Amsterdam's oldest vegetarian restaurant. Offers international cuisine, pizza, vegan ice cream, juices, raw food, and desserts. Lunch is vegan, gluten-free. Floor seating area on the 2nd leve. Operated by a yoga-teacher couple, the woman is knowledgeable about raw food & nutrition. International staff. Spiritual chanting and music nights. Open Mon-Fri 17:00-22:00, Sat-Sun 13:00-22:00. Kitchen closes 9:30pm.
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Utrechtsestraat 126, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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- Outdoor seating
- Wheelchair accessible
- Accepts credit cards
- Free Wi-Fi
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Last update on 12 Mar 2024 by restaurantgoldentempl
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105 Reviews
First Review by mvanmaasdijk
vegan_ryan
Points +3865
Decent food, waitress was a moron & rude - Edit
The food at this place was nice, and we liked the atmosphere. Downstairs, you can sit at a table. Upstairs, you can sit on cushions on the floor. We sat upstairs, ordered our food and drinks, and then relaxed and ate some bread while we waited.
Read moreAnd waited.
And waited.
The next time we saw our waitress, she was sitting in the corner making out with her boyfriend and petting a dog. We were still waiting for our food.
Our food finally arrives, and we ate. It was pretty good.
I realized that one of the things my girlfriend had on her plate looked like the yoghurt we told them to not to bring, because we are both vegan. Since we couldn't find our waitress, we asked someone else. Sure enough, it's not vegan, and my girlfriend had 2 bites of it before we realized. [censored]. This guy (who was super nice and really apologetic) tells us he will let our waitress know and tell her to be more careful.
When our waitress returned to our table, she gave a half-assed, insincere apology and says that she thought everything on the plate my girlfriend ordered was vegan. This is not true, since we told her twice "no yoghurt." Whatever.
Then, she gives us the bill and informs us that the bread she brought earlier was actually meant for the table next to us, it was a mistake, but now we have to pay for it because we ate it (which we thought was free or included in the sampler platters we ordered). We were so tired of talking to her that we just agreed to pay for it so we could leave sooner.
However, the waitress couldn't figure out how to work the credit card machine, and my girlfriend had to go into the kitchen and show her how to work it/swipe the card herself, because the waitress didn't know what she was doing.
Not only did this lady feed my girlfriend non-vegan food and make us pay for something that was her mistake, then she didn't even know how to work the credit card machine to allow us to pay.
She should spend more time with the credit card machine and less time making out with her boyfriend at work. I'd give this place a lower score than 2, if it was possible.
Pros: All-vegetarian
Cons: Rude waitress, Waitress completely incompetent, Waitress disappeared
Guest
BobP
Points +35
Don't get the 4 choice meal if you are hungry - Edit
I saw the four stars and the close location to our hotel and went for it without reading the reviews -- mistake.
Read moreWe got the same 16 € meal as many of the other reviewers did. Same results. The hummus looked like someone scooped out the small small dish leaving about a tablespoon left. Got the same 2 little pieces of broc. and tofu, etc. etc.
It almost reminds me of the old joke where the waiter asks the customer how he enjoyed his meal and the customer replies: "The food was terrible and there wasn't enough!"
The meal actually looked exactly the same as the "sampler" dish that we get back in the States at our local Indian restaurant. The difference is that when you try to order it at our local place the waiter tries to talk you out of it saying that you really get a lot more if you just order the dishes separately.
At the golden temple the menu says quite the opposite: "This dish is a full meal".
The restaurant dog doesn't help the ambience by constantly scratching himself on the fur carpeting. The wait staff couldn't be nicer, though.
I would be tempted to give them another try if I could order a-la-carte because I liked the food I did get, there just wasn't enough.
Pros: 100% vegetarian , Nice waitresses, Food is not heavy on the oil
Cons: Skimpy portions on the combo meals, Scratching dog
Guest
Purple Carrot
Points +47
Hated it - rip-off place - Edit
This place really put a damper on my mood. All the seats were taken downstairs, so we went and found a table upstairs. The floors upstairs are covered with rugs and pillows, and the tables are low so that you can sit on the floor. I found the area dirty and unappealing. The rugs were dirty, torn up magazines were lying about, as was a kit for rolling joints.
Read moreThe waiting staff came over immediately and were very friendly and knowledgeable about the food on the menu. I guess they should be since the menu doesn't seem to have changed for several years. The food itself arrived within a reasonable amount of time. But the portions were so minuscule it was aggravating. A friend arrived late so she decided to only order starters. Her three starters, together costing less than a main course, had the double amount of food than any of the main courses we had ordered. Aaargh! When we ate, all we could think of was how much nicer it would have been to have eaten at home instead. After leaving the restaurant, those of us who had eaten only a main course were still hungry so we went and bought a portion of fries.
