Amsterdam, cradam.com
To say Café-Restaurant Amsterdam (also known as Cradam) is an institution is an understatement. Sure, there are plenty of places in town serving up more exciting stuff. Then again, show me a better restaurant in Amsterdam this size that knocks out dishes of this consistency and quality seven days a week, from 10.00 am to 01.00 pm, with a menu this elaborate and I’ll treat you to a meal. And let’s do it here then.
Because it’s without a doubt our most visited, most cherished restaurant in Amsterdam and it has rarely – if ever – let us down. Our go-to orders? Oysters. Escargots. Steak-frites. Fruits de mer, the big fucking one. Dutch shrimp on toast. Oeufs durs mayonnaise. Steak tartare. Rib-eye béarnaise. Holtkamp croquettes. Our goddaughters love the tomato soup. When in season: artichoke with dip, Hollandse Nieuwe with a glass of ice cold jajem. But in reality, everything is good in a perfectly unpretentious French-Dutch-bistro-esque way. Bonus: you can order the dinner menu at lunch. Mind, not saying the lunch menu is bad. The merguez baguette (a lunch only item) is one of the best sandwiches money can buy. But it is nice to have a choice.
Somehow, we rarely order dessert but we always get a Kinder Egg with the admittedly rather shitty espresso they serve. The ample selection of digestifs totally makes up for it, though. We love that you can order quality classic stuff such as Medoc and Chablis by the glass, and the rest of the wine list is well chosen and reasonably priced to boot. TL; DR: Café-Restaurant Amsterdam is a rare gem where quality, service, décor and overall experience never tire.