Adorable, handsome unique tower on the water; there is a pier behind the tower to view the…read moreentirety. There is a bar in the first floor that serves "The Heinekenbier" among others, and the restaurant on the 3rd floor descends back to the 2nd and is totally medieval in design, reached by tight winding brick staircase in the monkey tower.

My wife and I visited De Hoofdtoren mainly because of the novelty of eating inside a 1600s gate…read morehouse that used to be on the south sea (now on a lake). Turns out the food is really excellent and the service is friendly. They had just launched a new menu when we paid a visit and the sandwiches for lunch were delicious, though not exactly filling. Probably an appropriate serving size. The view from the small windows isn't too expansive, but the atmosphere is still very nice. We'd definitely skip the street level restaurants to dine here again.

Le Pompadour is one of those places I always make a point to stop at whenever I'm in Volendam,…read moreNetherlands. Their steaks are delicious, and it's become one of my go-to spots when I visit. If you're looking for a nicer, tablecloth, more upscale restaurant on the Dijk . . . this is the place to go. This time I was there with my daughter and her best friend (both 16) on their Spring Break trip. My daughter's friend has a severe allergy to fish, nuts, and kiwi, so when we travel with her, we have to be really intentional about where we eat. Le Pompadour was great. The food was delicious, the staff was so friendly and kind to us, and they were very attentive and accommodating when it came to her allergies, which I really appreciated. They even brought out special nut-free bread for her, which was such a thoughtful touch and definitely stood out. Always a stop for me when I'm in town . . . and I'll definitely be back.

I am skeptical of hoity-toity or Michelin-starred restaurants, who pride themselves on their…read moreinscrutable food, or the gigantic-white-plate-to-invisible-morsel-of-food ratio. Many have not lived up to my expectations...nor their price tags. But our experience at the one-starred Michelin restaurant, De Posthoorn - one Michelin star since 2009 - was a pleasant surprise. Located out in Waterland in the historical town of Monnickendam, De Posthoorn is in an old brick building dated from the late 1600s, and is part of the boutique Suitehotel Posthoorn, whose guests have included people like Napoleon (Bonaparte, not Dynamite). The restaurant shares its entrance with the hotel and the path leads directly to the hotel front counter, whose proprietor instructs you to enter the restaurant on the left, which is totally empty...because only idiotic starving Americans would book dinner reservations starting at 6:30pm on a Tuesday. Our evening started off with drinks in the lounge located towards the front of the hotel, facing the street. The lounge hearkens back to an age of comfy leather seats, libraries with serious leather-bound books that really contain written words and complex sentences. Traditional decor and understated finery - perfect for enjoying that snifter of brandy. As we sipped on our white wines - the restaurant does not serve mixed drinks - our host/sommelier/restaurant person in charge brought us one (unasked for) inventive appetizer after another - some filled with unobtrusive cheese, others made with light pastry, sometimes mild flavors of cucumber, hints of curry. Each appetizer was an amuse bouche, and gave a little hint at what was to come. There is a choice of A la Carte or Set Menu, with a choice of 5, 6, or 7 courses, plus a wine pairing with each course. As I write this review, it has been over a month since we dined there, so I can't describe each course in detail. The menu also changes frequently, depending upon the availability of local ingredients at that time. But I recommend going all out and getting the Set Tasting Menu and as many courses as your body and cholesterol will allow. What did strike me -- 1. All courses, except for the dessert and the course with the meats, were all served at room temperature. 2. The standouts from our menu was the smoked seafood course and the meat course. I always thought that smoked foods were supposed to be heavily smoked. The smoked eel and fish here were very subtle, never overpowering. The lamb was cooked perfectly, though it was about the size of a baby's fist. 3. Several courses were served with accompanying broths and jus, some poured right at the table. The resulting flavors were complex and never cloying - nothing had too much cream or buttery richness. In fact, the food felt light, but satisfying. 4. The restaurant tried to incorporate wines from all over Europe. We were taken on a happy wine tour from France, Spain, Italy and even an Eastern European country (I'm thinking Turkey, but can't be sure now). Most wines were white, so they wouldn't obscure the flavors of the food. There were one or two wines which I thought did nothing to enhance the food, but otherwise, each one was a treat. And, when the courses will slow to arrive, our host made sure our wine glasses were NEVER EMPTY. 5. That's right. We easily had a bottle of wine each. Our experience was more like a wine tasting with food accompaniment. 6. The host/manager who brought out each course also introduced the food and wine with such enthusiasm and detail that we could have been served toothpicks dipped in motor oil and we would have wanted to devour them. Fortunately, each dish lived up to the hype, and I think our enjoyment of the food and wine was enhanced by his excellent service and attention to detail. 7. Oh yeah. The bread. There was also different freshly-made breads for the first two courses with different accompanying spreads. We had tried the wrong spread with a certain bread and the flavors were just not the same. I was amazed how the attention to detail even came down to the bread and butter. Although it was a Tuesday evening, the place filled up later in the evening - some visiting tourists and other dapper-looking locals. An impeccably-dressed man sitting at the next table with his sweater strategically placed over his shoulders even nodded at us in acknowledgement upon sitting down. The vibe of the restaurant, though, wasn't as stuffy as the library lounge at the front of the hotel. A great choice for those wanting to try local ingredients and cuisine at another level.

