Braai Westerpark — Restaurant in Amsterdam

I visited this place last week. The current high score of the place incited the hope of having a great dinner course. My order consisted of: ice tea, spare ribs and sweet potato fries.

I am not an expert in the spare ribs area; I just had them at quite a few places in Amsterdam, and know more-less what to expect. The first thing about the spare ribs is that they are different from that average expectation. The meat involved was lighter in color, there seemed to have been no sauce on the surface (as had been common in my experience with spare ribs so far), and there were also small fried onion bits distributed over the spare ribs in this serving. You can judge all of this for yourself from the photo. The ribs sat a bit off with me throughout the course, as in the taste and the texture. My gut also wasn't too excited about them. It was harder than usual to separate out the bones. The size of the portion is absolutely fine for the price (high value). Altogether, a 3/5.

The sweet potato fries were fine with the mayonnaise that I received with the ribs. I would give them a 4/5.

The ice tea was standard.

Let's talk about the setting. It is cozy. The music allows for a conversation but is in the upper volume range of what is comfortable. It appeared to me that bare wood and metal textures were pronounced for tables and other furniture/setting, the window side was decorated with interesting items, such as very old typewriter.

The staff was very helpful and...

Braai

Had a hankering for ribs when organising a mate’s night out in Amsterdam. It’d been 2 years since I’d been out in the city and I wanted somewhere reminiscent of the days before migration.

Braai did not disappoint.. at all! In fact I’m surprised they’re not on trip advisor’s top 20 list of Amsterdam ribs’ establishments. They should be. Some of the best ribs I’ve ever had - better than Cafe de Klos which were #5 on trip advisor’s list. Tender without falling apart with an awesome BBQ sauce as glaze and dipping. Topped with caramelised onions was an awesome touch. There was a smokiness other places hadn’t achieved. I’m pretty sure they used a Texas smoker as advertised on older menus.

My mate had the pork belly which to my taste was delightfully fatty and sweet with a gentle smokiness. I had just one bite so can’t say much more.

The service was immediately friendly and welcoming. The server came by regularly but didn’t crowd us. My mate took care of the bill (he’s a keeper) and I’m hoping he tipped her. She was great!

Being off alcohol I was very glad to sample two zero percenters they had from boutique breweries - an ipa from… somewhere in the Netherlands; and Oedipus’ “Dorinku” Japanese inspired citrus beer. Twas a gooden.

A great feed and a chill atmosphere 2 mins from Westerpark.

Highly recommend if you love a South African...

First time trying some South African-inspired cuisine - thanks to recommendations by a lovely friend - and Braai did not disappoint!

The staff is very friendly, and can help anyone either in Dutch or English.

Food-wise, I opted for the Biltong (small portion) and Boerewors as appetizers. Both came out quickly and were utterly delicious. I was worried I wouldn't like Biltong because jerky isn't my thing - either flavor-wise or texture-wise - but this is a very different - and very tasty!!! - type of food, which was devoured pretty quickly. The same goes for the Boerewors, which was nice, meaty, herby, and paired well with the chutney. Absolute 10/10 for both!

My main course was the pulled brisket burger, which is fairly messy to eat if you use your hands. Even so, that is half the fun, so just give it a try. The only downside to the burger is how quickly I ate it and was left wanting more, but I ultimately opted out because I knew my stomach would punish me for it later on.

For drinks, I tried both the Ginger Mule and South African mocktails, which both hit the spot.

Will definitely visit again when I'm in...