Susan C.
Yelp
Winkel 43 is the poster child for modern day marketing success--they've managed to land on every food blog, IG/TikTok/youtube travel and tourist page about Amsterdam; they're written up everywhere. To avoid FOMO, I found myself here at 10am on a Saturday morning, because I wasn't going to let long lines come between me and trying out their famous apple pie--so pie for breakfast it was! Better to eat those carbs in the morning and burn them off during the day right? (big wink)
Good thing I arrived early because on a chilly Saturday, the Noordermarkt (the weekly farmers market located immediately outside this restaurant) was gearing up to full swing and tourists aplenty were flocking from all directions towards Winkel. There were 3 parties in front of me, and I waited for 10 minutes to order at the front counter. Both pie and tea were ready within a few minutes since with a limited menu on market Saturdays (morning thru afternoon), they keep a flow of pie slices ready in the wings ready to serve. Staff was courteous and efficient, they're clearly used to managing the routine chaos of busy days.
For seating there are a couple dozen seats inside at communal tables or smaller cafe tables for 2-4. Outside seating in the form of picnic table and benches are available for about 20-25 though depending on the weather you may not want to linger. I was lucky enough to grab a seat next to a back window when another patron left, long enough to consume pie and tea.
Verdict? Their Dutch style apple pie was indeed very good, meaty chunks of apple, not too strong on the warming spices, a balanced, sweetened short crust with just the right amount of sugar to give it a caramelized color and flavor. You can opt for with whipped cream (extra €0.90), or without (€5.10 for a plain slice). The serving is pretty large and decently filling, and I recommend it with the whipped cream, which added a little moisture and creaminess. Was it the best apple pie I've ever had? Questionable since there are so many versions out there, though I can say this was among the top. The crust had almost a cookie texture that was really unique, prob one of my top three pie crusts ever. The ginger tea (€2.90? I can't recall) w/fresh slab of ginger was a nice soothing hot drink (unsweetened) for a cold morning.
Why 4 stars only? I can't say if this was an off-day, but when I went to use the restroom (two rooms downstairs down a very narrow and steep staircase), I walked in, washed my hands, and walked right back out. The odor in there was so foul it smelled of sewage leaking, even though I could not visibly see anything super dirty. Either way, I couldn't stand it more than 15 seconds, and I'm not usually squeamish about this type of stuff...but it was so extraordinarily overwhelming I felt like I would be ill. Ugh I hope it was an off day, and someone just had a bad time before I walked in.
EDIT: reading other reviews apparently the bathroom is an issue for more than a few people so downgrading my review to 3 stars bc that's not ok...this needs to be handled better in a food establishment!
Hours are:
Mon: 7am-1am
Tues-Thurs: 8am-1am
Fri: 8am-1am
Sat: 8am-2am
Sun: 9am-1am
For more info:
winkel43.nl