Kartika in Helmersbuurt

The most important thing first: 5 stars!!! On its website, the restaurant claims to offer "Authentic Indonesian Food." I can't really judge that, BUT: The restaurant is obviously popular. We (2 people) hadn't made a reservation for June 18, 2026. However, if we were finished within a maximum of 1.5 hours, we were told we could stay. So we did! Although the restaurant was very full, we were greeted and served warmly. We ordered the "Ramayana Menu" and were surprised that it actually included everything listed on the menu—even though we had originally expected to have to make a selection. It was indeed a tasting menu, meaning a wide variety of dishes were served in small portions. As the food was served, the contents of each small dish were named and explained to us. Finally, we were given a suggested order for eating the dishes, which we then followed. We were surprised that none of the dishes were actually spicy – ​​we had expected a level of heat similar to sambal, which we could have easily tolerated. The menu impressed us with its flavor and quality! The portion size for two people was also perfectly adequate. CONCLUSION: If you ever come to Amsterdam and want to eat Indonesian food, put this restaurant on your shortlist! As for us (tourists): We would definitely come back.

We shared the ayam Bali (wonderful recommendation from the staff) and it was AMAZING! The lemongrass flavor was wonderful. They also included complimentary snacks, salad, dessert, and tea that really added to the experience. I was so happy to try Indonesian food for the first time, especially in such a nice place. Be aware that the metal box on the table is hot!

I rarely give feedback on restaurants or places like that because I believe welcoming guests is the normal thing to do. But Kartika was truly exceptional and literally made our day. I am from Saudi but I have Indonesian relatives so I know exactly how Indonesian food should taste and Kartika delivered an authentic and delicious food. A special thank you to Michael, Vito and Rahili for your generosity and hospitality and your treatment made us feel like we owned the place or were family. Also, special thank to chef Rara for the amazing food. Thank you all for this wonderful experience 🫶🏽

It was amazing!!!! The food was absolutely delicious and the service was great!! I would go here anytime. We didn’t make a reservation but they managed to squeeze us, still had plenty of time to eat before the table was needed

The food was amazing! The service excellent. Highly recommend

Food was great, and the service was on point. When we told the staff it was our first time trying Indonesian food, he well explained the menu to us. Every dish was amazing, and the complimentary ice cream was perfect to end the meal.

good food, great staff and great service will be coming back

Really good Indonesian food convenient to the museums. Friendly fast service.

Excellent Indonesian food - I think the best I've had since living in SE Asia for many years. The flavors really pop, the dishes are authentic, and their side sauces (sambar, peanut, sweet chili) are excellent, reminding me of dining out in Jakarta with the five+ sambals restaurants offer. We showed up without the reservation and the waiter was kind enough to squeeze us in before the next reservation arrived. Would 100% come back!

Exceptional service and a memorable experience having the Ramayana spread for the first time. For those afraid of newer cuisines, the taste was not fishy but more similar to Malaysian and Indian curries than Thai. Lovely peanut and coconut accents to some flavors. Cash only.

very very good food really delicious, polite and informative staff about the dishes, lots of complimentary snacks

Best MEAL EVER. Always an incredible experience, my 4th time here in the last 11 years. I will always do whatever it takes when I'm on the continent to make it here. I dream of this meal when I'm gone. Absolutely amazing, out of this world. This brings my soul to life. Thank you for the life changing experience every time.

We had a delicious meal. The staff was very friendly and made it a wonderful evening for us.

Amazing food and great service! We did t have a reservation and they were packed but they were able to squeeze us in before the next reservation. We did the meal for 2 and every dish was exquisite! Highly recommend and try to make reservations for evening.

Was visiting Amsterdam from the US and brought my entire family to the restaurant. There was some confusion with our hotel concierge who told us it was walk-in only so we didn’t have a reservation. Unfortunately when we went there (were early and lined up) we were denied to even step foot in the restaurant and MORE IMPORTANTLY, the manager/ guy in the front was extremely rude, back answered and definitely lacked basic social skills and kindness. Sad to have had this experience but better not do deal with such entitled individuals.

Amazing place!! Food was delicious. Staff were attentive and friendly. Great atmosphere and very reasonably priced.

Walked in without a reservation, super friendly staff and delicious food. Even 3 hours after we had left and were walking past on our way to the parking garage, we were still being waved at enthusiastically... HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

Wonderful place! Kind service and delicious food! Our best meal out in Amsterdam. Go early!

