Restaurant Asmara in Nieuwmarkt/Lastage

Cozy restaurant with delicious food! Definitely recommended :) Just ask for a mix of everything and it won't disappoint you.

I ate here about five months ago and still think about it regularly. Everything was so rich in flavour yet unique and discernible. Just get whatever the waiter/owner suggests, share amongst friends and have a great time! It’s also very affordable considering the quality and amount of food you get. Look forward to visiting again if I’m ever back in Amsterdam!

We had a delicious meal, and the staff were very friendly. We will definitely come back again!

Tasty food, friendly staff. Good home-brewed beef too.

Amazing food very quite & ambient place with a very delicious gluten free food.

Very friendly waiter and delicious food. I recommend it!

Absolutely amazing!! The food was so flavorful and they had so many options depending on what you like. We got a little bit of everything because we couldn’t decide on one. The atmosphere was amazing and the owner was so lovely. Definitely recommend!!

Absolutely amazing experience! The food was incredibly delicious, full of flavour, and honestly one of the best Eritrean/Ethiopian meals I’ve had. The owner is such a lovely and welcoming person. She was happy to explain the dishes, give recommendations, and help us choose what to try, which made the whole experience even better. This place is definitely worth making a trip for. The food, the atmosphere, and the hospitality make it something really special. One small tip: it’s best to bring cash. Fantastic place and an easy 5/5 from me. Highly recommended!

Banana beer and incredible food, remarkable experience, highly recommend

Amazing place, the owner is really kind and running this place like the navy. Food was delicious, and they have a really cool way to serve beer, which is also local Eritrean beer. Highly reccomend.

Incredibly delicious food, thank you so much :)

The food is certainly tasty, but not special. The owner (I think) is arrogant and acted condescendingly or even racist towards my Eritrean friend (even though he is Eritrean himself?). We arrived around 7 pm; the restaurant was empty except for one table. We greeted the staff and sat down. The owner gave us a menu and then said that it was impolite that we hadn't reserved and were sitting down ‘just like that’. According to him, you have to make reservations for all restaurants and we cannot assume that there is just a spot available. Nowhere on the website does it state that the restaurant only accepts reservations, and we clearly made contact upon entering. He told my friend that ‘making reservations is also part of integrating in the Netherlands’. You would expect that among Eritreans, you would adopt a slightly friendlier tone. The friend I was with is an 18-year-old boy who has just moved to the Netherlands. Every time the man came to our table, he repeated that we should call next time and acted as if we were disrespectful people. My friend became very uncomfortable and didn't know what to say. I apologized twice already (to get it over with), but he persisted. We actually wanted to leave but had already ordered food. He thinks his restaurant has a Michelin star. The price was on the high side for what we got. Part of the menu was also unavailable. The other man was nice and sincere, though. The restaurant's decor is beautiful, but for friendly service and good food, there are plenty of other places for injera.

Delicious food and friendly staff. They brought us a local liqueur after dinner that was very tasty.

We had an incredibly delicious meal, there are many vegan and vegetarian options, and the experience of eating with your hands really makes it even richer. I would definitely recommend a set menu to share. Also, order an Eritrean beer! We would certainly love to come back here again!

Unbelievable food - so flavoursome and nourishing, coupled with friendly neighbourhood charm. Expect to leave this place feeling very full and happy.

Food was excellent! Loved the experience. From beers in bowls, to colourful shared platters, and local likeur. Tesfy really introduced us to Eritrean hospitality. Don’t be deterred by the quiet interior, definitely go in!

Food is nothing special but prices are definitely special

I consistently came back here over and over during my stay in Amsterdam, it was that damn good. Having been on the move travelling for some time, this was some of the best food I had tasted in my adventures thus far. I would keep coming back if it weren’t for the fact that I am leaving soon!

