Trattoria Graziella — Restaurant in Amsterdam

Amsterdam has long had a special affinity with its sizeable Italian community. Many came here in search of employment and there has always been great demand for Italian chefs. Today, there are numerous Italian restaureants, delicatessens and ice-cream parlours spread throughout the city; Ranking among the best dining venues is Trattoria Graziella.

The restaurant is one of three belonging to the elegant five star De L'Europe hotel. It also has its own street entrance in Nieuwe Doelenstraat, formerly home to a group of buildings which functioned as headquarters and a shooting range for Amsterdam's civic guard. Rembrandt's Nightwatch masterpiece was commissioned for the grand hall of the complex.

Everything about Trattoria Graziella is truly outstanding. The ambience is warm, exciting and inviting. Table lamps add to the intimacy. Super friendly attentive staff make you feel immediately at home.

The authentic Italian cuisine is absolutely sensational. The menu features a mouth watering selection of antipasti, pasta and secondi featuring Filetto al tartufo - succulent fillet steak with potato millefeuille and truffle, optionally served with duck liver; Filetto d'orata - sea bream fillet in bread crumble, asparagus and beans sauce; Pollo alla 'nduja - chicken "lollypop" and bellpeppers stew; Melanzana alla parmigiana - eggplant with tomato sauce, mozzarella and parmaesan; or the house speciality of the day. Definitely try the Patatine Graziella - French fries with parmaesan and truffle oil.

The chef personally comes to your table to ensure your meal has been prepared with the utmost perfection. The dessert menu is equally impressive and includes various flavours of Italian ice-cream and the most delicious tiramisu I have ever had the honour of eating.

Trattoria Graziella is the perfect venue for romantic soirées, dining with family and friends, celebrations and parties. It's a dining experience...

TL;DR: Creative Italian food, with prompt attentive service, in a quiet open room. Recommended!

Details:

A week out of the Italy portion of our Europe 23 trek, my wife was hankering for Italian again. Trattoria Grazieilla was discovered via a search for "Italian restaurants quiet". The reviews were good, and mine will be also.

Food:

The menu is creative. No Italian standards by an American standard, but familiar to those who've traveled in Italy. Priced on the high side but not crazy, especially considering the quality of ingredients and the creativity / manner of preparation.

Every bite was a delight. From the olives brought right away, to the salted foccacia with and olive oil drizzle, a sea bass with perhaps the best tasting coating I've had, a filet cooked perfect with liver topping it. And truffle / Parmesan fries. Each terrific!

The dessert menu had all good, creative options. We opted for a tiramisu, which was prepared in a novel way with white chocolate, concerning, but they said "it's new, let us know how you like this preparation". Answer... we loved it. Very tasty, and creative.

Service:

Friendly. Attentive. Prompt. Sometimes you get that in Italy. They were very interested in us, how our experience was going, and how they could help. Yet not intrusive. Perfect.

Ambience:

We want to talk to each other, not shout. And here they were perfect. tasteful Italian music played, not too loud, and the open room let the tables talk, see, but at a normal volume. Very comfortable.

Overall - recommended. Next time in Amsterdam, we...

In our pursuit of culinary excellence, our recent visit to Trattoria Graziella was met with a blend of anticipation and high hopes, given its reputation. However, the experience fell short of expectations in several key areas.

The menu, which promised an array of sophisticated dishes, including the chef's signature steaks adorned with truffles, regrettably lacked the depth of flavor one would anticipate. The truffles, a highlight in theory, lacked aroma and freshness, diminishing the overall impact of the dish. Similarly, the antipasto featuring octopus was underwhelming, with a notable absence of the vibrant flavors typically associated with such a delicacy.

Additionally, the wine selection, though extensive, was disproportionately priced. The quality of the wine, in our experience, did not justify the premium, aligning more closely with what one might find in a supermarket rather than a fine dining establishment.

Lastly, the service, an integral component of the dining experience, was tinged with an air of pretension. Our youthful appearance seemed to influence the level of service received, a point of amusement yet also a detractor from the overall experience. Pretentious is the best description of the treatment we’ve received from our waitress.

In conclusion, while Trattoria Graziella boasts a promising menu, the execution in both culinary delivery and service fell notably short of the standards expected from a restaurant of...