I’m an omnivore. Which means I love a burger, a smoky BBQ platter, a properly grilled steak or a plate of fried chicken as much as the next person. Amsterdam has no shortage of places promising your next meat fix – but not all of them are worth the splurge. Steak, in particular, is something I don’t order lightly. More often than not, I’d rather grill one at home than pay restaurant prices for it. So when I was asked to write about steakhouses in the Netherlands a few years ago, I realised I needed to dig deeper. Since then, I’ve visited, compared and occasionally been surprised.
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Below are the places I genuinely rate – whether you’re after a classic steakhouse, a serious burger, or something cooked low and slow over charcoal.
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Best Amsterdam steakhouses
At Amsterdam prices, steak needs to be sourced well, cooked properly and served with a bit of theatre. Done right, though, a great steakhouse can deliver exactly what you want on a celebratory night out. These are the steakhouses in Amsterdam that I think are worth the reservation.
Carstens Steakhouse
I first visited Carstens – the Park Plaza Victoria’s elegant hotel restaurant – in its former guise specialising in Dutch cuisine. More recently, it’s reinvented itself as a steakhouse, but the location right by Centraal Station is just as handy as it was before, and the service just as attentive.
Meat lovers can expect beef tartare, dry-aged rib-eye, bavette, tomahawk and even wagyu – but there are a few fish and veggie options if you’re with a mixed group. We kicked off with a cocktail (a Victoria sour, made with rum, lemon and ginger, which felt positively medicinal!) and tucked into some bread and olives while deciding what to eat. In the end, we tried both the beef and tuna tartares, which were deliciously tangy with pickles and mustard seeds, followed by the rib-eye and the classic fillet steak. Both were perfectly cooked (almost-rare), and with an array of sauces that didn’t overpower the meat: from creamy peppercorn to buttery bearnaise. Sides were tasty, too: simple but perfectly formed mac & cheese, plus crunchy green veg. For dessert, the chocolate trio was the obvious choice: chocolate mousse, chocolate cheesecake, and one of those oozing, molten chocolate fondant cakes. My +1 is a self-confessed chocoholic and she deemed it a triumph. All in all, Carstens delivered an elegant steak dinner, slap bang in the centre of town.
Midtown Grill
Widely reputed to serve the best steak in Amsterdam, the Midtown Grill is on the ground floor of the Amsterdam Marriott Hotel – conveniently close to both the buzzing Leidseplein and the leafy Vondelpark. And indeed, they do serve a damn good steak. I tried the dry-aged, corn-fed ribeye from the US, and the MRIJ filet mignon from the Netherlands. Both pieces of meat cut like butter and were perfectly seasoned. If you like sharing, the kitchen will serve your steaks already sliced and kept warm on the table, so you and your dining companions can take strips of whichever cuts you like. And while the meat is tender enough that you don’t really need a steak knife, the fun part is getting to choose one: from a delicate French Sabatier knife to a Japanese KAI knife that resembles a miniature samurai sword.
Cafe Carbon
With two branches in Amsterdam, Café Carbon is a slightly unfortunately (but actually aptly) named steak and grill restaurant. Not only is everything prepared over charcoal, but you can almost taste your carbon footprint following you out of the door after you’ve paid up and left. I’d walked into the restaurant not even sure I felt like eating meat that night, but changed my mind once I looked at the menu. I’m sorry-not-sorry that Mr Foodie and I ended up ordering a triple meat feast: we started with a 250 g ribeye steak and a small rack of lamb, divided into five cutlets. But somehow the meat was so tender and so tasty, and the char of the grill so moreish, that we skipped dessert in favour of a portion of hot wings. I’m pleased to say, they were just as good as the steak.
Sagardi
Bang in the centre of town on the Spuistraat, Sagardi is a Basque restaurant that’s known for two things: pintxos and steak. For pure carnivorous pleasure, head past the pintxos bar to Sagardi’s meat fridge and charcoal grill – which are quite the sight to behold. After a couple of meaty starters (we tried the txistorra sausage and the charcoal-roasted pâté), we moved onto the main event: a 2 kg hunk of on-the-bone, premium txuleton (otherwise known as ribeye). Grilled to rare perfection, it came with sweet piquillo peppers and hot potato wedges. Paired with a bottle of Rioja Reserva, it was a thing of great beauty. But (and this is a big but) you’re going to pay a lot for this privilege. The meat alone came to €250. I have no problem paying for quality, but for this price I’d expect the service to be slick – and it wasn’t quite there.