Very disappointing experience. We called 5 days earlier to ask if we could make a reservation and were told it had to be done through the website. There was no option to reserve online, so we assumed reservations were not possible. Now, only 3 hours before we were supposed to eat there on a Friday evening, we called again and were told they are fully booked and that reservations should have been made by phone. This caused a lot of stress and uncertainty, because we had planned dinner here before going to the cinema nearby. Instead of enjoying the day and relaxing, we now have to find another place last minute. What made it worse is that there was no understanding or responsibility taken on the phone. They just denied that the mistake could have happened. Very unclear and unhelpful service.

What a phenomenal experience! My wife and I traveled to Amsterdam on our Babymoon and stumbled upon Kartika. The staff were extremely accommodating and friendly! We ordered a dinner for two which had a large variety of meats/vegetarian dishes. The staff explained every single dish and the order in which to enjoy them the most. Our favorite were the chicken skewers! All and all we can’t wait to visit Amsterdam again and enjoy another meal at Kartika!

Food was great and the hospitality of a rare but beautiful kind.

Visited this place in May and happened to be the worst dining experience we’ve had in Amsterdam. The fried noodles were priced at €24, which is far too expensive given the poor quality. The dish was overwhelmingly seasoned, completely unbalanced, and tasted like instant noodles. Instead of distinct flavors, it was just a soggy, confused mixture. As Asians, we know what proper noodles should be—chewy, not mushy, and side dishes should enhance the sauce or meat, not be drowned in MSG. This was a disappointing and overpriced meal. I also noticed that the owner tends to attack anyone who leaves a negative review. Please, spend that energy on improving the food instead.

The food was amazing, the staff were incredibly nice and kind. If u want a great Indonesian food experience, that's the place.

Best rijstafel in Amsterdam! Amazing quality and lovely staff

Amazing food, really took me back to past trips to Indonesia. The owner/servers were lovely. Highly recommend. Enak sekali! Terima kasi x

Very nice restaurant! It was my first experience with Indonesian food and I highly recommend! The waiter was so nice and even gave us a little gift at the end, I would highly recommend!

I’ve had other rijsttafels in Amsterdam, and this is one of the best. The food is delicious; they explain the dishes and pairings well; and all the staff is extremely kind, courteous, and attentive. Would highly recommend Kartika! Strongly recommend calling to make reservations in advance. Cash only for payment.

It was such a wholesome experience, the waiters where so cute friendly and nice to us. And the Food was worth every penny, its quite expensive but one of the greatest restaurants we went in Amsterdam.

We had the set menu and it was fantastic! So much variety of food and very good value for Amsterdam. The servers are very friendly and it was overall a great experience. Would strongly recommend

Both the food and service here were absolutely incredible! We tried a platter with a mix of many different dishes allowing us to taste a bit of everything which was amazing.

Indonesian restaurant (the Netherlands was a colony for about 300 years, hence the high number of restaurants in Amsterdam). We ordered the "rijsttafel," an assortment of 10 small portions of various dishes from the menu. This is the Ramayana menu, priced at €34.90. The service was pleasant, there wasn't too long a wait when we went, and above all, a wide variety of flavors. We tasted the dishes from mild to hot, but nothing was overpowering. A great experience!

Cash only. No tap water. No split checks. Wonderful food.

The food was amazing and the service was exceptional. Upon walking in without a reservation, a man greeted us and he was very transparent about how they are cash only, which I appreciated since it’s such a tap heavy city. The same man took our order, served us our food, and gave us our bill. He was wearing a lot of different hats and did everything with such intention and dedication. He took the time to explain what was on our plates and was attentive throughout our meal. The complimentary tea and dessert at the end were really nice. It was good vibes all around!

The food was amazing as well as the service. They also recommended us a good portion and encouraged us not to waste food and money. Overall it was an amazing experience.

Flummoxed with the 5 star rating, quality of food is meh. There is much better Indonesian food in Amsterdam. Please read the other 1 star reviews, others have summarized this place, food and owner perfectly.

Our rijsttafel was absolutely delicious and the service was excellent. Our favorite meal in Amsterdam!

Delicious! We went from a recommendations and it was such a good discovery! Take a menu if you're 2-4 persons, you'll get a taste of the best indonesian cuisine! The owner is lovely and the staff too, we had a great time there. Make sure to either book in advance or come at the opening to get a table.

Great food served by friendly people

The food and service here were amazing. Great experience.

It was pure brilliance. The food was amazing and authentic. Waiter was very kind and explained each dish. Plus the free ice cream at the end!!!

