Its spectacular mountain views are a world apart from the stubborn Netherlands at sea level, but if there is a way to conjure up the Swiss atmosphere in the Netherlands, it is the country’s food traditions. Swiss food is known around the world, and is particularly popular in Amsterdam, which has a handful of Swiss restaurants and even a few dedicated fondue specialists. Find out where to try Swiss classics in and around Amsterdam in this list of recommended restaurants.
01
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Café Bern
Direction
Nieuwmarkt 9, 1011 JR Amsterdam, The NetherlandsGet directions
Telephone
+31 20 622 0034
Web
Visit the website
Nieuwmarkt 9
(0) 20 622 00 34
Kitchen open every day from 6pm to 11pm.
While fondue is claimed as one of Switzerland’s national dishes (an honor sometimes shared with rösti ), the dish is closely related to the city of Bern in particular. The aptly named Café Bern is my pick for the local fondue specialist, not only because it’s conveniently located, in a far corner of Nieuwmarkt, but also because its cheese fondue is easily one of the best in town. And fondue is pretty much everything this cozy, dark restaurant serves, so head over to one of the community tables and wait for the drunken cheese sauce caquelon to arrive.
There are some other dishes, especially for children, that – a server once told me – are not particularly fond of the restaurant’s alcohol-laced specialty. Salads and simple pasta dishes will satisfy anyone not in the mood for fondue, but don’t expect to find polenta or even raclette; Bern means fondue, first and foremost.
02
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‘t Blaauwhooft
Direction
Hendrik Jonkerplein 1, 1013 KM Amsterdam, The NetherlandsGet directions
Telephone
+31 20 623 8721
Web
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Hendrik Jonkerplein 1
(0) 20 623 87 21
Kitchen open every day from 6 pm to 10 pm
‘t Blaauwhooft isn’t actually a Swiss restaurant at all, but it deserves a spot on this list because of its superlative fondue.
Away from the beaten track, this typical bruin café sits on secluded Bickers Island in Western Docklands, north of the railroad tracks that form the northern boundary of Haarlemmerbuurt. Tourists rarely venture into this forest, unless they want what the Dutch newspaper Het Parool has called the best fondue in Amsterdam. (Interestingly, neither Café Maxwell, at # 2 on their list, nor Het Wapen van Diemen, at # 3, are Swiss restaurants either; Café Bern, above, was demoted for poor service.)
In addition to its acclaimed kirsch fondue, the restaurant prides itself on its satay (or quench ), Indonesian skewered meat served with peanut sauce, and a daily menu that rotates seasonal dishes from mussels to ostrich fillet.
03
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Fondue y fondue
Direction
Overtoom 415, 1054 JR Amsterdam, The NetherlandsGet directions
Telephone
+31 20 612 9104
Web
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Overtoom 415
(0) 20 612 91 04
Open every day, from 6 pm to 1 am
Fondue & Fondue, as the name implies, is a fondue specialist that opened north of the Vondelpark in 2011. One of the more central restaurants on this list, it is ideally located for dinner after a day at the Museumplein; It’s a 20 minute scenic walk through the park from the plaza to the restaurant.
Diners can choose from four varieties of fondue, plus a chocolate fondue for dessert. The meat fondue consists of veal, round fillet, tenderloin and chicken breast; the fish fondue, a trio of salmon, tuna and shrimp. The cute, homey interior is a far cry from the café bruin atmosphere of favorites’ t Blaauwhoofd and Café Bern, but with its exposed brick and subway tiles, it duly reflects the aesthetic sensibilities of some of the city’s hippest new restaurants. .
04
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Little Switzerland restaurant
Direction
Julianaplein 53, 1949 AT Wijk aan Zee, Países BajosGet directions
Telephone
+31 251 375 090
Web
Visit the website
Julianaplein 53, 1949 AT Wijk aan Zee
(0) 251 37 50 90
Abierto todos los dias de 5pm.
Another Swiss enclave in an unexpected location, Restaurant Klein Zwitserland (Little Switzerland Restaurant) is the only one on this list outside the city borders, but it is also the only one where visitors will find Swiss classics like Züricher geschnetzeltes, sliced tenderloin. Fine bathed in white wine and reduction cream and served with rösti . There’s also classic fondue and a variety of continental dishes with a clear emphasis on meat and seafood – don’t walk here on Meatless Monday.
Wijk aan Zee is a charming seaside town on the North Sea. Visitors should take the Sprinter train (direction: Hoorn) to Beverwijk, then transfer to bus 78; The bus stops directly at Julianaplein.
