From Casual to Chic: 9 Private Dining Spots in Amsterdam

Sometimes there’s a reason to make your night out extra special. A birthday, corporate outing or simply a lovely Friday. Private dining is ideal. Delicious food, good company just like at home, but without the washing-up. These are the 9 best spots in Amsterdam, from casual to chic. 

Casual

If you ask me, casual private dining is the coziest form. Accessible food with friends, plenty of drinks too, all at a great price. This evening is allowed to get nicely out of hand, just like a dinner at home.

Klaproos Restaurant

Private Pizza Party. What more could you want? At the private dining space of pop-up pizza and pasta restaurant Klaproos in Amsterdam Noord, you can enjoy Italian antipasti, pizzas and pastas with groups of 15 to 60 (!) people. You can play your own music, and in the private room you’ll find games such as table football, shuffleboard and a table tennis table. What a party!

Bar Botanique

Let’s get tropical! At Bar Botanique in Amsterdam Oost, a private dinner immediately feels right, because you dine among the plants. They offer a group menu, with something for everyone, including fish, meat and vegetarian options.

Razmataz

Right in the middle of the city, an oasis of calm—what a gem! It’s wonderful when you can have a place all to yourself for the entire day. At Razmataz, you can enjoy not only dinner, but also lunch and drinks. And the best thing about Razmataz comes in a glass: the gin and tonic collection is fantastic.

Casual Chic

Sometimes you deserve to treat yourself. Treat yourself to delicious food, extensive menus in a special setting that doesn’t feel too chic, but secretly is. The best restaurants are those where you eat as if you’re dining among the stars, without it feeling pretentious. It’s extra special to dine privately in a restaurant like that.

De School

And we’re not talking about the nightclub, but the fantastic Restaurant DS next door, all under the same roof of the old school building in Amsterdam Nieuw-West. A new menu every month, featuring delicious local produce. You can choose from a 3-course, 5-course or 7-course menu. They serve wonderful wines, and the staff are young and experienced. De School has no fewer than two private dining rooms. One is a smaller room located next to the restaurant, a little private classroom where you can enjoy a meal with 20 people. Then there’s the old art classroom, which can accommodate larger groups. Note: this room is sometimes unavailable during an exhibition.

Restaurant C

Restaurant C on Wibautstraat is a gem in the city. The letter C stands for Celsius, and this restaurant shows just how important temperatures are in cooking. As it turns out, you can do this privately too. As if the bar and restaurant weren’t already large and impressive enough, C. also has an upstairs space where private dining is possible for anywhere from 15 to 150 people. One more tip: don’t come by car. The C. also stands for cocktail, and the cocktails here are genuinely delicious and matched to the dishes!

Kaagman & Kortekaas

This wonderful restaurant can accommodate up to 34 people for a private dinner. Kaagman & Kortekaas leans more toward chic than casual in my opinion, but really only because the food is so exceptionally good. The ingredients are local and fresh, and they turn them into delicious dishes: simplicity is key. The wines are excellent and the service is highly skilled. Yet this place still has a homely feel and doesn’t feel chic. Perfect for next-level private dining! 

Chic

This doesn’t happen often. For many people, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to eat at such special restaurants. Put on something nice, polish your heels and set your hair with hairspray: you’re going private dining at super-chic (starred) restaurants!

Wine Room (La Rive / Amstel Hotel)

The Wine Room at the Amstel Hotel is, in our opinion, the most beautiful spot in the entire hotel. Here you sit at a large, stately oak table in chairs that make you feel like a noblewoman, surrounded by the most expensive and exclusive wines, some of them in very special formats. So be careful not to accidentally send a bottle flying from the wine cabinet with your handbag strap. Although La Rive has not held a star for several years, we’ve eaten fantastically there on many occasions. And chef Roger Rassin’s signature tomato: wow. Divine. After this you can die in peace. 

The Maurer Room (Spectrum / Waldorf Astoria)

The beautiful Waldorf Astoria hotel on the Herengracht is a gem in Amsterdam. The stately canal house is a grand luxury property, and you’ll find not only beautiful rooms and spaces, but also Spectrum, a restaurant awarded two Michelin stars. The food here is a fairy tale, and for one hundred and eighty euros, masterful chef Sidney Schutte prepares a spectacular 12-course menu. You can also enjoy this privately in The Maurer Room. The Maurer Room won “Best Private Dining Venue” at the Prestigious Star Awards in 2019. Thanks to the 18th-century room, historic décor, sublime twelve-course menu and exceptional wines—there are 600 wines on the list, but don’t panic: sommelier Cas Kratz will be delighted to guide you—you’ll feel like royalty.

Ciel Bleu (Okura)

On the 23rd floor of the Okura Hotel, you’ll find two-Michelin-starred restaurant Ciel Bleu. Besides the restaurant, you can also dine at the chef’s table—or in the private dining room. This is next level. Crawling home after the extensive wine pairing? Pretend you’re a wealthy prince for one night and book a room at the Okura. 

Also read: 

• 8 delicious dishes for under ten euros in Amsterdam
• No stress: cooking for a large group
• At these restaurants you’ll miss out on Michelin by a whisker, but eat exceptionally well

Opening image: Waldorf Astoria