4 - Recognised
i
Local sourcing runs through the operation: a dedicated green picker harvests from the restaurant's own food garden and neighbourhood plots including Anna's Tuin and Ruigte, whilst Gulpener brewery and Zuidam distillery supply the drinks programme from within the Netherlands. The menu rotates weekly in step with the seasons, and surplus is preserved through canning, drying, and fermentation.
Circular practices extend beyond food: the dining room is furnished entirely with donated and secondhand pieces, food scraps are composted on site, and a neighbourhood barter token system encourages reuse. Elixer reinvests profits into community programmes including annual charity meals for vulnerable residents, liberation day dinners organised with Amnesty International, and circular household workshops.
Academic partnerships with the VU and HvA support ongoing research into local food systems. The restaurant won the Boost je Buurt 2025 People's Prize, a City of Amsterdam recognition for neighbourhood impact. The entire base menu is vegetarian, with vegetables at the centre of every dish and vegan options available throughout.
The impact dimensions
Low waste & circular practices✓
Vegetables from the restaurant's own food garden and neighbouring community plots; Dutch brewery and distillery sourcing for beverages.
Vegetables are sourced from Elixer's own food garden and neighbouring community gardens including Anna's Tuin and Ruigte, harvested by a dedicated green picker. Gulpener brewery and Zuidam distillery supply Dutch beverages.
Fish is described as coming from Dutch North Sea fishermen, and meat as wild or organic when possible, but neither category names a specific supplier or certification. Local sourcing for vegetables and beverages is well documented; protein sourcing remains vague.
Strongest source Restaurant submission
The surprise menu rotates weekly based on seasonal availability from the food garden and local suppliers.
The surprise menu rotates weekly based on seasonal availability from the food garden and local suppliers. Canning, drying, and fermentation extend seasonal produce through leaner months.
Multiple independent sources (Van Amsterdamse Bodem, I Amsterdam, Your Little Black Book) confirm the seasonal rotation. The food garden's direct supply chain makes off-season sourcing structurally difficult, reinforcing the seasonal principle.
Composting, fermentation, canning, drying; interior furnished from donated and secondhand pieces; neighbourhood barter token system.
Food waste management includes composting, fermentation, canning, drying, and Kliekjesdag leftover events. Materials: the dining room is furnished entirely with donated and secondhand pieces; an Elixer-munten barter token system encourages reuse and circular exchange.
Energy sustainability is partially addressed through rainwater harvesting for garden irrigation. Independently corroborated by I Amsterdam, Van Amsterdamse Bodem, oost-online, and Your Little Black Book as demonstrating multiple named and credible circular practices.
Charity meals for vulnerable residents; Liberation Day dinners with Amnesty International since 2022; academic partnerships; won Boost je Buurt 2025 People's Prize.
Fair employment: the restaurant is described as creating safe environments for employee growth, with named staff development examples (Mirte trained in biodynamic farming; George retained 4+ years; Roos grew into hospitality expertise).
Community engagement spans recurring initiatives: annual Christmas charity meals (Regenboog Groep 2024, Stichting Life & Style 2023), Liberation Day dinners since 2022 (with Amnesty International), neighbourhood breakfasts for approximately 100 residents, Circular Household School workshops.
Academic collaborations with VU, HvA, and UvA support ongoing research into local food systems. The restaurant won the Boost je Buurt 2025 People's Prize from the City of Amsterdam; art exhibitions support relief causes (Beirut, Ukraine); Stichting Hoop voor Morgen partnership.
The entire base menu is vegetarian; fish and meat available only as optional supplements.
The entire base menu is vegetarian, with vegetables described as the foundation of the kitchen. Meat and fish are available only as optional supplements at additional cost, making the default dining experience fully plant forward.
Vegan options are available across the full menu on request. The restaurant operates its own food garden supplying vegetables directly to the kitchen. Whilst the restaurant is not publicly positioned primarily as plant forward (its identity centres on circularity and social impact), the menu structure clearly places plants at the centre, corroborated by Van Amsterdamse Bodem: 'vegetables form the foundation of the kitchen.'
Strongest source Restaurant submission
Sourcing signals
✓
Direct named-farm sourcing
✓
Low-impact beverage program
The restaurant operates a food garden (Proeftuin) supplying vegetables, with a dedicated green picker harvesting from the garden and surrounding neighbourhood plots including Anna's Tuin and Ruigte. Independently confirmed by Van Amsterdamse Bodem and I Amsterdam editorial coverage.
Named sources include Anna's Tuin and Ruigte (community gardens), Gulpener brewery (house beer), and Zuidam distillery (spirits). Garden sources are community plots rather than commercial farms but provide verifiable, named origins for a meaningful share of vegetables.
The restaurant makes everything in house, from the full dinner menu to flatbread chips, seasonal ice cream, hibiscus punch, lemonade, Elixerbitter, and preserved goods. Corroborated by Your Little Black Book stating 'Everything at Elixer is homemade.'
Elixer Ale from Gulpener brewery (Netherlands), spirits from Zuidam distillery (Netherlands), and multiple beverages made in house (hibiscus punch, lemonade, Elixerbitter). Local craft beer, local spirits, and house-made beverages documented.
