Mappa — Restaurant in Amsterdam

Mappa, two mains, 2 cocktails, two glasses of wine, 1 water bottle: €62.

Searching through parallel back streets in Amsterdam reveals a lot but a decent Italian restaurant with a good cocktail and wine list delivered by charming service was not expected.

Mappa is not ‘pizza pasta’, it’s not Tuscan trattoria. It’s a semi greatest hits of popular Italian items: carpaccio, panzanella salad, caprese salad, tiramisu — and yes, there’s pizza and pasta.

It’s an open space with pale walls accented by olive green rich curtains framing floor to ceiling windows allowing soft light in complimented by homely light features. Two and four seater tables plus a large central communal table in the spirit of big Italian family eating.

We started with their sweet and sleuth lethal limoncello cocktail with woody thyme flowers: a revelation and summer in a glass.

Our waitress was personable, encouraging us to try things and attentive despite being the sole waitress in a large restaurant.

The goats cheese ravioli is rich, deep in umami with its coating of aged cheese and fresh bright hints with asparagus. The sundried tomato is a classic pairing for goat cheese so the whole dish works; a bit safe, but works.

The pea ravioli with celeriac, green peas and lemon cashew sauce is vegan and a plate of spring; however, it is very under seasoned needing a lot more salt, pepper and a slick of olive oil. It would also benefit from mint or another herb to lift the dish further.

Overall Mappa was an enjoyable experience. The food was inconsistent but there’s promise. The drinks are enjoyable and the service is charming. I would come back nonetheless if not just for the...

The food was excellent and the place was very cozy and warm. The service however was not up to standard. When we arrived at 7 p.m. on a Saturday evening we were told that they were out of pizzas. Very strange, early on a Saturday evening 😁

However, we decided to try the other food on the menu instead - and it was absolutely delicious.

Our disappointment over the shortage of pizzas must have put our waiter (who, until then had been rather friendly) in a sour mood 😆 because after this she ignored our table for most of the evening, threw the menu on the table when we wanted to choose desert and then let us wait for half an hour before she took the order. We watched her greet other guests with warmth and regularly check on them. ... We also watched her use her bare hands to put icecubes in drinks for other customers, as well as use her teeth to remove the cover of the top of a...

Mappa is an absolute treasure. I dined alone this evening whilst on business, the atmosphere, music, attentive and knowledgable service were all perfect. The food was even better. I had a sirloin steak from the special of the day and it was exceptional - and I am blooming fussy about my steaks! Served with chanterelles, stewed baby onion, fine green beans (perfectly crunchy)and sweet romana peppers with a red wine reduction, with a side of hand cut fries accompanied by a healthy ramekin of truffle mayo! Followed by Tiramisu - which was exemplary. There’s a great selection of interesting and well priced wine, the Orange Fruili was lovely, as was the Nebiollo (one glass of each, not bottle, I’m not a monster :-) ) I can’t recommend this place highly enough, I’ll be...