Kartika in Helmersbuurt

Above all, don't hesitate. Everything is very good The menus with or without meat are very very good Go there with your eyes closed

We had the rijstafel which was tasty. Beef rendang was the highlight. Satay was not cooked over charcoal. Portions were on the small side. Photo is rijstafel for three.

Authentic home-cooked Indonesian dishes with real Indonesian hospitality.

The absolute best service and friendliest people! Could not recommend this place enough. Very welcoming and patient staff members explaining the menu in detail to us. Lots of considerate gestures too including noticing we needed napkins, providing complementary snacks, tea, and dessert, and gifting us a keychain. Food was amazing too. Hearty and authentic.

The food tasted alright. Many dishes tasted similar (ordered the Ramanya) and didn’t had the wow factor. I expected more considering the reviews. It was alot though. The staff is amazing and super sweet!

Absolutely great food! Must see if you like Indonesian food and are in Amsterdam! With no reservation, you better show up at 4:45pm (before they open at 5) and wait in line - then they’ll be sure to get you in. Don’t wait until 5pm because if you do there will be a long line!! The food is amazing, we got the Ramayana which comes with like 10-12 dishes. All the food is extremely flavorful!! It’s a lot of food so you better come hungry!!

simply excellent, delicious real Indonesian food.

The set menu requires at least 2 people, so not ideal for solo diners. If you arrive early enough (e.g. 5:30pm-ish) you can usually get a table without a reservation; otherwise reservation is recommended. Overall food is good, except perhaps a bit too sweet for my taste. Would’ve been perfect if less sweet. The food came out piping hot which is great. The spicy sauce that comes with the complimentary cracker appetizer can be really spicy (which is great!) even by Asian standards. They actually do accept credit cards if you ask to pay with credit cards. They will charge you for water. Service is very polite and courteous.

Nothing to complain about. Flawless perfect experience. The staff is too kind and humble you almost feel like you are treated like how ur grandma will treat their grandkids

A very good rice table, varied, tasty and in good quantity. The peanut sauce was excellent. To recommend

This was one of the best experiences ever. The food was very affordable and super tasty. The service was impeccable! We even got a refill for some of the dishes, and got a dessert on the house. We gave a really nice tip, and the staff even gave a personal gift to take home. This was amazing!

We only spent 5 nights in Amsterdam, but ended up eating here twice. It's a relatively small place, but the food is authentic and amazing. The Rice table is highly recommended.

Very worse and rude attitude , no halal certificate. Rude people. Reply to your response: You are completely wrong. The manager insulted us by taking the food back from our table instead of serving it and started arguing with us. We asked another staff member about the halal certificate, but they failed to provide it. As for the discount, yes, we inquired about it, which is a normal request, and there’s nothing wrong with that. If your restaurant is open to tourists and international visitors, you should have proper certifications. Instead, your staff argued with us rudely and arrogantly just because we asked about the halal certificate. Their behavior was strange and far from professional. I have never experienced such disrespect in a restaurant where the manager removes food from a table and argues with customers. Do not discriminate or make assumptions about us based on our hijabs. If you cannot accommodate Muslims, then clearly state it or close your restaurant. Learn to be polite and professional from now on.

I was happy to have time to eat here before a Christmas concert at Concertgebrouw. The service was kind and friendly, and the food was amazing! I felt a little uncertain of what to order because this was my first time trying Indonesian food, but the waitress helped answer my questions.

Best service, food and ambience. Staff is extremely kind and provide amazing service. The food is delicious! Highly recommend— will be returning 😊

Incredible authentic Indonesian food. Best food I had in Amsterdam. Server was very friendly and took the time to explain every dish.

An Indonesian restaurant in Amsterdam, delicious, delicious, delicious, and the service provider has high morals. May God bless them. It is impossible for me to come to Amsterdam and not eat there. It has been 3 years for me now and I will repeat the visit several times, God willing.. Unfortunately, I ate and did not take pictures 😋😅

Gran Rijktafel y sabe como "casa" en Indonesia. Gracias por su gran hospitalidad también. Sigue con el buen trabajo. Terima kasih banyak dan sukses selalu!