They fit us in as a walk in even though the tables were all reserved. The hosts were incredibly friendly and the food was delicious.

Was recommended this restaurant by a friend, I'm going to buy her a gift !! This was one of the best meals and experiences I've had. It's family owned and staffed the owner and niece serve and his wife does the cooking. The food is prepared and served beautifully and the service is impeccable. They also sell small crafts made by children from the orphanage in Indonesia and send the money to them ❤️. Unfortunately they were sold out of the little turtle I fell in love with but of course I made the donation anyway. It nice to support a family business in this corporate world. Take yourself to this beautiful restaurant and experience more than just food. Thank you Kartika for a fabulous evening in Amsterdam.

Had the most amazing food here with such good flavours and the service is excellent. Would highly recommend it.

This place could be good but unfortunately I will not be a returning customer. I suggest reading their reply back to my feedback or any other negative reviews here, and it will make you think twice about dining here. You’ll also notice they use the names on your reservation meaning they’ll call you out by this name so be careful about what name you put on the reservation as there is a chance it will be posted publicly on Google Reviews. The portions are on the small/medium side however this isn’t the deal breaker. The deal breaker is the hygiene. I had hair in my food - the server was initially nice about it but quickly this turned into defensiveness about how all their staff wear hairnets. I should have taken a picture of the hair but it was approximately 3 inches long. The server then took my plate with the hair and didn’t replace majority of the dishes already on my plate. I got a replacement for the dish the hair may have come from… but what about the rest which she just took away?? I then kindly asked the waitress for the rice which was also missing. I accepted the fact that I won’t be getting the rest of the curries replaced. So overall, I ended up with less food because of the hair situation. This hair issue can be forgiven because it can happen in any restaurant however what was alarming for me was the following scene: This same server was putting her bare hands in ice buckets to fill customer glasses with ice. I immediately lost my appetite. We paid the full bill and called it a night. My advice is to not go here if you value hygiene.

EDIT 18th May: We really should have red the 1 star ratings. Super rude comments on ratings, we're shocked. Highly recommend reading all the comments on ratings before the visit. The food was very good, everything was served quickly and the female waiter was very nice. Unfortunately, the experience was ruined by the male waiter, who made us feel rushed out immediately after we finished eating. After a total visit of only around 40 minutes (at 6.45 pm), he brought the card machine without us even asking and pressured us to leave, which felt very unfriendly and more like mass customer handling than genuine hospitality. For the prices they charge, I would expect much better hospitality and service. Because of this, I would not come back again.

The food was beyond great. Best food experience so far.

I visited Kartika and was very satisfied. The food was incredibly good, and the service was very attentive and friendly. You could tell that they pay a lot of attention to detail and treat their guests well. We also really liked the ambiance—nicely decorated, a comfortable size, and a relaxed atmosphere overall. The wait times were short, and we even received little complimentary treats from the kitchen while we waited. All in all, a truly wonderful restaurant experience; I can definitely recommend it.

Excellent experience, the restaurant owners are very kind and generous. You can go there without hesitation.

We really liked the place. It was my first time trying Indonesian cuisine. The spice flavor was a bit overpowering in some dishes, but I thought it was good…

Small place with amazing service and food. We enjoyed the price fixed meal that gives you a taste of all their signature dishes. Great place for couples or small group.

I’d love to give it 12 stars. The food is fantastic and the service is superb. The prices are also very reasonable. The vegetarian options are excellent. If I’m ever back in Amsterdam, I’ll definitely come back. I highly recommend it.

Great food and service Has an excellent vegetarian menu.

Incredible Indonesian restaurant in Amsterdam, probably one of the best. The welcome is more than warm, and the two people in the dining room are incredibly kind and gentle. Both the sides and the typical Indonesian dishes are authentic and delicious. I highly recommend it 😊

You can expect high quality food and excellent service here. Our server was so friendly and helpful in explaining the dishes and in which order it is recommended to eat. The food is so well balanced and delicious. We will definitely come back when we are in town. Thank you for a memorable meal!

The food was delicious and quite generous, with superb service offering good advice and a great atmosphere.

Great! The staff is really friendly and the rijstafel was sooo good. Definitely worth it !

This was my first time trying Indonesian food and it was delicious. I was a solo diner so I wasn’t able to try the tasting menu since the minimum is 2 people but that was fine and I ordered a delicious tofu and bamboo dish with corn fritters as an appetizer. I was seated quickly, even though I was just a walk-in and did not have a reservation. It is a pretty popular place so would recommend calling for a reservation.