This was our 2nd visit this year to De Posthoorn, and I can only hope it will not be our last. If…read morewe didn't live 5000 miles away I am sure it would not be our last visit. I thought that a 2nd dinner experience might be a letdown as our 1st was so stellar, but there was no letdown. It was no better than the 1st time there, but I can accept stellar twice. Both times we had the Chef's meal ( I chose the 7 course) with the wine pairing and maybe someday I would order something more specific from their wonderful looking menu, but I wanted to compare experiences. Every course was very good, every wine was good to wonderful, the service was perfect.. the attention and timing being flawless. My advice, arrive early, enjoy every element of the evening, and 3-4 hours later, pay your bill with a sense that it was entirely worth it.

The Pantry serves authentic Dutch food in a cozy environment. Definitely get one of their…read moreprix-fixe menus. It includes an appetizer, entree, and dessert. If you are sharing a meal with someone, get items from a different prix-fixe menu and you can both try a variety of items. We enjoyed: * Charcuterie plate: sausages taste minimally processed and delicious * Beef and onion stew: taste slightly different than ones in America * Cauliflower and cheese oven bake: vegetarian's comfort food * Hutspot (mashed potatoes and carrots) and meatballs: non-vegetarian's comfort food * Pea soup with smoked ham For desserts, we had chocolate mousse and vlaflip (vanilla custard) and they were just okay. I'm not sure if desserts are the Dutch's strengths, except maybe the Dutch apple pie. They even bottle their own house beer. The restaurant is small. Try to make a reservation if you can. We didn't have a reservation, but went to the restaurant at around 5PM and were seated in about 15 minutes. At times, the line could get very long, but the staff is still welcoming and ensures that everyone gets served...eventually.

Traditional Dutch foods, served in a charming/cozy dining room - what's not to love? We enjoyed…read moreevery dish that we ordered; even our pickiest (child) member of our party ate well (the meatball and hutspot disappeared from the plate :). Portions are substantial and a very good value in a neighborhood where tourist-markups are the norm. They have a/c, but in order to feel it you'll need to sit closer to the back of the restaurant/near the kitchen, as there is only one wall unit back there, and they leave the front of the restaurant open to the elements (even in 98+ degree heat).

My family and I visited Amsterdam, and this restaurant did not disappoint. Very elegant fine dining…read moreexperience. It is in the lobby hotel, and when you walk into the hotel it's directly to your left. The service was amazing, everyone was very friendly. We had Rose as our server, she was very personable and gave great recommendations about the menu. My family and I got the fish special, the flat iron steak, the mussels, and the crème brûlée. Would highly recommend all of these dishes, they were delicious! Would recommend this place if you are visiting Amsterdam. Great restaurant for family dinners or a date night!

Came here just for breakfast. The interior is spacious and elegant. The breakfast menu is a bit…read morelimited in my opinion, but still good. I got the Croque Madame which was yummy. Service was fine. I have no complaints about this place, but it was nothing mind-blowing.

