Top tip: Jansz. restaurant in Amsterdam’s Pulitzer Hotel

There are places you keep coming back to. Jansz. restaurant in the Pulitzer Hotel, right in the heart of Amsterdam’s Nine Streets, is one of them. Jansz. is an all-day dining restaurant, so you can come here for both lunch and dinner.

Beautiful location

Jansz. is part of the Pulitzer Hotel, which is made up of a collection of canal houses. The location and interior are stunning. Modern, but with references here and there to its rich history. Rich indeed, because the original resident, and namesake of the restaurant, was the wealthy seventeenth-century coppersmith Volkert Jansz..

Through the old pharmacy, next to Jansz.’s terrace (in summer), you walk straight into the restaurant.

Hidden treasure

Jansz.’s courtyard garden is a true hidden treasure in the middle of the city’s hustle and bustle. When the weather is nice, Jansz. serves its most delicious dishes outside here. Even when it’s cold, as we recently sat down for an amazing cheese fondue in the winter garden. For this, Jansz. and nearby cheese fondue restaurant Smelt joined forces. Just a stone’s throw from Jansz., the cheeses are selected by De Kaaskamer cheese shop from the Nine Streets, which supplies not only the fondue but all of Jansz.’s other dishes with the finest cheeses. Heaters and blankets keep you nice and warm. Definitely a tip! (Reservations for the cheese fondue at Jansz. can be made here).

Concise menu

Chef Arnout van der Kolk, who has worked as executive chef at the Pulitzer since 2021, will start working at Vineyard Food & Drinks in Utrecht as of April 1, 2024. But the team is in place and, as Arnout told hospitality trade magazine Misset Horeca, it is a good time to broaden his horizons. The dishes on ‘his’ menu are inspired by modern Dutch cuisine without too much fuss, but with seasonal produce and as many local ingredients as possible. Think Dutch seasonal vegetables such as cauliflower from Amsterdam’s Tuinen van West with creamy béchamel sauce, eringi (oyster mushroom) served with truffle and Reypenaer cheese, and Kingfish Crudo, fresh fish from Zeeland served with beetroot and radish—for those with a taste for luxury, topped with caviar.

Shrimp croquettes and Pinot Grigio

We start with olives and smoked almonds, good sourdough bread with butter, and shrimp croquettes. We drink a delicious Pinot Grigio from Elena Walch in Alto Adige with it. Pinot Grigio is one of those uncomplicated summer wines that makes the sun start shining spontaneously. The wines are generally light (but certainly not watery), easy-going (but still with character), with a crisp freshness (without losing their accessibility). But one Pinot Grigio is not the same as another. Especially in northern Italy, in the somewhat cooler region of Alto Adige (the northernmost Italian wine region, also known as South Tyrol), the grapes ripen less, resulting in plenty of citrus fruit and minerality in the finished wine. Very tasty!

Aubergine with hummus

One of my favorites on the Jansz. menu is the soft aubergine with hummus, herbs, and pomegranate. The aubergine is perfectly cooked, meltingly soft inside and topped with creamy hummus with a delicious tahini flavor. And those fresh, crunchy pomegranate seeds, mmm! The carpaccio, tender smoked beef with fried capers and crunchy cheese, is also very tasty.

Steak & fries

For meat eaters, the steak (made from beef tenderloin) with bay leaf gravy is an excellent choice. The meat in this dish is also cooked beautifully. On top of the meat is an onion compote that adds a touch of sweetness. But honestly, the gravy alone would have been enough. When the meat has this much flavor, you don’t really need much else. The gravy is also delicious for dipping the fries into..

Rich ravioli

We also order the ravioli, a rich dish with wild mushrooms, Jerusalem artichoke, and pecorino. You can taste that the mushrooms have been generously cooked in butter, which we always consider a plus, because butter—as every chef will agree—gives every dish so much more flavor. What we miss in flavor is the winter salad. It contains green and blue grapes, walnut, and fig, but we would have liked a tasty vinaigrette to bring everything together.

Pulitzer’s Bar

We finish with a delicious apple pie with vanilla sauce and chestnut ice cream. Or rather, finish… we still pop into Pulitzer’s Bar for a few excellent cocktails. This is truly one of the city’s most beautiful cocktail bars, both inside (beautiful bar, cozy seating areas, deep sofas, paintings on the walls) and outside (with a view over the illuminated Keizersgracht). The cocktail menu is inspired by the well-known façades that together form Amsterdam’s ‘skyline’. Of course, they can make all the classics here, but we let ourselves be surprised by a number of the new cocktails (three of which are non-alcoholic).

Bergamot Lemonade is a heavenly mocktail with refreshing citrus and a hint of fizz; the Avantgarde Caipirinha, made with Brazilian rum, bergamot, and roasted pineapple, goes down like lemonade. Wonderfully smooth and fresh. If we didn’t have to work again tomorrow, we certainly would have stayed longer. Besides the ambiance and cocktails, the staff here are also very friendly. Highly recommended!

Jansz.
Reestraat 8, Amsterdam

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