This was a small restaurant located centrally in Amsterdam. The atmosphere was very nice and the service was 11/10! We ordered the traditional course for 2 and ot was worth it. Everything from the chips, the many small dishes and even the lemon ice cream was super delicious! We even had some good tea at the end! We'll worth the price and I would 100% recommend this restaurant if you are looking for good Asian food in Amsterdam.

What a find! This was our favorite eating place in Amsterdam—the food and service were great; and the overall experience was different than most. In addition to a full menu, they had a prix fix menu for approximately $33 euros per person—one option was more meat focused and the other was vegetarian. We ordered the vegetarian and had approximately a dozen Indonesian dishes served to us. We hadn’t had Indonesian food before and this was a phenomenal introduction.

Super delicious. Brought me back to the Indonesian food I ate in Indonesia, everything was prepared deliciously, and by far my favorite indonesian spot in Amsterdam! Also the staff was so, so, so friendly. Our waiter immediately offered if we wanted a doggy bag to go since we had leftovers, which was super kind, and we also got a complimentary dessert (which was homemade!) 10/10!! Recommended for sure💛

Delicious food and very nice staff

Absolutely delicious food and wonderful service, highly recommend!

Amazing experience. Michael was brilliant - so humble and full of care. He made us feel very welcome. The food was really tasty - this is a place to go back to over and over again.

We had never eaten Indonesian food before and were very pleasantly surprised. The staff explained the dishes with great love and friendliness, and they were incredibly tasty. We felt very welcome and the food was delicious. Highly recommended!

Had the tasting menu, which was served quite quickly. Cash only.

Great food, friendly service. Dishes are flavorful and spicy, not mild, only hot upon request. Cash only, no card payments! Highly recommended!

We had a wonderful evening and a fantastic meal. The service was incredibly warm and friendly, and the excellent menu was explained in detail. Highly recommended overall.

Amazing food, amazing service, I want to come back 100 times

What a lovely, small, and cozy restaurant this is. And the food is truly delicious, a taste sensation. Friendly, good, and efficient service, so it is more than worth a visit. I will definitely be back. I would say, GIVE IT A TRY.

Great husband and wife duo. Great flavors and eating experience. A must visit. Get a reservation because the secret is out.

Can’t remember how I heard about this place but glad I did and rang ahead to book before our trip. You can only book by phoning and they only take cash so quite old school in this day and age. But with that comes old school service and we were looked after beautifully. Nothing was too much trouble and each dish was presented and explained. The cooking obviously comes from the heart. We ate at 6pm and the place was pretty much full having only opened at 5.

Amazing! Super welcoming staff and delicious food.

We ended up here on a whim (it started raining) but we are so happy we did! The staff was amazingly nice, welcoming and helpful and the food was delicious. An amazing experience overall, thank you 🙏 (We had the tasting menu)

The restaurant has great atmosphere and deco, and the service was definitely 10 stars, the restaurant was full and busy, but the single gentlemen that was serving the whole restaurant was always attentive, polite and smiling throughout, hats off to you sir. Unfortunately the food wasn't to our taste. All the dishes were way too salty. Maybe their other dishes are better. We ordered Bali chicken and gado gado salad. The portions were very generous and large. They gave free ice cream on the house, that was very nice though.

Charming restaurant, excellent food, impeccable service! We will definitely be back!

My brother and I are visiting Amsterdam from the US. We wanted to try out some Indonesian cuisine and luckily we stumbled into Kartika- great food, great atmosphere, but best of all was our server. He brought the energy from the moment we sat down and gave us a very authentic experience. I highly recommend Kartika to anyone in Amsterdam looking for an authentic Indonesian experience.

Excellent Indonesian restaurant with lovely owners. We chose the tasting menu with several different dishes, all very tasty and with excellent quality. We were lucky to get a table without reservation, so make sure to reserve in advance. One note: It is a small business and credit card companies charge some commission, so pay cash if possible (also preferred by the restaurant) Definitely a spot to come back

A very good restaurant with a friendly welcome. The waiter advised us on our menu choices. The food was very good, although the portions were a little small for four people. We will return.

very nice and clean place, we eat very well and the staff is very kind and friendly !

Lovely food and people. Would definitely return.

Fantastic food, friendly and welcoming service. Probably the best meal we have eaten since arriving in Amsterdam last week. We would certainly recommend it and would go there again if we were staying longer. We highly recommend the restuarant.

