Pizzeria Il Palio is located on Leidsekruisstraat, a short walk away from Leidseplein in Amsterdam…read more I decided to visit here for dinner, on the first day of my December 2023 trip to the Dutch capital. The restaurant is a decent size, there is a small number of tables as you enter the restaurant, or you can go down a small number of steps where there are more tables. The pricing was reasonable for food items, but I did find the €4.5 surcharge for a gluten-free pizza base to be a little excessive, I understand that gluten-free does cost the restaurant more, but it seems a little over the top to charge this much more. I decided to go for the gluten-free pollo pizza which contained chicken and mushrooms, the chicken was very good quality, the amount of the toppings (chicken, mushrooms, sauce etc) was generous and could almost be restaurant quality on its own, but the base was far too thick, it wasn't crispy, it was edible sure but wasn't too enjoyable. Drinks also seemed fairly expensive, especially non-alcoholic drinks, the cheapest drink in terms of € per ml was a draught beer - it was amusing to me how beer ended up being cheaper than water! The staff seemed friendly enough and the phone charging boxes were a nice touch as they don't have plug sockets by the tables. The other members of my party ordered a lasagna and were very pleased with their meals so perhaps their regular food seems much better than their gluten-free options, which need some work but there's a lot of potential for sure. 3* - I probably wouldn't return but that doesn't mean my experience was bad, there were some positives about the experience as mentioned.

Workers smoking right next to me while eating dinner. Terrible. Both workers and chef came out to…read moresmoke.

Tried the 4 course surprise menu. We loved it! Just loved the experience. The sauces really made…read moreeverything. The porcini ravioli was perfect. The pasta had a nice chew to it. The sauce was perfectly seasoned. The fish was on a bed of sautéed spinach with slivers of garlic. Perfectly seasoned. The semifreddo was an excellent finish. Sweet but not too heavy. Absolute gem! Service was friendly and prompt. You could hear the chef shouting for the staff by name when a dish was plated. It was cute! Establishment was nicely lit. Music was appropriate and not loud. Great ambiance. The entry needs work. You might bang your head on the bars by the door.

What a fabulous place! Excellent food and atmosphere. And for dessert I wanted to try something fun…read moreand went for the lemon ice cream with Prosecco and vodka - it was magical!

Food is ok but average at best. Too expensive for what it is. The staff is not very friendly…read more All in all, not worth it

Four of us had dinner at De Markt. We all ate salads (including the "mista") and pasta dishes…read more (Mine was the tagliatelle with duck.) Each of us was happy with what came to our table. De Markt has a perfectly reasonable selection of wines by the glass; there were also at least four beers on tap as well as plenty of bottled beers. I had a draft beer by Brouwerij Maximus; I'm pretty sure that it was the brutus. I basically loved the beer -- one piece of evidence for this is that I ordered a second glass immediately after finishing the first one. De Markt is nice inside (where we sat). The servers were friendly and came over quickly when our pitchers of tap water were empty or when looked as though we were otherwise needy.

This time around, we were all looking forward to a dish we had a year ago: the Ravioli Spinaci e…read moreTartufo. What a disappointment -- it was nothing like the one we had last time. The three of us agreed on that. The service and ambience, however, remained elegant and welcoming, perfectly nestled on a corner of Olympiaplein Avenue.

First impressions on this place are just amazing. A traditional trattoria feeling immediately…read morewelcomes you to the restaurant and then it hits you. The staff is all Italian. What else do you need to know? Food is solid Italian fare, pizzas are very good and the variety is just pure joy. So many options!

Last dinner in Amsterdam, and we went out with a bang…read more We decided to check out Ristorante La Festa because it was just a few doors down from the apartment we were staying in. After seeing its awesome Yelp reviews, we decided to dine here on our last night, as we wanted something close by and easy. We walked in and were able to get seated immediately. There were only a few parties inside on a Saturday night, an hour before closing. Our server was super friendly, personable and helpful. He told us that the special pizza of the night had burrata and that there were only two pizzas left; if he sells all of the pizzas at the end of the night, his boss will buy him a bottle of whiskey. We had to help the guy out! Plus, burrata is amazing, so how can you resist? We also decided to order the vegetarian antipasta platter with our wines. The food was awesome and so deliciously fresh. The vegetarian antipasta platter came out first, and all of the different assorted items were mixed throughout in an olive oil base with pesto. There were chunks of mozzarella cheese, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, bleu cheese, cucumbers and arugula. It was better than expected and a great way to start our meal. The pizza then came out and it was delicious! The burrata, as it should be, was the star of the pizza, with its big lump right in the middle. All of us were able to get a chunk of burrata with every slice. For the three of us, the pizza was the perfect portion for sharing. (And our server did end up selling out all the pizza specials, so won his whiskey!) After our meal we were provided complimentary limoncello, which was the perfect night cap. I will say, I'm not a huge Italian food fan, but Ristorante La Festa makes me think otherwise. This was a great dinner in Amsterdam, and who knew you could find awesome Italian food in the Netherlands? The place also feels very home-like, with its small space, dim lighting and far distance from the tourist scene. I'm already missing Ristorante La Festa and Amsterdam.

