Eethuis De Jordaan — Restaurant in Amsterdam

I would like to preface this review with the fact that the food is pretty good, and cheap. Were it not for the way we were condescended to to our faces, I would heartily recommend this place. Alas.

The story - My friends and I entered the place late at night, with a few other customers around. We ordered one kebab and one pizza, and shared it among the five to us. To be clear, this was not a situation where we were hogging seats and holding up his business.

The boss was perfectly cordial at first, but as it was clear we weren't going to buy any more food, he became aggressively sarcastic (from my perspective) and began (again, in my opinion) passively-aggressively berating us for choosing to skimp on our late-night meal. He asked us whether it was "common in our country for five guys to buy a sandwich and pass it around"(to paraphrase). Following this, he further continued his utter lack of condescension by making a lighthearted "joke" that it was "common to pay 5 people's worth of meals even if you ordered only 1 meal" as if we were bumpkin tourists that would laugh and dance at every condescension like monkeys at a circus.

Truly a gentleman who treats his customers the way they should be treated, differences in background be damned. We thoughtless tourists who wandered into his castle were shown the hospitality we so deserved. To ye who think to get a free seat and cheap meal, turn back at the gates, for you disturb the tranquility and good taste of the men of Eethuis De Jordaan. Every man should sit under the shade of his own bread, and not infringe upon the meals of others.

Reflecting upon our actions at the restaurant, I have to confess that the owner had every right to throw us out of his enclave. We had clearly mistook the transaction of paying for a meal for the unspoken agreement of mutual respect civil human beings afford each other. The crime of speaking in a volume louder than a whisper in a place where we cleary didnt belong - guilty. The crime of budgeting our limited money and not spending wildly on food we could not finish like the tasteless moneyed trust-fund kids we truly were - guilty. (revealing ourselves as money-grubbing chinks, much like the currency manipulation reveals the dirty capitalist heart of the People's Republic of China) The crime of utter disregard for Turkish culture, infringing upon their rights by sharing a single sandwich, like five disgusting men passing around a woman who should be dignified and treated like a princess in a Disney movie - guilty.

At this point I lack the patience to continue this tirade of sarcasm. I lack the insight to divine whether this treatment was motivated by the fact that we were clearly Southeast Asian and foreign, or that we did not give enough business, or some entirely different reason which I am not privy to. All I can say is that our trip to Eethuis De Jordaan left a bad taste in our mouths ; hardly a good look for a restaurant. Even a bumpkin like myself from the Singapore prefecture of Japan (according to our all-knowing restaurateur extraordinaire, who it seems can double as a geographer), who has never been to a restaurant in my short, uncultured life, can...

More or less half way down Rozengracht, Eethuis De Jordaan is a family run Turkish dining establishment. Open all day, until very late, the most popular dish is Doner Kebab, slices of succulent chicken which have been flame roasted on a vertical grill, served with shavings of fresh raw vegetables accompanied by Turkish bread or rice. Patrons can help themselves to an ample salad bar at no additional charge.

For the more adventurous, there is a wonderful selection of home-made soups, pizzas, salads and main course dishes. Vegetarians can enjoy a good selection of speciality dishes made with combinations of aubergine, bell peppers, courgettes, mushrooms, onion, potato, spinach, tomato and white beans.

The restaurant also has classic dishes such as grilled meat on skewers, dolma and musakka. Twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, the house speciality of roast lamb shank in a delicious gravy with vegetables is on offer, but you'll have to be quick as those in the know are already queuing up. The staff are extremely friendly and occasionally, they might even throw in a complimentary rice pudding to round...

I haven’t met a someone so lovely as (assuming) the owner of this place. From the moment I entered the place he was so naturally kind and inviting.

I ordered a dish that included chicken and veggies. I didn’t know it goes best with rice. He was so kind to add some rice for me without my knowledge, until he served it to me. I was so touched.

As if he hasn’t spoiled me enough I asked if it’s okay for me to refill my water bottle in the toilet and he kindly gestured me to do so with a huge smile and then proceeded to take my bottle and refill it in the kitchen instead. I know all this might sound like nothing to some people but I recognise genuine kindness when I see one and this alone made my day!

I have worked as a waitress before and I know the things done to improve customer satisfaction, but this man had no reason to be so nice to me. Little did he know how much I needed such acts of kindness when I walked in to his dining house.

The food was also amazing. It taste even better knowing the (assuming) owner is...