Salmuera — Restaurant in Amsterdam

Salmuera: 1 starter, 1 rib eye steak, 1 dessert, 2 Malbecs, 1 bottled water: EUR65 (incl service); 1 grilled octopus, 1 rib eye, 2 sangria, 1 Tempranillo, bottled water: EUR80 (incl. service).

A fellow food enthusiast provided me with a generous list of highly recommended spots when I shared that I was staying in the leafy, charm saturated area of Jordaan in Amsterdam’s Canal District. Salmuera featured highly up this list and, lucky for me, it’s one minute away from my place. There is ample seating but you really want to sit in the cobblestone, open air courtyard if the weather allows it. The inside is moody with all the atmosphere of an old winery barely visible but for the candle lit glowing your way through the densely packed tables complete with red roses.

Argentine restaurants play a certain set piece, predictable menu: step forward the steak list, full bodied wine list and an array of salads. Salmuera continues this tradition but tips a nod to other Latin American stalwarts as evident in its starters menu clearly separated into ceviches, empanadas and a selection of various ‘others’. The Mendoza empanadas are golden brown with the signature twisted crimping seam down one side of the blistered pastry that, when broken, releases the slightly sweet beef meat, green olive stuffing which is tempered by a softly acetic chimichurri sauce. Overall enjoyable and could be a sufficient lunch with a side salad if you are a light eater.

The 300G RIBEYE cooked medium was beautifully-charred with that signature wood smoke from the Argentine / Uruguayan BBQs but the fatty ribbons weaving throughout keep is soft. Anything less than medium would likely yield a glutinous steak cut. 300G is more than sufficient for one person but the selection of side including the

The KRAKEN or grilled octopus dish is a generous portion for one person dotted with bright saffron laced aioli. The octopus is steaky, not rubbery; the aioli is mellowed by the saffron where, actually, a more assertive pungent aioli kicking with garlic would pair well with the octopus and grilled lemon wedge.

All of these are washed down with red sangria, Malbec and Tempranillo. The sangria is tart and not that syrupy sweet variety swilled in Madrid or Sevilla usually laced with red vermouth and Cointreau. You may want some more agave syrup (available on request).

Overall Salmuera is a good neighbourhood restaurant that sits comfortably as a casual but good local steakhouse. The service is more attentive than expected for a restaurant in Amsterdam (rarely do I get decent service in this city) and the location is within striking distance of the beautiful canals and flower lined streets of picturesque Jordaan. We came here twice and...

What a wonderful experience... Where do I start... Can I kick it?

First of all I thought this place was an Italian restaurant everytime I walked by the Rozengracht.. I always wanted to go inside and try this restaurant but it never really happened until yesterday night.

After trying various restaurants in the city I decided to go to Salmuera yesterday, unplanned!

We came in without a reservation and had a warm welcome which was really needed in these rainy days. Thank you for that, really appreciated. 🌟

We were kindly asked to seat at a cozy table inside in a nice corner. Then the menu was brought to us and to our big surprise, the presentation of the menu was just sublime : a hardcover book and after opening it, we found a beautiful list of amazing cocktails and very nice south American dishes. But the moment when my heart skipped a beat was....... when I saw the word MEZCAL 😍!!!!!!!!!! I am a big fan of the taste of Mezcal, one of my favorite drinks!!!!

The cocktails were really nicely concocted, the portions of the meals were big enough to fill our hungry bellies and the whole experience was just putting a fantastic euphoric smile on our faces 😁😁😁😁😁😁😁!!! The ceviche was perfectly made, empanadas, guacamole, meat, maïs frozen in time before becoming a popcorn was just mindblowing .. Everything was very tasty and satisfactory!!!! Pure joy and happiness. ♥

The price/quality of this place is excellent , I will definitely go back again to taste other dishes and cocktails!

I wish I could give a sixth star for this really nice culinary experience 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

Well done Salmuera because you satisfied picky clients difficult to impress! I wish you all the...

Salmuera is a South American restaurant with a twist. It's a fusion of the flavours and tastes of Argentina and Mexico. The name translates into English as "brine" and takes its name from the Argentinian cooking method of brushing meat with salted water flavoured with spices and seasonings. The salt solution doesn't dry out the meat and gives it a distinctive taste.

The restaurant and its delightful courtyard terrace is located on Rozengracht on the historical site of 't Lootsje, a distillery established in 1575 by the Bols family, where they commenced with the distillation of liqueurs. In 1664, Bols began producing genever Dutch gin. Today, the company sells over 45 liqueurs and Bols Genevers in more than 110 countries around the world.

Inside, there are low wooden beam ceilings and all areas have been packed with an abundance of tables and chairs. Poor accoustics means that the place has the constant buzz of an overcrowded dining hall, hardly the ideal choice for a romantic dinner., however this does not appear to disturb the predominantly youthful clientelle.

Salmuera offers a superb Mezcal collection, in addition to expertly prepared coctails, wines and the inevitable sangria.

The restaurant is a meat-lovers delight featuring dry aged rib eye and tenderloin steaks, cooked to perfection. Fried octopus is also sensational. The menu features a mouth-watering assortment of street food, as well as fresh sea bass, tuna and prawn ceviches.

Service, although very attentive, is often painfully slow. If you can put up with this and the noise, you'll be delighted...