De Japanner West in Van Lennepbuurt

The staff here is so wonderful and the amazing food and drinks make it even more memorable and special !!

We always enjoy delicious food, and because we love surprises, we chose the chef's menu. Unfortunately, we were disappointed. The dishes were minimal: half an eggplant for four people and eight small pieces of sushi. No soup to start, just a bowl of green beans. We found it rather meager, especially for over €40 per person. The staff was friendly, and the sake was excellent! But I doubt we'll eat here again.

Lovely staff and delicious food (&drinks!)

The menu was tasty, but too limited for the number of people

We had the chefs menu, which we would highly recommend! My personal favorite was the eggplant. Staff was lovely and everything arrived at a nice pace- not too fast. Would come here again ❤️

We waited for aaaaaaaaaaaages for the food.

They’ve let me waiting 1 entire hour for my food. I’ve could eat only edamame. At the end I got mad and ask for the check and they didn’t tell me anything. Terrible experience!

De Japanner – 5/10 De Japanner is now a household name in Amsterdam with several locations, but unfortunately, popularity doesn't always equate to quality. During our visit, the lack of organization was particularly noticeable: the food didn't arrive at the same time, meaning some dishes were cold by the time everyone could start. The service also left much to be desired—slow and inattentive. The food itself was average: no distinctive flavors and little creativity on the plate. Especially for the price you pay, you should expect more than these mediocre izakaya snacks. The atmosphere was more chaotic than cozy. Very busy, tables crammed together, and a noisy environment made it difficult to truly relax. All in all: a classic case of style over substance. Great if you're mainly there for the crowds and the name, but the culinary side is disappointing.

Delicious food and great service!

What an overrated place! Cramped tables, English menu, pitch-dark restroom. And the food was mediocre.

This is perfect for a date night or just dinner with your friends to have a nice conversation

waited AN HOUR for the sushi, did not even get a “sorry for the wait”, and the sushi was mid. do not recommend the place

great evening here - the american server was super helpful and had great recommendations. spent like two hours more here than i thought i would. def try the sake cocktail

Food is very good quality but we found porties too small. We ordered 6 different plates to share and left craving a burger. The place was really packed and tables are very close to each other so it feels more of a canteen style. Waiters are friendly but hard to catch.

Delicious food!!! And nice friendly service. When it got busy, the service got a bit worse. Still very friendly, but it took a lot longer before we were helped.

Delicious food, friendly service and relaxed atmosphere

Really delicious food! Small snacks, served when ready. Everything was delicious! What stood out for us: spinach salad and beef tataki! Super friendly service. Bret was behind the bar, advised us and made delicious fresh cocktails for me. We will be back! 135 euros for 4x cocktail; 6 beers and 5 dishes. (As far as we are concerned, perfect price-quality!!)

The food was delicious, the service though was very poor. Although the waiters were very kind, this place is heavily understaffed.

Awesome dining experience. Staff was knowledgable about vegan food options, including being aware of possible cross-contamination. Server remembered which dishes were for which guest / which were separate and which were going to be shared. This was a big deal because the tables are fairly small, so strategic dish placement makes a huge difference. Every single dish was tasty, but I’m adding pictures of the glazed aubergine because it’s probably the best I’ve ever had. And they have a vegan affogato for desert which I’ve never seen before!

The Japanner — with the emphasis on ‘The’. We sat outside on a warm evening and just kept ordering — the food was that good. We’ll be back. Likely very soon, since I’m lucky enough to have this sweet little spot on the corner, just around the corner. Thanks Guido and Tos and staff! See you soon!

Best Japanese food I've had in Amsterdam!

It’s saying they close at midnight. At this time is hard to find an open restaurant. So I walked far like 30 min to arrive at 11 and they told me they were already closing because didn’t have clients. Well.. I was just here but they closed the de for me.

What a lovely place, Very modern and a really nice place to celebrate my sister's 19th birthday. Had personally ordered the chicken katsu 3 times, Really recommended!

Very friendly service and DELICIOUS nasu dengaku :)

Good Japanese food and drinks. Highly recommended as izakaya.

Food was amazing you must get the eggplant dish

It was good. Not knock your socks off good though. Service was nice. Too expensive for such little food.

We sat outside so you could also sit with the wheelchair - the food was always to share if you wanted, very good and a little spicy

Too bad that ins te teckeltje was not allowed inside. Food was delicious, but on the pricey side for this kind of small dishes.

