The One Restaurant You Must Visit in Amsterdam: Restaurant De Kas

Amsterdam’s food scene is completely underrated. People rave about the incredible cuisine in cities like Paris and Tokyo, but you rarely hear the same praise for Amsterdam. After spending four days in this beautiful city, I became increasingly aware of this.

Since food is such a big part of both of our lives, Travis and I spend a good amount of time (okay, a lot of time) researching restaurants before each city we visit. After reading about Restaurant De Kas’s farm-to-table concept, it quickly became the first restaurant I wanted to try in Amsterdam.

The restaurant is attached to a greenhouse, where the staff grows a variety of lettuce and herbs. These are picked fresh every day and used in their daily fixed menus. Since the nursery isn’t large enough to grow everything needed, the chefs source additional produce from local farms.

The restaurant opened in 2001, and at the time there were very few restaurants placing such a strong emphasis on “farm-to-table” dining.

The lobby connects the greenhouse to the main dining room. As soon as we walked in, we were mesmerized by the gorgeous natural light coming in through the floor-to-ceiling glass panels.

We visited on a rainy, cloudy day and it was beautiful, so I can’t imagine how amazing it looks when the sun is shining.

The decor is clean, light, and airy. I wanted to pack up all of the tableware and bring it home with me. (Seriously, I was flipping over all of it to look for brand names…).

De Kas creates one daily fixed menu. The daily lunch menu consists of two courses for 39 Euros, and the dinner menu includes three courses for 49.50 Euros. You also have the option to supplement your meal with wine pairings. For the portion size, quality of ingredients and level of service you receive at De Kas, I believe these prices are extremely fair.

We visited for lunch, so we had the two-course fixed menu, which included three small starters and a main course (so it really felt like a four-course meal!). We also opted for the wine pairing, which I highly recommend you do.

The chef will do his best to accommodate for any food allergies you have, and if you are vegetarian he can also make a special menu for you. Travis and I do not eat pork and I am allergic to quinoa. Luckily for us, there was no pork on the menu that day, and the kitchen was easily able to leave out the quinoa from one of the dishes.

Before our meal, our server brought us freshly-made sourdough bread, green olives, and roasted, seasoned celeriac (celery root). I love celeriac, so this unusual preparation was a real treat for me.

I could go on and on about how delicious our meal was, but I thought I would let the photos show you instead.

First starter: Beetroot soup with duck, yogurt and quinoa

Second starter: Baked haddock with brussels sprouts and sweet and salty onions

Third starter (to share): Chicory tart with blood oranges and fresh herbs

Main course: Brill fish with little gem lettuce, potato gratin, chanterelle mushrooms, and carrot purée

Our main course was paired with a delicious Spanish Rioja. Other Riojas I have tried would be much too tannic and bold with white fish, but this wine was medium-bodied, and the perfect accompaniment to the brill fish.

Since we had an afternoon of sightseeing ahead of us, I ordered an espresso at the end of the meal. To my delight, it arrived with a small plate of bite-sized treats, which were just the right amount of sweetness I needed after a savory meal.

There isn’t enough praise in the world that would do our meal at Restaurant De Kas justice. We loved everything from the creative (but approachable) food preparations to the beautiful interior design.

And this review would be incomplete without mentioning the fantastic service. Our server, Benjamin, spoke perfect English and was very knowledgeable about the restaurant, its history, and each ingredient used in that day’s menu. Each course was paced perfectly, and we never felt rushed. In fact, we ended up having a two and a half hour lunch, but didn’t realize until we checked our phones upon leaving the restaurant.

If you are looking for a unique dining experience and appreciate farm-to-table cuisine, Restaurant De Kas is the one restaurant you must visit in Amsterdam. As we walked back to our hotel, Travis and I joked about stopping through Amsterdam at the end of our trip just so we can have another meal there!

 

 

I received a complimentary meal at Restaurant De Kas in exchange for an honest review. All opinions, photos and comments are my own. I absolutely loved my meal at Restaurant De Kas and highly recommend it to anyone visiting Amsterdam.