't Vliegertje

Thirty-five years of 320 gram ossenhaassaté and spareribs on the Scheldestraat, the Rivierenbuurt's eetcafé of record.

't Vliegertje has been on the Scheldestraat for thirty-five years and does two things the whole neighbourhood knows it for: a saté of beef tenderloin at 320 grams for 25 euro, and spareribs, plain or spicy, at 23. Around them sits the card of a proper old-fashioned eetcafé, carpaccio with pesto or truffle at 11.50, onion soup at 6.50, a 180 gram steak tartare of ossenhaas at 20, a dry-aged burger on brioche at 14.50 and a ladysaté at 200 grams for anyone who thinks 320 is a dare. The room is dark wood and low light, the kind of café that fills with families before eight and the RAI crowd after, and the kitchen runs from 17:15 to 22:00 every day of the week. Your Little Black Book listed it among Amsterdam's best brown cafés in September 2024 specifically for the satay and ribs, and it remains the sort of place that takes a phone booking for eight without fuss. It is not fashionable, the wine list is functional and the pizzas on the card are best ignored, but for a plate of meat in a real café south of the Amstel canal this is the one.

Open daily from 16:00, kitchen 17:15 to 22:00, until midnight Sunday to Thursday and 01:00 Friday and Saturday. Book by phone for groups. Order the saté 't Vliegertje, the ribs to share and the onion soup first.

Photo: 't Vliegertje