Adrienne L.

Daalder restaurant excels at accessible fine dining. Located in the charming Jordaan neighborhood of Amsterdam, the space feels welcoming with understated elegance. A marble top bar is the focal point of the small dining room, a throwback to the prior iteration of the space. A diner could easily walk in for lunch and enjoy the tasting menu at the bar. Chef Dennis Huwaë executes his vision of a relaxed, yet elevated experience with a flexible modern tasting menu. The layered flavors and presentation reflect his strong background cooking in many two Michelin starred kitchens. Daadler offers the five or seven-course menu at lunch, or the option of a shorter menu. I went with five courses, and they let me substitute the langoustine supplement with a small surcharge. A glass of dry Cremant d'Alsace, with soft bubbles went well with the seafood focused meal. I appreciated the presentation of the amuse bouches, which were in line with the quietly refined ethos of the restaurant. A salmon meringue bite was a play on nigiri. The Daadler fish and chips looked nothing like the traditional English dish but rather a tangy bite of salted cod salad on an airy potato cracker. My favorite was a spoon that held a delicately crisp blackberry cracker, filled with tuna, radish, and creme fraiche. A flavor burst that tasted almost Thai to me. The first course was a chilled Spanish aji blanco soup topped with cobia, cold tofu sorbet, and contrasted with crunchy green apple and cucumber. I enjoyed the refreshing dish which was both bright with hints of dark umami, though the fish had some stringy parts. Next was a creamy and runny egg, green asparagus, and morel dish that was satisfying to mix together. The morels were over seasoned, but the fresh asparagus worked to offset the sodium. The croutons were too hard for my taste. Following this was turbot with razor clams in a tangy mustard sauce, with tarragon and a pop of lemon gel. This dish was perfectly balanced. The five-course menu came with one dessert. I was pretty satisfied, though I regret not asking for their take on the classic stroopwafel as an add-on! The white corn dessert was beautiful. Shaped like an actual ear of corn, the coconut ice cream was very subtle in flavor and just a little icy. I wanted stronger popcorn flavor as well, but I did like the bergamot gel accents. Overall I enjoyed the leisurely-paced lunch at Daadler, with five courses spread out over two hours. Small missteps like hard butter and stringy fish were easily forgotten with the wonderful flavors, textures, and presentation. Service was very good as well.

Jonathan C.

Probably the best meal that I had in Amsterdam. Had the 7 course meal with half glass wine pairing. The evening started with essentially 5 different amuse bouches. Highlights of the evening were the seafood courses. The lobster and fish were well prepared and nicely seasoned. I would have preferred less foam on the dishes, but that is my own preferences. The lamb and tenderloin were well cooked, but didn't necessarily have the wow factor. The white corn dessert was one of my favorite desserts that I've had. The corn was actually yogurt and was very refreshing. I actually preferred that dessert over his signature Stroopwafel one. The wine pairing was excellent and each one was quite unique and paired well with the dish. They are also very generous with the pours. One criticism that I have is that service can be on the slower side, but that tends to be the case everywhere in Amsterdam. Our meal took almost 3.5 hours despite being one of the first to be served in the restaurant. Coming from the Bay Area, the prices were fantastic!

Kelsey B.

Double Michelin stars so well deserved. Absolutely incredible dining experience. The 7 course wine pairing was seriously one of the top (and booziest) meals of my life. The service was impeccable and so thoughtful. Also the restaurant itself is very low-key and understated, allowing all of one's attention to be placed on the food itself. The 7 courses included amuse, cobia, langoustine, cod, sweetbread, tenderloin, cheese, corn, and stroopwafel for dessert. I think the creative amuse were the best - 3 to 4 tiny delicacies that set the flavour profile for the meal. I'd recommend booking in advance, especially during the peak Amsterdam tourist season. Also buckle up for a long night - our dinner lasted about 5 hours so I wouldn't plan anything too extensive other than dinner. You'll certainly be full afterwards. No children recommended, keep parties small.

Flora H.

