JonathanG

Unfortunately, I've had cause many times to come in here, usually at the behest of other people taken in by the lovely decor. Sadly, only the interior design is of quality. As indicated by many other reviewers, the personnel is poorly trained and unresponsive. Even simple special requests are greeted with silence. Last time I was there I thought, let's keep it simple: no food, just coffee. I ordered an espresso macchiato and clearly indicated that I wanted very little foam (this is how they do it in Italy but in dairy-crazy Holland they put in a lot). The waitress retorted, "We make it with a lot of foam. That's how we do it here." When I got my coffee, you guessed it, tons of foam, so I sent it back, followed the waitress and watched over her to make sure I got it the way I wanted it. Not exactly gezellig kids. I'll try to never, ever go there again.

Finally! I admit it. As a New Yorker, I'm spoiled for choice and quality and complain constantly about the food in Holland. The pizza here has been among the worst I've ever had. But something's happening. Things are changing. This is proof. Ignore the pretentiously hip decor and focus on the fact that these people care about pizza. It matters to them and you can taste it. The quality of the dough is high and smacked nice and flat so it doesn't overwhelm the toppings. The toppings are themselves of high quality and in some, shall we say, imaginative variations. And it's not crazy expensive! Maybe a euro or two more than the local Turkish run pizza place on the corner. My only complaint is they're a little chintzy with the amount of cheese. Still, I'm a regular customer now.

If you like a lovely decor and good service, you're in the right spot. If you want value for your money: OOPS! As so often happens in Amsterdam, this is yet another case of minimal food for a maximum price. I started with breaded sardines which were well prepared and yummy, all 3 of them. Did I mention there were only 3 sardines? This followed by the daily primi special Spaghetti al Salmone. The spaghetti took the term al dente a little too seriously, but the sauce was delicate and the portion generous. No real complaints there. We 3 shared 1 bottle of house wine, so the most unhappy surprise was when we got the bill. 50 euros per person for what was a modest meal was much too much. I don't think I'll be going again.