On our first evening in Amsterdam we wanted to dine on Indonesian food similar to what we had enjoyed decades ago when visiting the city. After looking at several restaurants listed on Yelp we picked Sampurna and, for the most part, were not disappointed. The decor of the restaurant is very inviting, clean and has a welcoming friendly staff who can easily explain the menu. We decided on the $30 for two that focused on chicken, shrimp and beef dishes (I think there were nine different plates of food). Look out if spicy food is not for you because the seasonings in some of the dishes made them close to hot. Overall, we liked them. Where we were a bit disappointed were in the condiments. Somewhat lacking in variety and just so so in flavor. Otherwise, we enjoyed the good service, the variety of dishes, and the great beer (you'll need it) to wash down some of the spice. It was a great fun experience. read more

T'was a rainy day during ADE and I was CRAVING the almighty Rijsttafel. I asked the beautiful ladies at my hostel (Vondelpark) and they pointed me to this restaurant. I showed up in the early afternoon. Got my table in under a minute. Ordered some beer and some apps. 10 minutes - BOOM! Rolls and some of that spicy for my food hole. Rijsttafel!!! They warned me! Yup. They warned me it was A LOT of food. I lost count how many plates and bowls they served me. Dinner was about 50 euros but when in the Tulip District, you gots to do what you gots to DO, jack. I sat there watching the rain fall onto the bridges, canal and beautiful people as world-class dj's, trance producers, label owners and pretty girls huddle inside for that good-good. It was a perfect afternoon once the sun blessed me, my spliffs and my full belly with some warm rays. One of the best meals of my life during a backpacking trip through Europe. read more

I don't know how Sampurna gets the reviews that it does. I'm writing this as my memory of the place is fresh...unlike anything we ate at this restaurant. This was one of the worst meals I have had- probably ever. Our meal started off on the wrong foot, and just got worse. Coming from Paris, one always assumes you can order a carafe d'eau (a carafe just of tap water) to accompany your meal, as in France this is protected by law (and many other countries like Canada too, restaurants can't refuse you water). Apparently Dutch law does not protect people in this way, as when we tried to order a carafe we were told that they changed the policy recently and customers HAVE TO order a paid-for drink before they will give you water ("otherwise everyone would drink free water" - our waiter). Ok...so we ordered beer and our food (*I don't mind ordering and paying for a drink, but I'd rather have the choice to do so and not be forced to. Also it's not like we were sharing one little plate of food, we were each having a 28 euro meal, so 56 euros in total*). After which point I went to the bathroom, and when I came back I saw a server with a jug of water coming out of the kitchen, then our server came up and said something to him and he went back to the kitchen, then came out with two glasses of water for our table (everyone else had a carafe). Anyway, we were excited for our vegetarian rice table to arrive. Which it did. In about 5 minutes flat (which is suspicious). Nothing was warm. Everything tasted like it had been made hours ago. The tempeh was NOT ok (it had gone off). The fried tofu was soggy as it had been cooked in the sauce hours before. The green beans were obviously bought from the Dutch equivalent of Picard (frozen food store). The only dishes that were ok were the tofu in satay sauce and the mango salad that had 3 pieces of mango. After the meal I asked the waiter if things were made fresh or not, and he said that usually with the rice table things are prepared in advance, and the freshest food is a la carte. After having had an AMAZING rice table in Den Haag a couple of summers ago, I had high hopes for rice table in Amsterdam. If this is one of the most highly rated place in the city, then I have no interest in ever eating rice table in Amsterdam again. read more

Visiting Amsterdam for one night and read I should get Indonesian food. This is my first time having Indonesian food so I don't have a point of comparison, but the food was really good. They didn't have my reservation so they sat me at the bar table (fortunately I was solo), but the manager offered me a complimentary drink as an apology. Overall the service was good. I would recommend this place to someone visiting the city. read more

Really nice quality food with authentic taste! The Soto Ayam is very good as is the nasi goreng. Will come back for sure. read more

