So far, this is the best sit-down Indonesian restaurant I have tried in AMS. Whether you are a local or a tourist, here is a tip: do not go to Kantijl en Tiger, besides location that place is a let down. Kartika: great delicious food, always busy (Sunday evening 8pm reservations and the place was full) and super super nice service. I've taken friends here, parents, in-laws, etc. and all walk away with a great sense for what the food is in a cozy environment. The vegetarian rijstafel is really well done, flavorful and fresh. read more

We dropped in one night (without a reservation) while we were in Amsterdam. The restaurant is on the smaller side. They had about 4 open tables when we walked in, but before we sat down the server politely explained they were booked with reservations starting at 8:15 and would need the table back then. No problem, we eat fast, and it was about 6:45 so that gave us plenty enough time. Being it was our first time eating Indonesian food our server recommended we get the Ramayana, which is a tasting of many different dishes, with a side of white rice. The Ramayana came with a nice mix of beef, chicken, and vegetarian dishes. While there were some dishes I didn't favor (not because they were bad, I simply am not crazy about sweeter dishes) overall we enjoyed it. The peanut sauce that they serve hot on the side with crackers is also incredible. I could eat it by the spoonful. Service was excellent. Even though they needed the table at 8:15 we weren't rushed. We took a little bit longer than expected, and ended up leaving at around 8:30. There were people waiting at the door so we apologized to the server, but he was very nice about it and told us it was not a problem and thanked us for understanding. I like that he told us up front that they would need the table at a certain time, rather than rushing us once that time came around. I would eat here again if/when I am ever in Amsterdam again. read more

Excellent Indonesian restaurant. Must make a reservation as it's small and very busy. We got the Ramayana (meat sampler). The beef dishes were sublime. read more

Great food and great service. Came in alone at 10pm and was served by the friendliest and kindest staff, Michael. Very accomodating and informative of the menu and gave great recommendations. Food was so tasty and service was quick. read more

Well, I can't leave a review about the food - because we never made it that far.... But I can leave a review about the service. When I asked whether they had a table for four people the answer I got was: "yes, but there's three things to remember. First reminder - with three people or more you can only order the fixed menu (like a tasting menu with a vegetarian option for 18 euros per person which I think is quite enough). Second reminder - you get the table for 1 hour and 15 minutes. (A policy that I would understand if the place was really busy - but it wasn't....!). Third reminder: (I forgot)." Now I was even willing to forgive that rather unusual and slightly rude treatment. But to top it all off we had two friends joining so we asked for a table for six. There were plenty of empty tables but the waiter couldn't make a table for six... Add a table or push two together... Or even outside add a small table. No. No. No. Not possible.... That's when we left and me personally with no desire whatsoever to come back even if the food supposedly is nice... read more

Amazing experience at Kartika. Love the variety of both flavors and textures of this marvelous Indonesian cuisine. Excellent service as well. Highly recommended! read more

Kartika - Indonesian Near Me - Amsterdam, New Hampshire

This place was pretty busy, and we showed up without a reservation. Lucky us, there was one free table. All the dishes were really good, but it would've been perfect if they actually varied in spice level. Everything was mild for the most part, but not one lacked flavor, if that makes sense. I would come here again! read more

Kartika - Indonesian Near Me - Amsterdam, New Hampshire

There are some great reviews here which I think got my expectations a bit too high. It was good, but I would just say the Yelp "A-ok". When we arrived the place was packed, and a bit smaller and more casual than I imagined. There were two servers for the whole place who seemed really in the weeds so much so that it was stressing me out. I had the vegetarian rijstafel 18€pp, which was good, but nothing especially memorable. The rice was a bit dry, but the rest of the food and flavors were decent. The veggie satay in peanut sauce was tasty. I didn't like the fried banana -- it had a weird batter. The coconut juice had a nice twist with added lemon wedges. It was good overall, but wouldn't call it a must-visit. read more

It was our first time in the Dam and I knew we had to try Indonesian food. I was torn between 2 different restaurants (the other being a Michelin rated one seen on Anthony Bourdain's "The Layover". I'm so glad we went with Kartika. We had a 9:30pm reservation but arrived 45 minutes early since we were done with the Van Gogh museum earlier than expected. The staff was very accommodating and sat us within minutes even if we were very early. Service was great and fast. We opted for the Ramayana which is pretty much a sampler of about 12 dishes plus dessert. This is definitely the way to go if you're an Indonesian food virgin. Every bite of the savory main dishes are all meant to be eaten with rice as they have very strong flavors. Pretty much everything we had was very good. My favorite was Daging Semur--beef stewed in soybean sauce. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! Dinner for 2 (Ramayana and 2 drinks) came out to €43,30. We were stuffed by the end of our meal. Definitely worth it! read more

