Best Indonesian restaurants in Amsterdam

Café AMOI

The vibrant jungle-themed décor of this tributary “little sister” feels warm and inviting “My aunt, the former chef at my parents’ old-school Indonesian restaurant, does her style of home cooking here without any concessions in a setting that’s not your granny’s Indo,” explains owner Felix Ang. Must-orders include spiced mackerel lemper (sticky rice rolls), grilled sea bass in banana leaf with bumbu spice paste and an Asem Sour cocktail (bourbon, tamarind, vanilla, lime and cardamom bitters).

Café AMOI | Kinkerstraat 53A, Oud-West

Purnama Kitchen & Bar

Weirdly, this hidden treasure is the only Indonesian restaurant in the Indische buurt, a neighbourhood named for the former East Indies. “Here, we take things a step further with the kinds of dishes that you’ll find at restaurants in Indonesia, like grilled beef spare ribs with kemiri nut sauce,” explains owner, Felix Ang. Do order those ribs, the beef curry-stuffed martabak pancake and anything with the house peanut sauce (possibly the city’s best!). The fried fish dumplings are particularly good. There are cocktails, wines and local craft beers, too.

Purnama | Javastraat 55H, Oost

Restaurant Blauw

At this popular eatery near Vondelpark, everything’s made with recipes that go back at least two generations. Vegetarian, meat and fish rijsttafels (around €52.50 pp) are served in sleek vessels against a chilli red backdrop refreshingly free of folkloristic clichés. Highlights include flame-grilled goat satay, fragrant daging rendang (spicy braised beef with coconut), and chef Hendra Subandrio’s signature tahu peteh (fried spicy tofu with peteh beans).

Restaurant Blauw | Amstelveenseweg 158-160, Zuid

Café Jakarta

Built on the quay where, until the mid-20th century, immigrants would arrive after a long voyage from Indonesia, Hotel Jakarta’s in-house restaurant has plenty going for it: an impressive energy-neutral subtropical-inspired interior, a prime location on the tip of Java-Eiland with a 100-seater waterside terrace and the best twist on spekkoek. Javanese chef Rendy Reanaldy’s version isn’t as firm as the traditional spiced cake: the delicate layers are interspersed with vanilla-coconut cream and served with stewed pineapple, lime sorbet, pandan ice cream and a pineapple crisp. Even the club sandwiches and omelettes are infused with Indonesian flavours, and the lobster comes with sambal mayo. Or try the Table Jakarta rijsttafel (around €40 pp) for a gentle introduction to Indonesian flavours.

Café Jakarta | Javakade 766, Oostelijke Eilanden

Warna Baru

You’re not bound to a gut-busting rijsttafel at this convivial next-gen neighbourhood eatery, where you’ll find all the classics a la carte, from perkedel jagung (corn fritters with sweet chilli sauce) and tofu pangsit (fried dumplings) to properly spicy chilli-lemon leaf chicken drumsticks and outstanding daging rendang. There are Indo-themed cocktails too, like mango negronis and coconut espresso martinis, as well as natural wines and beers.

Warna Baru | Jan Pieter Heijestraat 137, Oud-West

Blue Pepper Restaurant & Candlelight Cruises

Founding chef Sonja Pereira’s (vegan) rijsttafels (from around €49) and a la carte options combine influences from her native West Java with a light, modern touch and beautiful presentation. If a canal cruise is on your Amsterdam bucket list (as it should be!), Blue Pepper’s candlelight cruise, for groups of eight or more, is a tasty way to cross that item off while enjoying “a royal feast”.

Blue Pepper | Nassaukade 366, Oud-West

Sampurna

Founded over 35 years ago, this Canal District classic on the Flower Market keeps going strong. Its a la carte offerings and rijsttafels (from €27.50) celebrate old family recipes in a gilded interior that pays subtle homage to Indonesian culture. Highlights include chilli braised beef and goat satay as well as fresh and fluffy spekkoek, the best traditional take we’ve tasted in town.

Sampurna | Singel 498, Centrum

Ron Gastrobar Indonesia

Javanese chef Agus Hermawan’s cooking encompasses a rich tapestry of traditional offerings as well as creative contemporary twists on popular street foods, such as wonton wrapper tacos with Balinese chicken and pani puri (crispy deep-fried pastry pockets) stuffed with steak tartare and chilli-lime sambal. Of course, the old-style rijsttafels (from €38 pp), the house espresso martini with spekkoek-flavoured liqueur and an awesome Amstel river-facing terrace are equally compelling reasons to make a pilgrimage to the charming village of Ouderkerk aan de Amstel. Apparently, Barack Obama is a fan.

Ron Gastrobar Indonesia | Amstelzijde 51, Amstelveen

Kafé Kontrast

Swedish chef Ellinor Strinnholm combines her Le Cordon Bleu training with work experience at French and Scandinavian Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris and Malmö and inspiration gleaned from travels in Jakarta, Borneo, Sumatra and the mountains of Bali to create a casual melting pot of cultures where you can brunch on the weekend or dine on grilled beef satay skewers with Padang-style sauce, caramelized pandan-leaf infused bread pudding and homemade lemongrass and chilli schnapps.

Kafé Kontrast | Ceintuurbaan 71, De Pijp

Restaurant Max

Conveniently located in the Western Canal Belt, this perennially packed rijsttafel specialist offers traditional, fusion and milder options (from €39) so you can simply relax and enjoy your meal without worrying about what to order. The crispy vegetable salad with chicken satay is a good twist on tradition. Oenophile and owner Max Lumankun’s carefully curated wine list matches the complex flavours of his Indonesian cuisine. The service here is excellent, too.

Restaurant Max | Herenstraat 14, Centrum