Phenomenal food, the best vegan food you can get, and delicious lamb and beef too. The teff pancakes are out of this world, 10/10 would recommend

The food was bad I paid 30 euros for useless food it didn't arrive on time they delayed me for over 40 minutes please people don't eat don't lose your money ⭐️

We went there and the food was out of the world. We absolutely polished the plates.

A very chill and welcoming Habesha restaurant. Even though I wasn't very hungry when I visited, I wanted to try it out as a fellow Habesha. I ordered the roasted lamb tibs, and they were delicious. The injera wasn't exactly like back home, but it's the best I've found here. The staff were kind, attentive, and made me feel welcome. I will definitely be coming back again. Highly recommended!

Flavors you absolutely must try We were very well received, and drinking clove tea in slender glasses was a special treat.

You will inhale the whole plate. Very romantic to have a date. Eating with hands adds the real vibezzz. Very cool customer profile. Our host will extremely kind and hospital. Dont forget to try Eritrean tea at the end. We had number 11 and 12 on the menu. Enjoy every bite. Highly recommended ❤️🥵

Amazing food, amazing service and my dad got some traditional beers on the house to take home

Loved our dinner. We've had Ethiopian/Eritrean food many times dating back to the 80's in Washington, DC. Asmara is one of the best I've had. Great atmosphere and service. Great beer and honey wine. Absolutely delicious!!!!!!

It was excellent!! We went without any particular expectations as we had never eaten Eritrean food before, and everything was perfect from start to finish. The prices are very affordable, there are tons of vegan options, but there's also meat and chicken. The chef was very welcoming and even showed us how to eat our dish properly. I highly recommend it and will definitely go back on my next trip to Amsterdam!!

So delicious and generous portions. Great value for money and super kind stuff ! Definitely recommend 🙏🏼

Thank you for the great attitude and willingness. Even at a later hour, my family and I sat down in this establishment, and the gentleman served us with a smile and a truly friendly demeanor. After paying, we even received a gift—two beers from Africa. Great exotic touch. :) I give a full number of stars and definitely recommend this place.

Wonderful restaurant with great service and food. Love the shared dining concept.

A must-visit for me every time I am in Amsterdam. Excellent food and enthusiastic service in a vibrant and cozy atmosphere. Very affordable as well!

I came to this Ethiopian restaurant. Food was amazing. People were so nice. They were excited. They were happy that we like the food amazing group of people and excellent food. I recommend anyone to come here and eat this great food.

Delicious food and friendly service!

Amazing authentic food and brilliant service! Would highly recommend.

Delicious meal to share. Authentic and surprising.

The food was amazing, the service quite fun.

Absolutely lovely, in every aspect. Perfect personal service, very nice place and most importantly one of the best, if not the best Ethiopian food I've ever had! And that's counting over a dozen places in three continents, one of the countries being Ethiopia itself. Very good value for money as well. Extremely recommended ❤

Restaurant Asmara is a real discovery! The food is authentically Indonesian and delicious, the service is friendly, and the atmosphere is warm. It's a great place for a fun night out with family or friends. Their nasi goreng and satay are a must-try. Come back for more, because it's always delicious here!

Very nice vegetarian Option. Shared board with many different small dishes if you want to try it all

A very good restaurant, the staff are very welcoming and the food is delicious; you can go there without hesitation.

Grand Prince, I highly recommend it; the food was so good I could hear the colors. Definitely go, it's worth it!

Out of body experience, one of the best food I ate of my all life

Super delicious food and very nice people!

Quiet, cozy restaurant. Food is delicious and service is kind and wholesome

The food was good, but I thought it was small compared to the price. The drinks were even worse. We ordered a teapot for about €6, and then the bill was €12 because there were only two of us, even though there was very little tea. So, it's nice for a one-time visit, but not something I'd repeat.

The food is good and typically Eritrean.