On our recent trip to Amsterdam, we wanted to get a taste of the Indonesian food scene thats pretty popular there and so we ended up at Kartika! Right from the minute we stepped in, our experience was wonderful. It was pretty busy but the friendly host quickly got us seated after confirming with us that we wouldn't mind sharing a table with another duo. The menu is huge and might need some help understanding. We ordered the Ramayana per the suggestion of the duo sharing our table. They first brought out some fried (prawn flavored) rice chips with sauces as appetizers which we enjoyed. Then came the massive spread of our order, 12 of them each enough to be split between 2 people. Most of the dishes were flavorful and delicious, although we found some of them to be on the sweeter side. The quality of the ingredients used was very good. All in all it was a great experience and we left the place feeling happy! Would definitely visit again when in Amsterdam! read more

Kartika - Ramyana, we substituted one of the beef dishes for chicken! Mmmnomnom! - Indonesian Near Me - Amsterdam, New Hampshire

I looked up this restaurant prior to arriving i Amsterdam as I have heard that Amsterdam is known for its Indonesian fusion food. I chose to check out this particular restaurant due to the good reviews I read on Trip Advisor. The restaurant is located outside central Amsterdam, about 10 minutes north of Van Gogh Museum. The restaurant was packed when my companion and I arrive there on Thursday night after 9 pm. Luckily, there was a couple leaving a table by the window so we got seated approximately 10 minutes after arrival. The restaurant itself is small about 20 tables with the bar in the back. There were only 2 servers running the floor for this evening. But they gave us our menu quickly. We decided to go for the Rijsttafel Ramayana (18.50 euros pp). To start, I ordered a pot of jasmine green tea. While waiting for our orders, they brought out 2 plates of shrimp crackers with 2 different types of dipping sauces. One sauce was much like a sweet chilli and the other sauce tasted more like a hoisin/peanut butter sauce mix. It was delicious! We devoured these little snacks in no time. Our food took a while to come, but I guess when you have to prepare approximately 14 small dishes it could take some time. Our waiter finally came out with our rijsttafel and we were ready for it. The waiter was very good in explaining each dish to us as he put it on the table. He also also laid out the dishes in the order to eat it, advising us that the last two dishes were the hottest dishes and should be eaten last. We were given a helping of rice that was nicely presented in a woven basket with a cover. Along with side dish of fried coconut (to be sprinkled on the rice) and small vegetable salad. Rijsttafel Ramayana: Sate Ayam - chicken skewers with peanut sauce Daging Rendang - beef in a spicy corriander sauce Daging Semur - beef cooked in soy sauce Ayam Ketjap - chicken filet marinated in ginger and soy sauce Ayam Bali - chicken filet in a spicy Balinese sauce Sayur Lodeh - mixed vegetables in a coconut sauce Sambal Goreng Buncis - green beans in spiced coconut sauce Sambal Goreng Telor - boiled eggs in a spicy curry sauce Sambal Goreng Kentang - spiced fried potatoes Pisang Goreng - Fried banana fritter Gado Gado - vegetable salad with peanut sauce Atjar Campur - Indonesian salad Serundeng - roasted ground coconut Nasi Putih - white steamed rice The food was very good and more than enough for 2 people. We tried to eat each spoonful of rice with a different dish in order to fully appreciate the flavours. All the dishes were delicious, with some dishes tasting similar to other Asian dishes I have had in the past. We also had banana fritters as dessert as part of the rijsttafel ramayan. While cleaning up, our waiter commented on how well we did on our rijsttafel ramayana. We finished every single dish on the table and even ordered a second helping of rice. Needless to say we were stuffed. Our total billed came up to 44 Euros for 2 people, a little pricier than we are used to paying for an Asian meal, but given the amount of food we got and the fact that its in Amsterdam (expensive European city) we were happy with everything. read more

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My wife and I were visiting Amsterdam for the first time from the US and of course we had to try an Indonesian meal that we have heard so much about. We decided on Kartika after reading positive reviews and we were very pleased. The servers were very friendly from the moment we entered and the atmosphere was cozy. The food of course was the main attraction and it was delightful...come hungry! We did the €18/person for two dish and it was plenty! Careful, some of those dishes were both flavorful and fiery, even for a spice lover like me. I heard many other Indonesian places try to draw in tourists, but this seemed more like a genuine family restaurant. If I lived in Amsetrdam, this would be a regular dining place for me. I hope to get back to Amsterdam and Kartika someday. read more

