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*Interesting* but totally worth it

3 Posted on 04 / 15 / 2013

I wasn't quite sure what to expect here, as I'd read many mixed reviews. My first impression: Doesn't look exactly classy inside, the bathroom wouldn't have passed any kind of inspection whatsoever... and the owner was watching a movie behind the counter. We almost left. Then my meat-eating friend ordered a 'chicken' sandwich, and as we all took a bite, we were simply blown away. We kept saying, "oh my god, this is SO good" over and over again, amazed, delighted, it was superb. My friend reckoned it was the best chicken he ever tasted even if it wasn't real chicken. The chocolate cake and ginger soy drink were lovely as well.

To be honest, this would not be a place I would bring my friends if I wanted to impress them. The food impresses, absolutely, but the place doesn't. Just go there for a quick bite when you want to treat yourself and/or someone who really doesn't care for atmosphere and hygiene in a restaurant.

I'd really like to say to the owner (but I'm too shy) that his place could be amazingly popular (he says it's not, right now) if he could just a) get rid of the plastic tablecloth, b) clean the bathroom, and c) put a sign and some tables outside. Because foodwise, you're already way up there, man.

Pros: a-ma-zing food, staff was very friendly, close to Amsterdam central station
Cons: needs an interior design specialist, hygiene standards (bathroom) not so good

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different but good

3 Posted on 03 / 31 / 2013

There are few restaurants where you can walk in greeted by a Jamaican man with a joint pressed between a huge smile. Okay, the guy is really nice and runs the place by himself. Okay, I'm lying, when it gets busy his kids become your servers which was weird for their age. Overall though the food was really good and we went back for more. Go for the stews for a larger more filling portion for the price, the burgers were smaller. The food was really good, the chocolate cake was amazing. I'd recommend at least giving it a try, for at least the experience of dining on what seems like a living room with table service.

Pros: food, weirdness
Cons: kid servers, pricey

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One of the best vegan spots in A'dam

4 Posted on 03 / 14 / 2013

I have seen a lot of review for this place so I decided to check it out. Yea the service is not the best(where is in Holland?) but it is family owned = ). I think the food is great and I consider it a treat to eat here. If your not in rush and want to relax and have some vegan food this is the place.

Pros: Everything VEGAN and yummy!!!!!, Local family owned place
Cons: Could be remodled.

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Weird restaurant experience

3 Posted on 02 / 03 / 2013

My eating experience here was pretty memorable.

In spite of booking a table both via e-mail (that nobody checked) and then via phone an hour before, seats had not been reserved for us. But luckily after a 30 min wait, quite a few people were leaving and the restaurant emptied out of guests.

There were quite a few people buzzing about, including what appeared to be 3 chefs, two children working as waitresses and then a couple of men who looked like they might own the place. Everybody were super friendly but utterly incapable of offering anything that resembled service. We made our order with the kids and they promptly forgot parts of our order, (they forgot half the order from the table next to us as well). But we only found that out after a 1 hour wait for my meal and another 45 mins wait for my table companions meal. The food was decent, and quite lovingly prepared, so we enjoyed it enough to want to try it again.

But as we were finishing up our meals, one of the guys got out his karaoke kit and started singing. All his family and friends that had been milling around formed a circle around him and the guests, a total of four, all smiled at each other in disbelief. The entire experience was really quite weird. So when we left the restaurant several hours after arriving, we left with smiles on our faces.

Pros: OK Food, Friendly staff, Good location
Cons: No service, No idea what service is, No ability to retain information

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Tasty, great atmosphere

5 Posted on 01 / 17 / 2013

I wandered in here one evening after a super long day in Brussels and a mess with the trains. I was exhausted, irritable, and starving. Inside was the well-travelled and incredibly warm, friendly owner and an atmosphere that reminded me more of having dinner with friends than a restaurant. I walked out peaceful, happy, and well-fed. The food is an interesting mix of Japanese and Caribbean. The portions are reasonable, but on the small side for me, which is no problem because it means I get to enjoy more side dishes.

