Eethuis Sie Joe — Restaurant in Amsterdam

Situated just a few paces from Dam Square, Eethuis Sie Joe in the Gravenstraat, just behind the 15th century Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) is a small family run Indonesian eating house; Its location makes it a popular venue with tourists, particularly those from Asia. It offers visitors the opportunity of sampling Indonesian traditional and street food dishes at an affordable price, as the city's other Indonesian restaurants tend to be pricey.

Inside, Sie Joe has a simple and unpretentious decor and a long bar with narrow passageway overlooking an open plan kitchen which is usually manned by three or four persons. At the front are a handful of tables. Open for lunch and early dinner, the eating house is invariably busy and they do not accept reservations or credit cards. With only 15 covers, finding a seat can often be difficult.

For practical reasons, the famous Indonesian multi dish Rijsttafel (rice-table) is not on offer, but the menu features a limited number of authentic dishes such as noodle and rice noodle soups, chicken and lamb satay - skewered grilled meat smothered in peanut sauce, spring rolls, and an assortment of noodle and white, sticky or fried rice dishes. Vegetarians are also catered for and Gado Gado, a mixture of vegetables with peanut sauce, is a popular choice. Each table has a help-yourself selection of condiments including kecap manis - a thick sweetened soy sauce, sambal oelec - a hot sauce of chillies, vingegar and salt, and an extra fiery home-made sambal made with green chillies, not recommended for the novice. Many of the ingredients are directly imported from the homeland to guarantee authenticity.

Dessert is limited to spekkoek, a type of Indonesian layer cake which has been popular since colonial times in the Dutch East Indies. Alcohol is not served but beverages include alcohol-free beer, fresh orange juice, soft drinks, teas and coffees. Speciality of the house is Tjendol, a refreshing drink made from soft green noodles with coconut milk, palm sugar and crushed ice. Food is inexpensive and of good quality. What is disappointing however is the extensive use of microwave ovens, hence the three star rating. If Sie Joe hopefully eliminated this, they would definitely receive a...

Finally, we stumbled upon a genuine Indonesian food joint! Initially, we hadn’t planned to visit, but our insatiable hunger compelled us to come here. The place is compact and cramped, so if you’re traveling with a smaller group, you might want to consider sharing a table with strangers. Once you’re seated, you’ll place your order at the bar and settle the bill.

The wait can be quite long, so be prepared for a bit of patience if you’re extremely hungry.

On the taste front, the food is absolutely delicious and reminiscent of home. It’s even better than any Indonesian restaurant I’ve been to before. However, the portion sizes are quite small, and the pricing is surprisingly high. It caught me off guard, but I suppose...

We got recommendation to visit this place from our boss' relatives in Den Haag. This place is quite small and the owner speaks Indonesian fluently.

We ordered simple food, such as nasi goreng. But honestly, the taste is standard but a little pricey. For anyone who wants to try Indonesian food, you can try it here.

They have some table and seatings available inside. They cook the dishes in front of the guest. The room is lively, and also romantic. The area around this place have so many stores. It is quite far from public road, so it is quiet in here. The street is also for pedestrian only, so we feel safe walking around the area...