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Amazing food, real feast for the tasting buds

5 Posted on 01 / 31 / 2013

We've spent an amazing evening with addition of superb dishes. The tomato/coconut soup was something totally unexpected and delicious. Soup of the day potato and curry also tasted very good. The dishes that we tried were very interesting with lots of different flavors on a single plate. For example combination of peach and some sort of blue cheese just blew me away that was one of the most delicious things I've tried.

For the finish we were recommended a banana pie and it's not your everyday pie fromthe oven it had some pieces of banana inside and crust from seed and nuts also some kind of cream that by the taste of it looked like made from some sort of grains - I have no idea what was in there, but we really liked it. Will definitely visit this place next time.

Pros: excellent food, friendly staff, nice vibe

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Pleasant upscale vegetarian restaurant

4 Posted on 10 / 21 / 2012

de Waaghals was not inexpensive, but after eating in a dumpy place and an informal place, we decided to splurge and see if Amsterdam has a more gourmet-type, upscale vegetarian restaurant. de Waaghals did not disappoint, but the options for vegans are limited. The waiter was helpful in explaining what was good for vegans, and they were able to switch one side dish for another so as to make one of the menu items a viable option. The food was tasty, a fairly nice size portion (not huge, but decent), and served very nicely. I could see from what others were eating that if you are not vegan (and not worried about cholesterol), then there was really a nice variety and scrumptious-looking desserts (they are big on whipped cream). The decor was informal, but very nice and attractive. When we arrived, it was full or fully reserved, so they put us down for a table for a half hour later and we went for a walk and came back. So I recommend reservations. I don't think this was quite as good as the best veggie restaurants that I've been at in Rome (and a very good one in Paris), but if you are looking for something beyond the usual vegetable stews and want something more gourmet, then this would be the choice in Amsterdam.

Pros: Nice atmosphere, tasty food, helpful about vegan choices
Cons: Not enough vegan choices, expensive

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Excellent veggie food with a "twist"

4 Posted on 09 / 29 / 2012

A very nice place with good food and friendly staff (and I like the cat, too!). I wish they had more vegan options but what they have is very creative and really good. The food is mostly organic and, as it was already said below, it is never boring and comes usually "with some interesting twists". Popular also among non-vegetarians.

Pros: great + interesting food, nice staff, frequent change of menu
Cons: could use more vegan options

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Excellent food and wine

4 Posted on 09 / 09 / 2012

A lovely little place with great atmosphere, super friendly staff and excellent food. There are three mains food options that are plates of several different items that go really well together. I can recommend both the Summer Plate and the Waaghals Classic, though the menu probably changes. They also offer organic beers and lovely wines. Both on-street (a quiet lane) and inside seating.

Pros: Excellent food, Great wines, Relaxed atmosphere

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Great place to eat!

4 Posted on 08 / 17 / 2012

I've been to De Waaghals several times, over the past 5 years. I've always been satisfied with the service and the food, although some times were better than others.

De Waaghals has a very varied cooking style and they switch menus often. This keeps things fresh and new every time you come in. Dishes usually consist of multiple components with some interesting twists. I've rarely had a boring, straight forward meal.

I've come to get to know the staff a little over the years. They know a lot about their products and have always been very friendly. Not always as quick, but that's mostly on busy days.

As I've read in other reviews, the vegan options are scarce. However, I've always enjoyed the vegan dish they do have. A big plus is that, as a vegan or vegetarian, you can easily bring you omnivore family and friends to De Waaghals. The atmosphere is not hippy/woolly/spiritual or anything, but rather on the modern side. It's quite clean and neat; sutable for most occasions. Furthermore, very important: my experience is that omni's love the food as well!

Pros: nice staff, tasty, creative food, good atmosphere
Cons: few vegan options

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So-so for vegans

3 Posted on 06 / 20 / 2012

De Waaghals has a nice atmosphere and knowledgeable staff and we had no problem with getting a table on a Thursday night 1 hour before our reservation. However, there is not an extensive menu (maybe 5 entrees) and very few of the dishes or appetizers are vegan (maybe 1 was vegan and another could be made vegan). I opted for the non-mushroom vegan choice, which turned out to be steamed vegetables with a very simple peanut sauce. Totally adequate and healthy, but not what I'd expect from a vegetarian restaurant, more like something an omnivore restaurant would throw together for the odd vegan. I think my appetizer (don't recall what) was good, though. My girlfriend (an omnivore) absolutely loved her meal, though, so if you're non-vegan, it's probably good. Otherwise, I'd say it's OK, but don't go out of your way. Golden Temple and TerraZen have way better vegan options.

