsterdam. I love the artichoke served whole with a mustard dipping sauce. Their dishes are all pretty good though i'd skip a risotto here. Their deserts are really good: gember bollus, sticky toffee, etc. Interior is amazing, prices reasonable for dinner. It's big and noisy. I like that but it's not really intimate if that what you want. Coffee isn't great.

Unexpected location in a residential area. Several tables outside for lunch. The restaurant offers snacks as well as some larger dish. We were there with 5 friends and we all had brunch style dishes. Burger was below average. Sandwiches were ok but nothing to special. Orange juice mixed with water ? Overall positive but food could be slightly more refined. Prices remain very affordable.

Not too long ago, I ventured into the West to celebrate my friend's birthday at Cafe Restaurant Amsterdam. The place that I have heard quite a bit about has been open for a while, so I expected them to be quite 'warmed-up', with the basic affairs in order. The restaurant is located in an old factory building (including a massive waterpump inside the restaurant). Which is pretty cool. So points for that! I am not sure if it was the size of our group, but some things did go wrong. While I can appreciate the difficulties with serving such a big table, I do not have much appreciation for the payment situation we experienced at the end of the evening. Once the dinner was over, to make things easier, everyone looked at the bill, and noted what items they consumed and the total price. To me, this seems to be a very efficient ways as: 1) you do not end up being stuck with an 'unclaimed' item, and 2) you can tell the waiting staff the amount, or items which you consumed, whichever they prefer. Thus, everything is efficient, and everyone is happy. Nonetheless, it did not go as smoothly as expected. We were informed, in a rather rigid way that we can only pay by card or cash. As a table. Which made absolutely no sense. Moreover, if you do have such a measure, it would be handier to announce it prior to the evening, so people can take out cash, or ensure to have their cards with them. Anyways - that was a weird ending to an otherwise quite nice evening. As to the food now: One of the combinations I truly enjoy in the wintery months of the year is a starter of oysters, followed by a steak tartare as a main. So I ordered that combo. Disappointingly, the oysters were not shucked properly. First of all, most of them looked butchered, some of them had shell pieces inside, and all of them were still connected to the cup (bottom shell). To be honest, this kind of shucking can be expected from a inexperienced home shucker, or from a shucker at a house dinner party where the alcohol is flowing generously. I do not expect it to be a product of a professional in a restaurant. The same way I am a bit angry at myself for opening an oyster the incorrect way, I also hold the professional to a higher standard when handling a delicate creature such as the oyster. As to the steak tartare, while the quality of the meat was good, I have a different philosophy as to how it should be served. I simply do not believe, and cannot accept, that a do-it-yourself at the table steak tartare should cost 18 euro. Visually, I found the presentation to be super basic; Minced meet in the middle surrounded by little piles of the other ingredients, and a bottle of Tabasco, Worcestershire and a tube of mustard placed in front of me. I mean, I love cooking, and preparing food, but if I go to a restaurant I expect to be able to eat around the same time as the rest of the people at the table, and not spend 15 minutes preparing my food. Unless, of course, that is the point of the evening and it is a social activity for the whole table; Which was not the case. The green salad that came as a side to all dishes was ok. Nothing special, something in the dressing was a bit off balance, but the greens had a very nice crunch. The best part of my steak tartare were the fries and the mayo, which were really good. Crispy, not soggy, yum! But then again, I ordered a steak tartare ;) So, as I often say when my experience has been subpar - Maybe next time.

Amazing place---amazing food! Well worth the 30 minute walk west of centrum....in the area near Westpark and the water tower. In an amazing old refurbished building. Food and service are superb!

