Ron Gastrobar
Ron Blaauw traded two Michelin stars for this, and won the trade.
In 2013 Ron Blaauw did something Dutch chefs still talk about: he handed back two Michelin stars, ripped the white tablecloths out of his grand pavilion on Sophialaan, and started serving sharp, star-level plates at democratic prices. A decade on, the gamble reads as prophecy, half of Amsterdam's dining scene now imitates the format, and the original still executes it best. The room is a handsome glassed-in pavilion in leafy Willemspark, all buzz and clinking glasses, with a terrace that fills the moment the sun makes any effort whatsoever. The menu runs from an immaculate steak tartare through slow-cooked meats and one properly decadent burger, every dish scaled so you order three and argue about a fourth. Locals bring parents, dates, colleagues and children here interchangeably. Geen poespas, as the man himself says: no fuss, all pleasure.
Build your meal around the tartare and the burger, then let the kitchen's daily specials fill the gaps.
What to order
Full menu- The original spareribs
Boneless, lacquered, house sambal on the side, the dish people cross town for.
- Ron's egg dessert
The trompe-l'oeil 'egg surprise' finale reviewers refuse to spoil but always mention.
- Beef Wellington
Star-kitchen classic done generously; pick it in the 3-course (€49.50) or 4-course (€69.50) format.
- Smoked salmon
House-smoked opener Blaauw has kept on since day one.
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