Pros: Near museums, Knowledgeable helpful staff
Cons: Severely limited vegan options, Simple, adequate vegan fare

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Great!

4 Posted on 05 / 29 / 2012

After reading the good reviews on HappyCow, we had great expectations for this restaurant, and we weren't dissapointed.
The server was very friendly, the atmosphere was cosy, we didn't have to wait long for our food although it was full.
My companion is not a vegetarian, but he didn't miss meat at all. They bring out the true flavours of the ingredients. We had the 'Waaghals classic' and the 'Libanese special' and there were some unconventional combinations, but everything worked perfectly.
You can tell this restaurant has been around for more than 25 years, because everything has been perfected into the smallest details.
Recommended to all, we will definitely go back there when we're in Amsterdam again.

Pros: great food, friendly staff, great atmosphere

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de waaghals

2 Posted on 05 / 27 / 2012

I was in Amsterdam last week for holidays. As always, my husband and I checked on the Internet the available vegan and vegetarian restaurants in the city. We decided to take a look on this restaurant, since it was good qualified according to others on Internet. It was around 11:00 am when we decided, as a part of our tour in the city to look for the restaurant and the Menu. As we arrived at the restaurant we got the disappointment right by the door. At the same time as we got there, a lady, most probably the owner had just arrived and was unlocking the door. While she was doing that, we asked about the opening hours and whether it was necessary make a book for dinner. To our surprise, immediately after the door was opened, a cat apparently very familiar with the person came out from the inside of the restaurant. The lady "greeted" the cat, that was most certainly sleeping there and both of it came inside the restaurant. It is a shame that a vegetarian/vegan restaurant didn't own a basic principle of hygiene. A cat can be a beloved animal but it doesn't fit to live in the restaurant. Of course, we did not eat there, but was thinking about the others who did not have the same luck as we did to see with our eyes the lack of hygiene like that. For me it is a public health case, and a restaurant like that, should not be allowed to operate. We hope that this post can reach the right competent organ to take care of it. The Overall rating for the restaurant choosen in that Review was the number 2-" because it was the lowest rate available.

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Nice restaurant despite limited vegan options

4 Posted on 05 / 04 / 2012

My partner and I came here on a Tuesday evening for dinner without a reservation. It was obviously a very popular place as almost all the tables were reserved. Good thing we arrived early, they were able to squeeze us in.

For food we ordered some olives and two coconut crepes to start with, a pesto minestrone and a Turkish stew for mains, and shared a panforte for dessert. Everything was tasty, not strong on flavors, but properly seasoned. Presentation was simple yet lovely. The highlight was definitely the panforte with pineapple sorbet - the only vegan dessert on the menu that day. The two made such good complements! Just one pet peeve though... I found the title of the "Turkish stew" kind of off. It wasn't a stew at all, but a thin layer of dal topped with some veggies and vegan meatballs served with brown rice, and I didn't understand what made this dish Turkish at all except it got three small pieces of meatballs in it. Yummy nontheless!

Portions were moderate, setting was minimalist and cozy. I found this restaurant pretty good, while my partner absolutely loved it. Out of the several vegetarian restaurants we visited in Amsterdam it was for sure one of the better ones.

Pros: good food, friendly staff, setting
Cons: limited vegan options

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Nice place and really good food

4 Posted on 04 / 13 / 2012

When I visited Amsterdam with 3 non-vegies, I decided to look for a vegetarian restaurant. When we entered "De Waaghals" it was 2 minutes past opening and already alot of people were waiting. It was not crowded though.

To bad there was only one waiter. Occasionally, one of the cooks helped him out.

For starters, the meals were nice, hot/warm and nice portions.
We all had different main dishes which were large and had alot of different flavors and tasted great!

Because of the large portions, there was almost no room for dessert left, but a choose to share 2 desserts. To be really honest, they disappointed me a bit, but non the less, the rest of the experience made that up.

All ingredients used were fair-trade & organic.

Be carefull of the cat by the way, you can pet him, but do not touch his lower back. It gave me some nasty scratches.

Pros: Big portions, Friendly Staff, Variation in flavors
Cons: Bit slow sometimes, Be carefull with the cat walking around!

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If you're vegan...

3 Posted on 08 / 19 / 2011

If you're vegan they only had ONE vegan dish, the Turkish stew, and it didn't taste much. Brown rice with red lentils, a dish worth like 5 euros and cost around 14 euros. When we arrived we didn't make a reservation. They said that it was very busy that night, although we could choose any table we wanted and the place was far from crowded. We waited about 30 minutes just for our drinks.

