First report: De Foodhallen in Amsterdam

Scoop! The long awaited Foodhallen in Amsterdam West will officially open in two weeks, but most of the restaurants are already up and running. I visited the brand new indoor food market last weekend and did some thorough investigation. Are De Foodhallen a must-visit and what dishes should you definitely try?

De Foodhallen are based on markets like Torverhallerne in Copenhagen and Borough Market in London and this influence is absolutely notable. You find the same industrial atmosphere, passionate producers and the accompanying hipster audience here in Amsterdam. The market is definitely more high-end that the recently opened Markthal in Rotterdam. The products are original and of high quality and the price level is comparable to that on food festivals.

I loved discovering the many new hospitality entrepreneurs in De Foodhallen, like the Vietnamese Vietview, De Ballenbar and sushi from Meneer Temaki. You’ll also find some well-known names that are based on another concept. Famous delicatessen Caulils sells cheese dishes, at Pink Flamingo you’ll find freshly made pizzas and Maza offers Mediterranean products. I am also enthusiastic about ‘The Rough Kitchen’, which is a collaboration of food writer Marcus Polman and my favorite BBQ guy Jord Althuizen from Smokey Goodness. These two carnivores will make sure that every meat lover leaves this place completely satisfied. Likewise, I was happily surprised when I discovered the latest addition to De Foodhallen: Petit Gateau. I shared my love for their gorgeous mini tarts before and now they are also available in Amsterdam West.

It will come as no surprise that I also did some pre-tasting during my first visit to De Foodhallen. I ate a delicious nori wrap with raw salmon, avocado and spicy wasabi at the new concept Friska, which will most certainly appeal to fans of SLA. On the contrary, the amazing sourdough grilled cheese with creamy Swiss cheese from Caulils was genuine comfort food.

Some of the restaurants were still unfinished, like Le Big Fish from chef Robert Kranenborg and the newest location of The Butcher. I am most curious about Shirkan though, the Indian street food concept from the owners of MOMO and Izakaya. I am not completely unbiased – I wrote the texts for the MOMO book – but I can’t wait to taste the Mumbai dishes from chef Hariprasad Shetty.

Conclusion? Although not everything is open yet and most of the restaurants are still in the startup phase, I am extremely enthusiastic about De Foodhallen. This is really a little bit of New York in Amsterdam, filled with passionate entrepreneurs and delicious products. The pretty steep prices will probably mainly attract food lovers, but I expect there are enough of those in Amsterdam. In my opinion, De Foodhallen are a definite must-go.

photo credit The Rough Kitchen (bottom right): Remko Kraaijeveld. All other credits: TLT