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De Baarsjes · Amsterdam · Netherlands

Proeflokaal Vesp

A neighbourhood tasting room in De Baarsjes built around local seasonal cooking, rotating chefs and community connection.

The essentials, at a glance

◐
Impact score
2 - Engaged
→
Documented practices
Local sourcing
Seasonal cooking
Social impact

Style
Café
Casual
Cosy
Cuisine
Fusion
International
Italian
Good to know
Private dining room

The delicious details

Proeflokaal Vesp occupies a former Turkish supermarket on the Vespuccistraat, repurposed into a 32 seat tasting room that doubles as a platform for visiting chefs and food pop ups. The kitchen, led by head chef Niels Veenvliet, centres vegetables in most dishes and draws on Italian, French and Scandinavian technique, with meat and fish offered as additions rather than anchors.

The weekly rotating menu follows seasonal availability, sourcing from named producers including Lindehoff, a four generation family farm. Gkazas extra virgin olive oil, co produced by the owner, runs through much of the cooking. Focaccia prepared to an Italian recipe is a signature daytime offering.

Vesp is openly positioned as a tasting room by and for the neighbourhood: Stadspas holders receive a discount, and the kitchen collaborates with the Urban Talent Academy to offer work placements for young people outside traditional education.

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

The kitchen works with a weekly rotating menu shaped by what is in season, with vegetables at the centre of most dishes. Meat and fish feature as optional additions rather than the default. Focaccia, made in house following an Italian recipe with extra virgin olive oil and sea salt, is the daytime staple. The four course surprise menu at dinner showcases local seasonal produce selected by the chef. Vegetarian options are available across all services, and vegan dishes appear regularly, including dedicated vegan pop up menus. Gluten free options can be arranged for group bookings on request.

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

Contact the restaurant at booking to arrange dietary accommodations including gluten-free options.

Impact score
How this restaurant rates
2 - Engaged

Vesp's kitchen demonstrates practice across three areas of responsible cooking.

Local and direct sourcing is evidenced through a named supplier relationship with Lindehoff, a four generation family farm providing meat, dairy and vegetables. Gkazas olive oil, produced in partnership with the owner, is used throughout the kitchen. Seasonal cooking is central to the concept: the menu rotates weekly, built around what is currently available from regional producers.

Social impact is the strongest independently confirmed area. Vesp collaborates with the Urban Talent Academy, providing structured work placements for young people who have left formal education. Stadspas discounts ensure the tasting room remains accessible to lower income residents of De Baarsjes.

The impact dimensions
Local & direct sourcing✓
Seasonal cooking✓
Social impact✓
Plant-forward menu

Lindehoff, a four-generation family farm, supplies meat, dairy and vegetables; Gkazas olive oil is used throughout.

The kitchen sources from Lindehoff, a four generation family farm providing meat, dairy and vegetables. Gkazas extra virgin olive oil, produced in partnership with the owner, is used throughout the cooking.

The weekly rotating menu is built around regional seasonal availability, with the kitchen positioning itself around 'local seasonal products' and Chef Niels Veenvliet drawing on Scandinavian and Italian technique with a stated commitment to local produce.

Strongest sourcevesp.online ↗

Weekly rotating menu built around seasonal regional availability; Chef Niels Veenvliet draws on Italian, French and Scandinavian traditions emphasising seasonal produce.

The kitchen operates a weekly rotating menu explicitly built around what is in season. Chef Niels Veenvliet draws on Italian, French and Scandinavian traditions that emphasise seasonal produce.

The kitchen positions itself around seasonal products grown in the region, with the four course surprise menu at dinner showcasing locally available seasonal produce selected by the chef.

Strongest sourcevesp.online ↗

Collaborates with Urban Talent Academy to provide work placements for young people outside formal education; offers Stadspas discounts for lower income residents.

Vesp has a named and verifiable social commitment through its collaboration with the Urban Talent Academy, an Amsterdam organisation that guides young people outside formal education towards practical work experience. De Westkrant, an independent local newspaper, confirms this collaboration.

Stadspas discounts for lower income residents of De Baarsjes demonstrate a second social access commitment, also confirmed by De Westkrant. The restaurant explicitly positions itself as 'by and for the neighbourhood', with community engagement as a founding principle.

Strongest sourcedewestkrant.nl ↗

Chef centres vegetables in his cooking philosophy, describes meat and fish as additions rather than foundations; regularly offers vegetarian and vegan options.

Chef Niels Veenvliet explicitly centres vegetables in his cooking philosophy, stating 'with vegetables you can do so much more' and describing meat and fish as additions rather than the foundation of dishes.

The wine and dine pop up event featured 'small dishes where vegetables play a leading role.' Vegan pop up menus have been offered, and the regular menu includes vegetarian options across all services.

Strongest sourcevesp.online ↗
Sourcing signals
✓
Direct named-farm sourcing

Lindehoff, a four generation family farm, is named as a supplier of meat, dairy and vegetables; Gkazas olive oil, co-owned by the restaurant founder, is also named.

Visit & practical info
Address, price, and more
Address
Vespuccistraat 53H, 1056 SH Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Open in Google Maps ↗
Price
€€
Format
32 seats, seasonal tasting menu, weekly rotating, reservation recommended
Hours
MondayClosed
TuesdayClosed
WednesdayClosed
ThursdayClosed
Friday10:00–16:00
Saturday10:00–16:00
Sunday10:00–16:00
Style
Café
Casual
Cosy
Good to know
Private dining room
Web
vesp.online
Social
@vesp.amsterdam
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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