The food was good, but I thought it was small compared to the price. The drinks were even worse. We ordered a teapot for about €6, and then the bill was €12 because there were only two of us, even though there was very little tea. So, it's nice for a one-time visit, but not something I'd repeat.

a very good ethiopian food, we loved the chicken dish 🇪🇹🇮🇱

My girlfriend and I shared a vegetarian combination platter. Food and service was excellent and the owners are extremely sweet. Highly recommend!!! Beer was fantastic!!!!

Absolutely incredible food, beautiful warm and intimate atmosphere, and the service is so hearty !! Definitely recommend

Absolutely stellar food, super nice staff and a cozy atmosphere. Highly recommended!

Yum. Tasty delicious food. Left feeling good from the food. Great for vegetarians.

Absolutely amazing food and really good service. Cosy atmosphere. Highly recommend

The best in town. Also great for gluten free options.

Delicious food and awesome service. Super welcoming experience and it really just felt like going to a family members house to eat. My partner and I enjoyed this very very much and we fully recommend the honey wine!! 10/10

Normally I would post a picture of the lovely presentation, but unfortunately I had a feast from the moment I received the plate. Never before have I eaten Ethiopian and it blew my mind. When you walk in you meet a kind man and lady, and they will whole heartedly help you get set. It has been an amazing fusion of flavours from sweet to savoury, and most of all perfectly spiced. Highly recommended to people who have eaten Ethiopian- Eritrean before and people who haven’t.

Worst Restaurant experience of my life so far. We came in wanting to eat good Ethiopian food. The moment we entered we asked if we could sit down in a table - the guy there asked if we had a reservation and we said no. He later checked inside and told us we could sit down. Once we ordered dishes from the menu, two of us didn't feel like drinking anything. Unfortunately he was misogynistic and extremely rude telling us we need to order drinks and mansplaining condescendingly to my female friend who is brown that we have to pay money to even drink water here as if we are poor and don't have money to pay. Never had such a restaurant experience in my life - we left the restaurant. Never coming back.

Very hospitable and great food!

Food was tasty but the portion and injera sizes seem a lot smaller than other similar places in Amsterdam. First time I've left one of them hungry.

Loved the food; obvious from the photos that I wiped off my plate. The warm hospitality & the atmosphere were cherry on top. Give it a go & you won’t regret it.

A visit to this restaurant was a feast for all the senses. The dishes were not only delicious but also beautifully presented. The flavors were perfectly balanced, and each ingredient seemed carefully selected. The service was attentive and professional, always available without being intrusive. The decor was modern, with a touch of elegance thanks to the subtle lighting. The atmosphere was perfect for both a romantic dinner and a cozy evening with friends. The wine list offered an excellent selection, and the staff knew exactly what to recommend. The tables were neatly set, and the service was fast-paced. Everything felt well-cared for and harmonious. I can wholeheartedly recommend this restaurant.

Excellent restaurant. Delicious dishes. Attentive and friendly staff, ready to offer advice (a real plus for those unfamiliar with injera). Portion sizes might be a bit small for those with a big appetite. It's close to Waterlooplein metro station.

A very positive first experience with East African cuisine! It makes me want more.

The food was delicious. It's also nice that you can eat together, as all the food is served on one plate.

The food is good but I didn’t like the hospitality. The hospitality of the waiter is totally unacceptable! We were with my friend and we felt like as we are begging in the restaurant. We ran as soon as we finished the food.

Great food, outstanding service and lovely location! Loved everything and eating with your hands was fun as well!! (Of course cutlery is also available)

Very good discovery!! Excellent to recommend

DELICIOUS food! I've been to several Ethiopian restaurants in my life but this one is definitely the best.

I had an incredibly delicious vegan meal. I used my hands for the full experience. Very tasty and affordable. 100% recommended.

Super tasty and really lovely Restaurant. Owners are really friendly as well.

A great restaurant serving super tasty Eritrean food. Centrally located on the corner this restaurant has a really lovely atmosphere with interesting decorations. The food itself was delicious. I was in a party of 3 and we shared a huge platter of a variety of different foods, Half of which I cannot describe. The staff are really friendly and we had a nice chat with them after the food. Overall an amazing experience I will definitely be returning. Thank you for such a lovely evening.