What a wonderful surprise Daalder was! We showed up without reservations (having no idea this was such a fancy place - not sure why it's categorized as a "diner" on yelp - they have white tablecloths) and they were able to seat us at the bar, which was lovely and perfect for two people. It is a prix fix here - starting with 4 courses for around 50 EUR and going up to 7 courses for around 80 EUR. No menus - they ask you if there's anything that you don't eat and go from there. There's also a wine pairing, but we opted just to have a glass each instead. They have limited wines by the glass on the menu, but let me select a glass from the open bottles that were being used for the pairing. My expectations were low, as Amsterdam just isn't generally known for it's food scene and i had just come from Copenhagen which is known for it's food scene, and we had just randomly selected it off of yelp before walking over. Well, I was completely blown away by how good everything was and tempted to change my opinion of the Amsterdam food scene.. but perhaps I just got lucky because my friend who lives in Amsterdam was also shocked how good it was. Four courses was more than enough, as they also give you an amuse bouche and bread with butter / olive oil. Everything we had from the amuse bouche all the way to the dessert was not just interesting, but also extremely flavorful and delicious. The perfect combination and what makes a restaurant really stand out in my mind. Every bite was truly a treat. Our four courses consisted of ahi tuna, gnocchi, duck, and ice cream. They rattled off so many ingredients for each course that I couldn't even pretend to remember what they all were, but I can tell you that each dish was very complex and the combination of ingredients just worked in the best possible way. I can't imagine being able to eat more than four courses as it was a considerable amount of food, but at the same time I'd love to be able to taste seven courses as each course was amazing.

Brenda M.

You MUST come here if you are ever in Amsterdam. By far the best meal I had in the Netherlands! The 7 course meal was worth every Euro. Every course delicious, creative, and so well presented. We sat at the bar and enjoyed conversation with all the staff. The drinks were surprisingly reasonably priced. We left satiated and very happy with our meal and overall experience. If you are a foodie, you will love Daalder.

S T.

While we have enjoyed a number of Michelin 1,2 & 3 star restaurants, Chef Denis Huwaë and his staff at Daalder really impress, with friendly, relaxed service, and food that is the very definition of culinary creativeness, with precise and complex flavor combinations, and presentations that surprised and delighted our eyes and tongues. If living in or near Amsterdam, indulge yourself with this very personalized experience. If visiting from abroad, make this a "must do" and it will be the highlight of your trip.

Tanya A.

Loved the food and the asian influences in the flavor. Beautiful presentation. As an American, I found the service to be slow, but realized that this is a common thing in Amsterdam, as everything does not always have to be a rush. Overall, we had a great meal and I recommend this restaurant to those who are foodies and want something good while visiting Amsterdam.

Chris T.

Review summary: Somewhat pricey but does deliver a lovely culinary experience with modern European style flavors. Overall 4/5 due to a couple of dishes that missed the mark (see below) but don't regret going at all! Went with my wife we decided to do the five course tasting as we had just landed in Amsterdam earlier that day The meal started with a selection of amuse many pictures on yelp already of their signature Meranger sashimi which did had a very interesting Weston to standard Japanese cuisine very unexpected but not unpleasant. The cougere had a fantastic stuffing inside but sadly was cold which made it not so successful. There was an additional amuse which was a play in curries salted bonito but presented with creme fraiche and curry ice cream- absolutely phenomenal very well executed dish! First course of the night was a tuna tartare mixed with kimchi and red beets cabbage very well executed and very tasty once again Asian spice overtones excel with the cuisine. 4/5 Second course was a very traditional scallop dish prepared in a French style with beure blanc and cauliflower. The scallop was perfectly executed (although only seared on one side). 3/5 The third Course was a so lasagna build using celery root thin slices that had been blanched and a vegetable base lasagna with some Parm foam although the dish worked well, the focus was slightly too much on the technique and as such the flavor profile seem to lack salt. 3/5 The last dish was by far the best evening with every component having a raison d'etre! It was a thin sliced wagyu beef served with crispy seared onion liver mouse and potato purée - but the star of the dish was the amazing pan sauce!!! 5/5! The restaurant was rated by Michelin guide 2015 and 2017

Dunant H.