I walked in on a Friday night with a cup of coffee that I had not finished. As I was about to order, the waiter told me outside drinks are not allowed. I explained that I understood the policy and had no intention of drinking it. Rather than being reasonable, he insisted that he take it from me. I again explained I would not drink it. He then seriously suggested that I put it on the floor. Ah ok so outside drinks ARE allowed to be brought into this restaurant. You just have to place it on the floor? They can’t even make sense of their own rules and just make things up as they go along to stroke their own egos and insult their customers. If you read some of their absolutely insane responses to some of their other dissatisfied customers, it becomes clear that these people have no business being in the service industry. I would not trust eating here simply based on the utter contempt they seem to have for their customers. If the front of the house is this bad, just imagine what vile things they’re doing to your food in the back. Check below for the inevitable unhinged reply to this negative review to further prove my point. Come eat here if you enjoy horrible food and even more horrible service!

We had an absolutely delightful time. The staff were both quick and kind, and explained every dish as they presented them. Would go back without a second thought.

I came early and I did well. All the tables were reserved and as from 7pm, it was packed. The food was really good and service was top tier. The staff was really nice and attentive.

Value for money it is one of the best restaurants in town! The owner is super kind and thoughtful, he presents the menu to every single table with plenty of details so you know what are you ordering. The food is delicious and comes in big quantities so be mindful of that. Highly recommended!!

Absolutely delicious & incredible service! We had the full rice table. The rendang in particular is worth writing home about. Would recommend!

Incredible meal, excellent and attentive service. We ordered 4 Ramayana meals - the satay, rendang and nangka dishes were the best but everything was delicious. Left thoroughly satisfied.

I absolutely loved this place! I couldn’t ask for a better experience!! This place really made my Amsterdam trip!! I would highly recommend to anyone in Amsterdam!!!

Pagawe is a sweet man who fit us in with no reservation and gave us the best recommendations. The food was phenomenal, we got to try as bunch of different items and they were all delicious. Then they gave us complimentary lemon Italian ice & tea to finish! Would come here again and again!

Pagawe was amazing!!!!!! Great food great service unmatched atmosphere!!! MUST try in Amsterdam

This place is popular even on a Monday evening. We didn’t have reservation so we could only stay there till 7pm from 5:30pm. The food was delicious. We had the sampler for two people. All the small dishes were nicely cooked. The, Rendang in particular was excellent. The staff are friendly. I can see why this place is super popular. If you are like us without reservation, you can show up at 5:30pm when they just open. You may be able to get a table and stay there till 7pm if the place is fully booked.

Pretty good but almost everything has peanut butter

We were looking for an Indonesian rijstafel and this place hit the spot. The servers were really kind, courteous and attended to our requests for vegan and nut free cravings.

The best food I’ve had in Amsterdam. We are so glad we had the opportunity to taste the set menu here at Kartika. Every dish from the menu is a new experience, with the server explaining to our group what every dish is, and how it is best ate. At the end we were offered tea with our meal due to the cold weather and wow was it a perfect ending to an amazing meal. Would absolutely come back here and recommend my friends.

Amazing experience and food! Highly recommended for a first time Indonesian experience!

It was an amazing Indonesian food experience in Amsterdam for us. We didn’t book a table but managed to get it and after 30 minutes the restaurant was completely full. The recommended Ramayana dish was just great and we enjoyed every flavour of 12 dishes. But what was excellent is a service as you feel like you are a very dear guest in this place. It’s not a posh fine dining place but the atmosphere is a very authentic and cozy. Thanks a lot for a unforgettable dinner 😀

Lovely authentic Indonesian restaurant serving traditional dishes with staff that are happy and knowledgeable enough to answer questions about Indonesian history in Holland

Comimos un delicioso y auténtico rijsttafel vegetariano, 12 platos diferentes, galletas Indonisien, sorbete y té. El servicio era fantástico, muy atento! Gran relación calidad-precio!