The restaurant looked like it was doing really good business, so why does the menu never change and why do the portions continue to be so small and overpriced?
We felt so cheated and so annoyed by this restaurant that we all left feeling pretty annoyed and we all agreed that we will never, ever go there again. Ever.
Pros: Friendly staff, Location
Cons: Dirty, Small portions, Rip-off
Guest
ashwinn
Points +767
They close early! - Edit
I read about this place before arriving, and when I landed at Schiphol today I figured out how to get here. Dropped off my bags and jumped on the Metro. Although it closes at 10, i walked in a 935 and was told they couldn't serve me because the kitchen was closed.
Read moreMaybe I'm spoiled by the hospitality of the real Golden Temple and Punjabi culture, so this was a little disappointing. Get here early.
And if you're turned away like me, try the Indian place next door called Tagore. A big poster of Rabindranath himself hangs on the door, and the owner was super warm and hospitable (quite a contrast from the neighbor). Unfortunately Tagore is not completely vegan, but I had a daal and roti. Very very good, way better than my expectations. (I'm Indian and quite critical of Indian places in general)
Hope to try GT again so I can rewrite this review
Updated from previous review on Thursday September 06, 2012
Pros: Variety of the menu
Cons: Aloof, Closes early, Seems pricey
ashwinn
I went back the day after. Had a very good meal. And the dessert was great. Prices were high, but quality was good. Service was super warm and smiley.
Read moreeric
Hi Ashwin, how about revising this review rather than a comment? Did you not know how to do it?
Read moreGuest
slithers
Points +701
Simply Great! - Edit
The atmosphere of this place was more posh than most of the other veg places I went in Amsterdam, but still with plenty of character (Asian influenced decor). My partner and I both had thali-style Indian dishes which were wonderful! Great to try a bunch of different things, all good and overall decent portion size. Also, almost everything is vegan here, so great selection for vegans.
Read moreWe also had a weird circumstance which was that we had very limited time because we had to make a boat tour (we had about 45 minutes in the restaurant) - we asked when we came in if they could accommodate and they could, which was SUPER -nice. I don't recommend repeating that, better to stay and enjoy it, but I can say the staff and cook were great.
Pros: tasty food, almost all vegan, wonderful staff
Guest
ConnyChiwa
Points +188
Nice Restaurant, Good Food, fantastic Dessert - Edit
The Food was Great, Dessert was unbelievable. We had the Key lime pie, it was Perfect.
Read moreGuest
Gogs67
Points +16
Lovely - Edit
Great vegan friendly place in Amsterdam, friendly staff, lovely food, what's not to like!!!!
Read moreGuest
anna900
Points +79
Nice pizza! - Edit
I like the atmosphere in here, although we were seated next to the toilet which I found a bit annoying!
Read moreWe received a welcome drink and the waitress was OK...although she kept having to ask us what we had ordered because she had forgotten (why didn't she write it down?!?)
My partner had the soup of the day - sweet potato -- which I wish I'd ordered when I saw the size of the pakora I received, although his accompanying bread was miniscule too.
We both ordered pizza. I had the vegan Pizza Rossa which was on a wholewheat crust, which I loved, and had loads of toppings. The tomato base could have been less stingy, though, as there were parts of the pizza that had no topping on it at all! My partner had Pizza Bianca, which had cheese on it (he isn't vegan) which he said was tasty enough.
I was full after the pizza but I think that was mainly because of the wholewheat crust. I was expecting something a bit more amazing for the price (and considering their promotional video on their website) but it was OK. Nothing special. Eat in there if you want to try something a bit different but not if you've been walking around The Hague in the morning and then Amsterdam in the afternoon, as we were, as we definitely needed something a bit more rewarding!
Pros: nice atmosphere, wholesome food
Cons: stingy portions, a bit bland
Guest
sglcklch
Points +2857
Avoid at all costs - Edit
I seriously do not understand where all these good reviews came from. My partner and I went out of our way to come here for dinner at 7-ish and saw only two persons dining. Although we were feeling a bit iffy about this place, we still went in because I remembered about the positive reviews on here.