Pros: Nice Atmosphere, Good Food, Nice People

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Yummy!

5 Posted on 11 / 29 / 2012

Whilst the food was impressively tasty the portions were not massive. But given the price of the food and the friendly atmosphere, and the quality of the food, I heartily recommend this place. If you're in Amsterdam you should definitely go here.

Pros: High quality, Low and fair price, chilled friendly atmosphere
Cons: portions weren't massive

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wonderful!!

5 Posted on 11 / 24 / 2012

i love Terrazen!! very small, like a home sweet home, reggae music, delicius and various food...very nice staff!
i love it! normal prices, easy to find.

Pros: delicious food, very friendly staff, sweet location

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so cute!

5 Posted on 11 / 17 / 2012

This place looks a bit weird at first but when you get it: it only gets better! Today we ate here and we both loved it! I got the 'chicken burger' and it was soooo delicious! i don't like Fake meat at all, but the girl ( i think it's their daughter, only twelve years old or something..) advised me the chicken burger! The place is filled with nice music, nice service and good food!

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Awesome!

5 Posted on 11 / 14 / 2012

I totally missed japanese food coz I am japanese! hehe today I oder tempura donburi was really really really JApanese style! was soooo yum!!!! Im loving terraZen! I go tmrw again! will get natto avo bowl! You really should try! real japanese and ppl are so nice!!!!!!!

Updated from previous review on Tuesday November 13, 2012

Pros: excellent food

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yum! great dinner!

4 Posted on 11 / 12 / 2012

had dinner here tonight. was pleasantly surprised:) i had the katayakisoba and my guy had the chicken burger sandwich. it was really good. the chcken textured was so much like chicken that we realy had to do double check!! very good great people and chill atmosphere

Pros: great food, friendly vibe, inviting atmosphere
Cons: limited seating

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Best Vegan Food in Amsterdam

5 Posted on 11 / 11 / 2012

Seriously, if you are vegan and in Amsterdam, this is the place to go. The food was absolutely delicious. I had the tempura donburi/miso soup and I couldn't get enough.

It's a little hidden down a side street and it took me a while to find it. The portions were a tad small. But I would go again in a heart beat. I think it was the best meal I've had in Europe so far.

Pros: Delicious food
Cons: Hidden, Small Portions

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My new favorite restaurant

5 Posted on 11 / 05 / 2012

Amazing food, amazing atmosphere. Love everything about it, can't wait to go there again.

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fun place to eat

4 Posted on 10 / 24 / 2012

TerraZen Centre is a small but funny place to eat.

people are friendly and the food is good.

will go back next visit to Amsterdam

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Delicious vegan

5 Posted on 10 / 23 / 2012

Went here, exactly sitting still here.
With my dongle on talking with a friend I went shopping with today.
How amazing the food was.
Variety of choiche for vegans.
We both had a vegan chicken curry & roti.
Absolutely recommendable.
Serverd with the coffidence the meal deserved.

We absolutely both loved it.
She isn't veggie or vegan.
I'm vegan.
My friend she's gonna tell her mom about this place
I just wrote this review.
When you walk in their is sort of amazing calm vibe.

Pros: food, vibe, drinks

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Rather disappointing

2 Posted on 10 / 15 / 2012

I was surprised at the number of positive reviews of this restaurant. The atmosphere maybe would be appropriate for a student co-op or some hippie commune from the 1960's, but not for the prices they charge. Furniture, dishes, cups for tea, you name it, all seemed like they were picked up from some pile of used castoffs, nothing matched. The toilet door opened right into where you sit to eat, so if someone goes to use it, when they open the door, you get a full view of the toilet - not very aesthetic.
The food itself was tasty, but the portions were very small, relative to the price. I also didn't enjoy the running around and noise made by the owners' child (maybe 4 years old). I go on vacation and out to eat to relax in a pleasant atmosphere - this wasn't it.