Probably the best etgioerithrian food i ve ever had and i am a very picky eater. The restaurant also is full of spirit, ypu fill the authenticity of the people serving you. Wonderful experience, i will come again 100%

Still the same owner. Still great food.

I went here to try and share some african culture with some of my foreigner friends. When we arrived and sat down, the server immediately asked us in a relatively displeasing tone that he was not expecting us. No where does it indicate that you need to make a reservation on their Google profile. Eventually he left us with some menus. We waited around 10minutes before he came back (note that there was only one other table that was still eating) We wanted to get a combination of vegan options. He told us that we can't do that. He started arguing and we couldn't understand why we couldn't get the vegan combo of our choice. He then eventually told us that we can only eat what they cooked that day. If he communicated that relatively early on we would've been able to decide whether it's worth eating there. When we thought of perhaps going to a different restaurant, he told us to go because he "takes our money and gives us everything". And made a point in saying that he doesn't need us. Eventually we just took what he said we could have just to keep the peace. He kept insisting we order more food even though not all of us wanted to eat and told us we couldn't get 1 serving of a dish but needed to take 2. The food was relatively good with the occasional imbalance of flavour. Perhaps with another server who had better communication skills, we would've enjoyed our "eastern african" experience a bit more.

Top eritrean food experience in Amsterdam with homely atmosphere and very friendly owners!

Very good food, friendly and helpful staff.

Piccolo locale molto curato, con piatti variegati e abbondanti della cucina eritrea. Moltissime opzioni anche vegetariane. Ottima qualità e personale gentile. Prezzo più che onesto. Torneremo sicuramente!

Super tasty and lovely staff, best to trust them to choose something for you to try and can take a little bit of time, but sooo well worth it!

the food is AMAZING and everyone should come here!!! even if you don’t know what the food is the owners are super sweet and will answer any questions. the sponge/sourdough bread they serve with the food is gluten free and they offer a ton of vegan options. everything is seasoned very well and the restaraunt is beautiful with great service! i would recommend trying the mongozo coconut beer- it is very delicious and unique!

The person who helped, I assume he's the owner, kept forcing his choice on me I kept saying I want a number 12 and he kept insisting that he'll bring a number 10. If there is one thing I hate is others telling me what I should pick when they're not the one paying for it. He insisted to the point that I chose to walk away instead of entertaining his arrogant behavior. Another thing that I would like to mention is that if you have so much problem with dutch people then go to your own country and speak your own language there. I'm a brown expat and this man automatically assumed that I'm a dutch hater so he started telling me how he forces dutch people to speak English because that's what his prime minister told him to do to "these dutch people". Well tell your prime minister to keep people like you in their own country. And if you want to stay in another country then at least respect them and their way of life. You people are a disgrace here and it's because of you that the rest of us are treated differently.

I came here not knowing what to expect and oh my Lord, I was taken on a journey of taste and beauty. Will come back

The food was tasty but there was too little injera.

Very good Eritrean restaurant. The place is a little away from the most touristy streets. The atmosphere is charming and calm. We eat typical preparations served in large flatbreads with Eritrean music in the background, and we can also sip local beers. I recommend it for an original world dining experience.