Loved, loved, loved this place. Stayed in the b&b upstairs and after running around one evening,…read morecame down for dinner. It felt like a home. The owner had some of his friends in so they were sitting back, playing cards, joking, and just having a blast. Even with friends in, the owner was so attentive to us. It made us feel like one of the 'family'. Service was attentive and fast. The food is damn good and the portions are gigantic. No, seriously. After traveling and walking around all day without much food, I couldn't even finish half my meal. There's a house cat!!! Ahh. My crazy cat lady heart was stoked to snuggle that cutie while I tried to shovel the food in my mouth. Also, something to note: owner of the restaurant even handed me out some Advil so I didn't have to run out and get it when I had a headache. All around perfection at La Festa. Do yourself a favor and GO!

I went here on a Sunday evening with a friend. We were seated near the canal. The restaurant had…read moreseveral open unoccupied tables. We asked for a dessert and drinks menu. We had just eaten Indian food so no second dinner needed. The waiter refused to serve us, told us to get out and was very angry that we were taking up space in his restaurant.

Reasonable food for a fair price. Service is decent. If you're looking for a quick no nonsense…read moredinner, you may consider this place. No place for a romantic or cozy night. If you're looking to be blown away with a savory Italian dish, keep looking.

Classy Italian restaurant with a beautiful ambience and great food! It is small and quaint, but…read moredefinitely worth visiting. We are here twice on our trip to Amsterdam from the States. Staying at the Hilton nearby, it was a short walk to this place, which was appreciated in the chili and sometimes drizzly weather. First night, we had the spaghetti bolognese, which had great flavor and texture. The quantity was perfect too. It is clear they use fresh ingredients. The second night we each had the lasagna, which was also very good, with lots of creamy, melted cheese.

On a recent trip to the Netherlands, we stayed at the Hilton Amsterdam and wanted to get out of the…read morehotel for a little walk. Stumbled across this place and it was lively! Very busy and filled with locals. The food was just ok, the red sauce had too much sugar added to it so it was overly sweet. The service was good, but the two waiters who were helping to seat people and clean up were very vocal and spoke very loudly in Italian at each other. Often pejoratively. But overall, good experience.

Came here for a late lunch this afternoon with my friend from Den Bosch, luckily the weather had…read moredecided to behave again. Just two hours before we were here there was a monsoon like rain and thunderstorm, but like I said we were lucky so we could sit outside and enjoy the sun and a nice breeze. The terrace has a nice bench attached to the building and I always love benches, so definitely a plus! The menu for lunch is nice and simple. Not too many options, but just the right amount of classic and timeless Italian inspired options. I ordered the goat cheese sandwich; nut bread, warm goat cheese, honey, pecan nuts and rocket. My friend ordered the salmon sandwich; ciabatta, smoked salmon, horseradish crème fraîche and capers. Both were great though I feel my portion could have been bigger. Since it was a late lunch I was quite hungry and the sandwich alone wasn't enough, but luckily I also had a Wiener Melange coffee which filled me up. The coffee was delicious! I had first decided to order a latte but then spotted a delicious whip cream topped coffee at the table next to us, asked what it was and ordered the same. I'm glad I did! I'm not exactly sure what goes into a Wiener Melange, but it's delicious not too milky not too sweet just perfect. After ordering lunch the service went down a notch. There was a shift change I guess as we never saw our original server after receiving the menu and when we were done eating we finished our drinks. I finished my coffee before my friend finished her beer, the server took my glass away but didn't ask if I wanted another drink. Now in this case I didn't want another drink, but my friend and I gave each other a look because we both thought it was weird that she didn't ask. If someone at a table finishes a drink but someone else is still busy with their drink it makes sense to ask the person who is finished if they want a new drink right? So, my friend finished her beer and then we waited for the new server to walk by and actually look our way. We waited and waited and waited, had just about decided to get up and walk away when yet another server walked by and we just yelled at her quickly. I hate having to raise my voice to get a server's attention, especially on a terrace of about ten square meters but after waiting so long for someone to pay us attention, it was necessary to demand attention. Overall a nice place to have lunch and I'll be back, but for now I'll have to vote three stars because my portion was too small and the servers didn't really know where and when they should pay attention to customers even though it wasn't busy and there where at least four servers. Hopefully next time will be better!

Part of what seems to be a growing Utrecht empire, this is the café that started it all: a place…read morefor light meals, good coffee and perhaps a glass of wine with friends. First up, the coffee and the coffee experience is good. They make espressos that are not tea-thin, understand what an espresso romano is, provide delightful nibbles to go with whatever you've chosen to drink. The wines, suprisingly for a Dutch café, are very drinkable for the price. Nice. The food - savoury and desserts - are generally good and suitable for light meals which are on the pricey side of adequate value for money. The menu is lacking a little zing that they had when they first opened, perhaps because the talented kitchen staff are all off working in the other restaurants in the group now. I miss the piadina with melted goat's cheese and toasted pine-nuts and proscuitto, rucola, honey, and sun-dried tomatoes, but enjoy most of the things they've got on the menu - including their excellent zuppa di pomodori and handmade breads. Decor is modern, intimate and pleasant. The open kitchen is a nice touch. The vibe can be quite buzzy and café-like with the sounds of conversations, cutlery and crockery being used etc which might be off-putting for some, but I like it. Service is good for the Netherlands, but can become overwhelmed by the ladies who lunch crowd at times especially during late-night shopping and on weekends. Opening hours are the big disappointment - it'd be delightful if it were open in the evenings for a post-dinner coffee and cake, or even a light dinner with friends before or after a film or the theatre. This place is a real find - it's almost like being in a different country where service, style and good food and drink are standard offerings.