Here you’ll find the very best cheese fondue in Amsterdam
There are days when Amsterdam feels like a wet dishcloth: drab, grey, too cold and too damp. And on exactly those kinds of days, your stomach cries out for — no, screams for — one thing: cheese fondue! Not some standard little pot with half-melted supermarket cheese, but the real, creamy, rich version that leaves you speechless. And for that, you don’t have to go to Switzerland — just walk down the Herengracht until you reach Proeflokaal A. van Wees.
That tasting room has been an icon in the Jordaan for fifty years and is known for its genever, its drinks and — yes indeed — one of the best cheese fondue spots in Amsterdam. A fondue so good that even your Swiss mother-in-law would nod approvingly.
Why this Herengracht cheese fondue is legendary
A. van Wees’s fondue is a loving marriage of four Dutch cheeses, carefully selected by the cheese experts at delicatessen shop Mannen van Kaas. But the real secret? A shot of Taainagel grain genever from their own De Ooievaar distillery. It gives the cheese that subtly spicy, warmly sweet aroma you won’t taste anywhere else.
Including unlimited bread and homemade herb butter
You dip traditionally with crudités and bread — and the bread is unlimited, complete with homemade herb butter. Are you firmly on team “more is more”? Then you can also order thinly sliced rib-eye to dip into your cheese. It doesn’t get more luxurious than this.
All of this is on the menu for €25 per person. In Amsterdam. For cheese fondue. Including unlimited bread. This isn’t a meal, it’s pure winter therapy.
A piece of cheese and city history
Although cheese fondue is of course known as a Swiss classic, it also became a hit in Amsterdam in the 1960s. At first it was a luxury dish for special occasions, but nowadays you can visit A. van Wees all year round. And if you ask me: there’s always a moment for melted cheese.
The tasting room itself has been around since 1972 and is located in a building that was once an alley — you can still see this in the original paving stones running across the floor. Inside, you’ll find Amsterdam’s drinking culture as it was once meant to be: warm, lively, cosy and always with a genever within reach.
For drinks enthusiasts: a rare genever release
To celebrate A. van Wees’s 50th anniversary, they released something very special: a 100% Amsterdamse Zeer Oude Rogge Genever. Distilled at De Ooievaar, made with malt wine from the Jenevermuseum in Schiedam, and limited to just 200 bottles.
Limited edition gift box
You can taste it by the glass for €15, but there’s also a limited edition gift box (bottle + 2 glasses in a wooden crate) for €200. The perfect gift for a serious drinks enthusiast.
A mini-lesson: why genever is so Amsterdam
Long before gin became trendy, the Dutch were already drinking genever.
In the 13th century, it was used as medicine (for… almost everything).
In the 16th century, it became a drink.
During the Eighty Years’ War, soldiers drank it for courage — hence the nickname “Dutch Courage”.
And Schiedam later became Europe’s genever capital.
The genever revival? It starts in places like A. van Wees, where tradition isn’t dismissed as old-fashioned, but seen as something to be proud of — and above all: something you want to taste. With a cube of cheese on the side — or better yet: an entire pot of cheese fondue!
You’ll find Proeflokaal A. van Wees at Herengracht 319 in Amsterdam.