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"Must eat"

5 Posted on 06 / 20 / 2011

A very good vegetarian restaurant, tasty and original food. Nice place.
Expensive, but it's worths it.

It is better to book a table.

Pros: Taste, Ambiance
Cons: Price

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service, attitude

2 Posted on 06 / 06 / 2011

I hate to write negative reviews, but this place really ticked me off. I called the day before to make a reservation and to confirm that they would have vegan options on the menu. All sounded good. We arrived on time for our meal, and were told that our table wasn't ready and that we could sit outside. Not a big deal. After a twenty-minute wait, I finally went inside and asked for a menu and two glasses of wine. The server (or owner? Same guy who took my reservation) said he was coming. We waited another twenty minutes. Still no sign of a table, or a waiter, let alone a glass of wine. I went inside again, and told the waiter were were willing to eat outside and were ready to order. I reminded him I'd called and was told there would be vegan options. He waved the menu in front of my nose, and said "yeah, the Indian dish can be made vegan". That was it! We waited another fifteen minutes or so to see if our wine would ever come (was having serious doubts by then), but it didn't, so we finally stood up and left. This is the worse experience I've ever had at a restaurant where I'd taken the time to reserve and check the menu ahead of time.

Pros: nice street, nice decor
Cons: limited vegan options

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Good meal

4 Posted on 05 / 19 / 2011

Good meal. Asaparagus soup on special. dutch love that in the spring. Then an excellent pad thai and weiss beer.

25 Euro all in per person. It's that kind of place. Good food though. Recommended.

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Great, but better next time

3 Posted on 02 / 25 / 2011

After visiting in 2005 to find it closed, it was a very long time to wait to finally eat here. It's a superb place but the food on that particular evening was of a Vietnamese theme that didn't really appeal too much. Other menu choices were available but they didn't stand out. The crispy sweet potato cake starter was delicious but the main course was a mis-match of many so-called Vietnamese flavours and ingredients that didn't complement too well. Overall, this is gourmet vegetarian dining which I will definitely try again but would prefer a different food theme. Staff were friendly, maybe slightly incompetent, surroundings were plush and there was an angry house cat, however I'm sure we'll be back.

Pros: decor, location
Cons: themed food

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BEST MEAL OF MY LIFE

5 Posted on 01 / 20 / 2011

i'm not exaggerating. this was the best vegetarian restaurant experience of my life. the servers were friendly, the meal was so delicious, and to top it of they served my favorite dessert: banana cream pie! a friendly cat sat by my feet during the meal (this is very common all over amsterdam). I highly recommend this restaurant, but please make a reservation, as it's very busy and popular. i however, had no troubles with the service. i'm definitely coming back!

Pros: excellent food, good portions, friendly staff

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Friendly atmosphere, tasty food

4 Posted on 11 / 02 / 2010

De Waaghals is conveniently situated within walking distance from Amsterdam's main museums. After a long day visiting the city, we were looking forward to a warm meal and luckily we had made a reservation - the restaurant was almost full already by 6 pm! Most of the menu (which is not very extensive) is vegetarian but they have a couple of vegan options - the vegetarian dishes are the stars though and are a lot more elaborate than the vegan ones. Portions are generous; the atmosphere is warm and friendly although the one server was indeed a bit overwhelmed, as another reviewer mentioned. We were told we had to clear the table by 7.30 and were a bit stressed out by the fact that she left us unattended for relatively long periods of time. Will return next time we're in Amsterdam.

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disappointed

2 Posted on 10 / 04 / 2010

I figured with all the reviews and popularity this place would be amazing...I was wrong. It was too busy for the 1 server to cope. We sat down before 2 other tables that were served before us. I figured with the price for a dish it would be a big serving...again I was wrong. I left hungry and for 2 people to spend 80 euro on food, you shouldnt be hungry. It was a bit snobby here as well, even the cat roaming around bit everyone.

Pros: good food, location, clean
Cons: expensive, snobs

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Our Favourite and deserves awards

5 Posted on 07 / 24 / 2010

Out of the four places we went in July 2010 this was rated the best and should have awards. It was well managed and very professional. The manager was friendly and welcoming. The food was delicious and there was enough options on the menu. We were very suprised at the price which we thought was good. Would go back again.

Pros: Tasty Food, Price, Professional

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Tasty stuff

4 Posted on 03 / 23 / 2010

There were a few vegan options available when we visited De Waaghals (as opposed to the one option that some other reviewers found). There wasa good variety of tasty food, with good portion sizes, and some local organic beers. It was very full, and we were quite lucky to get a table without waiting, so a reservation might be a good idea, especially at weekends. It's also definitely not a place for budget travellers, as all the mains are fairly pricey, though you do get a good meal for your money.

