Sate House Senayan - Reestraat — Restaurant in Amsterdam

We visited this restaurant during its second day of soft opening, hoping to satisfy our longing for Sate Khas Senayan from Indonesia. While there were some good aspects, overall the experience felt underprepared, and I believe there’s still a lot of room for improvement.

Service Since it was only the second day, I understand the team is still adjusting. However, the waiter seemed unsure of the ordering process and had to repeatedly check with the manager. This could have been avoided with better staff training before opening. We were the first to arrive for lunch, but our appetizer (a simple assortment of krupuk with peanut sauce) took about 35 minutes to arrive, something that could have been served right away with the drinks. Other tables also experienced long waits for appetizers.

The main set menu took almost 1 hour to be served. When it finally arrived, the food was lukewarm rather than hot, the nasi goreng was the only dish that was warm enough. It seemed like the food was sitting in the kitchen while waiting for all items to be ready. To improve, it would help to serve dishes as soon as they’re cooked, or use heating elements (like hot plates or charcoal under the sate) to keep them warm. Especially with winter coming, serving food hot is essential.

Food Taste-wise, the meat set menu I tried was fairly close to what I expected from Sate Khas Senayan in Indonesia, though something felt a little different in flavor. Some dishes were also a bit too salty or overpowering in spices, which might come down to ingredient choices. The food itself was good, but the lack of heat made it less enjoyable.

As for value, €35 per person felt slightly overpriced considering what was served. Other Indonesian restaurants in the city offer more variety in their rijstafel menus at a similar or lower price. The rice portion, in particular, was small for two people, and the requirement of a minimum two-person order makes it less flexible.

Ambience & Readiness The space itself didn’t feel fully ready for guests. The restaurant still smelled of paint, cables on the ceiling were unfinished, the windows were not yet cleaned, and there was no sign outside. Even in the restroom, the paper towels were simply placed on the sink instead of in a proper holder. Altogether, it gave the impression that the opening was rushed.

Overall I can only give this place 3 stars (or 3.5/5). The flavors are promising, and I truly hope the restaurant improves with time, as it has the potential to become a great spot. I look forward to coming back after they’ve had more time to refine the service, food preparation, and...

People leaving harsh comments here really need to relax, it’s only been 3 days since they opened, and they’ve been clear from the start that this is a soft opening.

For those who don’t know: a soft opening is essentially a trial run before the official launch, where the goal is to test the kitchen, service flow, staff readiness, and gather feedback in a lower-pressure environment. Please read that again.

We arrived 15 mins before our booking and were seated right away. The team handed us the menu and explained the soft opening set menu, noting that the full menu would be available after the grand opening. Our drinks came in under 5 mins, and the meat set we ordered arrived in about 10–15 mins.

The food was excellent. The Sate Ayam Ponorogo was the highlight (as expected, since it’s their signature dish and the reason we came). The Ayam Goreng Kuning was perfectly crispy outside and juicy inside. The Oseng Daging wasn’t my favorite, but still far better than most “rijstafel” dishes you’ll find around here. We asked for extra rice, and they served it at no additional cost.

On pricing, considering the prime location in Jordaan and the restaurant’s positioning (and let’s be real, even in Indonesia this brand is about 3x the price of a street vendor) it’s absolutely fair. I honestly don’t get why people are shocked.

Overall, I’d rate the experience 5/5. Yes, the space isn’t fully finished yet (no signage, etc.), but that’s exactly what a soft opening is for. The staff were fast, informative, and took feedback seriously, even the unfair negative comments here (which I don’t even relate to most of them, so I’d say the progress they’ve made in just 3 days is pretty impressive).

So instead of tearing them down, let’s support what they’ve built: a truly authentic Indonesian satay restaurant.

If we want to see more Indonesian restaurants abroad that are owned and run by Indonesians, this is...

A lot of people who are writing negative reviews show typically what is wrong with societies in Western countries who, for some reason, as the Dutch saying goes, altijd "Haantje de voorste willen zijn."

In this scenario, it is about a restaurant that has just opened, who has been transparent that they are having a soft launch and that their menu is still preliminary. You can even notice when taking a first step inside of the place that you notice that they are still building, as some lights haven't been hung up yet. Now one can do to two things:

1. Expect that you'll directly be put on a porcelain pedestal because somehow that's what you've told yourself to deserve in the mirror every morning.

2. You can show humility, empathy, and realize that it's a start for them in which they are still conducting test rounds on how to improve and what not.

Constructive criticism should always be welcomed. However, some of the negative reviews fall more in the former category then the latter. This should give people the suggestion to perhaps reflect. I'll leave that up to them.

As for my own experience? There was nothing to complain about. While nothing would be able to beat the kitchen where I grew up in as an Indo, the food was enjoyable and good. The saté kambing was good and I hope that the menu will further expand in the future with all of dishes that our cuisine has. Service was also not an issue as we were helped in a friendly manner.

The only feedback that I have is that I hope the restaurant puts some nice Indonesian drawings/painting by creative native artists on the wall and perhaps make it a brighter color as now it's a bit dark. Perhaps, it would also be good to add some traditional Indonesian symbols such as wayang puppets here and there.

Good luck and all success wished to Sate House Senayan as I will return sooner...