Ron Gastrobar Downtown was our first real dinner on our recent trip to Amsterdam. My friend is the one that discovered this restaurant and made the reservations ahead of time, and from the pictures, it looked like a fun place to eat. I was excited. From research, it seems as though Amsterdam is known for having some good Indonesian food, so that was something we made a priority of trying while we were there. Though somewhat pricey, the entertainment, decor, and food here definitely exceeded our expectations. To eat, we had already decided to order the rijsttafel (rice table), which is essentially a variety of small Indonesian dishes. In total, I believe there were about 15 that we were comfortably able to share and enjoy. In addition, we ordered a few street food appetizers, which included the black angus tartare, tacos, and albacore tuna tartare. Overall, I thought the food was pretty good. I particularly enjoyed the street food appetizers, which were presented very uniquely. While I'm glad we tried the rijsttafel for the authentic experience, there were only a few dishes from it that I really enjoyed. Still, I'd recommend ordering it for the experience. It was pretty cool to try so many Indonesian specialties in one meal. If looking for a fun restaurant to dine at in central Amsterdam, Ron Gastrobar is an option you should heavily consider. The ambiance and atmosphere are unrivaled, and you are bound to have a great time. The live performances are very enjoyable. Service was also very accommodating and friendly, and the drinks were superb. Go ahead and check this place out! read more

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Six of us came in for dinner on a Wednesday night and it was bumpin'. I made a reservation. We approached the restaurant and the line was out the door. We were all waiting for an elevator to the top floor, which was the restaurant. When we got to the top, no one was there but we eventually found someone to show us our table. The sun was a bit bright because it is already summer but it was a beautiful view as it set. We took every recommendation our waiter gave. We started with cocktails from the small menu and tuna tartar and oysters (with apple, green pepper and ginger dressing). I never eat oysters but I loved these. When it was time for the main food, I told our waiter we were interested in the rijstafel. He recommended that we get rijstafel for four and supplement it with the sea bass. Upon further inspection of the menu, we did that, plus the chicken sate, beef sate and wagyu sate. Everything was amazing. There are a couple of entertainment pieces that come with the meal. Mr. Spicy comes around in a red dinner jacket and asks if you want mild, medium or spicy sauce with your meal. We wanted to try one of each. Later on, Mr. Downtown with the cat head came by for a photo. He never put down his glass. In all, the meal was delicious and the cocktails were unique. I look forward to the next experience here. read more

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Near the heart of downtown Amsterdam, this place is a hidden gem! While visiting for my good friend's birthday, we chose to have her birthday dinner at Ron Gastrobar, and what a great choice it was! This is a very lively restaurant/bar with something for everyone on the menu. Our group decided to go with vegan options and everything tasted delicious from appetizers to dessert. There is also live music! The artists performed songs of recent and also songs that have remained popular for decades. It sounded great and was a ton of fun once we found enough room on the dance floor. It's a great time, interesting and good vegan food, and most of all, fun and lively! read more

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Way too overpriced for the portion. It's mainly for the ambience and drinks. They describe the food on the menu to be so grande, but they're all snack size. If you're looking to have lunch or dinner, go elsewhere. This is a great place for snacks and happy hour drinks between meals. read more

Wandering around Amsterdam, this place was a pleasant find. Five floors up, it offers a view of the city 270 degrees. It's a great space and quite the escape from the tourist scrum below. Foodies will adore sitting at the kitchen bar to watch all the action. At night I'm sure it will have a clubby vibe, but during the day has a light filled cafe feel. As someone who's family is from Singapore, I'm familiar with most all of the dishes. So happy they have picked up on a lot of the local flavor and dishes (murtabak!) But they are definitely their own take. The dishes benefit from professional cookery skills and presentation. Spice levels are scaled, but the flavors are all there and all authentic. I sat at the kitchen bar and chatted up the chef and kitchen, ordered murtabak, sate, and nasi goreng. If you had sate as true street food, you would get a spindly bit of charred-out and stringy meat (ah the memories). Here it is cooked on open charcoal and finished in a convection oven; results in tender bites of chicken and so much more enjoyable. I could be happy just eating the peanut sauce and rice. This food is labor intensive, and I truly appreciate the kitchen staff who put in the work. You have to credit a chef who will source candle nuts for his curry sauce preparations. I challenge you to find a candle nut anywhere in Europe or North America. Happy that they do not overly rely on salt to season. And for the one customer at service who asked for salt, they received a collective, and concealed, eye roll from the kitchen. Bravo. For the nasi goreng, a spiced fried rice, I was surprised they kept the flavor of dried shrimp (or maybe it was ikan bilis). It's an acquired taste, akin to sardines or whiting, and lends a savory umami flavor. Not everyone would like it, so I respect a place that will but it front and center in a rice dish. Then again, for a people whose national dish is raw herring with onions, maybe not so much of a leap. I think it's worth a stop while chef Luke is around. read more

Went to our usual spot for dinner, was told it's about an hour wait, so we were walking around and found this hidden gem! Tiny entrance in an alley, tiny elevator, but the place was awesome! Beautiful restaurant in a dome, nice view of the city and sunset!!! Live music and entertainment. And the food was SOOOOOOO good! Trendy Asian food, VERY SMALL portions (compared to US). Get the full 40 euro meal, then add app and the main. Oyster was bright and juice, right amount of acidity, and beef tartar were wrap in a small fried ball, sooo good, well seasoned and perfect amount! Def going back! read more

Okay it's my fault. I should have run away when the hostess greeted us dressed as a flight attendant and there were jungle noises in the lobby waiting for the elevator to take us to our secret, out of the way location. Perhaps I wasn't in the mood for the dancers in the aisles, sweet, pricy cocktails, "Mr. Spicy" wheeling around his spice cart of sauces adorned with strange canisters and sparkling lights or live music so loud that no one could hear themselves talk. This was the Euro-version of Margaretaville. It has the atmosphere of any large scale chain restaurant in the US. The service was okay and there were many small plate options. It's just that nothing was particularly good. If you are in the mood for loud music, sweet, pricy drinks, jungle decor and mediocre food, this is your place. Enjoy! read more