Service was great and the price point isn't unreasonable. We did the Ramayana which is €30/person and was a ton of food. My biggest complaint with the food was how sweet everything was. My biggest complaint about the restaurant in general is that they don't serve tap water (bottled is €4,4 for 250mL) and most importantly: Cash only! We saw a lot of conflicting reviews online about whether or not they take credit cards or digital payments and rest assured, they don't.

We came as a group of 5 (including 1 vegan) without reservation yet they were very accommodating and seated us very quickly. The waitress told us that as it was later on they were only serving set menus, but she helped us pick the right sharing spread and clearly described what options were vegan and what weren't, a couple of dishes were also adjusted to be vegan. They had a good variety of different options for everyone and the food was excellent and reasonably priced. The service was fantastic which made the meal especially enjoyable. Would highly recommend to anyone.

Having entered the front door only to be passively shunted into a vestibule with apt signage enunciating a holding pen of sorts, I then entered on approval to the slaughter. A warm but empty welcome awaited. Confusion around a simple round of beers was in itself amusing despite the waiters best intentions and the obvious fact that the cost of one Bintang most likely would have covered the cost of an entire case in the native colony. Despite this fact, the beers were cold and the food amazing, but hard to remember what we ate as there where so (too) many dishes, each recited perfectly in English but after dish 8 I gave up listening, or caring as I was still battling my capitalist mind with a socialist concern around the Bintang quandary. The price was more than reasonable and despite my personal feelings, highly critical and political views, I found this to be a fitting end to a long awaited reunion. Terima kasih, itu enak!

Very good food, and extremely nice staff. Make a reservation so you don’t have to wait!

The servers work really hard to bd sure everyone is have good time. Foodie delicious

Some of the best food I'vd had in a while across continents. We ordered Ramayana set menu. This is the first time ever that I tried over 12 dishes, and not one of them disappointed. Every one of the curries and sauces had a medley of perfectly balanced and harmonious flavors. So many of them just fighting for that top spot. Even the complimentary lemon ice cream was so good. And the perfect finish with the complimentary tea. I would give them 6 stars if I could. Never mind, I couldn't make reservations. Never mind, it was cash only. Never mind, we were asked to finish in 1.5 hours as a precondition for getting the table. Nothing matters when the food and service are this good.

Unbelievably good food. Super friendly staff!! Couldn’t take a photo, inhaled everything instantly

Fantastic food and food and fantastic service! Highly recommended!

Como grupo de 8 nos arriesgamos a no poder reservar este restaurante en base a las excelentes críticas. Aparte de un camarero estresado / snappy que lidia con la cola y exigiendo defensivamente que tengamos el menú establecido (que estábamos perfectamente contentos de hacer) tuvimos una gran comida. La camarera era encantadora, explicando los diversos platos, que eran auténticos, amplios y deliciosos.

A real authentic rice table experience. The service was attentive and quick. We were lucky to arrive before the busy period. We were asked if we could be done in 90 minutes and we soon found out why. Arrive early or be prepared to wait. It will be worth waiting. Very delicious food.

Muy eficiente, servicial y amable servicio a pesar de que el lugar está lleno ( cola fuera todo el tiempo! ) Gran ambiente! Comida deliciosa y genuina, ADEMÁS de galletas saladas gratis y sabrosas salsas y helado - helado :/) Sin duda recomiendo!

Very bad Indonesian restaurant. It's full of tourists, and I understand that now. Not a single dish from the rice table was really tasty, and some things tasted a bit “old” like the potatoes. The prawn crackers beforehand were no longer crispy. Overall bad experience, service was good.

really tasty food and great service!

All from start to finish a great experience that I had here at this authentic Indo restaurant. The food is well balanced and you enjoy every bite

Wanted to give this restaurant as a try with the girlfriend as it had high reviews. We were not disappointed. First and foremost this is a cash only spot, so be prepared for that. The server who sat us down was very kind and he made us feel comfortable. We ordered the Nasi Goreng Rames special, Bami Goreng Rames special, shrimp crackers and cassava crackers as side dishes. The main dishes come with their sambal sauce which was delicious and spicy. I personally would recommend not getting the Bami rames dish if you’re familiar with the mi goreng instant noodles. The satay, beef rendang and mixed veggies served with it was worth it. We would come back again.