Sampurna - Indonesian Near Me - Amsterdam, New Hampshire

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don't let the location fool you; this is no overpriced, bland tourist trap. this is delicious indonesian food. the sole reason this place doesn't get all five stars is because the place is very understaffed. we were sitting outside for a good 10 minutes or so until our hunger drove us inside the restaurant for service. the lady is friendly enough but one person can't take orders and serve the whole place. it took ages to get food and drinks. when the food finally arrived, we were overjoyed. i got the piring sate siang; a generous portion of rice, salads, an egg, sambals, and four satay sticks. the sambals were properly flavourful and SPICY. i ate everything on my plate and greedily sampled a piece of lontong from my friend's gado gado. everything was delicious. the food here is great but don't come here when you are starving because the food will take a while to get to you. read more

It's been over two weeks since I had dinner at Sampurna yet that meal and the flavors dancing in my mouth feel like it was just yesterday! I was recently in Amsterdam for a study abroad class and was pleasantly surprised with all of the diverse cuisine options that were available throughout the city. On one of our first nights out, a few of us in the group decided to go for Indonesian, and thanks to good ol' reliable yelp, we found Sampurna. Without a reservation, four of us walked there on Sunday night around 6:45ish. The place was about a third occupied and getting a table was a breeze. We were greeted warmly and seated instantly. Right off the bat, they brought us these complimentary light crispy starters that at the closest can be compared to papadum in Indian snack food. They were accompanied by three separate dips that varied in spice levels from moderate to very spicy. We were given two types of bowls of these, one that was made with shrimp and one that was vegetarian. All four of us really enjoyed the flavors and loved the different dip options. We were already off to a great start. For appetizers, we got some vegetarian lumpias and shared them. I thought they were going to be made with moistened rice paper like Vietnamese spring rolls are, but they actually looked and tasted like fried egg rolls that you can find in most Thai and Chinese restaurants. Not what I was expecting but still really good. The star of the meal for me though was definitely my main entrée. I had the Gado Gado, a blend of vegetables topped with a spicy peanut sauce. To me it was the perfect marriage of the sweetness of Thai curries sauce with the hotness of Indian curry sauce. The spicy peanut sauce was soo perfect that despite gorging on the complimentary starters and inhaling the lumpias that came our way, I could not help but clean my entrée and practically lick the sauce off the plate! THAT is how good it was! At this point we were past caring about calories and our waistlines so we kept going and had dessert too. I had their fried banana with coconut ice cream. The fried banana itself was kind of off, a little too soft and rubbery for my taste, but the ice cream was terrific, and following such outstanding food, I wasn't too disappointed. Also the Italian Pinot Grigio that I paired with all my food and dessert, was great. The atmosphere at Sampurna is simple and warm with authentic Indonesian décor. Nothing was overdone, just a quite and beautiful aesthetic. To me, one of the best places to eat in Amsterdam. My classmate who had never had Indonesian food before was very happy with her first experience with the cuisine. We ate out a lot that week, and the meal at Sampurna was hands down our favorite. read more

I don't think I've had Indonesian food that I didn't think was super fantastically flavorful, so now when going to indo-eries, it's more about selection, atmosphere, price, and of course my demanding mouth expects the dishes to give my innards indogasms. Sampurna is no exception. For indo-virgins, I ALWAYS recommend going to at least one indo place in Amsterdam to taste the craze for yourself. For indo-veterans. This place has the same delicious foods you are used to, they have some really spicy sauces for those looking to punish your tongues, and the interior is nice and dark so that you aren't that noticeable when you are using your napkin to wipe your spice induced running nose. Also for you spice-wusses out there, they have a special rijsttafel menu that only goes as far as semi-spicy. The ONLY thing people really should know about this place is that the rijsttafels (the only thing you should EVER order at indo-eries) are on the expensive side and you won't get a billion different dishes. But it's in the center near Muntplein so what do you expect! Either way, for sure I worship Restaurant Blauw, but this is an acceptable alternative if I want to go somewhere in the center. read more

This place was disappointing for a few reasons. First of all, the customer service was not friendly at all. When they saw us walk through the door, they seemed annoyed that they had another customer to serve. Second, they didn't allow us to order water. We had to order a soft drink or a beer just so we can have water at the table. Third of all, every dish was extremely spicy. My family and I regularly eat spicy food, but this was to the extreme. Nothing was edible. I wish they had warned us before we ordered the food. read more