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Lovely place

5 Posted on 03 / 07 / 2010

Always one vegan option, nothing more, nothing less. Changes every two weeks, so if you go twice a week as a vegan, you'll eat the same thing. Place is always packed, so make reservations. Food is great! People are friendly. Dogs are allowed, but beware of the cat. ;-)

Pros: Good food
Cons: Could have more vegan options

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Very nice place! reservations might be needed

5 Posted on 07 / 17 / 2009

It was full when we went, but luckily there was a table in the back. Unlike the last review we found about 4 or 5 vegan options, but all were fried so they made us a special plate! 5 happycows earned in my book instantly! Very nice staff and perfect English spoken. Loved the local organic beers, too!

On a side note, we took our carni friends here and they licked their plates clean! They loved the lentil burger (has cheese) and the indian dish. Usually they hate dining with us and they were highly impressed!!!

Pros: local organic beer & wine, happy to customize a dish

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More Vegan choices please!

3 Posted on 05 / 21 / 2009

I ate here on a Saturday night and enjoyed it. The restaurant looks great and the staff were pleasant but I was a bit disappointed that when I asked which main courses were vegan I was told only one was. It was however very tasty!

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It was OK.

3 Posted on 12 / 10 / 2008

The staff at this restaurant was pleasant, helpful, and were able to answer our questions about which menu items were vegan. The food was good - especially after a long day of biking around Amsterdam - but, it wasn't the most exciting or memorable food ever. The server seemed slightly bothered that neither of us ordered appetizers and only wanted main courses and drinks. The restaurant looked clean and was easy to find. Prices seemed fairly average.

Cons: Only one vegan choice.

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Get the Classic

4 Posted on 12 / 03 / 2008

Yum! Simple menu, informal dining,and very tasty fare. "The Classic" offers a beautiful spinach soufle with goat cheese and nice mushroom and fennel roast all accompanied with polenta cake and roasted tomat. There is a monthly special and the orgainc beer and wine choices compliment everything. Save room for dessert. The fig cake is delish. We will come again!

Pros: fresh organic, organic beer, small plates

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Excellent

5 Posted on 09 / 08 / 2008

A great range of veggie food - most of which can be vegan on request. Worth booking - staff speak excellent English if your Dutch isn't great. Fab range of local organic beers.
They do have a cat which occasionally wanders around - that may be a plus or minus depending on how you feel about cats :-)
It's about a 10 / 15 minute walk from the city centre.

Pros: Great food, Local beers, Cat
Cons: Cat

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Nice place.

4 Posted on 01 / 27 / 2008

Hoi. Nice place to have a proper meal. Call to reserve. Place was full when I was there. Nice staff. Can recommend. It's close to Maria Heinekenplein (De Pijp).

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very good vegetarian

5 Posted on 09 / 15 / 2007

very good food, chic atmosphere, dishes are little and the bill big but the price is for quality and not for quantity.

highly recomended in the heart of Amsterdam

Pros: chic, nice food, central
Cons: expensive

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Nice, but not quite vegan

3 Posted on 08 / 10 / 2007

It's in a lovely street and there's the vegetarian store De Aanzet just next door. There's a changing dish, but mostly the menu is vegetarian and not vegen.

Pros: Comfortable
Cons: A bit expensive, Small portions, Mostly non-vegan

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Mixed Reactions

4 Posted on 05 / 28 / 2007

We visited in May 2007 for dinner. We had the De waaghals Classic and the Lebanese Special. I thought the food was great, the atmosphere comfortable, and the service just fine. My friend was not very impressed with the 'Classic', and it was not as flavoursome as the Lebanese dish. We had to wait a while for the food to arrive, but you could tell it was very fresh so no problem.

Pros: Comfortable, Fresh, Resident Cat :-x

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Good and healthy food

5 Posted on 05 / 03 / 2007

Food is great and healthy. It's also a classy place, not a standard veggie restaurant. They use organic products mostly. For a meal you pay 10 to 18 euro's.

Pros: Good food, Very healthy, Nice staff
Cons: None

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Always a pleasure to visit

4 Posted on 01 / 12 / 2007

This place is one of our Amsterdam favorites. The menu always has some pleasant surprises: healthy food, tasting well, looking good. We are in the habit of dining early (6 PM), which is probably the reason why we experienced no trouble with cigarette smoke. The interior is modern in a friendly way.

Pros: variation in menu