¡Qué hallazgo tan brillante! Un encantador pequeño restaurante de gestión familiar que sirve la mejor comida indonesia que he probado fuera de Indonesia. Reservamos para una fiesta de 5 muy último minuto (esposo vino al final de la tarde para pedir una mesa esa noche) y nos acomodaron sobre la base de que pedimos el menú establecido que estaba bien para nosotros. Fuimos por el menú de carne y no solo era fantástico valor, era una gran manera de probar un montón de platos diferentes. Mis favoritas personales fueron las judías verdes, el tofu, el pollo satay y uno de los platos de ternera en una rica salsa umami. ¡Muy bien! Personal encantador que nos atendió brillantemente. Recuerde tomar efectivo, ya que no aceptan pagos con tarjeta.

Arrived less than 90 minutes before closing, and was graciously seated even though I was dining alone (having been turned away from another restaurant, for that reason - looking at you, Tujuh Maret. ) Service was excellent, food was delicious though, sadly, no rijstaffel for a single diner. After my meal I was served a complimentary dessert, a tiny scoop of vanilla ice cream with toasted coconut- an unexpected but perfect ending. Then, green tea! I enjoyed the background music as well, unobtrusive, and a good selection of jazz. At no time did I feel rushed or unwelcome, something I as a single diner am often subjected to. Thank you, Kartika!

The food was very good as well the service was perfect! Definitely I will visit again when I’m in town!

Our first time trying Indonesian food, a must when visiting Amsterdam. We had the Ramayana for two, and is was PLENTY of food. Everything was unique and flavorful. One of our favorite meals on our trip. Staff was friendly, and will answer any questions you have about the dishes and how to eat them. Complimentary ice cream at the end was appreciated. My only “complaint” was that the hot table didn’t really keep our dishes hot.. but still delicious.

Very tasty and varied food and super sweet employees

Delightful and cozy spot with genuinely delicious food. Would highly recommend

Mixed feelings, the rijstafel (ramayana) was good but I believe if I had any of dishes separately I would think they are nothing special. Service was good, complementary tea and ice cream. We got warned that we only have the table until 21:00 and you can only pay cash which was a bit strange.

Dishes are authentic and delicious!

Bad Indo food and poor service. Very unprofessional from what I can see from other low ratings. Owner can’t seem to take criticism and that is why their food doesn’t taste good.

Very welcoming. You're greeted by amazing smells as you enter and the food was just delicious.

EDIT Sept 11: the restaurant finally had a chance to respond to this review over a month later with very defensive and rude comments. goes to show how bitter they are with criticism that they had to resort to personal attacks. would not recommend supporting this business. coming from an indonesian, this was mediocre indonesian food, but you’ll probably think it’s good if you’ve never had indo food before. acar (pickles) were just straight vinegar sour with no sweetness, nasi goreng was bland, krupuk (garlic chips) were kind of stale or just very low quality, pangsit goreng was not at all authentic and was literally like frying a store bought frozen gyoza, and the peanut sauce was simply just melted peanut butter. sambal tempe is the dry style which isnt my favourite but tasted decent. rendang was the only tasty and authentic thing that we had. interior decor was nice but overall was kind of disappointed on the quality of food given everyone else’s claims on it being amazing/authentic indonesian.

Superb, excellent food and service. Managed to sort a table for us even they were very busy. The food was excellently prepared with a perfect blend of flavours

We called in on the off chance and although very busy the lovely waitress asked if we could wait and we did, it was so worth it the food was excellent as well as the service

Wonderful food and service! We had a bit of a wait, but the staff was fantastic and made up for it! I recommend making a reservation. This place is truly a hidden gem, you cannot go wrong with any of the choices on this menu!! Cannot say enough good things about them.

Went to kartika for dinner. Ordered ramayana for 2. We could replace certain dishes with alternatives. Service was great and staff were wonderful. Food didn't have depth in flavour. Peanut butter was overwhelmingly used as base sauce in over 3 or 4 dishes in ramayana. Couldn't taste any other flavors and was very one directional.