Cannibale Royale
Cannibale Royale has grown to half a dozen locations in Amsterdam over the past few years, so they must be doing something right! The first time I dined there (at their original Handboogstraat location), I ordered the 200 g bavette while my friend got the 300 g flat iron; both were cooked just as requested and were quality bits of beef. That being said, I wish steakhouses would season meat before cooking it – it brings out the flavour far better than salting it afterwards, which means you just taste steak and salt. That small gripe aside, the roasted vegetables were very well cooked and seasoned. I’ve been back to Cannibale Royale a few times subsequently (including to their Ruysdaelkade and Lange Niezel locations), and the meat has always been great quality and good value.
Best Amsterdam burger bars
Some years back, Amsterdam went nuts for American-style gourmet burgers – especially if served with craft beer. While that trend has died down a little now, there are still some pretty decent burger bars to be found if you know where to look.
The Butcher
The Butcher got its start in life (I believe) on Albert Cuypstraat – home to Amsterdam’s biggest market – but has since branched out all over the Dutch capital and various other cities Europe-wide. My favourite location is The Butcher Social Club in the A’DAM Tower, which is the place to go if you like some hip beats and old-school games with your meal. All their burgers are made with Aberdeen Angus that’s still pink in the middle, served inside brioche buns. My favourites included the truffle burger (with a truffle-laced sauce) and the “cowboy” (with jalapenos and BBQ sauce).
Lombardo’s
On the Spiegelstraat, Lombardo’s gets a steady flow of tourists from the Leidseplein and the Museumplein. But despite its location, it serves one of the best burgers in Amsterdam. I chose the wagyu burger, which described itself as the best of the best – so why choose anything else? A simple, medium-rare beef patty that tasted suitably meaty if a tad under-seasoned, topped with onion compote, pickles, tomato, lettuce and a mayo-based sauce. It was served in a sesame bun, whose texture I liked and which tried to hold itself together but failed eventually due to the sheer magnitude of the toppings – Mr Foodie wouldn’t have given it a very good manageability score. Luckily, he wasn’t there and I just let the whole thing drip down my fingers (and, probably, my face).
Buurtcafe de Tros
On one corner of the leafy Oosterpark, Buurtcafe de Tros looks a bit fancy to be a burger bar. Which is probably because it isn’t. In fact, they serve a nicely curated range of higher end dishes alongside a good selection of European wines. But on the day I visited, I had one mission and one mission only: the smash burger. The two crisp patties came in a brioche bun with melted cheese, mayo, pickles and a smattering of lettuce. It’s pretty much everything you’re looking for in a burger (so long as you have napkins at the ready for the dripping juices). Except for perhaps the speed of service. I was there on a Sunday lunchtime, and it felt like the kitchen staff were still prepping for the lunch rush while diners were already sitting at their tables ordering food. Perhaps the evening sitting is a little better organised.
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Best Amsterdam BBQ restaurants
When I say BBQ, I’m not talking about burgers and sausages flung onto a disposal grill in the park (AKA, British BBQ). I’m talking about American BBQ: big cuts of meat, smoked low and slow for several hours over chunks of wood. I’ve spent a good amount of time in Texas, Tennessee and a few other places known for their beef brisket, racks of ribs and Boston butts. I’ve also spent a lot of time smoking my own meat – either on our big Weber kettle grill or on our knock-off green egg, the ever-trusty Patton grill. So when I go out for BBQ, it has to be pretty special. Which is probably why I’ve only found one BBQ restaurant in Amsterdam that makes the cut…
Pendergast
I’m saying Pendergast is the best BBQ joint in Amsterdam, but truthfully I’ve had very few BBQ experiences this good anywhere – with the possible exceptions of Memphis, Tennessee and Lockhart, Texas. In any case, Pendergast certainly serves the best ribs in Amsterdam, and possibly the only brisket worth eating in the city. (Well, other than my own, of course ;-)) All the way from Kansas City, the folks at Pendergast know their way around a smoker. And a liquor bar, for that matter. So get your julep on and enjoy the meat-fest.
Transparency disclosure: I was invited to eat at Carstens Steakhouse, the Midtown Grill and Lombardo’s as a journalist, and I didn’t pay for my meal. I try to remain as objective as possible, but I always disclose when I’ve had a freebie.
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