I came to Daalder as my choice for fine dining in Amsterdam and it was quite the experience. My group decided to go with the 7-course chef's tasting menu. We had made reservations ahead of time and wondered if they could accommodate us earlier in the day and they happily obliged. Service was exceptional from beginning to end and I liked that we truly got the chef's take on each and every dish. Pair that up with having a great open window seat on a beautiful day and it was set up to be a great meal. Getting to the food, although we went with the 7-course meal, they actually included some extra dishes so it was more like a 9-course meal! All of the dishes felt very unique and experimental and that made the tasting menu a lot of fun. So, you may be wondering why only 4 stars with all the positivity in this review? Although we got extra dishes, I did not find every dish enjoyable. Some very great, and some I remember not liking at the time and don't even remember anymore. The general trend I remember is that I really enjoyed the 2 extra dishes they gave us at the beginning of the meal including the sushi. The meal kind of started at a peak to me and it was a slow decline from there. If I went back to Daalder I would therefore go with the 4-course menu to save money especially since that includes all the best dishes in my opinion.

We were looking for a nice meal at the end of our trip. If you can splurge, food was great and they worked with us on our schedule since we didn't realize we didn't schedule enough time. Wine selection and cocktails were excellent, food was great and service as well. Highly recommend!

Adrienne G.

Amazeballs meal! Our 1 & only night in Amsterdam this trip found us at Daadler. Chose the 5 course Veggie Tasting menu & couldn't have been more pleased! Started w a glass of cava, chose a lovely French Pinot Noir & ended w/ an older Geneva. Perfection! Pecorino cracker w mustard Tomato consume burrata peach sorbet & raspberry jelly Kiwi, mango & some kind of foam w: croutons Seasonal veggies in blanc sauce Gnocchi w mushrooms & French cheese Risotto w saffron & cherries Rhubarb goats milk ice cream grand manier merengue green apple

Karen C.

An incredibly memorable meal and a perfect way to spend the last afternoon of my trip. When you enter, it has a casual bar bistro feel to it, and not the atmosphere of a traditional fine dining restaurant. This was a pro, in my opinion, as we were both made perfectly comfortable and welcome in our jeans. As other reviewers mention, there is no 'a la carte' menu. It's a chef's choice surprise menu, and you simply choose how many courses you would like (between 2 to 4). If you're picky about what you eat, this might not be the place for you. However, with a little open-mindedness and trust, you could be blown away. We both enjoyed every course and LOVED the surprise element. There were clearly a lot of culinary influences in their cooking style (Dutch, French, Japanese, Chinese, Mexican, just to name a few that I could pick out), but the flavours of each dish and the transition between courses flowed preternaturally. Particularly outstanding was the silky sablefish with edamame in a dashi broth, but everything was excellent and the plating so beautiful it elicited an unintentional moment of silence as each plate was placed before us. The wine list isn't a giant bible, but well-appointed and the staff were knowledgeable enough to help with suggestions (being a surprise menu, it was difficult to decide which wine went best). I definitely recommend Daalder!

Sara S.

Daalder is an insider tip. Who would guess it's a classy restaurant when the name of a place contains "Café"? Really cool! Regular guests are welcomed personally by the young chefs. This is one of the places with 3 to 7 course option and a biweekly changing seasonal menu. They also have a regular menu but of course it's more exciting to try the dishes that are only available for a short time. To start we got bread with olive oil, but also fantastic smoked salted almonds and a delicious spicy version of hummus together with grissini. Unfortunately the waiting time between the courses was relatively long, certainly longer than I'm normally used to in places like this. But it's worth it. With every dish you get the awaited reward, an unusual combination of fresh ingredients, beautifully prepared and assembled. The Black Angus they served was probably the best I ever had, pure pleasure. Looking forward to the next time!