Steak Club Leidse — Restaurant in Amsterdam

Hold onto your hats, folks, because dining at Steak Club Leidse is like being strapped to a rocket-powered salt shaker in a race to dehydration station. If you’ve ever fantasized about eating in a salt mine while being hustled out faster than a bad blind date, this place has your name written all over it. My night here was less a meal and more a comedic catastrophe that left my tastebuds parched and my patience in the dust.

Let’s kick things off with the steak tartare, oh, what a plot twist. This dish arrived warmer than a Dutch summer sidewalk, yet somehow still rare, lounging on a bed of salt like it was auditioning for a mineral spa commercial. The bread? Coated in enough salt to make a sailor cry. Traditional tartare? Not a chance. Unless “traditional” means a sodium tsunami that could preserve a pharaoh. If your dream is to chomp on a salt block with a side of beef, this dish is your soulmate.

Then came the côte de boeuf, which deserves its own sitcom for how fast it crashed my table. I’d barely put down my fork from the starter when, BAM! the main course slid in like it was late for a Zoom call. I asked for water at the start (a desperate plea, really), and that’s all they seemed to hear. My glass ran dry, sitting there empty like my hopes for a relaxed meal, and not a single soul asked if I wanted another drink. I was so thirsty I considered licking the tablecloth for moisture. Starter down, main up, and I’m pretty sure they were already printing my bill before I could blink. Is Steak Club Leidse a restaurant or a Formula 1 pit stop? Were they bored with an empty dining room, or is this breakneck pace just their cardio routine? Either way, it’s a hard pass.

The côte de boeuf itself? You guessed it, another salt bomb. I was half expecting to find a shaker taped to the plate. By the end, I was so dehydrated I was ready to negotiate with the salt gods for mercy.

Good luck! Maybe your google ADs catch a few...

The food was great. However, thservice ruined our experience and I cannot rate this restaurant highly due to this fact. Our waiter was extremely impatient with us, rushing us and interrupting us whilst we were giving our order. He was abrupt and blunt with us from the beginning of service, making us feel uncomfortable. He did not specify which meal was whose when he put it on the table despite us ordering different steaks. He put the meals in the wrong place on the table due to the lack of communication with us. He poured sauce directly onto the steak but we didn’t want this, we wanted it as a dipping sauce - I had to make a sharp point not to do this to the other meals as I didn’t have a say in the one he had already done. He did not ask whether we wanted any condiments or any additional drinks (even though our glasses were nearly empty). He was not attentive to our needs at all and was rude throughout. We were made to feel that we did not belong and were not welcome. We asked for the bill and it took a while to come so we had to ask again, which was brought to us straight away so had he forgot about us? He did not check in on us or be pleasant to us throughout. I would not go back to this restaurant due to service - €100 meal for 2 with bad service is very concerning. Food was great but can be found elsewhere...

One of my favourite restaurants in Amsterdam. Pricey but worth the expense. We've been several times this year since discovering it. We always waddle out full and happy.

Delicious Lebanese food. I lived in Dubai for years, and Lebanese food was everyone's Middle Eastern go-to there. This food is better than that. It's refined, uses fresh (often local) ingredients and is consistently delicious.

Their hummus is rich and creamy (my benchmark for Middle Eastern food). All their aubergine/eggplant dishes are smoky and moreish.

Do try the booza (Middle Eastern Ice Cream) as its texture is unlike what we're used to in Europe. It's an amazing stretchy, velvety, melt-in-the-mouth experience.

They will always get me extra toum (garlic paste) at the chagrin of my partner 😂

Amazing service. One waiter recognised us the second time we went, which is impressive in my book. He was also nice enough to get me a sneaky bowl of Fattoush after finding out it was my favourite salad as it wasn't part of the chef's menu that day.

The only downfall (and there is one) is that their bread isn't warm and fluffy like I'm used to.

Please order the chef menus and some Lebanese wine. You won't be...