Daalder

If you are in Amsterdam and truly want to soak in the Amsterdam atmosphere, you are probably looking for a good restaurant with a local cuisine as well as clientele.Well if this is the case, we from Amsterdo can recommend you the place you are looking for.

Daalder used to be a brown café when it opened twenty-two years ago – and with time it started to grow. The couple that have acquired it five years ago wanted to see this place to rise to something more than a café with a everyday pub fare. Quality, not just of food but also of service, has been a hallmark throughout the years for the current owners of Daalder. Their philosophy was to offer exceptional quality for a more than fair price in a warm and welcoming environment. In fact, Frans van Dam, the ‘patron-cuisinier’ for five years, is, as his wife Wilke tells us laughingly ‘ a quality freak’.

Amongst his colleagues, his country style patisserie – hand-made and perfected to the last detail, soon became a product they wanted to sell at their own venues. Things turned up and they started selling his tasty works of art to other businesses, like the van Gogh museum and the Anne Frank House.

Everything went great, but after some time the work started to become a little overwhelming for Frans – running the kitchen at Daalder and starting up the pie bakery. This is when, in the words of the owner, “the universe started working with them”. Everything fell into place, when one sunny day, the current Chef, Guillaume de Beer, walks in and says: ‘ Frans, you’re a great Chef, but I really think I can do this better!’ Wilke, Franz’s wife, shares that they where charmed by this young guys audacity and there was no doubt in their minds, that this strong-headed Chef could put his money where his mouth was, since they knew that Guillaume worked several years with Michelin Star Chef Richard van Oostenbrugge at both “ Restaurant Bord ’ eau ” (Hotel L’ Europe ) and “ Restaurant Envie” .

After watching him work from the side lines for a couple of months, his level of performance in the kitchen exceeded their wildest imagination and they gave him carte blanche to change the Daalder formula. In fact it soon became clear that the creativity of this rock & roll Chef, thrives best with a menu in motion. He introduced a rapidly changing menu with fewer dishes. The idea is simple: the guest sits back, relaxes and let Guillaume do what he likes most: surprise his guests with his favorite dishes. (3 – 4 – 5 course menu)

The rest is history: Wilke no longer had to advertise that this former ‘ brown cafe’ was actually a restaurant with great food and great service. With this young talented Chef, Daalder was suddenly reviewed by prestigious newspapers and magazines and picked up by people with a nose for hip and trendy cuisine.

But despite all the publicity and success the owners will stick to their philosophy: they want to continue offering high quality cuisine in a low-key environment for a more than reasonable price. No expensive renovations with design interior. They cherish the authenticity of this once typically brown café, with its distinctive Art Deco details and cozy atmosphere. And luckily for the many tourists that visit Amsterdam, they also expanded their lunch menu.

Warm lunch is hard to come by in the centre of Amsterdam, so is an authentic venue serving high quality food without sky rocketing prices. Daalder has it all, 3 course menu for only 27.50€, breath taking dishes that make you want to lick the plate after you finish and mouth watering deserts. With a spectacular selection of wine, as well as the combined efforts of Guillaume and his sous chef Freek van Noortwijk en the unmatchable host Daan Akermans, Daalder is a place where you can truly have a toothsome gastronomical experience. You can see for yourself the result of all these passion and effort – Daalder will welcome you with open doors, a refreshing drink and savory odors.