5 reasons why you’ll want to rush to restaurant NEXT

We were quick to visit restaurant NEXT when it opened in Amsterdam-Noord about a year and a half ago. We were impressed by this cosmopolitan venue, right in front of the NDSM ferry, which takes you to Amsterdam Central Station in ten minutes. With the arrival of new signature chef Jaimie van Heije, NEXT has truly reached the next level. Hence: 5 reasons why you’ll want to rush to restaurant NEXT. 

Reason 1: the chefs

This April, signature chef Jaimie van Heije joined the NEXT team. For eleven years, Jaimie van Heije cooked at the restaurant of the same name in Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, where he was known for his refined and colorful dishes. In 2023, he closed the restaurant to look for new inspiration. At NEXT, he once again felt that everything was right. Head chef Vilmos Dohnal (formerly of restaurant Vermeer) is also now at the helm in the NEXT kitchen. Two wonderfully creative chefs who use the finest ingredients, often seasonal, to make innovative yet accessible dishes.

Jaimie has added some of his most beloved classics to the NEXT menu, such as his tomatoes with strawberry and pepper. There are also new dishes on the menu that he developed together with Vilmos, such as cauliflower with browned butter and truffle, and oyster with blood orange and mezcal. If you take a seat at the high tables in front of the terrace, you have a view of the kitchen spectacle. That attention immediately fades when the food arrives in front of you, though: this is so delicious! All eyes on the prize!

Reason 2: the location

In October 2022, Michiel de Vries and Sjoerd Steenbeek opened NEXT, less than 300 meters from their restaurant Pllek. NEXT is 600 m2 in size — a huge venue, in other words! — and nothing has been cut back on. The restaurant/bar/grand café/lounge — yes, it’s all of these — is divided into different spaces, each with its own atmosphere and table setting. You can come here from your morning coffee until your very last drink late at night. NEXT has a total of 230 seats, catering to every preference and occasion. Whether you want to sit at the imposing bar, in one of the lounge sofas, in the more chic restaurant area upstairs — by the tall windows, with a view over the IJ — or outside on the terrace: it all looks equally inviting and comfortable. 

The long, round bar where all kinds of cocktails are made right in front of you is fantastic. And fun: every month, NEXT serves a tasting menu in which the kitchen team and bar team have put together a variety of food and cocktail pairings.

Because of this extravagance, hospitality trade magazine Entree Magazine nominated NEXT last year for an Entree Award in the category ‘Best Dine & Drink Concept > 150 guests’. ‘A modern all-day grand café 2.0, with living room, cocktail bar, lounge, restaurant and brasserie where guests imagine themselves in New York or London,’ said the jury. Not a word of a lie.

Reason 3: the dishes

All dishes can be ordered throughout the day. We had the French Toast Ibérico with Pata Negra in the evening (HELLO, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!), but you can also order it as a lunch dish, a snack or, well, why not, as dessert. And to repeat ourselves: it’s highly recommended. A criminally delicious dish of brioche fried in truffle butter, topped with thin slices of Spain’s finest ham. The word food porn was mentioned at the table. The previously mentioned dish of tomatoes with strawberry and pepper is also a winner. Sweet-and-sour tomatoes with a dollop of strawberry jelly that burst in your mouth, wow! And then there’s that delicious dressing with basil oil to spoon up as a final treat. Heavenly.

The recommendation is to order around 2 to 3 dishes per person, and the menu is incredibly inviting. The small rendang tacos and the refined courgette dish of thinly sliced green and yellow courgette in a subtle curry spice blend were also particularly well received. And do you love fish? Then order the cod with puffed quinoa and kibbeling. Once again served with a ridiculously delicious sauce.

Reason 4: the atmosphere

Turning such a large, industrial yet warm venue into an atmospheric place is no easy feat. On busy evenings, the upper floor is open; on quieter days, it is closed so that the downstairs area remains lively enough. Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, a DJ creates an (even) more convivial atmosphere. Dining out should be fun, says Sjoerd when he briefly joins the table, and you want some buzz around you. You certainly get that here. At NEXT, you don’t come only for very good food and drinks; you truly go out. And the clientele is wonderfully diverse.

Reason 5: the feel-good factor

NEXT is a completely different venue from Pllek, but also genuinely a place you’ll want to see. Extravagant and metropolitan, but also modest and likeable. The staff are friendly and cheerful, and what they have created here is fantastic. This is grand in every way and truly impressive. We can only wholeheartedly embrace initiatives like this.

Opening hours and location of NEXT

NEXT is open seven days a week from 10:00 a.m. until late. NEXT is located in a large corner building at NDSM-Kade 2 in Amsterdam-Noord, in the same row as the cheerful Gio’s by the River. Ideal for people on the north side of Amsterdam, but certainly also for Amsterdammers who come by bike via the ferry or by car. Parking here still costs just €1.60 per hour — just saying. And of course, it’s also highly recommended for the rest of the Netherlands! So go, that’s our advice.