After being customers for a long time, my friends and I are not going there anymore. All the reviews here are about food, and the food is nice, yes. But we got internal information leaked and learned how the owner abuses workers inside. When facing customers, he is such a nice and friendly person, but inside, he is completely different. First of all, he does not allow workers to take payment, and you have to stand long waiting for him to pay. This is to direct all tips from workers to his accounts; guess what he expressly asks for tips, which is the reason for him to forbid other workers from receiving payments. We met an intelligent guy, who used to work there, on the street and after greeting him, asked why we hadn't seen him there later days. The guy smiled and replied, "I'm from the academy and do not want to be there anymore. I tried to support myself working there, but it's no longer my thing." We took time to discover more and asked why not, if you can support yourself. He said, "I know, but like I said, I know my rights and do not allow anyone to abuse me." What do you mean by abuse? we asked, and the gay replied "... iiim I can't tell you all, but the owner does not pay salary unless I ask repeatedly, I have the right to work in the Netherlands, and he does not want to pay a minimum legal wage, there is no break and you work 7 hours uninterrupted, yet he decides the payment as he likes and, when you ask for discussion, he replies 'you're poor and have no option, just work and I give you.' Last month, he deducted 700 euros from my salary, and I asked the reason, but no proper response other than I'll pay you next time. I told him I was stopping working and handed the key over, guess what, he locked me in and forced me to stay. But I told him I could enforce my rights, and he feared and released me. If you don't believe me, you can go and ask a lady who still works there; she was standing and watching everything. The boy is smart enough with evidence and showed us WhatsApp messages he exchanged with the owner to get his 700 euros back after stopping working, and the time of the message and the time of the credit of 700 euros to his account match, the message became immediately before the transfer time. We are a media group and are considering conducting a deep interview with a gay person and publishing his story in the newspaper with evidence. This is important because people fled their country and came to Europe for a better life, and they should not be forced, enslaved, and abused by here by unethical business owners. Authorities should also enquire about this restaurant's workers, as we have come to know that the man employs only those who have no valid right to work in this country, abuses them by appealing to their weaknesses, and asks for a minimum legal wage. SHAME ON YOU. You laugh and appear nice before customers and act like you love the workers, but behind you the reality reads something fishy. We request the owner to make corrections on the way the restaurant recruits workers and treats its employees.

The mixed plate was great! And at a fair price!

Lovely atmosphere and friendly, welcoming staff who were happy to talk through the menu and how to best enjoy the food. I had the mixed vegetarian option which was delicious. Felt like a great place for solo diners, couples and small groups.

Nice environment, African cuisine a little spicy, we ate 4 people on a large plate with 3 different types of meat and 6 types of vegetables and sauces. Special flavors, beers with fruit flavors that are served in African mugs. Polite staff, normal prices. I highly recommend it!

Amazing food, it was light and delicious, we asked for a recommendation and with just a few questions about our preferences we got this beautiful plate that blew our minds. Can’t miss it, it’s magic!

We'll definitely be back. Great place, easily accessible, and delicious food. Mango beer is highly recommended! Very nice people too. Just do it.

Best Ethiopian vegetarian restaurant we have eaten in. Service was excellent and the owner is very warm. Flavorful and comforting

The food was delicious and the owner was very helpful and kind! Highly recommended.

Really delicious Eritrean restaurant. One of the best in Amsterdam.

Delicious food. Super friendly staff. Really an amazing place if you want to eat something different.

Super delicious food! Fine traditional cuisine, prepared with love and days in advance. Foodie tip!

Great food, big plates and portions you eat with your hands and drink flavoured beer out of a coconut. It is a bit pricey but the staff feels like family and it is a comfortable spot.

Very good service and exquisite food. Very pleasant place.

Not kosher. Delicious, too good to waste. Seasoned with innovative and Middle Eastern taste. Everything was really delicious. The waiter was helpful and kind. We enjoyed it very much

Very beautiful place. Ensar, mesut çok tessekurler. See you soon. I had a great time and 5 visits in 8 days in Istanbul. Thank you very much.

The google reviews didn’t lie! Our favorite restaurant of our Europe trip so far. Even my 8 yr old son loved it. My 14 yr old said it deserved 100 stars! What a great experience! The flavors were fantastic and the staff were very friendly and hospitable. Highly recommended!!!

The food was delicious! And the owner is super welcoming. I'll definitely make it a stop during my visit to Amsterdam!! A real BANGEURIE🔥 (banger+crazy)