Absolutely stunning place, the staff clearly really care about service and fantastic food. Accommodated us quickly and comfortably (I am a manual wheelchair user) and the food was incredible - went for the nasi goreng, did not disappoint and every element was perfection, we would highly recommend visiting!

Really loved it! The staff were so accommodating for a large group size very last minute. The dishes were all so tasty.

7 stars!!! i think this is as close to authentic as you can get outside of southeast asia 🥺 and the atmosphere is so homely🥺 also really appreciated how they still let us in close to closing time, and didn’t rush us at all 🥹they served the food at their usual pace 🥺🥺🥺 the set menu is customised according to the number of ppl so i recommend it!

One of the best meals I had in Amsterdam! Service was amazing as well :)

Very good cuisine full of spices, each dish is a discovery for the taste buds. Impeccable service and if you don't know anything about it the waiter will explain to you how to eat rijstaffel. Enjoy your food.

Great authentic Indonesian food in Amsterdam, in nice environment with great hosts and service

Kartika was quite an experience! When we came in, we needed to wait about 20 minutes as we were a part of 5 and it was already later around 8pm so people were already seated. So, I would recommend coming earlier or making a reservation if you don’t want to wait. The food was incredible - we ordered Ramayana for 29,90€ per person. It was quite enough to get us all full which I was afraid wasn’t going to be the case. The texture and the taste was so incredible. My definite favorites are sambal goreng kentang, which are the potatoes, and daging rendang - beef in a spicy coriander sauce. As well, after the meal, we were served a complimentary lemon sorbet which was very good. The service was a top notch. Very quick, efficient and very helpful. The waitress definitely cares about this restaurant and wants the clients to have a great experience.

Amazing indonesian food and the service was also good, they were very friendly. There are only a few tables and it's better to arrive early or make a reservation (we needed to wait 30min for a table for 2 on a Monday evening). But it makes the experience even better - I've never been in Indonesia, but tasting the dishes, they made me travel there! Important to know: they only accept cash.

Excellent meal for a very reasonable price. Certainly spicy 🌶 but bearable. The staff is very helpful, kind and takes the time to explain the dishes. We recommend. Enjoy your meal 😋

Rude and condescending. I was going to provide details on my experience, but it is just more of the same experience as described in the other low rating reviews. The response to these reviews from the business further confirm the poor attitude. The only silverlining for us was that my interaction with the man at the door was so off-putting that we left without eating there. Plenty of other restaurants to choose from.

Absolutely delicious, with very friendly staff

Awesome food - loved the sampler option. The staff was so friendly and accommodating with our kids.

Best indonesian food in Amsterdam!!!!

Delicious meal, efficient and friendly wait staff!

Really amazing. So good. Lots of little treats on the house. ‘Rice table’ was so good. A little cramped but that’s ok. Might be a line - they flip tables fast.

Fantastic food and great hosts ☺️

The owner is amazing hoster. He gives you extra And food is good

An absolutly delightful experience! The waitor did an incredible job being a host, making us feel comfortable, telling us all about the food. The food was probably the best Indonesian food we have had in a very very long time! Prices were also very fair for what you get. We (myself and wife) highly recommend you stop here while in Amsterdam!

A little hidden gem, as people might say. A friend recommended that we try Indonesian food while in Amsterdam, as there was some cuisine influence during the colonial period. We found this place near our hotel and we were really pleased with the service and food. We have never tried Indonesian food so we decided to go for the Ramayana, a combination of various little plates some with beef, some with chicken and some vegetarian. Lots of excellent curry, coconut and spicy flavors. Definitely a place we can come back to, if we are back in this city. Enjoy!

Not worth coming. Pour Service.

