Celia at Kimpton De Witt — Restaurant in Amsterdam

I wish I could give less than one star for the experience my husband I just had here. Like many other reviewers on Yelp, we had a hotel credit to use and we eagerly planned to use it at this restaurant.

We made a reservation at 8 and it was not full in the restaurant yet we barely had any staff wait on us. We ordered the calamari (not pictured), short rib, broccolini and cauliflower. While we saw the manager come out multiple time to check in other tables, multiple times our food came out from the kitchen and I watched it sit there and not be brought to us. Consequently, when our short rib was finally brought to us it had been sitting for five minutes and was inedible. We do not waste food and my husband I left more than half of the short rib on the plate. When our waitress cleared our table it was quite awkward because she did not even comment or ask how our meal was.

After we paid and left, we spoke to the Kimpton DeWitt team and asked to give feedback on our experience. All credit to the wonderful staff at the Kimpton who heard us, speedily got the manager (who was the same waitstaff who did not check in with us) and rectified the experience. When we spoke to Jasper, the manager at Celia’s that evening, he heard us and said repeatedly it was not their intention while not offering any rectification for our subpar experience.

I want to contrast that experience with our breakfast experience the next day at Celia. We had Evalina (name, spelling?) who was so thoughtful and engaged with all customers who came in. So much so that even when I sneezed she was right there saying bless you. She treated every customer with courtesy and respect. When we asked her her name she shook our hand and asked us if we wanted any drinks to go too. Service like that (mind you on a busy morning with the buffet) was such a stark contrast from our slow Sunday dinner experience. I want to make sure other diners are aware of the inconsistencies and the areas where the restaurant...

From the moment we made the reservation to the time of our departure, every aspect of our evening was nothing short of perfect. The room was beautifully decorated, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere that enhanced our overall dining experience. The attention to detail did not go unnoticed, and we especially loved the personalized menus with our names – a delightful touch that added a special and personal feel to the evening.

The food was not only delicious but also well presented. The timing of the courses was perfect, allowing us to enjoy the evening without feeling rushed. It was evident that a great deal of care and thought went into curating the menu.

Equally impressive was the level of service we received. Our waitress was not only professional but also remarkably attentive. Her knowledge of the menu, coupled with her friendly demeanor, enhanced our dining experience significantly. The seamless coordination from arrival to departure highlighted the high level of efficiency and dedication of your staff. The only slightly confusing part was entering the restaurant. Some people entered from the front via the hotel and didn't get greeted and found it hard to know where to go.

Overall, our evening was beyond our expectations, and I would not hesitate to recommend your establishment, particularly mentioning the excellent food and attention to detail. It's clear that your team is committed to providing a memorable dining experience, and I am grateful for the effort put into making our evening special.

Thank you for maintaining such high standards, and please extend our gratitude to the entire team. We look forward to future visits and continued wonderful...

Had a brilliant dinner at Celia. The service was amazing, our waitress from Seville in Spain was so kind and helpful (unfortunately I didn’t catch her name!)

We ordered the following and rate it as such:

1: Smoked Mushroom Tacos: 10/10 just brilliant. Everything about it. The presentation taste and innovation of the dish was great.

2: Burrata: 8/10 slightly too creamy for my liking but was fresh and full of taste.

3: Octopus: 10/10 similar to the mushroom tacos, everything about this dish was top tier.

4: Cheeseburger: 9/10 cooked exactly medium well as requested and tasteful enough but could’ve used some more seasoning.

5: Cali Lasagna: 5/10 we appreciate the innovation behind this dish but it simply doesn’t work and the bottom of the lasagna was burnt.

Overall I give it 5 stars because of the great service, innovative dishes, and general quality of food.

My only serious complaint would be that we booked through the Fork and were supposed to get a 30% discount on the total bill, which they didn’t apply. I didn’t ask for it once they gave the bill as I’m not the kind of person to be too picky to servers/waiters and the value for money even without the discount was still good, but they should have provided the discount...