Perfect Dutch Comfort Food at The Pantry Amsterdam

For our latest edition of First Friday Feast, we were in the Netherlands. Here, we discovered The Pantry, a restaurant dedicated to delicious Dutch food.

First Friday Feast is a monthly series debuting on the first Friday of each month and elaborates on a recent dining experience. For avoidance of doubt, this post was in no way sponsored by the restaurant.

We’ve been trying to have a date night each month this year (and post about it on the first Friday of every month). Sometimes we bring the kids along for date night and sometimes they stay at home. But that’s fine by us–the kids are more than welcome to tag along if they want. This time we checkout out a fun spot during our trip to Amsterdam.

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Arrival to The Pantry

A common sight if you come here is a small crowd of people waiting outside to get in. That’s what happens if you end up not making any reservations. Thankfully, making reservations is quite easy to do on their website. That’s what we did, allowing us to enter with no wait. We can’t say the same about the others who showed up.

And while I can’t confirm this is how it’s always done, they were directing those who had no reservation to exclusively use the tables outside. Not exactly the warmest seats to be at, so if you want to dine in comfort, best not to risk it and make a reservation.

Once inside, we got a table in the corner. With the November weather a bit chilly outside, it’s nice to be able to take off our coats and relax in the warmth.

Right above our table was a happy birthday sign celebrating Amsterdam’s 750th birthday. For those wondering, that celebration was back on October 27, 2025.

The menu

There are menus in other languages. In some countries, like Italy, that can make me a little nervous about it being a tourist trap. However, given how many people speak English here, it’s really not much of a concern. The Pantry serves traditional Dutch cuisine, which is perfect if you’re looking for some local flavors. They offer both pre-fixe meals and a la carte options.

At the back of the menu, there was even a page with lessons in Dutch, translated from many languages. In case you’re not in the know, Dutch and German are pretty similar–almost like cousins–but there are grammatical differences. Given how many words in English are derived from German, some of the Dutch language will look similar to English speakers.

Drinks

How can I sit under the Happy Birthday Amsterdam sign and not order the one drink advertised on that menu? The Pantry “Feeling Dutch” is a triple. I found it refreshing with good flavor and, despite being a triple, not overpowering. Jenn wanted something a bit refreshing, so she went with the Appel Bandit cider. That lived up to expectations and she thoroughly enjoyed it.

The food at The Pantry

Tomato soup

Our meal started with a cup of tomato soup. Truth be told, Jenn and I weren’t expecting to order this, but our nine-year-old son Alex requested it. He’s a fan of tomato soup and wanted a familiar taste from back home. So, we felt obliged to order.

Naturally, he liked it. I was able to get a spoonful and I’ll say it tastes better than it does at home. There are several layers of flavors, beyond just tomato. It’s smoky and roasted, which adds plenty of depth. We’d recommend it if you’re in the mood for some warming soup on a cold day.

Dutch goat cheese croquettes

We ordered Menu 2 from the selection of pre-fixe options. As you might expect from goat cheese, these had a strong flavor. The dish isn’t sold as a salad, but it comes atop some greens. We would argue it needed a few more greens to balance out the fried exterior of the goat cheese, but overall we were still happy with this one.

Salted pork chop

If you’re in the mood for a very flavorful piece of pork chop, this one is for you. Our kids ended up sharing this given how delicious it was. Honestly, I wish I could make pork chops like this at home. Crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside.

Oven dish

The name might be simple, but it’s oh-so-good. Think of this as a pot pie with lots of deliciousness inside. It has mashed potatoes, cauliflower, ground beef, cheese, and onions all mixed together to make perhaps the perfect comfort food for a cold day. This is the main entree for Menu 2 pre-fixe option, which is called “Grandmothers kitchen menu” — a very appropriate name. We’d be happy having grandma make this for us when we were growing up.

Cheese fondue

The cheese used for their fondue is Old Amsterdam cheese, which has a strong flavor. We honestly thought the kids would love it, especially since six-year-old Char is a fan of strong cheeses, but this one was a little too strong for her. The bread and vegetables that came with it made for nice dipping (the kids stole the bread from us, which is why it’s not pictured). Not the best fondue we’ve had in Amsterdam, but still not a bad choice.

Desserts

Let’s start by admitting we went a little overboard with the desserts. Dinner was so enjoyable that we chose two desserts on top of the one that was included with Menu 2. First to arrive was the chocolate duo with eggnog. The kids had a chocolate fix and this helped satisfy that itch. The whipped cream wasn’t needed, but the eggnog added some nice contrast.

Next to arrive was the apple pie. Unlike the whipped cream that came with the ice cream, the whipped cream here looked and tasted fresher. The pie is warm and has plenty of flavor. Between all the desserts we ordered, this was generally considered the favorite.

Last to arrive were the poffertjes, which came included with Menu 2. You can think of these as little pancakes covered in plenty of powdered sugar. These are traditionally served in the winter, so coming here in late November was close enough to being the right season. They’re good, but they gave so many that it was hard to fully enjoy them. In total, there is so much food you’ll get with Menu 2, making it a great value at €29.95.

At the end, they also gave some sweetheart-like candies with the check. While the chalkiness is similar, the flavors were a bit more tropical.

Recommendation: Yes

Overall, we fully enjoyed dinner. The location is quite good if you’re somewhere in the vicinity of the Rijksmuseum or the Hard Rock Cafe. In our case, it was a simple eight-minute walk from our hotel (the Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht). The Dutch food is very comforting and the staff was friendly. Just be sure to make a reservation as the restaurant is quite popular–for good reason!

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