Excellent restaurant, delicious flavors, perfectly spiced dishes, pleasant service. A great find! 😍

The food was great and the attention even better, I fully recommend this places, also the portions are great for 2 or 3 people

Amazing food, only problem they only accept cash

Incredible food paired with outstanding service. We got the Ramayan rice table for 5 people and we enjoyed each and every dish. Most importantly, we felt right at home with the warm service delivered by Michael and his colleagues. They took amazing care of us and we left knowing we would come back again soon. This place is a must-try if you like Indonesian food!

Kartika gives a customer service experience that was unparalleled during our time in Amsterdam. Highly recommend coming here for a delicious meal and to be treated like royalty.

This is a really amazing restaurant that we would highly recommend. Our waiter was incredibly sweet and respectful, and he just kept bringing more courses, we couldn’t believe how much was included in the rijsttafel! We were so full by the end of it but everything was absolutely delicious and the staff’s service is perfect. Well done and thank you!!

The Indonesian restaurant Kartika has been around for a long time, and I've thoroughly enjoyed the food there in the past. Apparently, the restaurant has continued under the same name, with a new owner. The interior decor was different, and the diners were exclusively tourists. Both the nasi goreng and bami goreng rames special were inferior. I intended to return my plate of food but decided to have it warmed up first because the noodles were cold and stuck together. The chicken, rendang, and satay were of poor quality. The egg and tofu didn't seem fresh. The amount of vegetables was minimal. Ultimately, to avoid disrupting the atmosphere at the table, I finished my meal and paid. When paying, I mentioned that the quality of the food was poor and disproportionate to the €60 we paid for the nasi goreng/bami goreng rames special. They didn't ask what was wrong. It's a shame, because as an owner, you can learn from a less-than-ideal customer experience and make adjustments if necessary. I'm extremely disappointed that the good name of the former restaurant Kartika is being misused. I hope you take the negative reviews seriously and improve the quality. The service was excellent, by the way. Sincerely, Monique

A fantastic meal and very well priced! The servers were so kind and so clearly cared about the food and the experience. We did the tasting menu and would come back again and again!

Fantastic value, hospitality, and food. Great selection of different key dishes.

Really nice Indonesian food here! We loved the vibe at the restaurant - it was well-decorated and quiet enough. The waiters were also very friendly and nice - they introduced each dish to us before we ate. Service is top-notch: we didn’t know we had to make a reservation but the waiter recognised our faces from the day before (when we popped by) and let us in anyways:) Thank you! Must make reservation beforehand as tables are very limited!

Excellent authentic food, generous portions and very friendly service. We really enjoyed our meal here.

Amazing, felt like home away from home, only better. Their Ramanaya menu was excellent, tender meat stewed in spices which warmed my bones in the Amsterdam winter!

We had a nice experience last night. The food was good, and the service was great! Michael, one of the servers, was fantastic. My husband & his best-friend have been coming here since a long time ago, glad to finally have a chance to try it. The Rijsttafel concept is interesting. We ordered Ramayana for 4, it came with 10 dishes in smaller portions, so you can try various food (my favorite were chicken satay & beef semur). Recommended if you want to try Indonesian food in Amsterdam!

Amazing food and even better service, would recommend without hesitation!

The food was warm and tasty, everything felt fresh. The service was excepcional! Very nice employees, they were always very kind and kept giving us delicious tea. We were three people and paid for two and it was more than enough. Highly recommended.

Food was really good! But the service is even better! After paying we recieved ice cream and tea.. after i made a joke i was full of the tea, one of the workers gave us free cake to balance our stumach! Defintly recommended!

Very nice food and people! Recommend this place for sure.

They do not let you leave until you are completely full!! This was by far my favorite meal while visiting Amsterdam and I will be sure to come back whenever I visit again. Don’t know what’s up with the folks who left 1 star reviews as I was wowed by everything from the service to the ambiance to the reasonably priced and AMAZING food 🤤. If you can get a reservation, don’t hesitate to try it out! The RAMAYANA meal is served with about 10 dishes, all of which are paired and you are encouraged to not be afraid to mix! Since we got there early we also were offered some additional yellow rice that was delicious as well. It’s clear one of their specialties is their homemade peanut sauce and as someone who typically isn’t a fan of peanut sauce, I was blown away by how addicting it was. And mixed with the green beans in the coconut sauce it was really delicious. After we filled our stomachs we were even offered complementary additional dishes of our favorites which we couldn’t possibly have had room for. Even so we made some room for the complementary dessert and tea. Thank you so much for a great meal on our trip!

Next customers: Hope you enjoy;)