The food here is generally comparable to the best Indonesian restaurants in Jakarta, though it costs many times more. For Europe, the prices are still normal. The rendang beef was amazing, though a friend found it too spicy, it was perfect for me. Soto ayam, was authentic, and the satay beef, chicken and lamb were very good. The one dish that was weaker than the rest was sayor lodeh ( a mild vegetable curry) but its still way above average, and only stood out because everything else was amazing. The next night I tried Kantjil & de Tijger, a more established food haunt in amsterdam, and I have to say sampurna is ahead by a mile. This is the best Indonesian restaurant I had ever eaten in outside of Indonesia. If you're in amsterdam, try it. There's only two problems I had, even with reservation, we waited 15 minutes for a table. And there was a long lineup of people waiting for tables from 7pm. And the wifi worked with my ipad but not with the iPhone. read more

We've eaten here a few times when visiting Amsterdam. The food is unique and delicious. Nice experience.

We had planned to try the rijstaffel at Restaurant Blauw but we couldn't make it work (it's at the far end of Vondelpark and we were never in the right place at the right time). As a fallback, however, Sampurna was more than up to the task. Very central location, 5 minutes walk from our hotel. We ordered Batara Rijstaffel for 4, which was perfect for the 5 of us (3 adults, 2 teens). I had been expecting the legendary lazy susan with the rice in the center, but this was served on oblong plates placed on a warming tray that ran the length of the table. Very efficient and a clever innovation. One of the things about rijstaffel is that there is so much food of so many different types that it is hard to identify the highlights. So let me just say that everything was very good or better and nothing was even slightly disappointing. Excellent service, too. Rijstaffel looks expensive at almost EUR 30 per person, but we ordered 4 for 5 people so it was a pretty reasonable meal. I will try Restaurant Blauw next time I'm in Amsterdam just because it comes so highly recommended, but we liked Sampurna a lot and were very glad we went. read more

The vegans are hungry and they're in Amsterdam - plus the gf is craving rice and we're both desperately in need of capsaicin, that is to say we needed some spicy asian food! I called Sampurna to find out how vegan-friendly they might be. They didn't know what the hell I was talking about... but they did tell me they used sunflower oil (not butter) and that the vegetarian rice table didn't have any dairy or eggs - with the exception of one of the dishes which they were happy to substitute for something else. So after a quick walk from our place in the Jordaan, we found ourselves sitting at Sampurna and being almost immediately served a bowl of fried puffy rice chips and a plate of dipping sauces - including a spicy one! The vegetarian rice table includes several different kinds of dishes, skewers, salads, sautées, and of course a big bowl of rice. Coming from northern California we have a high standard for organic veggies (ok, we're snobs), but considering it was the middle of winter in the Netherlands, everything tasted fresh and flavorful. There was a good amount of the spiciness we asked for. It was more food than we could finish in one sitting. The service here is very attentive. Our waiter made a faux pas when she got a little too curious about us (we're used to it by now), but recovered quickly which is a sign of experience and social skill. read more

Tourist Trap. Something seemed strange when almost everyone in the restaurant were from the States. Every dish was served luke warm border line room temperature. The use of heavy sauces could have been a way to mask the over cooked meat? When it was all said and done, 65 EUR for two. Definitely not worth it. Stay away. read more

Solid! A very friendly, patient, and bilingual staff. Enormous portions (borderline ridiculous). Fresh, tasty food. Price is a bit high, but worth it to have a sampling of basically every sort of food they make. Recommended for a splurge. read more

If i had to eat only one Indonesian dish for the rest of my life, it would be LEMPAH UDANG, a spicy seasoned soup based on tomato with shrimps and spring onions! From the very first taste, I closed my eyes and savored the taste. Same with the last bite..... Perfect! read more

We had a Reservation for (4) on a Wednesday night @ 6:30 pm. We arrived 1/2 hr to soon, but we were seated right away. Our table ordered (2) Clebes Rijsttafel, (2) Barara Rijsttafel & Bir Bintang. They brought lot of food to the table. No one left hungry. It was our first time to experience Indonesian food which we all enjoyed. We are looking forward to going back and experiencing other items on the menu. It's a pretty little restaurant. It's decor is simple with a warm vibe. We had a great experience from being greeted at the door by the host, trying new foods, to the excellent service we received that night. I would definitely go back to Sampurnpa again. read more

Super cool restaurant with friendly staff. The food was delicious!! One the the waiters was really hospitable and had a lengthy conversation with him about his visit to the US. We could have talked for hours! Oh yeah, make a reservation! We were lucky to get in. read more

