La Perla Pizzeria — Restaurant in Amsterdam

I’ve visited this pizzeria restaurant several times before. The pizza has always been good, and that’s what kept me coming back—despite the fact that service was never really the strong point here. But during my most recent visit, the service crossed a line from disorganized into outright disrespectful, and that made it impossible to enjoy the evening.

I had initially tried to make a reservation for one a table online, and the system offered multiple open time slots, starting from just 15 minutes after I checked. That gave me the impression that the restaurant wasn’t full, so I decided to head there directly.

Upon arrival, the waiter at the entrance told me that no tables were available and that the only option was to sit at the bar. However, when I tried to access the bar, I physically couldn’t get through—the tables were arranged so tightly that it was impossible to pass without disturbing seated guests. I returned to the same waiter and asked if I could sit at a nearby empty table in a space across and even checked with him whether it is still the same restaurant. Without explanation, he told me I could, so I sat down.

What he didn’t mention is that the table belonged to the takeaway area, which functions with self-service, does not allow alcohol, and is treated as a separate space. I only found this out when, after being ignored for some time, I approached the kitchen staff and was met with sharp words, frustrated tone, and barely concealed mockery. No one—not the waiter, nor anyone else—had explained any of this in advance. And instead of calmly clarifying the rules, they chose to treat me like a nuisance. I remained polite throughout, despite being clearly confused by the inconsistent communication.

Still wanting to enjoy a proper dinner, I returned to the main restaurant to speak again with the same waiter. I calmly gave him feedback, and hoped to find a solution—ideally to stay, order a pizza, and have a glass of wine. But instead of being met with understanding or even basic professionalism, the waiter was dismissive and reactive, escalating the conflict rather than resolving it.

Eventually, when we seemed to be finding common ground, another staff member approached—not to help, but to accuse and belittle me further, using a tone and words that were wholly inappropriate toward a customer simply asking for clear communication and a fair solution.

I’m writing this directly to those involved in the hope that it leads to some reflection. As a guest, I didn’t expect perfection—but I did expect basic hospitality: a clear explanation of where I could sit, support in navigating a physically inaccessible space, and above all, respectful treatment. If your team is unable or unwilling to communicate these things calmly, then a serious conversation about staff training and accountability is in order.

I ended up leaving, and now, as I sit in another pizzeria just a few minutes away—where I was greeted with a smile, seated without fuss, and served both great food and genuine warmth—I’m reminded that hospitality is not just about the food on the plate. It’s about how you make people feel. And unfortunately, this evening, you made me...

The last time I am going to this place!

I usually come here because the pizza is good. But today's service was unacceptable.

The personnel were not friendly at all. I came in and said hi to the staff. Most of them looked but did not reply. Fine...Then we went to order the pizza at the counter. The old, fat, grumpy man taking the orders was not even willing to take the order at first. Suddenly, he gave us a bit of attention, just to turn his back to grab the stick to move the pizza around and take it out. Meanwhile, he did not say a word to us that he was about to use this stick and could hit us. In the meantime, my friend was looking at the menu so she could not see what the man was actually doing. I had to move my friend out of the way, otherwise she would have been hit by the stick.

When this pizza maker finished his task, he was finally willing to take the order, with a bad and rude attitude. My friend spoke to him in Dutch. He almost hit her with a stick. Then I jumped into the conversation and said, in English, that he almost hit her. His answer was even ruder, saying that "it was her fault because of where she was standing". But how was she supposed to know it was a dangerous spot if she was not informed? The staff are responsible for informing guests of any dangers. They are responsible for guest safety, not the guests themselves. Additionally, he added, "Do you want to fight or do you want pizza? Because I work here."

Honestly, I wanted to leave when just turn his back towards us. But my friend really wanted the pizza. Because it is her favorite place for pizza in Amsterdam.

But I'm not coming back to a place where they are rude, make you feel unwanted, and where safety is in risk.

I work in hospitality, and that not the way that you treat guest on the first place. And one of the most important rules in hospitality it's communication with the guest. And that was not even taken into consideration. Instead off communication it ended up in a fight that could be easily avoided. By just informing the guest. It doesn't take that much effort or time. Because, this could end up in a bad accident it will be bad for the establishment.Honestly, I wanted to leave when he just turned his back towards us. But my friend really wanted the pizza because it is her favorite pizza place in Amsterdam. But I am not returning to a place where they are rude, make you feel unwanted, and where safety is at risk.

I work in hospitality, and that is not how you treat guests. One of the most important rules in hospitality is communicating with guests, and that was not even considered. Instead of communication, it escalated into a verbal fight that could have been easily avoided by simply informing the guests. It doesn't take much effort or time. This could result in a bad accident, which would be detrimental to the...

End of August 2022: In August 2022, I revisited this place with a friend.

Note: Back in August 2022, this place was reservation-only. Also, it looked like single visitors could not get a table. They'd have to sit at a bar (which does look rather uncomfortable to me).

To the dinner. I visited the place with a friend, so we got a table. This time, the food was very good, and the staff interactions were fine. What left things to be desired was comfort of sitting in, as tables and chairs were relatively small and close to the general public.

My order consisted of a quattro formaggi pizza, two portions of iced tea, and a tiramisu. Look, at its price tag, the pizza was wonderful 5/5. The iced tea was served in tin cans, with glasses provided (no ice) 4/5. Tiramisu was great as well 5/5. Also, we received extra olives as snack! That is altogether 5+/5 for food. Check out the photos!

When it comes to the desk and chairs, only outdoor ones were available at one day's notice, and we took them, though I regret that. I didn't like having been exposed to the traffic of people and vehicles, just a few centimeters away from me. And it wasn't just the physical aspect, but also the noise, smells (a trash collector van passed by mind ya!), and (cigarette) smoke — which defeated the purpose of tables having been tagged as non-smoking tables. The overall comfort was honestly 2/5.

Thus my recommendation is to aim to book an indoors table unless you are convinced that the outside seat is good enough for you.

The staff was fine on this pass 5/5. Then again, we didn't have much of a complex interaction, thus no impact on the rating.

The dining experience can vary, based on whether someone is in the center or the edge (literally) of La Perla's capacity. It is a strong factor to consider, as it affects how much one can enjoy their food. Both are equally important, which results in a score of 3.5. This could be rounded up to 4, but with such a big gap between the two components does make it go to a 3.

Shame. Though, if we went for a takeaway, that would have been a clean-cut 5+/5! The table arrangement and capacity are holding this place back in my opinion.

June 2019: I was in there in June 2019. The food is fine but not grand. On the other hand, the pricing is a bit steep. Not great value for money. Thus the rating. Lower prices would have...