I have to write this with the disclaimer that I have absolutely no familiarity with Indonesian food or rijstaffel. This is my first visit to Amsterdam and I chose Kartika based on reviews from another site and based on proximity to my hotel. That said, coming from the viewpoint of an American on vacation (who grew up eating Indian food, which hopefully warrants some credibilty) everything was delicious. Flavors were well balanced, and I found this to be a fantastic introduction to the cuisine. Service was friendly, helpful (the waitress asked about our experience with Indonesian food, and then recommended against the highest-priced dish on the menu; when the food arrived she explained everything in detail), and attentive. I would go back without hesitation. It was outstanding. read more

While in Amsterdam yelp was my guide to many hidden gems. That is how I came to discover Indonesian food. Having lived in LA I never had a chance to explore this amazing cuisine. It was a very pleasant surprise. They offer a combination menu that makes ordering easy. For €18 per person we were introduced to a feast that felt like an explosion of taste. When I get back home I will be hunting for a similar experience. Thank you read more

I tried this restaurant when I was in Amsterdam a few weeks ago and am still dreaming about it. I even tried to find an Indonesian restaurant in Northern California but was super disappointed by my search results :(. If it's your first time here, definitely get the Ramayana (minimum 2 people). This was SO unique and EVERYTHING WAS SO TASTY. I loved every single one of those tiny dishes. It's also super cute that each dish is still heated when it's brought to your table. It doesn't look like a lot of food, but it was surprisingly filling. The price is also really reasonable, compared to all the other restaurants in Amsterdam. For my drink, I ordered mango juice. This place is literally the shit. You have to come here if you're in the area! read more

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Rijstaffel was excellent. We had the eleven course meal. The servings were not huge but just enough for two. Service was excellent and the food was well prepared and presented. read more

Kartika - Rijstaffel - Indonesian Near Me - Amsterdam, New Hampshire

Had the Ramayana Rice Table (tasting menu), which others have described. I really like the idea of the tasting menu with the chance to sample many different dishes. But the reality is that only a few of them were good. None were bad, but I would not choose to each most of them just try them, so it's good there are many dishes of small sizes. My favorite ones (the ones that were above average): boiled egg, chicken with ginger/soy sauce, chili potatoes. It's a nice environment. The waiters are all very friendly: good service and helpful in explaining the dishes. If you go in with average expectations, this would be decently good, but after reading all these reviews, I was pretty disappointed. read more

Terrible experience. We wanted to like this place because the food is actually pretty good but we couldn't because of the SKETCHY SERVICE. First off, when you walk in the restaurant, the manager greets you at the door and tells you he can only give you a table if you agree to the set menu (he did this verbally with every party that walked through the door). It was very distracting through out meal. Ever heard of printing a set menu? We are fine with a set menu; it's the sketchy way he sold us at the door. Secondly, Amsterdam has clean drinkable tap water at every restaurant but not here. We were told one bottle of water would cost us 5.80 euro therefore we opted out and decided to drink our own water. Naturally, the manager comes up to us and says, "I don't mean to be inconvenient but you can't drink your outside water". Lastly, as we are finishing up our meal, we see the table next to us get ice cream (which we assumed was on the "set menu"). We get the check and ask about the ice cream. The manager tells us that we don't get one because we didn't get the water. Anyways I think you get the idea. Pretty good food ruined by off-putting service. read more

I have done a bit of research..and this is the best price for the value in terms of the Indonesian rice table around Amsterdam, and the value does not disappoint! The Ramayana (€18.50 per person) boasts 12 dishes, careful some are SPICY, with plenty of rice, and over-filled me up every time I ordered with a friend, after a beer each and the free Indonesian crackers they provided to start. Eggs and potato dishes are always my favorite :). The Mahabarata (€27.50 pp) includes actually only 7 dishes, but with additional four types of sates (prawn, lamb, beef, chicken), and yellow rice this last time...even though the menu says white (testing something new, or just ran out?) Does not include the eggs or the potatoes, unfortunately. Beware that you can only order the rice tables for 2+ people, and you may have to share a table with other guests, gets quite tight. Service is usually exceptional...BUT it seems they have gotten more popular and hired a lot of new employees. This weekend the place was packed and the manager wasn't in, we had to ask three times for water, and they told us they didn't have the access to remove a bottle of water from the order (their tap water is infused with lemon and mint and free.) Someone on duty should always be in charge and have access...hmm. read more

Fantastic experience! First time eating at a place like this. We loved the family style sharing of everything. Will come back again.

