Mata Hari in Burgwallen-Oude Zijde

Always a brilliant experience here, whether it’s just a coffee, snack, or a top class meal. The staff are so welcoming and there’s a genuine warmth and “feel good” atmosphere - helped along by the fantastic cocktails! Tucked away at the end of the Red Light District, it’s a gem waiting to be discovered. Thanks to all the team for always looking after us so well…. see you soon!

Mata Hari is set in the old Red Lightskin District's casino. The setting is absolutely gorgeous and the food is good.

Had a fantastic experience with a company party including drinks and dinner. Delicious food and great service.

Celine and her team gave us the best experience ever! Nice restaurant with mostly locals, delivering excellent dishes and drinks. Wines were amazing too. Michelin star experience.

Great ambiance, very friendly service, but the dinner menu was so limited and unattractive that we ended up eating bar food, which was also not that interesting.

Atmospheric place, delicious food, pleasant service, excellent price-quality, had a nice evening!

We had an amazing dinner with excellent mouthwatering dishes and good service very friendly and a cheerful atmosphere that we want to come back again soon.

Masterfully prepared everything.

The chef's menu (3 courses for €50) was delicious but the portions were too small. Unfortunately, with the 2 courses, the waiter, who also didn't speak Dutch, didn't explain the dishes. The cocktails were delicious, the atmosphere was pleasant, and the restaurant is beautiful, but I wouldn't go out of my way for the food.

Beautiful location, clean, tidy, friendly staff, good beer menu. A quiet gem in a busy tourist neighborhood.

I recently celebrated my birthday at this gem of a place. Mata Hari is unique in this part of Amsterdam because you walk right through the touristy, busy, and sometimes rough Red Light District, turn off at a small bridge, and you'll find Mata Hari. You enter a cozy, clean, and non-touristy place with an atmosphere you wouldn't expect in the Red Light District! I didn't eat here, but I can assure you it's a great place to host a drink. Competitive prices, good wine, friendly service, and a very relaxed atmosphere. Mata Hari's co-owner, Céline, made the evening complete. So if you're ever looking to organize a fun drink or a cozy party in a less traditional Amsterdam location, go to Mata Hari!

The food was fine, but the chef's menu was outrageous. For these prices, I really expected more. The cocktails were delicious, though.

Good restaurant in the middle of the red light district. Typical Dutch food, the options of a tasting menu at 60€ is very convenient. Wine list to be improved

I celebrated my birthday here with 30 people, and it was the perfect location for a fun and enjoyable get-together! Thanks!!

An incredible and in truth unexpected gourmet experience in Amsterdam. Professional friendly service, unusual combination of flavours, original food preparation, which as a result creates a unique and unforgettable impression of the restaurant visit. You don't want to finish the last bite because you don't want it to jump. If you're looking for a synonym for FP, a visit to Mata Hari is it.

Friendly, spontaneous service. Delicious food and a cozy atmosphere.

I had the most wonderful dinner at Mata Hari yesterday with my best friends truly one for the books! The whole meal was perfect for the autumn season: cozy, flavorful, and beautifully presented. We started with the tarte tatin, which I highly recommend such an unexpected and delightful twist on a classic. For the main course, I had the fish and risotto with mushrooms, and it was absolutely divine comforting yet refined. And the dessert… wow. Honestly, one of the best of my life! The combination with marshmallow was pure genius creative, light, and delicious. Every dish had an original touch that made the experience feel so fresh and unique. If you’re looking for a place that blends creativity, comfort, and incredible flavors, Mata Hari is an absolute must.

The welcome was very friendly and the staff were equally friendly and helpful. Delicious food, especially the desserts (we ordered the whole set), and a very gezellig atmosphere. Will definitely be going back in the future.

The food was super delicious, the staff - very friendly. But we have waited half an hour to get the menu list, another one hour to have the starters and a good one hour more for the main( steak 2 share which was really good). So, we couldn't enjoy the evening because we were hungry and nervous... If you don't have time limitations and you are not very hungry, this is your place.

