The Bottom Line
Tibet is a bit of a misnomer for this eclectic restaurant in Amsterdam's center, whose menu also dips into Han cuisine, but a taste of either the Chinese Sichuan dishes or the true Tibetan specialties will please even the most skeptical of patrons. The colorfully folksy interior, attentive staff and abundant portions for affordable prices are the hallmarks of this restaurant, one of the few eateries in Amsterdam where diners can experience Tibetan cuisine from the roof of the world.
Pros
- Broad menu of both familiar Chinese Sichuan dishes and Tibetan rarities
- Intimate atmosphere framed with traditional Tibetan decor
- Patient, helpful and attentive waitstaff
- Inexpensive eats for Amsterdam Center
Cons
- Not strictly authentic -- both Chinese and Tibetan menus are mildly Westernized
Description
- Address: Lange Niezel 24, Amsterdam
Phone: +31 (0)20 624 1137 - Hours: Daily from 1:30 p.m. - 1:30 a.m.
- Location: Amsterdam Center, 450 meters from Central Station.
- Directions: From Amsterdam Central Station, head south onto Damrak; turn left at Prins Hendrikkade, which splits off into Nieuwebrugsteeg. Nieuwebrugsteeg turns slightly right and becomes Oudezijds Voorburgwal; from here, turn right at Lange Niezel.
- Attire: Casual.
- Décor: Traditional Tibetan.
- Payment: Accepts major credit cards.
Guide Review - Restaurant Tibet - Amsterdam Restaurant Review
The Netherlands has only a modest Tibetan population, which should make Amsterdammers and tourists all more thankful that one of their ranks took the initiative to open a Tibetan restaurant in the heart of the old center. Restaurant Tibet is a spot of real culinary exoticism in Amsterdam, where Mediterranean cuisines tend to dominate the ethnic restaurant scene. But it's also more multi-faceted than that -- diners who prefer to stick to familiar territory can choose from a selection of Sichuan-inspired dishes. The end result is a menu that both culinary adventurers and conservatives can appreciate.
The two-level restaurant is at once spacious and intimate -- a difficult balance to achieve, but tables feel privately sequestered in their own little nooks. Intricate Tibetan prints and other artifacts bedeck the walls in tribute to the owner's homeland. The menu itself exudes both idiosyncracy and enthusiasm in its often poetic diction, and makes each dish sound equally special.
Indeed, each dish I and my fellow diners have ordered has been splendid. Diners have the option of multi-course fixed-price menus in order to taste the most of Tibet's rarefied cuisine. Some dishes are absolute must-tries: the traditional momos, for example, are Tibet's thicker-skinned, heartier answer to Italian ravioli. Typical Chinese dishes are also executed with a special finesse, from simple fried rice to crispy bird's nest noodles topped with flavorful stir-fries. I'm not the type to order the same dish each time I visit a restaurant, but there's one menu item I can definitely refer to as "the usual": the so-called "Tibetan tea", which isn't the butter tea I'd first assumed it to be, but a cup full of black tea leaves and assorted berries that combine into one of the most addictive teas I know.
Tibet also happens to be one of the more affordable restaurants in Amsterdam Center -- not kebab-shop cheap, but for the quality and portion sizes, it's certainly a deal.
