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Westerdok · Amsterdam · Netherlands

Nomad aan het IJ

International fine dining on the IJ waterfront, where a globe-spanning surprise menu meets plant-forward ambition and zero-waste cooking.

The essentials, at a glance

◐
Impact score
2 - Engaged
→
Documented practices
Seasonal cooking
Low waste
Plant-forward menu

Style
Fine dining
Trendy
Cuisine
Fusion
International
Good to know
Terrace
Wheelchair accessible
Recognised by
We're Smart Green Guide·2 radishes

The delicious details

Nomad aan het IJ sits on the Amsterdam waterfront at IJdok, offering a five or six course surprise menu that travels through cuisines from around the world. Chef Denisa Kacirkova brings a philosophy rooted in whole-ingredient cooking and a zero-waste kitchen, where nothing is discarded and every component is made to serve the dish.

The format is deliberately unpredictable. There is no printed menu; each course draws from a different culinary tradition, and the sequence can vary between guests at the same table. Vegetarian and fully vegan tasting menus are available by default, not as afterthoughts.

The dining room looks out across the IJ river. The space is contemporary and measured, designed to let the waterfront setting and the food do the work.

Menu
What's on the table, and what's left off

The kitchen has no fixed menu; Chef Denisa cooks intuitively around what is fresh and in season, building five or six courses that span Surinamese, Moroccan, and Southeast Asian-inspired traditions. Fully vegan and vegetarian tasting menus are available. House-made components — wasabi caviar, coconut butter, handmade polenta — are central to the approach.

Cuisine
Fusion
International
Dietary options
Vegetarian options
Vegan-friendly
Gluten-free options
Allergies handling

The restaurant can accommodate dietary requirements and allergies. Notify at booking to discuss your needs; the kitchen tailors the surprise menu to each guest. Gluten-free options are available.

Impact score
How this restaurant rates
2 - Engaged

Seasonal cooking shapes the menu. The surprise format — with no fixed printed menu — allows Chef Denisa to build each evening's courses around what is currently available, and editorial coverage confirms seasonal produce as a guiding principle rather than a decorative touch.

Waste reduction is a tangible commitment: the kitchen operates on a zero-waste basis in which nothing is discarded. The restaurant serves Dik and Schil orangecello as a digestif, a spirit produced from orange peels salvaged from the hospitality industry, embedding circular thinking into the drinks programme.

The impact dimensions
Local & direct sourcing
Seasonal cooking✓
Low waste & circular practices✓
Plant-forward menu✓

International fusion concept draws on Surinamese, Moroccan, and Southeast Asian culinary traditions.

International fusion concept draws on Surinamese, Moroccan, and Southeast Asian culinary traditions. Chef Denisa cooks intuitively around what is fresh and seasonal, without a fixed menu or named suppliers.

The only documented supply-chain partner is Dik and Schil, a circular-economy spirits company that supplies orangecello made from salvaged hospitality-industry orange peels — a waste-reduction commitment rather than ingredient sourcing.

Strongest sourcenomadaanhetij.nl ↗

Surprise-menu format enables continuous seasonal rotation; chef cooks intuitively with seasonal products.

Multiple sources confirm seasonal produce as a guiding principle. The surprise-menu format, with no fixed printed menu, inherently allows for continuous seasonal rotation. Chef Denisa is described as cooking 'intuitively' with seasonal products, and editorial coverage from Culi Amsterdam and the iamsterdam.com listing corroborate this approach. The menu changes regularly by design.

Strongest sourceculi-amsterdam.nl ↗

Zero-waste kitchen principle; documented partnership with Dik and Schil (circular spirits from salvaged hospitality orange peels).

The restaurant demonstrates a stated zero-waste philosophy confirmed across multiple sources. Chef Denisa is described as someone who 'throws nothing away' and has participated in zero-waste cooking demonstrations. One specific circular economy practice is confirmed by editorial coverage: the use of Dik and Schil orangecello as a digestif, a spirit made from orange peels salvaged from the hospitality industry. This represents a named food waste partner and a concrete circular practice.

Strongest sourceculi-amsterdam.nl ↗

Fully vegan and vegetarian tasting menus available; plant-based and animal proteins both offered on the standard menu.

The restaurant offers a fully vegan five or six course tasting menu as a standard option, and vegetarian alternatives are available for every course. Chef Denisa is described as having developed a 'profound passion' for vegan cuisine and regularly hosts dedicated vegan evenings. The RestauPlant listing confirms 3+ vegan and 3+ vegetarian dishes.

The default surprise menu includes fish (red mullet, shrimp) and meat courses alongside plant-based options.

Strongest sourcerestauplant.com ↗
Visit & practical info
Address, price, and more
Address
IJdok 87, 1013 MM Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Open in Google Maps ↗
Price
€€€€
Format
Five or six courses, surprise menu, by reservation
Hours
MondayClosed
TuesdayClosed
Wednesday18:00–23:30
Thursday18:00–23:30
Friday18:00–23:30
Saturday18:00–23:30
Sunday18:00–23:30
Style
Fine dining
Trendy
Good to know
Terrace
Wheelchair accessible
Web
nomadaanhetij.nl
Reviewed by My Treats
Last reviewed 27 Apr 2026
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How we score
The My Treats impact scale

Every restaurant is assessed against SEERO, our six-dimension sustainability framework — covering sourcing, seasonality, waste, animal products, social impact, and plant-forward cooking. Each finding is weighted by how strongly it is corroborated. The combined result is translated into a planet rating from 1 to 5.

The five levels

SEERO is an acronym for Starting, Engaged, Endorsed, Recognised, Outstanding:

Starting First verified signals of sustainable practice.
Engaged Credible practice across two dimensions.
This place
Endorsed Meaningful practice across three or more dimensions.
Recognised Strong practice across four or more dimensions, with independent corroboration.
Outstanding Top-tier practice, confirmed by recognised third-party audit.

How a level is reached. Each level needs two things together: a minimum number of dimensions covered, and a minimum overall strength of evidence across them. A dimension only counts once its evidence is specific and substantiated — a passing mention doesn't qualify. Meeting only one of the two keeps a restaurant a level lower.

Ratings of four or five planets require human validation and, at the top tier, an external audit. Scores are based on publicly available evidence and restaurant submissions at the time of assessment.

Full methodology→
Impact dimension
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How this dimension works
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How evidence is weighted
Self-declared Stated by the restaurant on its website, menu or in a submission. Plausible, but not yet independently corroborated.
Researched Found through independent research; one credible third-party source backs the claim.
Vouched Corroborated across more than one independent source. Some gaps may remain.
Audited Fully corroborated across independent sources or by a recognised third-party certification.
What the sourcing checkmarks mean
✓ Full check — independently verified: corroborated across more than one source, or audited / third-party certified (vouched or audited).
✓ Light check — self-declared or from a single source. Not yet independently verified.
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