Headed up by Luc Kusters, Bolenius is a frontrunner on the
global sustainable dining scene, and one of the first restaurants
in the world to have received a green Michelin star. Celebrating
hyperlocal Dutch produce, with a focus on the Netherlands’ rich
agricultural heritage, the menu is crafted from the harvest of the
restaurant’s on-site kitchen garden (one of the largest of its kind
in Amsterdam) and incorporates traditional flavours with a unique,
contemporary twist. Wine lovers are well looked after, too, with an
impressive list of biodynamic wines chosen to pair perfectly with
the restaurant’s seasonal menu.

Surrounded by Eden-like gardens, this Michelin-green-starred
eatery set within a 1920s former municipal greenhouse feels a world
away from the city centre. Exquisitely restored by the restaurant’s
owner, leading chef Gert Jan Hageman, the indoor gardens provide
most of the Mediterranean menu’s herbs and vegetables, while the
rest are grown on a farm just outside the city in the Beemster
area. Fine-dining-style dishes all show a deep reverence for the
seasons and local ingredients – grilled catfish served with young
pickle and a selection of broad, borlotti and green beans is just
one of the not-to-miss creations.

Founded by four young friends on a mission to popularise
sustainable dining, Café de Ceuvel is part of the De Ceuvel project
– a pioneering cleantech playground and sustainable workplace for
creatives and social enterprises built over a once-polluted
harbour. Made from upcycled materials, with compost toilets and an
on-site rooftop greenhouse growing the restaurant’s herbs and
vegetables, the café serves a plant-based, mostly vegan menu
featuring seasonal, local ingredients – think vegan blue cheese and
chickpea muffins, and tomato buckwheat salad. Nestled along the
dockside, the dining room offers plenty of cosy, plant-filled
corners to settle in for a quiet afternoon fuelled by healthy,
low-waste fare.

Built on the principle of circular dining, this eco-conscious
eatery rescues locally sourced, shared or recycled ingredients and
elevates them into creative dishes in a bid to reduce food waste.
Giving organic vegetables the second life they deserve, chef Rudolf
Brand plays with fermentation and canning in order to extend their
lifespan, dishing up delicious soups, salads, sandwiches and hot
dishes in the process. Proving that there’s no end to a circular
economy, most of the furniture and tableware is also second-hand –
although you’d never guess it from the restaurant’s polished-wood,
California-cool aesthetic. Joining the ranks of sustainable dining
options in the Zuidas business district, this low-waste diner is
the ideal pit stop for a guilt-free lunch with a difference.

An experimental kitchen with a mission, TesTafel is an activist
foundation serving three- and seven-course menus from a pared-back
warehouse in the Teleport district. Enjoy a meal here and you’ll be
helping to provide affordable food at the People’s Kitchen – a donation-only diner offering
delicious soups, main courses and homemade bread and dips – as well
as supporting the warehouse in running free community events,
including queer music nights, charity dinners and protest
initiatives. Cooked by a creative team of volunteers, experimental
menus are different each day, featuring anything from bánh mì
sliders and Jerusalem artichoke ganache tart, to a vegan version of
a traditional bouillabaisse.

This waterside plant-based eatery is about as future-looking as
they come. Chef Gino Marengo serves up an ever-changing menu of
four-course dinners, each made up of herbs and vegetables grown in
the restaurant’s on-site aquaponic greenhouse. Most meals are vegan
or vegetarian, although fish caught locally by Amsterdam-based
anglers occasionally makes its way onto the menu. Fancy a locally
brewed pint? You’ll also find a strong line-up of organic beers on
the menu – ask the team for recommendations and they’ll suggest the
perfect pairing. If you’ve ever been curious about the future of
urban farming, keep an eye out for Mediamatic’s experimental
workshops, which offer insight into fermenting, pickling, foraging
and food preservation.