Restaurant 't Zwaantje

Restaurant ’t Zwaantje has welcomed diners to the Berenstraat since 1973. It originally opened as a traditional Amsterdam brown café before gradually developing into a full restaurant specialising in the comforting “cooking of the past.”

The interior has retained its original character, with patterned tablecloths, dark wood, old decorations and the intimate atmosphere of a classic neighbourhood restaurant. Despite its popular location in the Nine Streets, it feels pleasantly removed from Amsterdam’s trend-driven dining scene.

Traditional Dutch dishes form the heart of the menu. Expect pea soup, slow-cooked beef with mashed potatoes and homemade apple purée, veal liver with bacon and onions, Dutch shrimp cocktail and several classic fish dishes. The restaurant’s French influence appears in dishes such as escargots, duck-liver pâté, French onion soup and mussels.

Portions are generous, prices remain reasonable for the city centre and most main courses include potatoes or fries with vegetables or salad.

Choose one of the genuinely Dutch specialities, particularly the slow-cooked beef, pea soup or veal liver. Steaks and spareribs are also available, but the traditional dishes are what make ’t Zwaantje worth visiting.

The restaurant is relatively small and can become busy, so reserve ahead for Friday or Saturday evening. It is an excellent dinner stop after shopping in the Nine Streets or visiting the nearby Anne Frank House.

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