Amsterdam Restaurant

I saw a review in AM Magazine this thursday and decided to give this place a try. At first when we arrived I thought we would have to wait a while when I noticed how packed they were, the hostess offered us a table in the lounge while we waited. I couldn't believe how amazing the lounge was. All brick dimly lit, funky couches and a huge bar. A band was performing I think it was a gypsy king type band. In less then 10 minutes our table was ready. We choose a few things from the tapas menu to share. We had BBQ shrimp, Cheese empanadas, mushroom crepe rolls and a special tequila lime chicken. I love the empanadas, but I wasn't too crazy about the mushroom rolls, get them if you love mushrooms. The cheese empanadas were made of 4 different types of cheeses and we all fought for the last one. Overall we had a great experience. We had the mango mojito which is a restaurant specialty. I think I had about 4 I lost count after number two :) This place is definetly a must try! The owner walked over to our table after dinner and offered us dessert on the house. I am definitely making this a place to visit more often. They have 3 nights of entertainment, including a karaoke night, I don't think I'll have 4 mango's that night. If you're looking for somewhere fun and in the city, I would suggest you put this on your list.

My friends and I went to Amsterdam Restaurant and Lounge on Friday night for a surprise b-day dinner. None of my friends had tried this place before and were so pleasantly surprised at the food, service and lovely ambiance. Everyone at our table tried something different and I must say everything was truly scrumptious. My favorites were the crab cakes with mango lime chutney, as an entree the St. Louis cut spare ribs and for dessert, Molten chocolate cake with an oozing chocolate center....yummy. After dinner, we all went downstairs for drinks in their cool trendy lounge. The drinks were fabulous. Try the mango mojito!... And to top it off they had a live flamenco guitarist and dancer performing that evening which was a really nice treat for the b-day girl. All in all it was a pleasurable experience and we will defintely return!

The old Amsterdam Cafe was a dive, but it was comfortable, cheap, and the food was remarkably good for bar food. In its new incarnation, I'm mostly unimpressed. I don't think it pulls off the trendier and more modern image it's going for, but there are some nice new elements. There is a bar lounge downstairs, which is VERY comfortable with plush chairs and a nice ambiance. That said, it's not the kind of neighborhood place I want to visit several times a week, and I certainly wouldn't come from across the city to eat here either. In terms of food, the spare ribs are great. However, I also got the sauteed chicken with proscuitto, brie, and spinach, in a shitake demiglaze. Sounds fancy and exciting, but it left me wishing I could have something simple but really well done. The grilled skirt steak was okay but nothing special. Fries were pretty good though. I think it might be a good place to go for drinks and tapas instead. Next time, I'm going to go for the burger.