Delicious food, pleasant time between courses, good service

The food is super tasty and the atmosphere is nice. It was very dark and warm inside

Once our favorite, now with mixed feelings We enjoyed going to De Japanner for years: refined dishes, beautiful wines, nice atmosphere. But the last time was a rude awakening. We had specifically reserved a high table, but once we arrived we were suddenly told to sit ‘low’ — because that was better for the layout that evening, according to the new manager. Result: noisy, close together, and exactly not what we were looking for. Not a disaster, but an unfriendly solution. No apologies, but discussion. We left then — and to be honest, we haven’t been back since. A shame, because the food remains top notch.

Fantastic food and service and very nice atmashphere and the best waiters,exspecally from the young waiter we had ,,, jobau i think thats his name:) regards from iceland

Food was great, service was good and the terrace has sun till around 1930ish! I wish there were more vegan options though and variation, as the warm vegan options were mostly mushrooms :) but all tasty! Amsterdam prices; we paid 90eu for 2 whiskeys, 6 dishes and 2 vegan affogato.

We had a mixed experience. When we arrived we had to wait a few minutes until someone helpers us to our table. The service itself the rest of the evening was Friendly. The good itself was not really delicious if I compare it to other Japanese restaurant in the city. The sushi was really a shame especially the rice fell apart and it came way too late after we had to ask. The only mushroom dish was the only thing we really enjoyed in terms of flavor. In general we think the quality does not fit the price here

Accessible restaurant, very tasty food and very friendly staff! And not expensive either. Fine!

We went for our anniversary, its was super nice! food fantastic and staff simply amazing! Definitely coming back! 🖤🖤 Special thanks to reyn, fré, raiyu, and one of the owners guido!

Wij kregen een 2 persoons muizen tafeltje voor 3 personen. Na gesprek met de bediening kregen wij een grotere tafel. Het menu was smaakvol. De bediening was goed. Wat we misten was een portie rijst bij het menu wat een essentieel onderdeel is van de Japanse keuken. De te kleine stoelen, waarschijnlijk bedoeld voor Japanse toeristen zijn stoelen waar je na een half uur kramp krijgt in je benen dat je op wilt gaan staan en weg wilt lopen. Misschien is dit wel de bedoeling zodat de volgende gasten meteen kunnen plaatsnemen. Dit nooit meer. De Japanner West is geen aanrader

Delicious Japanese and cocktails. Spinach salad, miso eggplant, and steak are killer. Everything was great

The staff is amazing, super helpfull and quick. The food was as usual very good, the beef seemed to be smaller/thinner than I'm used. We were placed in a corner where a bit of a sloppy pantry was our view, the rest of the place is very nice, no loud music, we could hear each other very well.

Top service and delicious varied food.

I love this small place with great atmosphere. The service is super friendly. Despite that its usually busy , it was a comfortabel sitting and the service last night that didn’t rush us to order and eat. So we took our time yesterday to taste all the dishes and was a good experience . The main course beef was tender, the spinach salad fresh and delicious and the sushi rolls were overall good. The vegan dumplings were exceptional good. Iam a local and am a foodie , if I come back to a place more then once which means it’s worthwhile. And.. for me The Japanner West is a fun night out and take gladly my overseas friends to this place.

Tried most of the menu and it was worth it:) Just a little long waiting time

5/5!! We ordered different thing to share and it was really really good!

The food and value for money is amazing. And I will definitely come back. But the stuff was not friendly, I came here with a dog in a crate as google shows "dog friendly", the waitress was unfriendly saying dogs are not allowed because people might be allergic. To this I said its a hypoallergenic breed and she sad "I don't care" Its rude. I completely support if a restaurant doesn't allow dogs. But you don't have to be rude about it. Just keep the story straight, so is it about allergies or your policy? And update the Google view because people don't check the website.

Been meaning to come here for a while and finally went with moderate expectations. However, the food exceeded our expectations and was so good! ♥️ the service was equally lovely: 2 sweet, attentive servers! Will definitely return because we left with warm and full bellies

Had a delicious meal here on 14-2 with a special menu. Despite the crowds, the service remained good and friendly. The dishes are easy to share, and they also have delicious signature cocktails and sakes.

Lovely cozy restaurant with good Japanese fare. Couldn’t quite get that sushi rice right but I’m sure they will get there in making it “sticky”. The salmon tataki was super fresh and tasty. I went here solo and there was plenty enough seating. However, the front door was not sealed and -1c outside gave me a blast every time a new customer entered .

Really really good food, cool concept but a bit pricy

Delicious food, chef's menu is definitely recommended! Very friendly staff :)

Nothing to complain about! It's nice that there is a bit of commotion in the evening. Cozy and delicious food. Recommended. If you want peace and quiet, another tent is better.