A beautiful restaurant and an amazing food experience. Polite and friendly service. Truly exceptional and we would highly recommend. We are vegetarian and the set meal was wonderful.

i know this restaurant always have staff shortage, but they doesnt even want you to try and wait at their entrance and leave immediately is petty ridiculous. there are loads nice indonesia restaurant around, just save yourself sometime and at least be treated with respect. P.S. not only me had hard feeling, the group behind me literally said: i dont like the vibe here, just leave. *updated after the owner’s reply. By the tone, you can already know how this restaurant treat customers, or at least potential one. 🙂

Great food we wanted to try with an early meal. Food was fantastic and plentiful. Friendly service too. It looked and tasted great. Flavours of coconut, peanut, and curry whet the appetite.

Some of the best Indonesian food I’ve ever had and have me the spicy flavors I’ve craved. And truly the nicest staff ever!!!

Best rijstafel I've ever eaten. Really an amazing spread of 10+ dishes. Each dish with its own unique flavor. The staff was friendly and helpful. When we arrived the restaurant was packed and we had no reservations, but they made space for us (I would recommend reservations as the place is popular!)

After our trip to Indonesia in 2022, we were happy to finally be able to enjoy Indonesian food again today. We weren't disappointed. You could order a menu for 2 people with different Indonesian dishes (even vegetarian!) These came in small portions so you could try everything. The service was also great and each small dish was briefly introduced to us. There was also dessert and tea at the end. We also liked that it was very authentic! We will definitely come back next time we are in Amsterdam!

Don’t even think about it, just get here and experience this amazing cuisine. Service is 10-10

I had one evening in Amsterdam and tried to find the best Indonesian food the city had to offer. It was exactly what I was looking for, the food was great, but what was also outstanding was the service. Michael was the most efficient, professional, friendly and attentive waiter I have ever had the pleasure meeting, he was incredibly sweet, helpful and made sure I had the best experience at the restaurant. You could really tell he put in the extra effort to make sure that everyone in the restaurant was happy. It really stood out so I thought I would leave a review- something that I rarely do. Thanks Michael!

Googled the best Indonesian restaurant in Amsterdam and this one came up. Very nice atmosphere and super friendly service. We called several times to make a reservation, but unfortunately no one answered the phone. When we were there, we still got a spot because they could understand that we had called. We had the meat menu. Super nice service. Food came very quickly, was super tasty and we were full. At the end we were served delicious ice cream and tea. This €70 for two people was definitely worth it.

From what we could see, the food looked delicious, but after 10 minutes of waiting in the lobby, the people in front of us were leaving because they had been waiting for a long time and still had no information. We moved forward to try our luck. But the psychopath who was in charge of the restaurant immediately greeted us aggressively, telling us that he would line up in the hallway and wait. We were a little surprised by this welcome but we stayed. As after many minutes, no one came, I stuck my head into the room to try to understand how this was happening, the psychopath who had completely ignored us until then arrived to ask us in a threatening manner to stay in the room. tail. I told him I just wanted to know what the wait time would be. He replied with crazy eyes: "You want to wait? 45 minutes!", clearly indicating that he wanted us to leave. We left, like the people before us. We'll never know if the food was as good as it looked, but days later we still remember the face of that raving lunatic who thought so highly of himself that he thought he can treat customers who simply want to eat at his place like animals. Never seen this anywhere else... Finally, we went to Sampurna where we were wonderfully received and ate divinely.

Amazing food served in many small dishes. clean friendly family run business. Be sure to make a reservation! It's difficult to get them on the phone so if you're in the neighbourhood pop by and make a reservation in person or go early

Fantastic meal and very good service. This was our favorite meal during our trip to Amsterdam.

We ate a vegetarian rice table here, it was really delicious. The staff is very attentive and we were helped very quickly, even though the restaurant was completely full. We will definitely go back here.

Excellent restaurant, great and delicious food, excellent hospitality, in short worth it and we had a great time.

From the outside, the restaurant seemed unassuming, but let me tell you - going inside was the best decision we ever made. We did the two person rice table (meat, not vegetarian), and it was better than we could have ever imagined. Price seemed steep until you realize how much food you get. Portions were huge, we couldn’t finish our meal, but we wanted to! Flavor of all the dishes was complex and unique, each plate different and more incredible from the last. We finished our meal off with lemon ice cream, which wasn’t on the list but perfectly rounded out the meal. I would go back 100 more times. 15/10!