Food & Wine
Dining with a Capital D
FotografieThe Siren, Amsterdam
FotografieThe Siren, Amsterdam
A good dinner delights the palate. A truly good dinner engages all your senses. From Mediterranean allure and centuries-old family craft to Japanese bowls that have half Amsterdam queuing outside: these culinary spots transform eating out into something more than just an evening at the table.
Theater of Taste
In the private dining room of The Siren, Amsterdam's most expensively renovated and widely discussed restaurant, you find yourself effortlessly transported to Mediterranean surroundings through warm colours, theatrical details and flavours that seem smuggled straight from Southern Europe. While live music caresses your senses, you are seduced at table by the cuisine of executive chef Lein Schoe and head chef Michael Mulas. At the centre of the exuberant, almost baroque décor stands the siren herself, a monumental, bare figure who watches over the tables and does justice to the restaurant's name. Subtlety is not the point here, but spectacle certainly is. The menu is equally lavish: from Wagyu carpaccio and slow-cooked octopus to Caviar Calamarata, 25 grams of Beluga with bottarga, garlic and champagne sauce. At The Siren you do not get a meal, but an immersive experience. Everything is grand, seductive and over the top. And that is precisely the intention.
Family Craft on the IJsselmeer
At Volendamse Marinahaven lies Smit-Bokkum, not a trendy fish bar with Instagram filters, but a living monument to taste and tradition. Since 1856 the same family has smoked fish here according to a secret recipe passed down through six generations. In the authentic smokery, work is carried out with care every day. Jan Smit and his son Evert, masters of their craft, personally ensure the perfect final flavour. During high season the entire family is on hand, from filleting to finishing, from fire to finesse. In the atmospheric restaurant you taste that craftsmanship: from butter-soft eel to subtly smoked sea bass and mackerel, pure, delicate and exactly as it should be. Here come not only locals, but enthusiasts from home and abroad for a plate full of character. The baked IJsselmeer eel and the IJsselmeer stewed eel served upright in the pan are unmatched classics, and with the fried cod and coquilles Saint-Jacques with seasonal risotto you will lick your fingers. Tip: ask Jan for a tour of the smoking floor. His enthusiasm is contagious, his knowledge impressive and his eel unrivalled. Craftsmanship in five-star mode.
Smitbokkum.nl
Popi Ramen
The hardest table to book in Amsterdam? You will find it at Fuku Ramen. Since the rave reviews, all 9s and higher, this small spot at Amsterdams Ingogostraat 1 has quickly become a culinary hotspot. Fuku, Japanese for luck, is the brainchild of former De Kas chef Jakub Karczewski, who was determined to make the city's best ramen. Spoiler: he succeeded. We are still in the queue, but this gastronomic secret is well worth the wait.
Kazenband
Thirty cheeses. One conveyor belt. Endless flavour. At Kaasbar Amsterdam on Ferdinand Bolstraat 10, the finest Dutch cheeses pass by you on an elegant cheese train, straight from local farmers across the country. Taste Camem-Bert from the Achterhoek, Blauwe Bunker from Vlieland or the robust Skeapsrood from Waterland. Prefer the classics? Go for a cheese board or creamy cheese fondue, accompanied by a glass of wine or a cocktail. Cheese as the star of the show.
Refined metamorphosis
Michelin-starred restaurant Alma Fine Dining in Oisterwijk has undergone transformation. Fewer tables, more comfort, a larger team and an interior that feels both intimate and high-end. Chef-owner Wouter van Laarhoven is investing in the future and elevating the experience to a new level. On the first floor of the iconic De Swaen, taste, style and atmosphere converge. The new design, a collaboration between ZOUT Ontwerphuis, Novalis.O and leading brands such as Minotti, Giopato & Coombes and Borek, creates space and calm. Tables are more spacious, seating is enveloping, lighting is sculptural. In the entrance hall, a lamp several metres high floats as a light installation. The culinary theatre gains new ground with custom-made service furniture for tableside preparations and cocktail creations. Alma 2.0 is a place where luxury, refinement and hospitality merge. A restaurant where every detail matters. And where growth begins on the plate.
Jakarta's most famous satay in Amsterdam
After more than 50 years of culinary history in Indonesia, the legendary Sate House Senayan opened its doors in Europe in September 2025, in the heart of the Negen Straatjes in Amsterdam. This is location number 80 for the renowned Sarirasa Group, yet their very first flagship outside Asia. On the menu you will find the iconic Sate Ayam Ponorogo, slow-grilled and generously dressed with rich peanut sauce, as well as classics such as Soto Betawi, Ikan Pesmol and Tahu Telor, all prepared with the same dedication as in Jakarta. Consistency and tradition are paramount. Tip: opt for the tasting menu and let yourself be surprised by a parade of flavours. It does not get more authentic than this, and without needing to board a plane.