If you are tight on time-- If you don't feel like having an elaborate rijstafel-- If a table is not available (and you didn't make reservations!)-- If you're famished-- Do what we did: GET TAKE OUT! For 10 euros, you can get a complete meal packaged up and ready to go. Each boxed up meal contains some variation of nasi goreng (the national dish of Indonesia), perhaps curried/Rendang beef or chicken satay skewers, some pickled cukes, sambal, and shrimp crisps. Utterly delicious. Good value. Nice people--they were hospitable to me while i sat and waited for my food. Very gracious and friendly. While I am angry at myself that I didn't make a reservation to fully experience this restaurant's hospitality IN HOUSE, I am very glad that I managed to get take out from there twice before I left Amsterdam. Note: They are CASH ONLY. Note: You MUST make a reservation for dine-in. read more

We visited Kartika after seeing the great reviews here on Yelp...man are we delighted we did! Not only is the food great (we had the traditional rijsttafel dish), but the customer service was outstanding. Try to get there close to opening (5-5:30pm) if you don't have reservations. read more

Kartika - Indonesian Near Me - Amsterdam, New Hampshire

We had a great Indonesian meal here... multiple courses! Price seemed fair for the variety, quantity, and quality of the food. This place is very small; either make reservations or get here early. They do take credit cards. I would totally return here. The food was delicious. Also... if you don't know what you want, I'd recommend getting one of their samplers. As with other samplers... I think it's probably better value for two than for three diners (we were three, unfortunately; but looking at our neighbors, I'd say they had nearly as much food for two). read more

Absolutely amazing food. So tasty and unique. Loved it. However, service was all right and were charged a lot for bottles of water unknowingly. Wish they told us they had tap or something. Made the experience less affordable and as good of a deal. read more

Kartika - Indonesian Near Me - Amsterdam, New Hampshire

I had to try Indonesian food while in Amsterdam. I found this place on Yelp. We were not disappointed. We got there on the late side so we were one of the last customers. You can tell that some of the food was sitting for a while in the pot because of that, but that's ok. I expected that. It didn't deter from the experience, and all of it was excellent. We got the rijsttafel, and all dishes were full of flavor and unique to each other, meaning, they didn't use the same sauce in different dishes. Definitely a great deal and there was not one dish I didn't like. I can't speak specifically to each dish as there were 20 on our table, and sensory overload. But I will say that all the meat dishes were fork tender. Nothing was over or under seasoned. Everyone in the staff was really, really nice and answered all questions we had. Service with a smile. The ambiance is laid back and cozy. I recommend! read more

The service and the food is amazing! Best and authentic Indonesian I have tried here. Very fresh and made right before it hits the table.

Very warm welcome and attentive service. The menu offer you three mixes of several indonesian dishes that are to be shared between a minimum of 2 people. I highly recommend you to try this in order to have a broad glimpse of indonesian cooking. Beware, most of the dishes are quite spicy. Be prepared to sweat ! :) Prices are really affordable for such a gustative trip. read more

Horrible staff! The manager was so stressed that he refused to seat us even when there was ample space. We waited to be seated for 15 minutes by a staff member before having to argue with the manager that we were told to wait and he was too aggravated to be polite and rudely told us to leave. No matter how the food could have been, I will never go there because of the rude dismissal staff read more

Best Indonesian food I've had in Amsterdam and reasonably-priced to boot. We always go for the Ramayana rijstafel. read more

Kartika - (Part of) the Ramayana rijstafel. - Indonesian Near Me - Amsterdam, New Hampshire

wow! so amazing... service was awesome even with just one server and 8 tables going at once. Preset menus either vegetarian or meat and you can mix it up! Fried bananas come with the meal then along comes a small dish of choc ice cream. Be sure to eat it with the fried bananas! only 8.50 euro each! Truly worth it! read more

After the somewhat strange greeting that we would be allowed an hour and a half for dinner, we ordered the Mahabharata, the 3rd and most elaborate level of Rijsttafel (although not marked as such) at E27 per person. It started with Kroepoek (shrimp paste, baked to a really airy crunchy patty) and a fantastic fish soup. The main meal included about half a dozen different meat & shrimp dishes, and some vegetable dishes, of which I only found the Pisang Goreng (baked banana) underwhelming. The whole meal was utterly delicious. So, warmly recommended for the food, but the service can use some improvement. read more

Amazing. Meal definitely lived up to the reviews we read. This was our first time trying Indonesian and it was fantastic. Really love the way you get to try so many small dishes. Literally everything we had was fantastic. I'm allergic to peanuts and they even made sure to separate it from the dishes that had peanut sauce. We will hopefully be back one day. We had the Ramayana for 2. It's a small place so just keep that in mind. read more