Read moreAfter we sat down we were served two welcome drinks, which were quite nice; then everything went downhill. As we weren't that hungry, we just ordered a mango chutney with flatbread (€4.25) as starter and the middle eastern plate (€16.20) as main dish to share. Thought it would be enough food given the price tags; but no, the portions were outrageously stingy. We basically got a tiny condiment plate of mango chutney and a piece of palm-sized flatbread split in half. The so-called middle eastern plate was even more of a rip-off. The four mezes we chose were tofu-broccoli kebab, yam curry, eggplant curry, and falafel. The kebab was a joke; it came in a skewer (yes, just one) composed of three pieces of steamed/boiled, mushy, tiny, bland broccoli florets and three pieces of tasteless tofu about half the size of your thumb. Then the curries, they tasted OK but we couldn't even tell which was which. Where was the eggplant? Onto the last meze, we got three pieces of flattened coin-sized falafel with some kind of tahini sauce. It just boggled our minds how they could possibly make them this small, not that they were tasty anyway. Except for the couscous, which BTW was flavorless, the flatbread (again palm-sized), and the falafel, there was nothing middle eastern about the whole plate whatsoever; also everything was just lukewarm. Grossly overpriced for what it was.
The setting was kind of hippie in a bad way. The rug and cushions on the low table looked like they had never been washed. The floor seemed a bit dirty, and then there was the cat that walked everywhere.
When we left, we noticed this shoddy electric fountain decoration thing just outside the door, and in it were a carrot, an onion, and a garlic head, WTH is that???
This was the worst dining experience we had during our trip to Amsterdam. Two cows is a generous rating.
Cons: skimpy portions, overpriced, dingy setting
Guest
Homme_outan
Points +226
Good food - Edit
Large panel of dishes, very vegan-friendly, very tasty and big portions. Indian wave, but it is not an indian restaurant for all that. Prices are reasonable.
Read moreWelcoming was not really friendly.
Pros: Tasty food, Choice of dishes, Price
Cons: Welcoming
Guest
Ton
Points +487
Rawfood at Golden Temple - Edit
Enjoyed a rawfood meal twice now here. It was excellent. The wife of the owner is a raw foodist and she started now serving rawfood on request in the restaurant. Book in advance and ask for rawfood. (If you want rawfood, otherwise they have lots of good veggie by default on the menu of course)
Read moreShe is pregnant at the moment. So not sure how long she keeps on working. When she stops working they will also be no raw food anymore, since the food comes from their private kitchen.
I have put some pictures online of the dishes she prepared for us:
http://rauw-amsterdam.blogspot.com/2010/01/golden-temple.html
Updated from previous review on Friday November 05, 2010
She is still serving RawFood!
http://rauw-amsterdam.blogspot.com/2010/11/restaurant-golden-temple.html
Pros: rawfood, organic, nice people
Nelson
Yes, but be advised -- for a raw food meal, "book in advance" means generally book at least 24 hours in advance. The food is very good, but at least for now, the menu is fixed each day (there is some hope of expanding the raw food options as a regular feature, however).
Read moreGreatest disadvantage (for those with allergies) is that the place is full of cat and dog hair -- ask o be seated at regular tables rather than on pillows.
Guest
ishtar
Points +56
Great food & atmosphere - Edit
We ate here on a weekday evening and had a great meal - thali, pizza, pakora, fresh juices. We sat at a low table on rugs which added to the atmosphere. The restaurant was busy so sometimes the service was slow but the food was good and the people friendly. We went back on our final lunchtime but it was unexpectedly closed.
Read moreThey were advertising yoga + dinner for €25 on a Monday evening.
Pros: Good range of food, Good curries, Friendly
Guest
Jan
Points +56
Worth a visit - Edit
My boyfriend and I went to the Golden Temple in July 2010. There were quite a lot of vegan options on the menu which consisted of an indian section, middle eastern section, pizza section and favourites section (mostly mexican). I had an indian thali and my boyfriend had enchilados. The food was good and the portion size was reasonable. We thought it was pricey as a main cost on average 16 euros. The waitress who served us was polite but clearly stressed as she was the only one serving on a Friday evening. The atmosphere was very chilled out and informal. It was however very hot in there which meant by the end of our meal we were uncomfortably hot and quite keen to leave. It is however worth a visit and we would return when in Amsterdam again.
Read morePros: good vegan options, relaxed atmosphere
Cons: way too hot, pricey
Guest
JamieWilliams
Points +1117
Golden Golden Temple - Edit
I went to the golden temple in July 2010 for a late lunch with my wife and shared one lunch which consisted of selecting four indian dishes with some bread.
Read moreEach dish was quite small with more sauce than vegetables but tasty and enough for a small lunch for two. There are other options if you do not like indian food such as a middle east selection.
The setting was great, heaviuly influenced by sikh/hindu religions. Comfortable if you do not mind sitting on cushions on the floor at a low table.
Would go back again.
Pros: Unique Setting, Tasty Food, Peaceful
Cons: Lots of Sauce
Guest
heywood100
Points +334
A Mixed Experience - Edit
During our time in Amsterdam we went to the Golden Temple twice, and while its atmosphere is nice and laid-back (although we were slightly put off by what appeared to be sheepskin rugs - not very animal-friendly!), we unfortunately had a mixed dining experience.
