I’m looking for hotel recommendations for Amsterdam. I tried the Pulitzer but they are booked for our dates. I would appreciate any suggestions.
Unless you want to try something different and get a houseboat?
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Thank you, Bruce, I would like a hotel.
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I’d guess that this place would be in the travel guides, but if you get jaded with fine restaurants dining, head over to Foodhallen in Amsterdam west and enjoy the world-wide offerings in this cool food hall.
Cafe de Klepel in Amsterdam (near the Ann Frank House) is very good with a very decent wine list
In addition to cafe de Klepel and Foodhallen (both enjoyable), Had a very nice meal at Restaurant Guts in Amsterdam
The Grand Hotel in Amsterdam was tremendous.Great location and service.They upgraded us to a suite and after we checked in to our room a few minutes later a man knocked on the door and introduced himself as our “Butler” and asked if we wanted him to unpack our belongings. After a polite no thank you he expressed his desire to help us in anyway with information pertaining to the city. A few minutes after that a cheese plate and a bottle of champagne arrived. Every Day after returning from sightseeing there was another cheese platter with a bottle of wine in our dining room. The breakfast buffet at the hotel could’ve been the best selection I have ever seen. I overheard another table asking if they had blueberry juice and the server so let me check. Two minutes later A fresh pitcher arrived with what seemed to be all the Blueberries in Amsterdam.
An incredible experience and highly recommended.
Just got back from Amsterdam yesterday. They are tearing up the city…So much construction everywhere. but doesnt really hamper you unless you are planning on driving in the heart of the city.
Had a wonderful meal at BAK. Probably my favorite restaurant I’ve been to in Amsterdam so far. Had an 08 clos de chenes off the list at like $170. And every dish we had was fantastic. Heres the menu (they also do tasting menu)
I enjoyed the Foodhallen and BAK recommendations. Personally, I had a couple of crushable natty bottles at La Dilletante but Restaurant Wils stole the show.
I went with the suggested “premium” pairing (combo of being lazy and not knowing their food) and I was blown away by all but one.
The Somm there had clearly chosen well and prepared these wines to be singing the second they hit the glass. All were very expressive/intense without muscle. Also very interesting but correct.
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Curious if anyone who has been to Geranium recently (or not!) has thoughts on approach to the wine list: https://hub.binwise.com/restaurant/geranium/list/wine-list.pdf
Heading there later this week - it’s quite a list!
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Please report back on your experience - we are heading their in April. Also looking at Alchemist.
Sure thing! I’m also heading to Sollerod Kro, Barr, Amass, Sushi Anaba and Anarki.
Alchemist was on my list, too, but I’ll be doing a fair amount of solo dining and they only take reservations for 2, 4 or 6.
Should be a fun trip!
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Great list. Get the schnitzel at Barr!
Done! That was lunch yesterday. Very good and a nice wine and beer list, too.
Sushi Anaba for lunch today then Anarki tonight. I’m certainly not starving here…
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Great wine list at:
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A couple friends who are also in town had a great meal there. They mentioned they ordered a glass of wine, and ended up with 2 or 3 extra free drinks just as a result of chatting with the staff — love places like that!
Unfortunately, won’t make it this trip… next time.
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It is a great place. Had some really good moments there.
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Circling back to this… I ate quite well in Copenhagen as you can imagine. My travel plans went a little sideways, so Sollerod Kro got knocked off the list, unfortunately.
My first stop was at Kodbyens Fiskebar out in the Meatpacking District. I went for lunch, and found it somewhat underwhelming to be honest. I ordered oysters and the fish and chips. The oysters came dry (I.e., without the liquor) which was a bummer. The fish and chips was interesting (I’ve not had fish and chips with smoked fish before), but wouldn’t justify the trip. I understand it gets quite busy here at night.
That night, I went to Geranium. They placed me at the kitchen table, which as you might expect is in the kitchen. It was a good way to get a sense of the inner workings of the restaurant and the staff (which is largely young and international). The food was quite good. The wine list is a tome. If you choose a champagne from the cart, they’ll keep you topped up through the duration of the appetizers which is a nice touch. All of that said, I do feel that it fell into some of the traps that so many *** restaurants do – in aspiring toward perfection (particularly from a service standpoint), they start to feel kind of anonymous and interchangeable. I had some nice conversations with several of the team members, but there was still that formal slant that I found kind of distracting. So, in sum, I think if you’re looking for a *** experience in Copenhagen, Geranium is a great choice. But it wasn’t the most exciting or personable restaurant I visited.
I’ll throw a recommendation out there for Hart Bakery and their cardamom “croissant.”
I posted about Restaurant Barr upthread, and thought it was a worthwhile visit for lunch. A couple friend of mine went for dinner a few nights later and found the service to be off, but I had no issues.
Amass may have been the best meal I had in Copenhagen. It has many of the hallmarks of what I associate with the food scene here – hyperlocal ingredients, a climate-conscious orientation, fermented things, and great food. The space is cool – somewhat industrial with graffiti on the walls, with generously spaced tables – and the service was friendly and casual. I’d love to share a copy of the menu… but there isn’t one. The wine card (and larger wine menu) was very workable and had some interesting options. I think the one way they could improve the experience is by providing their guests a menu after the meal.
Lunch at Sushi Anaba was engaging and tasty. It’s an 8-seat omakase bar that uses ingredients sourced from Scandinavia. Worth a visit if you can snag a reservation.
Lastly, I had dinner at Anarki – the kind of wine bar you wish you had in your neighborhood. Fair warning that the food is homey and rich. The wine list is pretty fun, and while I stuck with champagne here, there’s plenty to explore.
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Will definitely be bookmarking this thread - we’ll be heading to Amsterdam and Copenhagen next June on one of the backend of our trip.
+1 on Amass. Had a fantastic time when we dined there.
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