I highly recommend this place. Very good food and very cozy atmosphere, plus the waiters are kind. Prices are a little high but a great experience nonetheless! I especially recommend the Chicken Katsu, perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Awesome

Great place, the sushi is just no more special than that of the average all-you-can-eat bar. The crispy rice with spicy salmon is highly recommended. In addition, we had to wait a very long time for the dishes.

What a great experience! I was recommended to go here and it was amazing the food was delicious the service top notch and the atmosphere was great! Bartender recommended three meals as they are smaller portions and it was the perfect amount of food! Had 8 pieces of sushi, dumplings and bao bun!! The server also spent time with me to give me other recommendations for travel she was lovely will definitely be back!!

I got places recommended by friends but was disappointed with the food and service. The food didn't really taste like anything and the waiter forgot about us.

Everything was perfect. Many thanks

Super bad service, as soon as we arrived it seemed like they didn't want to serve us, when we ordered the cocktails, the Paloma, which is supposed to be a soft and sweet drink, seemed to only have tequila and water. Very bad. We told the girl and she handed me an almost finished drink to add to the cocktail, the drink was still strong and bad. We asked to kindly change it and they said yes. When we went to pay, they charged us for the drink that we didn't drink and we repeatedly asked for it to be changed because it was undrinkable. I asked the girl why and she only told me that the problem was mine.

I ordered a pink Malibu cocktail and they put too much tequila in it. I asked if they could please fix it a little and it was still too strong. They told me they would change it for me, but they never told me: “We will change it for you, but you have to pay for both cocktails.” When I went to pay, oh surprise! I paid for a cocktail that I didn’t even drink. I just tried it and they took almost the whole thing away. If they had told me that before changing the cocktail, I would have thought about it, but there was a lack of communication on the part of the waiter.

Friendly staff, nice atmosphere. The food was delicious! We would have appreciated a slightly better ratio of meat/fish/vegetarian on the chef's menu, but now there was a lot of vegetarian

Always love the food and experience at de Japanner West. My faves are the aubergine and bao dishes. Both so so good, but honestly I have tried everything and have liked it all.

We opted for the chef’s menu to explore the entire range, and it was absolutely worth it. The price was very reasonable considering the amount and quality of food. The waitstaff were attentive and friendly, adding to the experience. The space is cozy, but it can get a bit loud when the restaurant is full. We chose to sit at the bar, which turned out to be a great spot.

Great atmosphere and always quality

Surprising flavors, an environment that invites you to feel good, very friendly and organized, highlighting the wagyu gyoza and ebi uramaki

We had a very nice dinner, super tasty food. We had 1 vegetarian, but he was still served fish dishes. It was dealt with appropriately. Overall a fun evening, definitely recommended!

They squeezed us in for a last order of food before the kitchen closed. Amazing vibes in the restaurant. Would have ordered more drinks but pretty much got no service after the food came.

Probably one of my new favs places in amsterdam , great value for money their tasting menu (or cheff menu i think is called)

So good I ate here twice in 4 days. Will go back if ever/whenever in Amsterdam.

Food is amazing, everything is delicious. Service is good

Great spot that has a kitchen that's open later than most other places locally... Great service and tasty food... Can't fault it

Been here before. Always tasty, but this time the service was really only busy with themselves. They hung out behind the bar together. Had to raise hands for first drink (after waiting 20 minutes), also had to raise hands to order food, etc. They did not come to us on their own. Even though the food was good, you still had a mediocre experience, which is a shame.

Bad service, not very tasty sushi, poor cleanliness, I do not recommend going, deplorable,Working from the inside you see much more

The staff were very pleasant and we appreciated the cozy dining. Unfortunately, the plates were tiny and the sushi was 11 euros yet str8 supermarket quality no cap fr. we ended up going out straight after for a satisfying meal. Still, appreciated the beast whiskey pour and the early 2000s hip hop got the place jumping.

Super welcoming place, kind and young staff 🫶 the quality of the fish is excellent, medium-small but beautiful portions, wonderful presentation. Top...

Way too little food for the price, but i have to admit that as a hip hop fan it was great to hear hip hop in a restaraunt.

Friendly staff. Food all tasted great, highlight was the miso eggplant! Surprise for as the Cheesecake for dessert - so good! Cocktails majority nice but jegroni glass wasn’t close to full.

The service and atmosphere were great, but unfortunately, the sushi dishes we order had badly cooked sushi rice. Not only did it not taste good but it was also constantly disintegrating. The rice is the most important part of sushi. However the staff was very nice and receptive to feedback. I will give this place another try.

