Bistro Classics at Nieuw Amsterdam
By Deepa Paul
Haarlemmerstraat 75, 1013 EL Amsterdam, Netherlands
BOOK NOWOh, this one’s a head-turner. The West-Indisch Huis’s distinguished façade along the vibrant Haarlemmerstraat might make you stop and wonder at this building’s significance. Stroll into the courtyard of the Café Nieuw Amsterdam, and your curiosity will be rewarded.
Here stands a monument to the peg-legged Peter Stuyvesant, commander of the Dutch West India Company that sailed across the Atlantic from Amsterdam, commissioner of the Fort of New Amsterdam on the island of Manhattan in 1625, and first governor of what would become known to the world as New York. Today, the West-Indisch Huis is home to Café Nieuw Amsterdam, where French bistro staples are served faithfully to a wide-ranging clientele of tourists and locals, with a private dining room for group celebrations.
There’s really not a lot of room to go wrong with a lunch menu that features tried-and-tested French bistro favourites such as the pastrami sandwich, chicken liver parfait, and leek terrine, plus steak tartare and steak frites. The dinner menu skews meat-heavy and old-school comfort, with hanger steak, beef Wellington, and homemade lamb sausage to fill up the conservative And you really can’t get away from serving the Dutch their beloved apple pie, or the neighbours will write you off as being too fancy.
But that’s what you want in a place like this: solid, consistent, reliable. Café Nieuw Amsterdam doesn’t pull any surprising punches, but its consistency keeps its regulars happy and its pavement bustling. Whether you opt for a streetside perch for some of the liveliest people-watching in the city center, or a more intimate dining experience in the courtyard or one of the long tables inside, you’re in for plenty of old-world atmosphere with your favourite meal.
Café Nieuw Amsterdam
The Place: Tried-and-tested bistro classics in an impress-your-guests 17th-century city monument.
The Space: Streetside café vibes on the outside, refined bistro with an elegant courtyard on the inside.
The Base: Lunch €20-30 p.p.; dinner upwards of €50 p.p.
The Face: A whole range, from history-happy tourists to team dinners to local families.
The Ace: When the sun is out, the courtyard is the only place to be.
The Veg: Beetroot salad, oeuf au mayonnaise and leek terrine for lunch or starter; white asparagus with poached egg and peas is the only veg main at dinner (may change seasonally)
Opening Hours: Sun-Thurs 11:00-00:00, Fri-Sat 11:00-01:00, kitchen closes 22:00
Images from CafeNieuwAmsterdam.nl, © Café Nieuw Amsterdam
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