This place is great! the snails, are great! the steaks, are great! the sea food, is great! the staff, is great! the desert menu, HAS 25 DESERTS ON IT!!!!! (so it's great!) so, here goes! the Place, situated in an old pump house, which used to pump water from the polders to the upper lands. (or something like that, the huge engine is still there!) Due to the very high ceilings, it is a very echo-y place, so too bad if there are loud kids present, you will be hearing them all evening. But the place has it's charme non the less, it loks a bit posh, but don't let that fool you. The staff is very relaxed and all walks of like frequent this place! The Terrace, as they don't take reservations for the terrace, you are smart to arrive early-ish. they have limited space outside, but it is very nice along a bit of water and it's quite quiet, so that to me is an added bonus. This is where you can smoke during the summer, in the winter you are to take your smelly self to the front door. The Food, prodominantly French. everything is good, and trust me, I have tried every-single-thing on their menu! even the egg n mayo, is super tasty. I seriously encourage you to try the sweetbread....you will climax, I promise. The one things I din't like is the basket of bread with beurre blanc, gimme garlic, or go away! And the schelvis lever, was just not my thing, but that is a matter of taste. Garlic should be in my butter, always, fact. The deserts are superb! I still have dream of going to this place and just ordering all the deserts. I have done the math, and this would run me up to €155,50- So, if anyone is up for the challenge to share 25 deserts and the check, game on!! But I drink more than I eat... for groups they special menus, groups start at 12 pax. So you'll have to make reservation and you can check the menus at cradam.nl (caferestaurantamsterdam.nl would make more sense, but people are lazy) The Wines, they have so many wines on the list you will have a field day! the open Sauv Blanc is very likeable, at €28.- for 1L you will crank up that check, for sure. but it's tasty and we like tasty stuffs, so why not? they have cheaper options, but this one I like. And I have not really tried any others, that I can recall. (which may or may not have something to do with it...) The Staff, very knowledgeable about the menu, and the wines. They are quick and friendly. Always leave a 20% tip, ya stindger....they cover miles in this place!

We had an okay experience at this spot. The waitstaff was nice and the interior is really cool--it's an old factory--and the ambiance itself is pretty much worth the trip. The food, however, was just okay. My dining partners felt like it was pretty boring to be honest. There are options like steak frites, potato pancakes, and fish soup on the menu. It's all okay, but it's food that "needs to be sauced." Just pretty simple stuff. Regardless, it's a pretty fun experience and is fairly affordable, so if you're looking for a unique dining experience (and food that's fairly tasty) this is a good spot for you.

We went yesterday for diner @ cafe restaurant amsterdam. 6.30 was our reservation. We asked to have our first Drink outside and then diner inside. Which seemed to be a difficulty . We made our order, with a waiter not very into it. Then we got said that we had to get immediately inside cause the service is quick. Which we did, the food came 45mins later. Ahaha. Then a long time before main course. I mean it is a huge place they were big groups also, ... but you need to take the effective for that so. And then they brought the main course for 4 and serve it to the table behind where 11 people were sitting so really weird cause they all could not eat at the same time and we had to wait longer. Then we got 7 bowls of fries to compensate! haha I mean the food is nice but service was not. Food and service go together to male it a good restaurant! Merci

Cool building, nice no thrills food. Great wines too. We especially love their seafood. We're fans of their king crab legs! Nothing creative, but really decent. Nice staff.

Great place. A giant hangar filled with people enjoying great food, a well picked and affordable wine list, and the odd bits of mid-last-century machinery festooned with hooks. Which brings to mind the excellent fruits de mer. Good for groups, kids, parties, crowds, and (centrist) social movements.

Food is always good and great for big groups

A beautiful place for food lovers...if you love meet you'll love the black angus, seafood is great too!! Friendly service

None of us were blown away. Rode the #10 out of the hot spots areas to try something new we had heard about. Food was fine, but nothing I would write home about. Steak and fries were dry, chicken had hardly any meat but what there was tasty, salmon would have fed a toddler, and risotto was just ok. Service was great up until we wanted to leave. Then I mentioned to my wife that I had not seen our waiter for 10-15 minutes. We kept an eye out but he never came back. Finally I cued the staff from the next table that I wanted our waiter to pay, and instead of helping he said we could just grab anyone to get help. To which I wanted to say "hey, I just grabbed you" but instead waited for him to say "like her over there", to which I said "why don't you just grab her for me".....ugh. She helped and we were on our way. When sitting down to write this review, I am going through all the restaurants from our visit to Amsterdam and I had to ask my wife just now "do you remember where we ate Friday?", both of us sat and had to think....that was just two days ago and it took us both a minute to remember this place.....enough said.