TestTafel — Restaurant in Amsterdam

We came in with really high hopes after seeing so many glowing reviews, but sadly the experience didn’t live up to the hype. The restaurant has a fun and experimental concept, which we appreciate, but the tricky thing with that is if the flavors and execution aren’t spot-on, the whole thing can quickly feel underwhelming, and that’s how it felt for us.

For the price point, we were expecting refined, memorable flavors. Instead, most dishes leaned heavily on salt, without much nuance or balance. Even the dessert was oddly more salty than sweet. The wine pairing was also confusing, with choices that didn’t really complement the food. For example, serving a super sour wine right after a sweet dessert wine, which clashed instead of enhancing the experience.

Service was warm and friendly, but the explanations about the dishes and wines were very surface-level. It felt like we only got the most basic info (like “red wine, like merlot”), without any insight into the pairings or preparation.

The view of the water is definitely a highlight and is stunning, but unfortunately our table was so uneven that it made sitting through the meal a bit uncomfortable.

At the end of the night, we honestly wondered if we’re just being too picky, since so many others seem to love this place. Or maybe we’ve just been spoiled by better experiences elsewhere. Either way, it didn't live up to the...

The food was very tasty and creative! Great to have all vegan 7 course meal. Some courses were more interesting than the others but overall, still totally worth it. The menu changes every week so I would like to try it out again. Each course has small portion (which is good considering that there are 7) except for the last savory course, which is quite large. So don’t eat too much bread! It does take quite some time in between the courses so you do get tempted to order more bread.. which is super tasty. I also really liked that the last three courses were desserts. The ice creams were so good!! The food looked much better than in my pictures since it was very dark to take good pictures..

Would be nice to have a sign of TestTafel on the door (if there is, it wasn’t visible) though since it was quite difficult to find. Look for the number 6 and the sign “de Sering” and open the (plastic?) door that seems like an entrance to a greenhouse or...

These people are not messing around. Some of the most interesting and amazing tasting food I have ever put in my mouth. Course after course was incredible. We loved not looking at the menu and trying to guess what it was. All vegan, very satisfying (they give you loads of bread). The chef came along and added a leaf of applemint halfway to one of our dishes half way through cos he fancied it and it took it to another level (it was already way up there) - just to witness this creativity and skill was immense. Also lush lush huge greenhouse venue right on the water. And all the profits go to a serious community kitchen supporting many people....