Today is my birthday, I blow out 25 candles. You can bet that a bottle (or two) will be popped at midnight. There will definitely be loud singing, and then I never really know what to do, so I always just sing along very happily and loudly and am even happier when the song is over.

Tonight I celebrate it with nine girlfriends at a restaurant in Amsterdam. I pay the drink bill (I've been saving for weeks) and we split the rest among us all. That's how it always goes. If one of us from my friend group celebrates a birthday, you can assume that by 11 PM you are already quite tipsy and there's a good chance you'll end up in a dodgy bar. Wasted. That's how it goes. Every time, for years.

I have also celebrated my birthday at home once, but holy shit, waking up the next day is not fun at all. Months later, I would still find confetti or extinguished cigarette butts in places where that absolutely doesn't belong. So tonight I'm doing it out and if you have something to celebrate soon and want to go out to dinner with a group, then I have some nice tips for you. Here they come:

Bazar

On Albert Cuypstraat in the Pijp (also a perfect neighborhood to dive into a bar afterwards) is Bazar. It's a very large, cozy, noisy restaurant with an Eastern kitchen. Colorful tables, cheerful music, young and friendly staff, and you can even reserve a table for 50 people if you want. You order large platters with different types of meat, fish, or vegetarian options. You can choose rice, couscous, or potatoes to go with it. And the best part is that it's all incredibly affordable. So you can easily treat without having to take out a loan.

Hotel Goudfazant

It's a bit of a bike ride and you have to take the ferry across the IJ, but there is Hotel de Goudfazant. A large hall by the water. In summer, there is a large terrace. Long tables with white linen, but again with nice industrial old chairs. The menu is full of dishes that are easy to share, so fill that table up nicely, order your house white wine (which is delicious) and you have a feast.

Fa. Spijkervet

A large restaurant in Amsterdam West. That's nice because that neighborhood also has plenty of fun cafes to go to after dinner (for example, for a scroppino at bar Spek or dance to a Top 40 hit at Café Thuys). But that can't happen until you've eaten the white chocolate cheesecake. That's almost a reason to celebrate your birthday there.

Café Restaurant Dauphine

The pavlova is recommended by French Elle. A dessert of meringue and red fruits as well. is in an old Renault garage, so it's huge. If you're with a lot of people, you can rent a separate room. The menu includes fruits de mer, so I would know what to order. Fill the table with lobster, oysters, and king crab, because it's incredibly delicious and looks very festive. The best time to go is on a Friday, as there's also Club Dauphine, which means dancing to live music.

Lion Noir

If you're in the mood for fancy hip, then Lion Noir is a really nice restaurant for a party. Start with a cocktail at the bar and on weekends you can still dance after dinner because there's definitely a cool DJ spinning. Lion Noir is located on Reguliersdwarsstraat, so if you want to continue afterwards, there's plenty of choice just ten meters away.

Happy birthday to me!