Kartika - Ramayana - Indonesian Near Me - Amsterdam, New Hampshire

Kartika came highly recommended to me for their rice table, and while their rice table options are for 2+ people, they also have a lovely option, I believe it's the nasi rames special, suitable for 1 person as well that provides a sampling of the delicious entrées--like chicken satay, beef dishes, vegetables cooked in coconut milk, etc.--that come with the rice table. Beforehand, they also provide shrimp chips with dipping sauces, sweet chili, chili, and peanut sauce. This was my first time trying Indonesian food, and the food was absolutely phenomenal! I will definitely be coming here again, next time with company. I came early at 5 to get a table, as I'm sure it gets crowded later in the evening. Not to be missed during a trip to Amsterdam! read more

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So peeps, this is a real life rijstaffel, with 18 dishes to delight your tastebuds, unlike the puny 6 or 7 dishes you might get at a rice-table Stateside. As everyone says, this is lekker (Yummy). So let's just describe the interior decor. Don't think I've ever seen such a small restaurant so well-appointed. Gold, red, magenta and autumn-orange tones, cloth and batik flutter all over the place. Gilded shadow puppets glimmer and caper on the walls. Oh, since I'm an annoying hipster, here are tips based on our single visit... - Go hungry. - Order the meat rijstaffel since this is the specialty. - Try not to bother the staff too much, just eat. read more

Tried to make a reservation here and they never picked up the phone. Dropped in to get a walk-in table and was ignored at the door for 20 min. Finally got the host's attention and when I asked if I could have the set menu made gluten free he said (real quote) "you're making things very difficult" and told me I'd have to eat the menu as is. Dude, what? read more

Some of the best customer service I have ever experienced. The food was incredible. If you cant handle spicy/hot food then this might not be for you read more

This place is AMAZING!! My fiance and I were just in Amsterdam for the first time, and I knew I HAD to try the Indonesian food. So we went out walking on the street, hoping to find one. And we ran into Kartika. The staff is incredibly friendly. The food is unbelievable. I had a soup (forget which one) as an appetizer and I wish I had it in a larger portion as a main dish. The ice cream for dessert was divine!! Our waiter, who was also a co-owner, I believe....was SO nice and gracious. He's one of the most humble people I've ever met. I wish this restaurant was in Los Angeles, because I would go all the time. read more

We wanted to try an authentic Indonesian restaurant and this place came up as number 1 on Yelp, and it should have! Amazing food and very friendly and informative staff. We had the traditional rice banquet and each dish was amazing and we were stuffed by then end! The waiter even gave us a complementary coconut ice cream for dessert. Definitely value for money and I highly recommend it. read more

Kartika - Rice banquet, absolutely amazing food and great value for money! - Indonesian Near Me - Amsterdam, New Hampshire

We tried to go to Kartika twice. The first time was when we first arrived in Amsterdam so we got to the restaurant at 10pm. They closed at 10:30pm so they turned us away, which was understandable. Our second attempt, we got there at 5:10pm the next day. The waiter actually remembered us from the previous night. They opened at 5:00pm so we thought it would be good to get there early to beat the dinner crowd. The waiter (name started with a P) was unusually curt with us and said the kitchen was not open yet and if we wanted to have dinner there we couldn't be in a rush. I said we weren't in a big rush, but asked how long before the kitchen would be open (an odd thing for a kitchen to not be open, but the restaurant is). He said, "maybe 20 minutes, but I can't be sure. If you are in a rush then I don't know". I told him 20 minutes was fine, but "maybe" if it's more, then we were hesitant. Then he proceeds to say it would be 45 minutes to an hour. How did you go from maybe 20 minutes to 45 minutes to an hour? He remembered us from the other night, so his rudeness was incredibly unusual. Not once did he apologize, but instead made it seem as if we were at fault for trying to grab an early dinner. Kartika has really great reviews and the only bad ones I saw were in regards to horrible service. read more

Check your bill twice! We went here because of the reviews on Yelp. The restaurant now only offers rice table and nothing else. You can choose either the traditional one or the vegetarian version. This was our first time to try rice table and I had high hope. It turns out to be just OK. You can think rice table is basically a buffet but with limited supply of each dish. Once you are done with your portion, there is no more. I am not sure why people are so crazy about it. When the waiter brought us the bill, I immediately noticed we were charged for something we didn't order. Before I opened my mouth, the waiter told me he gave me the wrong check. OK. I understand it was a busy restaurant and people made mistakes. When he came back and gave me the second check, however, it was still incorrect. Again, the waiter apologized before I said anything. Now, I found it was very suspicious because we just ordered 2 rice tables and a bottle of water. How difficult was it to have the correct items? If you have never had rice table before, you can give it a try. But you should always make sure your bill is correct. read more