Pros: location near center, food tasty
Cons: crummy atmosphere, expensive for what you get

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Delicious, cosy and super friendly!

5 Posted on 09 / 23 / 2012

The food is delicious, the owner super friendly and the atmosphere very cosy, I'm going to eat here more often to try all the other dishes on their wide interesting menu :P

Pros: delicious, cosy, friendly

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Great vegan food in a great location

4 Posted on 09 / 08 / 2012

I've been to TerraZen a few times - well, I think, every time I went to Amsterdam when living in the Netherlands. I brought a vegetarian there and he left a vegan, so that was a success... ;)
The food is very tasty, I guess a little expensive if you are used to very cheap, but for Amsterdam it is actually pretty reasonable. (Have these other reviewers seen the rents?!)
The main downer is the opening hours - which seem to be "when we feel like it". If you arrive too early, you might find they are closed. It's not a bad idea to call up first to check they are open before trekking your way over to them.
The portion sizes were fine for me, but perhaps a little small for some people like my high-metabolism boyfriend. But the food itself is really delicious and varied, so it makes up for it.
It is run by a vegan couple, she's Japanese and he is from the Carribean (I gather?). He is the one who deals more with customers, and is really friendly and has a great sense of humour. He really believes in veganism, too, so you won't see him making any "milk for tea" compromises like some places!
YES, the place is a bit "rustic", it's no posh restaurant, but it's nice, homely, and good food made in a 100% vegan environment. Nice! Recommended.

Pros: Tasty food, Varied menu, Friendly, funny staff
Cons: Unreliable opening hours

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We loved it!

5 Posted on 08 / 17 / 2012

As far as I know the Terra Zen is the only 100 % vegan restaurant in Amsterdam. The food is amazing and very fresh cooked with a friendly and helpful service! You can find a great choice of caribbean an japanese food.
The atmosphere in this small restaurant is very relaxed and you really feel at home. We tried the crispy tempeh makis and a caribbean dish ( I don't remember the name) with brown rice, spicy beans, avocado and fresh carrots. We loved it!
P.S. Take your time because they make  it fresh!

Pros: Atmosphere, Freshness, Ginger apple juice

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Don't bother

2 Posted on 08 / 17 / 2012

An over-priced vegan restaurant in the centre of Amsterdam. On first impressions it was quite ramshackle - not that we're strangers to ramshackle, but for the prices charged you'd expect better than a piece of wood on cinder blocks next to a random jumble of computer equipment for a seat. It was nowhere near as nice as the photos on Happy Cow make it seem.

We ordered what was meant to be a bean stew, but it was just a bean salad really, with the strange addition of three slices of bread with peanut butter on them. We also had a faux-chicken burger, which was chicken-style pieces rather than a burger. It was okay, but not really filling - especially for the price. (Sorry to keep going on about the price, but it really was expensive for what we got. The prices increase by 10% in the evening, too. We were both still hungry when we left.)

The couple who run the place were very friendly and helpful, and they're obviously pointing in the right direction, so I wish I could give it more than a two cow rating. Maybe we caught it on a bad night, but to us it felt like it definitely needs improvement, and even if you're a vegan in Amsterdam I can't honestly recommend this place.

Pros: location, friendly staff, vegan
Cons: expensive, small portions

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Brought a friend

4 Posted on 07 / 17 / 2012

My second great meal at TerraZen. This time I brought a friend who commented "Weeds smell and smoke full house, caribbean and reggae music, japanese tempura on the menu, microsoft windows screen saver on the ceiling, stoned waiters with weird Arabic dress, spiritual talks with strangers ... lol this restaurant is really just.. I'm speechless lol". Oh, and he liked the food, too :-)

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Possibly the worst and most misleading eatery

