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.

My mom (a very picky eater with a sensitive gastrointestinal track) and I walked in here for a late…read morelunch on the day we arrived in Amsterdam. And despite ALL of our meals in Amsterdam being excellent, this one may have been the best. We wanted to try Dutch food, not totally knowing what to expect and were blown away by the combination of flavors and textures we consumed. We started with the pickled herring which was served with onions and pickles- fresh yet bold! I'm still thinking about those little fishies weeks later. Then we each had the sampler-ish plates (I forget what it was called). Hers was the vegetarian version and mine was with sausage. There were 3 kinds of essentially mashed potatoes with veggies mixed in: 1 with spinach I think, 1 with carrots, and 1 with sauerkraut. Mine came with a delightfully rich gravy and my moms came with some kind of lighter yellow sauce (I think mustard based). We tried these same dishes at other Dutch restaurants during our stay, but nothing beat The Pantry. The service in this quaint and cozy spot was also excellent!

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).

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.

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.

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.

I'm a committed carnivore, so a restaurant named Cannibale Royale had me before I even opened the…read moremenu. I found it browsing Yelp, and the name alone told me this was going to be a meat-forward kind of night. Fair warning if you're bringing anyone squeamish about restaurant names: The wife wasn't thrilled about it going in, though the food won her over fast. Getting there was its own small adventure. The place sits down a narrow alley, and our Uber couldn't get us all the way to it, which turned into a bit of a hike. That happened to us more than once in Amsterdam, using the exact address didn't always mean the driver could actually reach the door, so budget a few extra minutes if you're headed here. I normally default to steak, but the menu had a burger topped with pulled pork that promised more meat than a straight cut, and I couldn't pass it up. Delicious. Genuinely one of the best burgers I've had. But the wife's flat iron steak might have stolen the night. Flat iron is one of the most underrated cuts out there, and this kitchen proved it. She was still talking about that steak days after we got home, enough that I ended up buying flat irons from Costco just to chase it. The atmosphere is cool and a little edgy, dim lighting, a lot of character, and yes, some genuinely creepy decor scattered around, including an old doll that stares at you like it's judging your order. It ran loud, but not so loud we couldn't hold a conversation across the table. Service was good, just on European time rather than American time. Getting the check took a while, which threw us off at first, but that's the norm across the EU, not a knock on this place specifically. Pricey, but worth every bit of it. We'd go back without hesitation next time we're in Amsterdam.

Great spot for dinner!…read more This place is giving dive bar in so many ways, but the food quality is stepped up. It was very warm in the place, so keep that in mind if you're traveling in Amsterdam during a heat dome! We had a couple servers who worked with us nd both were kind and friendly. They didn't quite communicate with each other about our need to split the check a specific way, but it worked out in the end. We enjoyed some cocktails and beer (ranging from 9.50 Euro to 12 Euro), as well as the Pork Belly and Pickles to start off (21.50 Euro for 300 grams). Tasty way to start the meal. The three of us shared our mains and enjoyed what we had. The Favorite Ribs (24.50 Euro) were flavorful; the L'Incroyable 300gr (Ribeye; 34.50 Euro) was good, but our least favorite of what we ordered; the Le Cannibale Royale 170gr (burger) was super tasty. We also enjoyed some frites (4.90 Euro) and some delicious Mac n Cheese (6.50 Euros). Good time and good food!

This was a lovely little house turned into a restaurant in old holland. It's was so adorable and…read moreintimate. They actually had the front area where the bar is booked for a party. So they sat us in one of the back rooms. I believe everything was from the Edwardian era. The room we were in had this beautiful fireplace. We were the only two people there. So we had excellent service and they were so sweet. They kept apologizing for the noise from the party. The menu was small but we tried to pick foods we've never tried before. Everything we had was very good. What I thought was cute was that at the end of our meal all the cooks and employees can to the room we were in put some tables together and sat to eat. They were having such a nice time together and it felt like we were having dinner with family. I'm sure they were taking a break before having the big party come in to eat after their drinks.

Was completely charmed by this cosy little spot right in front of the windmill (sorry I cant…read moreremember the name). Mika was a wonderful host and we absolutely loved the mustard soup with eel and homemade fresh bread! The spinach and cheese ravioli was simply a party-in-your-mouth experience! We also ordered the steak and fries, while the steak was good, we absolutely loved the fries! I don't know what that used to make those fries, but it's the best I've ever tasted! My friend and I are were craving a mocha coffee and for some reason, there was none available from the shops we visited. Mike was gracious enough to make us some and it was simply DIVINE! We suggested she add this to her menu, especially since you can smell the rich fresh aroma of cacao that permeates throughout the area. The reason there's a strong chocolate scent, is there is a chocolate plant in the heart of the little village. Initially, we couldn't make out the scent but it only took seconds for our olfactory nerves to identify it, & signal that information to our brain! Outstanding service, food, price, & ambiance!

Stopped by on a lark during a bike ride. Wonderfully warm ambience, a 1-Michelin star restaurant…read morewith the food & service to justify it. It's a chilly early spring day and their Lobster Bisque was perfect. The butter is perfect too. Every detail covered. I'll be back for their 37€ prix dice dinner.

This was a phenomenal dinner and truthfully exceeding expectations I had before coming. We visited…read moreabout 1 year ago and I wanted to do something special for my Oma (who has always supported me) so I selected a nice tasting menu close to her home of Baarn. Little did I know this was the restaurant where my Opa proposed to her - what a beautiful surprise!!! The location is remote, peaceful and the grounds of the restaurant are beautiful (including a garden where they grow some of their own produce). The service was attentive, friendly and respectful. We went for the largest tasting menu with wine pairings - the pairings were also very well received (my oma mentioning she did not like red wine much, but after her first taste said "this is pretty good I think I could like this"). The food was truly gorgeous, thoughtful and technique driven without being overbearing. The ingredients were fresh and I still recall (a year later) the langoustine, foie and green apple dish that was the stand out of the night -- that's my kind of surf n' turf. It is experiences like this that remind me why the Michelin guide might be so stingy in cities like Chicago - because the food here was truly on a different level and wildly deserving of a star. DELICIOUS!!!!

We came to Haarlem for a day trip and was looking for a place to eat when we saw a sign outside…read morethat said "Dutch Cooking" we passed by and walked around the town and decided to come back to this cute little restaurant. We're so glad we did. Kenny the owner greeted us, and made us feel right at home. He has only been open a few weeks and the placed looked amazing. So charming. Balletje has a very small menu but the food is absolutely amazing, and tastes as close to home made as you can get. Kenny suggested a very nice white wine to go with my dinner. I was pleasantly surprised it was actually really good. (I don't remember the name of it but it was from Australia) I had the Beef Meatball Boerenkool Stew with the "This-Gravy" Sauce, so fresh, and flavorful. The only downside is there are no desserts, yet. I highly recommend eating here, if you are looking for authentic dutch food.

Delicious food, great service, lovely atmosphere, reasonable prices -- what more could you want!…read moreI'm vegetarian and my friend ordered meat. We both enjoyed our meals. The friendly restaurant owner and chef came out to thank us and receive feedback in the meal. :-)