Loved this bar, so close to Centraal and the red light district yet so different in vibes. The bar itself is so beautiful with its vintage style, and the terrace outside along the Amsterdam canal adds even more charm to it. Super nice staff working here and prices are okay considering the location.

We had a very nice business dinner here. Everything was great, from the food to the service. The staff was very accommodating and made sure everything was smooth. Recommended!

Mata Hari has changed owners several times in recent years, and the culinary side of things hasn't always been great. Finally, there's a new owner who has restored the quality of the food to its former glory. We'll definitely be back.

Unreal sausage app and beef tartare. Best thing I’ve put in my mouth in a while

Simply a top place with a nice atmosphere and really good food!

Delicious. We opted for the special, Steak Diane, and it was beautifully cooked. We had bread, 2 Aperols, 2 mains, 1 side and an espresso and it was around €100. Nice, friendly service too.

This bar is by the red light district, decent for a few quick drinks and bites by the canal.

The food is delicious and the service is fantastic! A really great spot in the heart of Amsterdam. For this, you'd still go to the city center if you were an Amsterdammer.

The best place to be, to drink, to eat. Fantastic ambiance, incredibly cozy, incredibly delicious food. Triple AAA. Good music and a great atmosphere with exceptionally sweet, friendly, and positive service. We had an incredible, incredibly enjoyable birthday here. Thank you, Mata Hari, see you soon!

Cozy place to have a beer by the canal

The steak, pasta, and desserts (Snickers ice cream and chocolate mousse) were really good. We didn't like lab kebab.

FANTASTIC. We went last Thursday with a group of friends. We immediately received a very warm welcome from several staff members. As soon as you enter, you feel like you're in another city thanks to the impressive staircase in the center and the friendly atmosphere amidst the bustling red-light district. Afterward, we were immediately taken to the bar for a small glass of bubbly. We opted for the set menu and started with an eel brioche. We had several appetizers, of which the Potato Rösti was my favorite, and main courses that were absolutely delicious. To finish the evening with dessert, we had the chocolate mousse in olive oil and salt, and then headed back downstairs for a Paloma at the bar! A fantastic evening, incredibly cozy, friendly and attentive staff, and incredibly delicious food! 10/10

8 euros shot for very cheap alcohol is a rip-off, not only that, the waitress just spilled it on us when she brought it, we expected an apology, some kind of compensation, but instead we just got a sticky table👍

We had a very tasty meal. The sea bass is highly recommended.

After asking for the drink menu we waited 15 minutes, but the waitress still didn’t show up and the place was not full. We decided to leave and upon leaving we mentioned the long waiting time to the waitress. Her response: “Sir, I don’t care”. This is very unprofessional from someone working in hospitality.. unfortunately, I can’t give zero rating to this review.

Amazing experience!! Loved the interior, the food and overall atmosphere Chef Maarten was amazing.

A haven of normality, an oasis in this neighborhood. Excellent cuisine. You can see the chef putting his passion into these dishes.

Had a spontaneous evening at this fantastic place! Great service and delicious food.

Super cool place. Inside it's beautiful, cocktails are amazing and the terrace super cozy. Loved it so much!

Had an AMAZING evening at Mata! Especially wanna mention the hostess Joa, she was wonderful and knows how to make her guests feel absolute fabulous.

Very nice place, best beer in town, me and the missus like to have fun with children

The sausages for the appetizer and the steak for the main course were both flavors I had never tasted before. It was a new experience. According to my personal standards, it deserves 5 stars!

Good place to eat and drink, their bitterballens are super good! The place is quiet and cozy

Food was good but overpriced and the location is on the canal but with a limited view,

Only had drinks on the patio, great server!

Whenever we come to Amsterdam we always spend one evening here, food / service all amazing

Fantásticamente amable. No ocupado para un sábado por la noche. Gran zumbido y música. Personal encantador. Amable. Atento. Cócteles tradicionales seguidos de una lubina entera. Los entrantes fueron geniales. El helado Snickers era fantástico.

A very passionate chef and involved service. The dishes were very tasty. Exquisite. Sit upstairs to avoid the noise from the street.

