Orchid House — Restaurant in Amsterdam

We had dinner here tonight for our anniversary, a booking we had made in advance and clearly mentioned in the reservation notes. Unfortunately, the experience did not meet expectations.

When we arrived, we had to wait at the entrance even though we had a reservation, and the table was given to someone who arrived after us - without a booking. Once seated, we noticed there was no cloakroom available. The food menu arrived about 20 minutes later, and by the time we were ready to order (another 10 minutes), we were informed that a couple dishes — including the one we had chosen — were no longer available.

The margarita cocktail came without salt on the rim, though it was still good. The wine was also nice. However, the water bottles still had glue and label residue on them, which feels careless for a restaurant that’s only been open for three weeks. On a more positive note, the bread and butter were excellent — definitely recommended — but the empty plate was never cleared from the table, even after the staff came by multiple times to serve drinks or collect menus.

One waiter handed my boyfriend a plate of padron peppers that was extremely hot and explicitly asked him to hold it. The peppers were fine (hard to get them wrong), and the oysters were decent, though served at a temperature that wasn’t as cold as they should be.

When our main courses arrived, we were given sweet potatoes instead of the fries we had ordered, but the waiter left them for us anyway. My boyfriend had ordered the bavette with garlic herb butter, but it was served with chimichurri instead. I had the Peruvian chicken — it was good, although the meat was a bit tough. The bavette, despite the mix-up, was very tasty and cooked well, with a reasonable portion size.

The restaurant itself is beautiful — great design, lovely tableware, and a well-thought-out aesthetic. However, service and attention to detail still need significant improvement. One of the waitresses struggled to understand English well; when I asked about nut ingredients due to an intolerance, communication was difficult, though thankfully the dish didn’t contain any.

Overall, the place shows real effort in its concept and interior design, but that same care hasn’t yet reached the service side - which, in the end, is what most shapes the...

We had the possibility to give this restaurant a second chance after my girlfriend’s previous visit and review, and we were pleasantly surprised by how much they had taken her earlier feedback to heart. From the moment we arrived, we were warmly welcomed and felt well looked after throughout the evening.

This time, we came on a quieter night, which allowed the staff to be more attentive - and it made a difference. What impressed us was seeing the small but meaningful improvements that showed care. For example, we had previously mentioned the issue with the water bottles having label residue, and now every bottle on every table was spotless. It’s a small detail, but it says how seriously they take customer feedback.

We started with six oysters, which were perfectly chilled and very fresh, a big improvement from last time. The bread and butter were, as always, absolutely delicious and remain one of our top recommendations.

For our main, we decided to share a ribeye steak after enjoying the bavette on our previous visit, and once again, the quality of the meat did not disappoint. The steak was beautifully cooked, tender, and tasty. The sauces that accompanied it were all great.

This time, my girlfriend had a Pornstar Martini, which was good, while I enjoyed again a nice glass of wine.

Overall, we were impressed by how the restaurant has made improvements in such a short time. The atmosphere remains beautiful and inviting, and now the service truly matches the setting. It’s great to see a place that listens, learns, and grows - and we’ll definitely be happy to come back again. A special thanks to Rosie for making our occasion even better.

We would especially recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a beautiful place to enjoy great meat - both times we visited, it was cooked to perfection and...

I guess all these 5 star reviews were from friends and family for the launch event. And I get it! You want to love it, but frankly all there is to love is the design of this place... Ceviche salad was extremely spicy to a point where its hard to even identity any flavours. Octopus salad was fresh but uninspiring. Pimentos padron with zero flavour and charred a little too short to really get that smoky punch. The "welcome drink" was presented to us while we were having the cava we ordered ourselves, instead of when we entered. The waitress would return for a 'fill up' but never did and the bread we ordered took forever to arrive. The service was slow, unorganized and for each course 3 different waiters came to ask the exact same questions. I'm a a frequent visitor to Hotel V - The Lobby, especially Fizeaustraat, but in comparison Orchard House has a lot of work to do to even get close to that experience. Hopefully in a few months time the bar has been raised but for now... Just...