The food is beautiful and very flavourful. I can do a 100 of that salmon sashimi. Music was terrible tho, please find a better playlist :D

Nice restaurant with plates to share. Everything we tried was very good even though a bit expensive for the quantities served

Thankfully this restaurant was open after we were delayed at the airport. Lovely service and some good food. Thanks for feeding a couple of hungry travellers

One of the few restaurants in Amsterdam that let us sit for dinner after 10pm. Quality food, especially the grilled chicken Gyoza which were special! Uramaky and all the rest are also good

Food was very flavourful. Only downside is the quantity. The portions are too small.

Delicious food and super sweet service!! Highly recommended

Delicious food! We opted for the chef's menu so we could taste a bit of everything. The service was very friendly and attentive. I highly recommend this restaurant. 😋🍴 #foodie #restaurant #delicious #yum

It's been a struggle to find food with flavor during my travels in Amsterdam. The gyoza was spicy and well seasoned. They were out of pork belly so I had a bao with fried shrimp, very tasty. The sushi pretty good as well.

A wonderful sushi place in Amsterdam. The cocktails were also delicious and such a fun vibe!

good late night izakaya style place. if menu could have more choices then it would be better

Extremely expensive per dish, for nothing interesting. To avoid

The taste and quality of the food were below my expectations. The music is too loud and the environment is small. The service is also very slow unfortunately, not enough for the total customer population

I find it quite hard to find good sushi in Amsterdam after living in New York for years. This place offer solid good sushi but nothing extraordinary. Quality is good, there are also other dishes that I would come back to try.

Avoid this place like the plague. By far the worst service I experienced all trip and maybe ever. Young kids are running this place and they’re busy taking shots instead of actually doing their job. Waited over an hour for our food because they were drunk and gave my food to the wrong table. The only reason we got it is because we finally asked about it. They made up for it by giving me a “discount” of 10 euros off a 120 bill. I asked for the bill and they spent the next 10 minutes dancing inside instead of giving it to me, I had to walk inside and ask to pay. I almost walked out instead.

The weather was lovely so we sat outside, the service was great and super cozy. We started with the edamame beans and the salmon tataki. The salmon tataki was definitely our favorite!

I recently had dinner here with some friends and I heard good things about the place. Unfortunately we thought differently. First of all, we had the feeling that the entire ministry, which consisted of students, was broken. Talking and remembering everything took a lot of effort for them. So the overall service that evening was also worth only 1 star. We then order the Chef's menu 4 times. The dishes arrived and we were surprised. The 4 of us had to share 5 pieces of salmon sashimi. And for the next dish, share 3 x 3 different gyozas with the 4 of us. So 1 person couldn't try all the gyozas. Or we had to cut the gyozas in half, which is also absurd. We then reported this and the boy serving said that he had always accidentally brought the plate to the wrong table. The food and service are both worthy of 1 star. In any case, I won't be coming back here again and I wouldn't recommend it either!

yummmmm, 14 dishes for 39 eur (tasting menu) is madness. i swear this is ran by frat kids so i was so shocked, it’s high quality fr. recommend 💯

We went to have dinner with some friends, the Chefs Menu was pretty good. It allowed us to taste most of the menu and the value/price was good.

Incredible, delicious, more ish!! Such yummy yummy food, my bf ordered the katsu and after trying it I had to order it too! Please go here, would 1000% recommend and great ambiance, lovely friendly waiters who explained everything! We got the steak, ebi uramaki, squid fries, the beef and the pork bao and chicken katsu and miso brownie! Unreal

We live in Amsterdam for 1.5 years and this is our favorite restaurant. We probably come here once a month or so. Really recommend the chefs menu for 40€ per person, which is basically everything on the menu. Everything is sooo good and you’ll be completely stuffed. My personal favorite is the spinach salad and the beef. Very good price/quality ratio

lovely japanese cuisine and pretty setting

The food did not meet my expectations based on the good reviews I saw here. For me personally the beef tataki slices were cut to thick and made it almost to big to swallow at once; the Pork bao missed a sauce to bring some flavour and the ebi sushi was very average, just a piece of schrimp with no avocado or other toppings. Nothing terrible but just no highlights for me Nice vibe though and friendly staff. May have to give it another try and order different things

Delicious food, super sweet service!

Cool and hip vibe for dinner. Its a sharing plate concept and they recommend 3 dishes each. The beef tataki and the raw sea bass are the nicest dishes we tried. I was a bit disappointed by the pork buns, and I didn’t find anything special with the inside out spicy salmon rolls considering the price. So I think the menu is a bit hit and miss.