What a great experience this was! 1. The food was really fantastic (there was a new menu and it was extremely good) 2. The atmosphere and layout of the restaurant was very cozy (also nice to see an open kitchen and see the chefs enjoying each other) 3. In contrast to the few negative reviews I have seen about the service, I experienced the opposite. It was very cozy with nice interaction and text and explanation about the food and drinks. Ferren is a topper!

Fantastic food and drinks! The straciatella made my day, we were on the first day of the new menu. The service was very friendly, overall very surprised with the nice atmosphere.

Terrible, arrogant, unprofessional and rude staff. Can the owner finally do something about it after so many negative comments?

Excellent service. Highly appreciated suggestions. Different, creative, and very tasty cuisine. Excellent!!! A highly recommended experience. If you're lucky and/or a little patient, you can wait for a table outside.

Delicious food in a relaxed atmosphere. Good wine advice and a wide selection. Menu can also be flexibly filled in. Nice ambiance with changing views of dynamic surroundings.

Friendly and casual staff. Good vegetarian and vegan options. Great place. Recommended!

I went out for drinks with some coworkers, but the experience was very unpleasant. The person in charge (a woman with long hair ) was extremely rude and started yelling at me just for taking a chair. I understand customer service isn't exactly the strong suit in the Netherlands, but this went too far. I will definitely never go back to this place.

What a horrible experience you can have here. The service was terrible – rude, curt and completely unprofessional. The person who served us presented herself as a woman, but was clearly a man, and seemed more concerned with maintaining that role than with helping the guests. His aloof demeanor immediately created an uncomfortable and tense atmosphere. The food was bland and poorly prepared, the drinks weak and way overpriced. The whole experience felt uncomfortable and unpleasant from start to finish. Definitely not recommended – not even for a quick stop. Just avoid.

Nice hidden gem in RLD, food was delicious, presentation also very nice, we enjoyed the dinner. Only remark is towards the reservation, I made a comments that were overlooked. Also - restaurant was half empty and we were seated near the stairs despite many empty seats near windows with the view. Last but not least waiters had to be waived at several times begging for their attention. Not exacly how I imagined our anniversary dinner.

Good place to spend outside enjoying Red Light District.

Enjoyable dinner and friendly bartender.

Nice place on the red light district. Super friendly service and delicious food.

Great place to have dinner, nice atmosphere, good food, good service. Highly recommended!

Delicious food and service at an unique location in Amsterdam!!

Nicely appointed and a good location. Intimate and well lit. I can’t rate anything else because we waited 15 minutes for someone to even speak to us when it was moderately busy. We left after no one approached the table.

I truly don’t get the hype..? The service was extremely slow for people seated outside that aren’t right in front of the entrance (we did reserve), the food took an hour to arrive for a very easy dish that shouldn’t take longer than 15 minutes. Also only an onion as a side for a steak.. surely you can do better? Especially for €30. Not well maintained tables and chairs outside, it was borderline dirty and not a nice ambiance at all. Also the fact that the restaurant is mainly responding to positive reviews on here speaks volumes IMO. Some Amsterdam establishments need to tone it down on the pretentiousness, and actually take on constructive criticism (and no I’m not a tourist, I’m Dutch). Some waiters were very young but friendly, once you finally got their attention. However when we first arrived I said hi with a smile to a slightly older waitress to tell that we reserved, to which she just flatly looked at me without any response. Kinda set the tone from there unfortunately..

Such a cosi, nice place that you want it not to become popular and keep for yourself. The flat iron steak was really juice and the fries were heavenly! The asparagus were a bit disappointing. The waitress was smiling and had fun in her job. It’s these people who make an evening perfect. Price… it’s not cheap, but where is in restaurants these days. Really recommend to go and I will be back.

Three things to know: 1 - By the red light district, but pretty nice, an oasis from the tourist crowds, but also tourist friendly 2 - The special chefs menu is recommended 3 - Good for groups and popular, better if you book

Mata Hari is one of my fav restaurants in the center. Such a beautiful little tucked away gem, with a changing menu and quality wine list. Service is always stellar, and I love the ambiance. I'll be back soon!