2 Posted on 07 / 03 / 2012

The food here was incredibly bland you felt like you were ripped off from your money. What the menu claims to be a chicken burger is a cheap dry slice of bread with either guacamole/peanut butter with chicken style soy chunks. How is that a hamburger? Even if the price was alright, it was rather offensive that you paid for something that did not resemble a burger in any shape. It tasted pretty mediocre and bland. Like something you would make in a hurry at home. The Chicken chunks (so called "burger") were the best part of it. The smoothie I drank there was not much to write about. It was warm and tasted overwhelmingly banana. I question the owners ability to make decent food. I dont understand how people can enjoy the food at this place. The only positives was its location and comfy locations. Unfortunately the food was embarrassing and I tried 4 different courses so I think I got a glimpse over the general quality of the time. Stay away from this place if you want your meal to be an experience and not a disapointment.

Pros: Location, Opening hours, Comfort
Cons: Food, Price, Smoothie

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disagree with other review

3 Posted on 06 / 25 / 2012

Small place, not very clean (the sons of the owner enter in the restaurant with bikes). Flavorless food. The only flavor I recognized was seaweed (alga). I got some rice with avocado (and somethine else) but it was really flavorless. (we only tried 2 dishes from the menu). Average price but it doesn't worth it.

Pros: price
Cons: flavorless

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Made to order

5 Posted on 06 / 20 / 2012

When I stumbled in here, punch-drunk from jetlag on my first day in Amsterdam, I pretty much fell in love. The atmosphere is very quirky and welcoming (not sterile/boring like many places) and so too was the owner/chef. He was very helpful in answering my questions and made our food exactly as he'd described (I had an Ital stew). I would've liked a little bigger portion, but it was my first day in Europe so I hadn't yet adjusted to the smaller portions there (in America, it's usually eat until you're stuffed) - the prices were good and the cake we got to go was delicious later. It is not far from Dam Square (the center of Amsterdam), but a little hard to find the first time. I only regret that I didn't get to go there twice.

Pros: charming atmosphere, charming owner, great, healthy food @ good prices
Cons: small

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Great food!

4 Posted on 06 / 12 / 2012

After reading several favorable reviews of TerraZen on Happy Cow, my husband were determined to eat here before we left Amsterdam. We were not disappointed. The dishes were unique, delicious and healthy. The prices were good, and the owner/chef was friendly and knowledgable, with great taste in music, which he coordinated with our orders. I'd definitely go back and try some other dishes if we were staying longer.

Pros: Great food, Healthy, Good portions
Cons: Ran out of soy ice cream!

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Don't judge a book by it's cover

5 Posted on 06 / 06 / 2012

That was the lesson learned! Honestly, I was a little hesitant when I walked in and saw the tiny, somewhat hole-in-the-wall interior of a small alley in Amsterdam. Especially with the Rastafarian decor, it seemed a bit like a Coffee House at first. I wasn't sure I wanted to stay, but was glad I did! The fusion Japanese-Caribbean cuisine was quite tasty and less expensive than a typical Amsterdam meal. Quite honestly, I had some of the best vegan food I've ever had here. Different and delicious! I wish we had had time to stop by again. Most definitely worth the trip.

Pros: novel cuisine, tasty, inexpensive

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Delicious food, awesome owner!

5 Posted on 05 / 12 / 2012

During my travels in Amsterdam I was lucky enough to stumble upon this little gem.
This place has such a wonderful, relaxed atmosphere. The food was so tasty and wholesome and so cheap. The first night I went there I had the veggie burger and banana cake with soycream. The next time I had the spicy ramen noodles.
The owner really made us feel at home. He was so funny and great to have a chat with.
I highly recommend this place!

Pros: Excellent food, Great Price, Friendly Staff

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Visit April 2012 - not shut!

5 Posted on 05 / 07 / 2012

A very small cafe - seats no more than 16 (at a guess). Hard to find but worth the effort. Good food and friendly service. We really enjoyed the curry and will be going back there again.