Great breakfast and lunch options. Nice coffee and other drinks. Plenty of options for vegetarians.read more

Best meals of our life. Had lunch, dinner and breakfast here and it was amazing. Never had a…read moretasting menu with this many courses. Each one more beautifully played and delicious than the nexts.

Two stars Michelin restaurant where the executive chef still cooks every day, and the restaurant…read moremade you feel like home and so comfortable! Amazing! "See, this called kitchen Ferrari stove, this is particularly good because ..." known as one of the best restaurants in the Netherlands, when Restaurant de Lindenhof chef Martin Martin Kruithof realized that my bf is also a chef, he passionately introduced his kitchen to us. Different from the general Michelin restaurant, after awarded two stars, chef Martin still cooks. They host guests to visit the kitchen from time to time, sit in the kitchen, and welcomes children to the restaurant, and all of these are intended to give guests a "Michelin cuisine, but to your feelings like home" feeling. As soon as we sat down, 7 courses free appetizers were served. Amazing! Seven! Some of them reminded us the day-to-day Dutch food but is just so delicious and well-made in fresh ingredients and skillful details. I love one that looks like Japanese hand roll - the raw fish on top was fresh and the style was so cute. The fried tomato on top of lemon ice cream was a surprise and I loved it! We selected 12 course "Martin's choice" and it came with duck, sweetbread, crab, beef, fish, and many more. The sweetbread tastes like Asian marinated sauces, which we loved it. The crab covered with sauces which was made as shaved iced. The ice which made with sauces melted in my mouth along with the fresh crab. Awesome. Duck liver was also very tasty even I usually don't eat duck liver. The lobster soup was very strong and you felt like eating a real lobster. Only small issue is that we got a small piece of crab shell on our plate. The coffee ice cream tiramisu was great. I personally think the lemon ice cream was too bitter but my bf loved it. We are so lucky and honored to visit Martin's kitchen and amazingly they only have 5 staff. So clean, so many different sauces from various countries, and chef Martin is so passionate and still experimenting new dishes using new ingredients. Of course, services was awesome. I think the executive chef/owner Martin was not working for winning Michelin. However, doing something he loves with passion and do it to the best, then the honor and awards came. I learned an amazing lesson tonight at this Michelin star restaurant.

From the owner: De keuken van de Kastanje is smaakvol, puur en eerlijk. Bij de Kastanje kunt u niet alleen terecht…read morevoor een heerlijk hoofdgerecht maar ook voor een volledig verzorgde avond uit. wij vullen dit graag voor u in. Dineren in een sfeervolle ambiance, onder het genot van een goed glas wijn en zwoele moderne klanken van lounge en jazz muziek maakt uw avond uit compleet. Laat u verwennen en maak kennis met bijzondere smaakcombinaties die onze chef met veel passie en creativiteit voor u heeft samengesteld. Onze menukaart wisselt mee met de vier seizoenen waardoor er altijd met mooie, eerlijke producten gewerkt wordt welke vers bereid worden in eigen keuken. Kwaliteit en presentatie staan bij ons hoog in het vaandel. Ons team verstaat haar vak, en doet er alles aan om u zich thuis te laten voelen. U bent van harte welkom om de smaak en sfeer te proeven die ons restaurant u te bieden heeft.

While in Amsterdam, we couldn't figure out where to eat so we just googled the closest one to our…read morehotel. So we gave this place a try. Service was really good, specially for EU as the servers don't work on tips. I got the Chefs menu and partner got their Thin Sliced Smoke Ribeye and the soup of the day which was a Potato Leek soup. The Ribeye was good but definitely not smoked but that soup was really good and hit the spot in a very cold day. For my dishes, I got a salad with Salmon tartar, it was good not great. The quail was very nicely done and very good. The dessert was interesting my partner definitely liked it more than I did. Overall, I recommend this place as it's pretty solid place to try while in Amsterdam.

This is my first visit to Amsterdam and so far my meal at Grand Café has been a highlight of my…read morevisit. I was with a group of 6. It was early so only 4 ordered dinner but we were all very pleased with meals that ranged from pasta, to lamb and salmon.