We booked a table for my birthday and had a fabulous time. We're locals and dine here often. We adore the aesthetics and the unpretentious, chic ambiance. We religiously bring international guests here, as the Red Light District location is constantly buzzing and something to behold... but ideally from the distance and comfort of the Mata Hari restaurant. With guidance from our well informed and charismatic waitress, we order a variety of dishes to share amongst six. The food was good (especially the butterfly Sea Bass) but there wasn't enough of it... the men were still hungry! So we finished off our meal with a round of delicious cocktails, beautifully presented with a touch of birthday sparkle ✨ Thanks Mata Hari, we'll be back xxx

An unkind 'woman' in service. Arrogant and not helpful at all. Fortunately, every now and then a boy came who was very friendly.

Terribly unsympathetic “lady” with loose long hair (in the service you are supposed to have your hair tied!!) in the service! Terribly rude!!! We almost wanted to walk away but stayed because of the location Fortunately, there was also a very friendly boy serving

Very attractive and hospitable restaurant with a cozy bar and a beautiful setting of tables set with white linen without being stiff or chick. Pleasant stay with good price quality ratio of food and drinks!

Highly recommended, it seems to be a hidden place of establishments in the heart of the red district. Come early it fills up

Disappointing menu to start with, and then they had items that were unavailable. Very quiet when we were there. Wouldn’t go back or recommend.

The meat was very spicy, the service was excellent. The restaurant lacks light, very dark.

Lamb chops awkwardly fat, sauces flat out boring. Service experience on a whole new level: never seen a servant walking away before finalizing the ordering of our meals and serving a drink like dropping a newspaper in the garden. But that was maybe just one servant.

Expensive restaurant for the price quality. 12€ of bread an aberration. Lamb skewers so fatty that I didn't recognize the lamb. I don't recommend it.

I was well taken care of on Good Friday. Beautiful atmosphere and great location. Ordered the lamb shank, side salad, and palomas. All very tasty. Must try the wild garlic butter and sour dough

Awesome food, staff and atmosphere.

Unfortunately, my experience at this restaurant was disappointing. The service was below expectations — I felt ignored for most of the evening, and the staff seemed uninterested and inattentive. I ended up canceling my main course due to how I was treated. For a place with such a reputation, I expected much better hospitality. I won’t be coming back.

This grand café and restaurant with a rich history is located in a special location. Pleasant welcome and menu with special dishes prepared with care. Great service, you feel welcome and seen. For all this a reasonable price/quality ratio. I can recommend Mata Hari!

Our fourth visit. Everything is always wonderful.

Very good food in a nice atmosphere with a very nice and competent staff.

Surprising menu with delicious dishes, good wine advice and smooth, friendly and expert service.

Visitamos Mata Hari para celebrar 3 cumpleaños, atraídos por el ambiente acogedor y la ubicación elegante. Mientras que el ambiente moderno y elegante y el ambiente relajado prepararon el escenario para una noche especial, la comida nos dejó decepcionados, especialmente dados los altos precios. Sin duda, el pan más destacado fue el fresco, cálido y delicioso. Sin embargo, sabía como si hubiera sido comprado en la tienda, lo que nos dejó preguntándonos si los esfuerzos de la cocina coincidían con las aspiraciones del restaurante. El ambiente en sí es encantador, perfecto para una noche de fiesta o una bebida de celebración. Desafortunadamente, el resto de la comida se quedó corta. Las porciones eran sorprendentemente pequeñas para el costo: un solo pincho de cordero (€ 26 ) llegó con una sola rodaja de croqueta, y el cordero en sí estaba demasiado cocido y subsazonado —podría haber sido cualquier tipo de carne. Las patatas fritas (7 €) eran igualmente caras, lo que equivale a la mitad de la porción regular. El equilibrio de sabor también fue un problema. El plato de sepia fue desbordado por la nduja, enmascarando cualquier sutileza, y otros platos carecían de la complejidad esperada en este punto de precio. Mata Hari parece apuntar al refinamiento con estrellas Michelin, pero falla en la ejecución y el valor. Si bien el ambiente merece una visita para tomar algo o un bocado ligero, la comida no justifica los altos precios. Nos fuimos sintiéndonos agobiados, especialmente después de una comida de celebración. Por ahora, Mara Hari se siente como un concepto en busca de su identidad: estilo sobre sustancia.