This was by far my favorite restaurant in Amsterdam. We live in city where authentic eastern flavors are everywhere. I was hesitant at first thinking this would not be as good, but it far exceeded our expectations. read more

Long overdue review from our trip last month. On our three-day trip to Amsterdam, I knew I wanted a traditional Indonesian rice table feast. I based my decision completely on Yelp reviews and the proximity to our B&B, and boy! I wasn't disappointed. The rice table was completely on point, delicious, and a ton of food. It was my fiance's first time eating Indonesian food and he really loved it. I couldn't really pick one item over the other; everything was quite delectable. In fact, the food was so good that I boxed up leftovers for my breakfast the next day, which is a hard feat while traveling. Service was good and the restaurant has a nice wine + beer selection. My only gripe is that the menu did not include a jackfruit curry, which is my favorite Indonesian dish. Overall, I would definitely revisit on my next trip. Though I would probably order a la carte for less food and a smaller bill. read more

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We had the prize-fix dinner and enjoyed it. Mildly spicy was plenty for us us weaklings. One should make reservation ahead if one does not want to wait past 9 pm. Space was limited and you will feel cramped in. read more

Decent Indonesian spot with quality food options. The spice levels are more tame, and it's probably less than authentic Indonesian, but it's still pretty good in a city with limited good food options. The prices are on the high side here as well. read more

Food was good, service was great and love the atmosphere of the restaurant! Feels like back home. Definitely recommended!

This is a pretty descent Indonesian restaurant in the heart of Amsterdam by the flower market. If you are in the area it is a food place for lunch, but I wouldn't make a special trip. The portions are good and those of you who like hot and spicy Indonesian dishes won't be disappointed. The day I was there the free WIFI didn't work, but otherwise it was a pleasant place to have lunch. read more

Overall I'd say that this was a bad dining decision in Amsterdam. The food was decent, but not great, and, for what it was, it was pretty expensive. I think that my wife and I ended up spending about 45 euros on two "combination" plates that came with little bits of various dishes. Again, the food was okay, but it could have been better. Additionally, the restaurant is packed very tightly and, to be honest, we were pretty uncomfortable during our meal. It's not the worst place around but I would recommend checking something else out. If you're up for Thai, this place is nearby and it was great: http://www.yelp.com/biz/na-siam-amsterdam read more

Following the lead of reviews shared on Yelp I decided to venture out to this charming looking spot in the heart of Amsterdam. As a huge fan of Indonesian food, my dear mother hails from, Surabaya, Indonesia, I went by the place at an off time to check it out, talked to the purveyor and made a reservation. The next evening I set my tasted but to on and my hopes to winning. I ordered Rijst Tafel, a traditional Dutch Indonesian meal with numerous dishes, tastes, and sensations. When to food arrived and I was ready to go only to find out that I got punk'd. The food, slightly cold, overcooked, dry meats, soggy salads, spiceless, tasteless everything. A big downer. This place either is over hyped or had a bad day but I'd be surprised if anyone who eat while I was there will return to this disappointing experience. read more

A little on the trendy/upscale side, but the food was great. They had 3-4 rijstafel menus, ranging from about 25-40 euros per person, plus a la carte. We got one of the meals with fewer courses and had more than enough food. I don't have a high spice tolerance and some of the dishes were a little too spicy for me, but I tolerated it. For two with drinks, we paid about 90 euros. read more

Like most of the reviews here, we three ordered a deluxe rijsttafel for two, and had plenty of food for all. The items were tasty, and not as spicy as I expected. Several items (e.g. the roasted coconut) were boring. Service was very slow, however. In all, a decent experience, but not worth a second visit. read more

We tried several Indonesian places while in Amsterdam. This was the highest rated, but actually our least favorite. The service was just ok, pretty standard for Amsterdam. The rijstafel was not particularly memorable. it was fine, just not super fresh, spicy or interesting like we had at some other places. This placed seemed more for tourists and perhaps is resting a bit on their good reviews. I was also a bit annoyed that they would not serve regular water, would only serve a bottle of purchased still water for 5,50 Euros. read more

Waiting 30mins to get your table clean when you've made a reservation... Not impressed. Been here 3 times and the food is good but the service is getting worse and worse each time... read more

This place is great. Has a unique rice bowl and the spices are marvelous. We ate there twice it was so good. Highly recommend this restaurant. read more