Pros: Good value, Friendly staff
Cons: Hard to locate

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5 out of 5 stars

5 Posted on 03 / 24 / 2012

I went here when I was in Amsterdam, the food was delicious, inexpensive. The owner was nice and knowledgeable. Honestly, I've never had a more enjoyable experience at a restaurant. I know this sounds like it's too good to be true, but that's how I experienced it, I will definitely be coming back.

Pros: excellent food, friendly staff, chill atmosphere
Cons: cash only (small bills preferrably)

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Friendly, hearty, healthy & delicious

5 Posted on 02 / 14 / 2012

Small, quite vegan restaurant with friendly staff in a loving soulful atmosphere.

My partner & I visited TerraZen Centre twice in the one week we were staying in Amsterdam; needless to say we both enjoyed our experiences.

We tried and would recommend the following dishes:
* Avocado Natto Donburi (I hadn't tried natto before, but it was delicious!)
* Vegan Hot Dog Plate (tasty and filling)
* Deep Fried Chicken (a combo of vegies and veg protein? fried in spices with dipping sauce. not your typical oily mess)
* Fried Brown Rice with Vegies (simple, filling & delicious)
* Ginger Coffee
* Organic Cola
* Japanese Green Tea (not to my taste, but was first time I'd tried it, but I'm sure it was fine for those accustomed to the flavour.)

They also have poetry and music nights, so check their website http://terrazencentre.com/terrazen-events.html

Getting there is really easy:
Short walk from tram stop 'Nieuwezijds Kolk' which is close to 'Centraal'
(Better check names/map first as we're going from memory.)

Hope you enjoy your experience!

Pros: healthy, filling food, friendly knowledgeable staff, affordable
Cons: homely décor, but clean! , cash only - small notes preferably

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Good food! Great owner!

5 Posted on 01 / 13 / 2012

I had a wonderful diner with a friend. The owner was friendly, relaxed and funny, the cooking was great! It's not expensive, you can sit on the floor on cusions. Definetely recommended!

Pros: excellent food, friendly staff, good value
Cons: not for big groups

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Worth a trip

5 Posted on 01 / 12 / 2012

Thoroughly enjoyed a visit to this small, quirky vegan cafe. It is located centrally in Amsterdam but down a small street so probably doesn't gain much passing trade - so spread the word! The proprietor is a lovely guy, very friendly welcome, trying to get established after about four months. The food and drink was excellent (a bit of Caribbean, a bit of Japanese, all vegan, of course). I particularly recommend the ginger soya milk.

Pros: Friendly, Great food and drink, Central location
Cons: A bit hidden away, look it up first

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Excellent vegan food

5 Posted on 12 / 25 / 2011

It is a very small place, not suitable for really large groups, but very cosy and with a very relaxed atmosphere. But most notable is the food, I had a Deep Fried Tempeh Donburi and it tasted so very very good that I couldn't remember when I last ate something as good as this in any restaurant. The Ginger Coffee was also remarkable good. On the menu are much more appealing options so we'll be coming back to try them all, and off course for more Tempeh Donburi :-).

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Great Place

5 Posted on 12 / 17 / 2011

What a nice place! Great food, friendly owner, relaxed atmosphere, faire prices and very close to Amsterdam Central station! I had the curry of the day, banana cake, ginger soy melk and ginger coffee. Can recommend all of those (well, if you don't like hot stuff, don't ask for that curry - they have other great stuff as well, but I justed loved it). Will soon be back and bring some friends along!

Pros: Excellent Food, Good Value, Friendly Owner

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Great place to dine & meet people!

4 Posted on 11 / 18 / 2011

A lovely place with homemade, pure vegan & organic foods. Its inexpensive. The menu is ranging from tasty Udon noodles to seaweed salads and vegan burgers!. Homemade pastry, fresh tropical fruit shakes and delicious ginger coffee & tea's.

You can taste the love, Swizaba puts in his food (the
owner)!!!

Thank You, Brother!!!

One Love

Open from 11.00 in the morning to 10.00 in the eve.

Pros: excellent food, healthy cuisine, good value