Café Binnenvisser — Restaurant in Amsterdam

Café Binnenvisser (7- stars) has been on my radar for a long while. The guys behind it (incl. @bobnagel & @maartenbloem) are involved/co-owners in places like @cafetweeprinsen & @cornerstore.ams, excellent additions to the Amsterdam #naturalwine & #modernkitchen scene. It’s walk-in only, so it actually took multiple tries to get in, further piquing my interest.

On the positives: it’s dimly lit with candles & features a heavy wood bar, alongside a wine shelf & #vinyl collection, providing a cozy, updated take to the traditional Dutch #browncafe. There’s an excellent wine list, perhaps the best aspect. Most are by the bottle, but there’re glass options. There’s also several global (non-)alcoholic drink options (#mezcal, americanos, japanese #whisky), which I appreciated.

We ordered the veggie-focused tasting menu (€43).The cauliflower soup was hearty, nothing spectacular. The thinly-sliced celeriac was interesting, but paired with chestnut & lemongrass, didn’t fully work for me as it felt overly acidic (nor was it visually pleasing). The white bean dish was easily one of the better dishes I’ve tried in a while, paired with a rich smoky butter and crispy BBQ sprouts. Unfortunately the duck was slightly grainy and though the sauce and blackcurrants seemed to be a nice #Scandinavian nod, the chicory felt like a last-minute, unintegrated add-on. However, the dessert blew my socks off: a texturally complex white chocolate mousse made with celeriac water. It remains my favorite #dessert of the month.

Overall, I really wanted to like Binnenvisser more, and while there were 2 stunning dishes, it was an uneven dining experience. Perhaps it was an off day. That said, it’s an excellent place to go for wine, and they have a changing menu, so I won’t write it off just yet.

Service: 8.5/10 Food: 6.85/10

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Came here on a beautiful summer day, and we were seated outside on their gorgeous terrace (recommend you reserve). We got the burrata starter, which was quite decent. We also had the leak vinaigrette - peas dish, which was more like 2 dishes in 1 that did not have much chemistry with each other. Our entrée, the chicken moutarde, was fine — good but nothing special. We had a scoop of ice cream (forgot the flavor) with granola under as dessert. Overall, the food was okay, but I wouldn't urge anyone to come here to try the food.

What truly undermined our experience here, however, were the wait times and service. First, the wait time — we waited an hour between the burrata and the peas, and the ANOTHER HOUR between that the entrée. We had to alert the waiters multiple times. Their explanation was that dishes not belonging to the chef's menu would take longer because the kitchen prioritizes the orders belonging to the chef's menu. Which is... honestly just a terrible excuse? Having such long periods in between dishes really undermines the dining experience.

Because their outdoor seating is quite far from the indoor restaurant space, you can't catch the attention of a waiter. You can only catch them if they've already made their way to the outdoor area to serve someone, and then they forget to check on you, but you also don't want to say something to grab their attention because that's rude etc etc. It's just a bad vibe, especially if you've been waiting 2 hours...

This is a real review. The atmosphere is honestly one of the best in Amsterdam. It’s cozy and the music and people are somehow hip and enjoying their time there.

The food and price is somehow in line with the portions and the costs of Amsterdam, pricey and small “sharing” plates, but eventually you get full and the food/drink selection is interesting. I’m large at 4 but I see the creativity and tasteful wisdom behind the stove.

The service is bad. First of all the whole Amsterdam should stop with putting cutlery on tables without cloths, is un-hygienic. It is really a testament once again of a food culture which did not get the basis of the dining etiquette. Again, this is not only this restaurant but in general in the Netherlands. The real reason why I am putting 1 star is the waiting time. You can’t possibly wait 45 minutes between first serve and second. I almost lost hunger. I arrived at 20/20:30, it’s 22:30 and I just got 10 minutes ago my main serve. I really was 10 minutes away from paying up and leave. Maybe you should get more personnel behind the kitchen?

But hey! We’re in the nordics hééé? It’s all about drinking and gezelligheid, what food culture should I expect?! It’s a pity because after many years looks like I am the one who’s wrong because this is just the level around here. Thank you...