Due to its proximity to Amsterdam’s most prestigious classical music hall, the Concertgebouw, Restaurant CHANG-i offers patrons a special three-course menu that’s available before evening concerts commence inside the venue. The restaurant also serves table d’hote or à la carte options and bases its menu around refined Asian fusion dishes that employ ingredients and recipes drawn from modern Chinese, Japanese, Thai and Indonesian cuisine.
Vondelpark3 lies on the northern side of Vondelpark and serves a wide array of breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes inside the lower level of a monumental pavilion that dates back to the late 19th century. During sunny spells, it is also possible to sit outside on the restaurant’s large terrace, which overlooks the Vondelmonument and a picturesque lake that’s surrounded by green meadows and shrubbery. Vondelpark3’s menu takes inspiration from several international cuisines and includes items like vegan pad thai bowls, classic Dutch meat croquettes, and chicken satay skewers.
Drovers Dog easily ranks among the best places in Amsterdam for weekend brunches and serves an impressive selection of hearty Australian dishes that work wonders at the beginning of the day. There are some seriously hard-hitting items on the restaurant’s brunch menu, including full-blown eggs Benedict and freshly baked savoury pies served with chunky fries and home-made tomato chutney. In the evening, Drovers Dog switches to its dinner menu, which mainly revolves around salads, burgers and high-quality cuts of meat. It is also worth mentioning that Drovers Dog is probably the only restaurant in Amsterdam – or even in the Netherlands –where it is possible to order a kangaroo fillet.
This classy brasserie serves an enticing selection of well-balanced dishes that are inspired by classic French cuisines. Though French cooking lies at the heart of its menu, Restaurant Oud-Zuid also uses flavours and recipes associated with Mediterranean gastronomy in order to create fresh, healthy and altogether delicious dishes that usually feature one seasonal ingredient. The restaurant changes its menu every month to accommodate seasonal produce and has been awarded a BiB Gourment by Michelin for several consecutive years. It’s also within walking distance from many of the area’s most iconic landmarks, including the Rijksmuseum, Vondelpark and the Concertgebouw.
Restaurant Blauw lies roughly 100 metres away from Vondelpark’s southern entrance, on a bustling street called Amstelveenweg that runs towards Amsterdam’s Olympic Stadium. The restaurant serves many traditional Indonesian staples and has an extensive rijsttafel menu. This classic multi-course Indonesian meal is meant to be shared among friends or relatives and includes roughly 20 small rice, meat, and vegetable dishes that are presented together on one table. The restaurant features a modern, well-lit dining room that centres around a large black-and-white family portrait.
A Michelin-starred chef named Ron Blauw oversees this bustling restaurant on Amstelveenweg and has put together an incredible selection of modern, innovative dishes that use simple, first-rate ingredients. The restaurant’s menu mainly features classic European dishes that have been given subtle flourishes to draw out their flavours. For instance, gravlax salmon at Ron Gastrobar comes with sweet and sour cucumber dressing, while the house’s spare ribs are served alongside spicy home-made sambal.