Perfect restaurants for a date in Amsterdam
Jet is usually our hospitality expert but I’m taking her place for a moment. Because dating & men are my area and I want to talk about the perfect restaurants for a date today, so Jet forgive me. A restaurant for a date needs to fulfil certain criteria and a badly chosen restaurant can mean a bad date, while a well chosen restaurant can mean you leave the place vlammend à deux. There is a fine line here. Those of you planning a date in Amsterdam anytime soon can happily book a table at one of the below restaurants and you’re guaranteed of having a good night.
The recently opened Taiko in the Conservatorium Hotel is an occasion. A real experience. And more of those big words. It starts as you enter with one of the nicest people ever taking your jacket from you, leading you to your table and then handing you over to the person who will serve you all evening. Their Asian menu is full of little dishes and the idea is that you choose 4 or 5 per person and then share them with your date. Shared dining it’s called. The dishes on the menu are perhaps easy for the foodies out there, but they’re all foreign to me. When I was there we were served by the nicest girl ever that could literally explain every single dish and so could advise us on everything. The food that appears on the table is not possible to describe in words, so delicious, so fresh, so beautiful and so special. You roll from one foodgasm to another and the ambiance only makes it better. You’re not in Holland anymore but rather in a cosmopolitan capital New York-ish restaurant that makes any normal week day a veritable feast.
A personal favourite of mine around the corner from my house. The bar in this hotel has the same large city effect as Taiko but less expensive for almost as much fun. If you’re having a we’re-going-for-a-drink-date then park yourself at the large bar, order a lovely bottle of wine for twenty euro and let the gorgeous surrounding do its work. The restaurants is a great option for the we’re-going-for-dinner-date. I was there two nights ago for a tasting of the new menu and goodness me people, it was a heavenly cornucopia of courses. My favourite was the truffle risotto and I’m still dreaming about it. The new menu is reason enough to book a table directomundo but also because this super sexy place will give even the most boring date an exciting edge. And if you’re having a great time you could go from bar to dinner and on through to a hotel room.
New in the city and one we’re all happy with. Located under the Rijksmuseum (duh) so perfect for when you want to make a cultural impression on your date. The menu is filled with as many biological dishes as possible, the chefs love slow food and the kitchen uses as many Dutch products as they can. Just like at Taiko, the idea here is to order four or five dishes to share with your date, and that’s cosy. The interior is amazing and you know what else is amazing, the head chef. His name is Joris Bijdendijk and he is gorgeous. If your date is unsuccessful you could put him on your bike and cycle home to enjoy checking out the chef’s kitchen.
This little restaurant in the most beautiful street in Amsterdam (Bosboom Toussaintstraat) has the best pizzas in the city. Baked in a real wood oven and with the perfect thickness and ooh my mouth is watering as I’m writing this. It is as mentioned a small restaurant with lots of tables, and al-ways busy and good fun. Ideal for a low-key date that you’re not expecting too much from (thus don’t feel like spending a fortune) and just feel like having an uncomplicated fun night out. More romance required? Ask for the table in the corner when reserving, you’ll be sitting more privately and no-one will see if a kiss here or there is shared.
Very suitable for a date because it’s big, busy, with lots of people and a lovely relaxed atmosphere. You won’t find yourself sitting stiffly opposite each other but will need to find a place in all the bustle, which is a perfect icebreaker. They have loads of different little restaurants in the Foodhallen (Food halls) so you can get anything from sushi to a steak roll. Get what you feel like, sit down at a bar or grab a table and let the evening happen. The Filmhallen (Film halls) are next door so if you feel like talking or being alone in the dark, you could always add a film on to the evening.