Our group of eight visited Mata Hari to celebrate three birthdays, drawn in by the restaurant's stylish reputation. While the ambiance was undeniably beautiful—moody lighting, elegant decor, and a lively atmosphere—the dining experience itself left much to be desired, especially for the price. The bread was excellent—warm, fresh, and delicious. The location itself is stunning, making it a great spot for a special occasion or drinks. Service was attentive, which we appreciated for a larger group. The portions were shockingly small for the cost. A single lamb skewer (€26) came with just one small croquette, and the meat itself was overcooked and underseasoned—it lacked any distinct flavor. The fries (€7) were also overpriced for what felt like half a normal portion. Flavor balance was inconsistent. The cuttlefish was overpowered by nduja, making it hard to appreciate the seafood itself. Other dishes felt like they were trying too hard to be refined but missed the mark in execution. Value for Money? Given the high prices, we expected far better quality and more generous portions. For a group of eight, the meal felt like poor value—we left still hungry and disappointed. Mata Hari is a beautiful restaurant with great ambiance, making it ideal for drinks or a light bite. But for a full dinner, especially with a larger group, the food doesn’t justify the cost. We wouldn’t recommend it for a celebratory meal unless you’re prepared for tiny portions and hit-or-miss flavors.

Every employee was extremely impolite and unfriendly

We come here every time we are in Amsterdam. It's a small menu, but the food is very good. It does at the upper end of the Red Light District, so after dinner it's always fun to walk through the area, even though the for traffic has gotten insane. Just found this last-minute game changer — it’s an app called TwøDay™ that shows what’s going on near me over the next 48 hours. Events, activities, recreation, cool local spots, social hangouts, and more — it’s perfect when you're looking for fast plans. Total lifesaver. Worth checking out: twoday.live #LastMinutePlans #ThingsToDoNearMe #TwodayApp #WeekendIdeas #Twoday #TwøDay #TwøDay™ #2Day

Great spot to enjoy some beers! Although they forgot to bring us the Bitterballen we ordered, we really enjoyed our time here.

Got recommended by a Dutch friend of mine. Food was OK, nothing special but the atmosphere good! All staff young and well prepared ! Good position if you also want to spend the night at the centre of Amsterdam, by the Red Light area.

Super eten, vriendelijke bediening maar… onze aanbetaling waren ze even vergeten te verrekenen op de bon. Echt heel jammer zonder enig excuus en dan wel fooi vragen.

Always a joy to have drinks, dinner and fun at the Mata Hari.

This is a little gem that I've been frequenting for years and it never disappoints. Thanks to the new owners and wonderfull team for keeping up the good vibes and great service, I will be back.

A great experience with delicious food. We ordered a lot from the menu and shared. Everything was tasty. People are also very welcoming and friendly.

We only had one drink, it was ok nothing extraordinary

This place is truly a hit! A truly unique location. Open kitchen, delicious flavors. The beef tartare was one of the best I've had in Amsterdam so far. I can't wait to come back to try more!

A good restaurant in the Red Light District. A very warm welcome and good service. The main courses were superb. The desserts were delicious. A few remarks: the portions are small for what you pay. €10 was charged for the ice cream, although the menu states €8. It's a pity that Amex is not accepted.

Excellent meal, very tasty cuisine. Quality. Very pleasant to be greeted in French by a waitress. A little expensive for the quantity but hey, it's quality. Be careful, however, when there are people upstairs not to neglect the customer downstairs who still wishes to consume.

Had a great evening! Cozy atmosphere, delicious food and above all: super nice staff.

Best French fries in the city 🫰🏼

L’ambiance du restaurant est sympa mais rien de plus. Venez juste pour l’apéro ne mangez pas. Les plats sont chers et insipides. Je ne recommande pas.

The food is very good and the decoration is original, a quiet place to eat something and enjoy a beer, away from tourists.