Smelt It and Loved It: Restaurant Smelt Amsterdam

~ Chris Wada

Cheese, cheese, and more cheese. Restaurant Smelt in Amsterdam is the perfect place to live out your cheesy fantasies in the form of delicious fondue.

For avoidance of doubt, this post was in no way sponsored by the restaurant.

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Arrival to Smelt

We were looking for a couple of things for our dinner in Amsterdam:

  • A restaurant that’s close to our hotel (the Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht)
  • Something with plenty of cheese

That brought us to looking at Restaurant Smelt, a fondue restaurant around the corner from our hotel. I made a reservation online and we were thankful to have done so given how small and crowded the restaurant was. They did turn some people away for not having a reservation. But note that there is a pre-payment you’ll make online with a reservation (€60 for our family of four). This is probably the most relevant if you decide to no-show.

When we showed up for our reservation, the staff quickly directly us to our seats. The smell of cheese in the air is thick and it will take a few minutes to adapt to the aroma. It was an intense few moments especially for six-year-old Char as she was visibly not amused by the smell. However, she did adapt and was ultimately unphased by it soon enough.

You can almost see the concern on her face as her nine-year-old brother Alex tried to help her.

The menu

With the name of the restaurant now understandable, Smelt’s menu is quite simple. The main focus is on the cheese fondue, but there are some other items you might consider if you want some diversity. Still, the heavy focus is on cheese and dairy, so be prepared for it.

The fondue is portioned per individual. So if you have two people looking to get fondue, the recommendation is for each to order one. It’s more fun if you don’t mind sharing and want to try different cheeses but that’s up to you.

Drink menu
Dinner menu
Fondue menu
Lunch menu

Drinks

Jenn and I started dinner with a glass of wine for each of us. We shared the sauvignon blanc and the Trollinger Alte Reben. Both were recommended as pairings to the fondue we selected from the menu. And, indeed, both paired well.

For the table, we ordered water for each of us, which cost €2 per person. That price is why some might insist on drinking beer instead given Heineken is only €3.90 per glass, a very small upcharge.

The food at Smelt

Cheese Burger

There is no true kids meal at Smelt, but that didn’t stop us from ordering something they’d like. We ordered a cheese burger with the intention that the kids might share it. Accompanying the burger is a bowl of fondue–you know, in case the cheese on the burger wasn’t enough. If you’re looking for a meal with just a little bit of fondue and a lot of meat, this is probably the dish for you. Alex was a big fan of this one.

Cheese Fondue (Italian and French)

We ordered both the Italian and French fondue. Both visually looked quite similar, so I won’t bother showing what appears to be the same picture twice. Of course, while they looked similar, the taste was certainly not identical. The Italian fondue had more of a parmesan flavor to it, which Char absolutely loved. Meanwhile, the French fondue had a stronger taste but not funky as we were wondering when we ordered it.

The two cheese soups complimented each other very well and made for a nice pairing.

To further enjoy the fondue, we received some bread and vegetables for dipping. Our waitress asked to let them know should we need more but this was certainly plenty for us. However, we did add on an order of steamed baby potatoes just in case the kids needed it. That was probably the only thing we ordered we didn’t truly need but they were tasty.

One thing I neglected to mention was the raw egg placed at our table. If you order a cheese fondue, you’ll receive an egg at the table. We ordered two fondues and thus we had two eggs.

When you’re just about done with your fondue, simply add the egg to the remnants of the fondue and you can make cheesy scrambled eggs. It’s a tasty way to end the meal but make sure you save some appetite for this at the end. That might be tough given how heavy the meal ultimately is.

Desserts

We capped our evening with a duo of desserts. Why two? Perhaps the question is why not two? as we ordered both the basque cheesecake and the pistachio ice cream.

The pistachio ice cream had a very fresh, natural taste. Though it wasn’t made onsite, it hit the spot after such a heavy meal. It came on top of some brioche bread, which the kids loved.

The basque cheesecake was great, with a thin “burnt” layer on top to add some depth of flavor. Jenn claims it’s not as good as what she made at home, but that’s up for debate.

And when we received the check, we also received some Ricola lozenges. I find it interesting that in the United States these are used for sore throats but in Europe they’re treated more like candy. Makes you wonder.

Recommendation: Yes, if you’re in the mood for cheese

This isn’t an every night sort of meal. It’s heavy and filling and you’ll need to be in the mindset of lots of dairy. But it’s also delicious and everything you could want in a fondue. So if you are in that mood, this more than hits the spot. While the focus is on the cheese, there are a few items you can get that aren’t overwhelmingly cheesy. Hope you’ve brought your “A-game” when it comes to your appetite for dairy.

Where do you like to eat cheese fondue?

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