Read moreOur first visit was for lunch, which was a good, hearty lentil soup, and some excellent raw chocolate dessert, along with spice Indian tea and fresh fruit juice. We went back the next day for dinner, where I ordered a perfectly good pizza. My companion, however, ordered the 'Middle Eastern' menu, which (apart from some bread and cous-cous) appeared to have no real Middle Eastern influence and tasted identical to any standard £5 curry you might get in the UK. On top of this, it arrived lukewarm, and was way too small to be worth the 16Euro price tag.
So we had good and bad experiences here, and despite my reservations I would overall say that it is still a good place for vegans and vegetarians to visit in Amsterdam, but that there are better.
Guest
milosz13
Points +37
astonishing :) - Edit
I really LOVED this place. the food was delicious, the prices were ok, the dessert was fantastic, the service was more than nice and they had some interesting books to read while waiting for the food or afterwards. Highly recommended !!!
Read moreGuest
veggiegoth
Points +217
lovely place! - Edit
i came here twice while in amsterdam. both meals were fantastic with a very friendly waitstaff. the atmosphere was very nice and everyone in the restaraunt looked like they were really enjoying themselves.
Read moreGuest
Alex82
Points +75
Fantastic - Edit
I loved the food, service and atmosphere here. It is brilliant for vegans as they even do vegan deserts.
Read morePros: Friendly staff, Lovely food, Vegan puddings
Cons: None
Guest
KATIE H
Points +277
great vegan chocolate cake - Edit
really nice food well presented and in a relaxed atomosphere, really quiet maybe lacked atomosphere because of that but. food was great service was friendly and the great vegan desserts. was slightly expensive but worth it for the cake. portions could be bigger, could have eaten more of my main and dessert.
Read morePros: good choice, vegan chocolate cake
Cons: expensive, small portions
Guest
gr8vegan
Points +2363
Nice Chill Place - Edit
Very laid back, possibly high on life, type establishment. The chef was really personable and chatted with us and offered up suggestions and samples of his special and desserts. Its a nice place, we were bummed they were out of soy ice cream, though! Easy walking distance from pretty much anywhere so a must go if you're in Amsterdam for a few days
Read moreGuest
pupster
Points +46
Desserts to Die for! - Edit
The Golden Temple had a three track menu: a middle eastern theme, and Indian theme, and a pizza theme! We love middle eastern food, but had been eating at Maoz Falafel all week, so decided to order a vegan pizza and a lentils & rice dish from the Indian menu. The pizza was okay. It consisted of a very thin, slightly undercooked crust, with sauce and some veggies. The Indian dish was much better. The best part about this restaurant is the amazing vegan desserts!!! If you're a vegan visiting Amsterdam, this place is worth the visit-- if only to sample the desserts.
Read morePros: Good Service, Incredible Desserts, Friendly Staff
Guest
gigi1033
Points +65
Hmmm - Edit
So my friend's family used to own this place as there used to be many all over the world, but he sadly moved and sold it. I hadn't been to the restraunt before he sold it, but I'm sure the prices were not that much.
Read moreWe ordered a medeteranian plate( the portions of this were extremely small but the food was lovely), a goat cheese salad(very tasty and OVERLOADED with delicious cheese-a bit too much maybe?), two yogi raj's (yogi tea made with cinnamon, cardomom and black tea topped with whipped cream) and a homemade maple ice cream sundae which came out to 50 euros-a bit too much for us, but the food was delicious.
And we saw on the other table that the pizza looked large and yummy. The owner also brings his doggie to work with him, a small cute thing and not uncommon in europe it seemed. They also import Vergil's rootbeer from America because the original Golden Temple restraunts had these as a norm.
All in all, great food, decent portions, BIG price.
Pros: DELICIOUS, Great vibe, Friendly staff
Cons: EXPENSIVE, smaller portions
Guest
Annelies
Points +46
Good food! - Edit
This is a nice place with good food. Really tasty and very much options: Italian to Indian etc. Hard to make a choice! I will really return here. There is no alcohol here by the way, but I didn't miss it :-)
Read morePros: Good food, Lot\'s of dishes, Nice atmosphere
Cons: Non
Guest
mvanmaasdijk
Points +11
also Yoga, Breakfast & Lunch - Edit
Wonderful experience at the Golden Temple Lifestyle restaurant. This nice Sikh oriented healthy lifestyle restaurant combines all international foodpleasures with very cosy atmospheres. Yoga starts at 08;00 in the morning with yogic breakfast, later lunch and profound dinner, spiritual lounging (chantinfg and music) on friday nights
Read moreGuest
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