Had dinner for two here on my last night in Amsterdam. Definitely get a rice plate. The Bitara Rijstaffel is amazing! Great variety of dishes. Everything tastes so fresh and flavorful. Cozy and warm atmosphere. Perfect place to enjoy a filling Indonesian meal. Staff is friendly and attentive. read more

OK...I've done it. I have "done" a rice table. Everyone...and I mean everyone, insisted that I do a "rice table" while in Amsterdam. We chose Sampurna because it was well recommended. The site is perfect - the restaurant is my kind of place...small, has stood the test of time and does one thing - the rice table. The staff was friendly and helpful. The only problem is...this rice table thing...I don't get it. What is the rice table anyway? You get a whole bunch of dishes. The presentation is fine. The ingredients are ok at best. Problem is, the flavors seem a bit muddy. Nothing really sang. I could not really tell the goat from the beef. The two types of rices were...two types of rice... The pickled vegetables were flaccid (we did have a late seating on a hot day). In full disclosure, there were only two of us. It may be that a rice table is best enjoyed with 6 or more with lots of beer, conversation and comedy. So take my recommendation with a grain of salt. Do not do a rice table for "the food". Do a rice table for "the experience". Bring 6 or more people, drink a lot and temper your expectations. It should be a fun, not a favorable experience. read more

Wow, wow, wow. I truly cannot say enough good things about this restaurant. My partner and I had our hearts set on experiencing an Indonesian rijstafel as soon as we learned we would be visiting Amsterdam. I did some research and Sampurna was highly recommended, so we made reservations for our last night. We were seated immediately, despite the fact that we were late. The service was fantastic and the food was simply to die for. Neither of us had ever tried Indonesian food prior to coming here, and it was an eye/palate-opening experience. They brought coconut rice, mango salad, cucumber salad, dry rubbed spicy beef, spicy chicken, kebabs, and so much more. Every single item was fantastic. We left so full and so satisfied. It was one of our favorite dinners from our entire trip. We are definitely planning to come back and in the mean time, I'll be searching for Indonesian restaurants near me, so that I can at least attempt to satisfy my cravings for all of the dishes we tried a few weeks ago. read more

Had lunch yesterday and it was ok. Tried the mixed dish and the soup. The soup was pretty good, but the tastings in the main dish were so so.. Didn't get he Indonesian experience. Service was ok, but the place was almost full and only one waitress.. read more

This was a delicious place for our very first rijstaffel (an experience that you have to have while in Amsterdam!). Sampurna was delicious and so much food! Everything was tasty and there was so much of it! Dishes just kept coming! It was a little pricey but definitely a worthwhile experience. Highly recommended! read more

This informal restaurant provides a delightful Rijstaffel meal. There are several choices of Rijstaffel meals, ranging from vegetarian to highly spicy choices. We tried the moderate choice and were delighted with the offerings, the flavors, and the quality of the menu chosen. The service was excellent. We were there midday on a Monday and there were several diners and several empty tables, but our one lady kept all of us very happy and well fed for a very reasonable price. We would not hesitate to return again! read more

Food is good enough and well presented. However, pretty much everything is on the spicy side, yet you have to pay for water (they don't serve tap) so that can be annoying. What was even more annoying is the fact that our waiter basically swindled tip out of us. When he came to our table to collect the bill he blatantly asked us "how much do you want to leave for tip?" and told us "you have to tell me now so I can put in a total amount for you card." Talk about being put on the spot. Out of habit I just quoted an amount equivalent of 15% just as we do back home. While thinking it strange as we've heard tipping generally isn't necessary in Europe, this was the first resto we dined at upon arrival in Amsterdam and we didn't know any better. The resto we went the next day didn't even mention tip. Fellow Americans, don't get tricked! The fact that this place had to resort to such trickery makes me question their ethics. A friend who resides in Amsterdam told us later we should've gone to Warung Spang Makandra instead. read more

Excellent service & food! Great find, amazing flavor and great choices! Loved the special seasoning to add to the rice, it had a hint of coconut & was so yummy! read more

Fabulous! Deelish! Every dish was great: chicken satay with peanut sauce, springrolls, the mackerel, and beef with spicy, sweet soya sauce. The beef was the best. Place filled up! Would recommend a rez on the weekend. read more