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Watergraafsmeer · Amsterdam · Netherlands

Restaurant Merkelbach

French-Mediterranean restaurant in a historic coach house, serving a seasonal vegetarian menu shaped by Slow Food principles and Park Frankendael's own garden.

The essentials, at a glance

◐
Impact score
4 - Recognised
→
Documented practices
Local sourcing
Seasonal cooking
Low waste
Sustainable meat/fish
Plant-forward menu

Style
Casual
Cosy
Cuisine
French
Mediterranean
Good to know
Terrace
Garden
Private dining room
Recognised by
Slow Food·Alliance of Cooks

The delicious details

Restaurant Merkelbach occupies the coach house of Huize Frankendael, the last surviving 18th-century country estate within Amsterdam. Chef Geert Burema, who initiated the Slow Food Chefs Alliance in the Netherlands, has built a kitchen that runs on seasonal, locally sourced ingredients since 2004.

The regular lunch menu is fully vegetarian, with herbs picked from the ecological park that surrounds the building. For group dinners, the kitchen extends into meat from Lindenhoff farm in Baambrugge and day-caught North Sea fish from Goede Vissers, both prepared whole-animal.

A large garden terrace overlooks Frankendael Park, offering a distinctly green dining setting within the city.

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

The regular lunch menu is entirely vegetarian, changing monthly to follow seasonal availability. Dishes draw on French-Mediterranean tradition, with vegetables, legumes, and herbs from Park Frankendael taking centre stage. The kitchen accommodates gluten-free, lactose-free, and nut-free requirements on request. For private group dinners, meat from Lindenhoff farm and day-caught North Sea fish are available.

Cuisine
French
Mediterranean
Dietary options
Vegetarian options
Vegan-friendly
Gluten-free options
Allergies handling
Notice At booking

Notify the restaurant at booking; the kitchen accommodates gluten, tree nuts, and lactose on a per-booking basis. Cross-contamination cannot be ruled out.

What the restaurant explicitly accommodates
Tree nuts (on request)
Milk (on request)
Gluten (on request)
Impact score
How this restaurant rates
4 - Recognised

Merkelbach sources herbs and seasonal ingredients directly from Park Frankendael, supplemented by named local suppliers: Lindenhoff farm in Baambrugge for meat (authentic breeds, whole-animal processing) and Goede Vissers for sustainably caught North Sea fish.

Chef Geert Burema founded the Slow Food Chefs Alliance in the Netherlands and works closely with the Youth Food Movement.

The restaurant holds Lekker Vega Silver certification, reflecting its commitment to a predominantly vegetarian kitchen.

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

Multiple named suppliers confirmed: Lindenhoff farm in Baambrugge for meat, Goede Vissers for North Sea fish, and herbs from Park Frankendael.

Chef Geert Burema has personally known his suppliers since 2004. Lindenhoff farm supplies meat using authentic breeds with whole-animal processing; Goede Vissers provides sustainably caught North Sea fish purchased direct at auction and delivered same day.

Herbs and seasonal ingredients come directly from Park Frankendael, the ecological park surrounding the restaurant. These supplier claims are corroborated by independent food media including Van Amsterdamse Bodem and Track & Trees.

Strongest sourcevanamsterdamsebodem.nl ↗

Menu changes at minimum monthly to follow seasonal availability, with produce from Park Frankendael shaping each iteration.

The kitchen has operated on seasonal principles since 2004, positioning seasonality as foundational to its Slow Food philosophy rather than decorative.

Lekker Vega Silver certification and multiple independent guides confirm the seasonal approach. Seasonal produce from Park Frankendael forms the core of the menu design.

Strongest sourcevegetariers.nl ↗

Whole-animal processing is standard for meat from Lindenhoff farm, eliminating waste at the supplier level.

Whole-animal (nose-to-tail) processing for meat is confirmed by independent sources and represents a specific, named food waste reduction practice. This is the primary documented circular practice in the kitchen.

Strongest sourcevanamsterdamsebodem.nl ↗

Named, traceable suppliers for both meat (Lindenhoff farm, authentic breeds, whole-animal processing) and fish (Goede Vissers, North Sea, direct auction purchase).

Lindenhoff farm in Baambrugge supplies meat from authentic breeds; Goede Vissers supplies traditionally caught North Sea fish purchased direct at auction. The restaurant is listed on the Goede Vissers partner network.

Both suppliers are independently verifiable. However, no formal certifications (MSC, ASC, Beter Leven, organic) were identified for the animal products.

Strongest sourcegoedevissers.nl ↗

Chef Geert Burema initiated the Slow Food Chefs Alliance in the Netherlands and is involved with the Youth Food Movement.

Chef Geert Burema founded the Slow Food Chefs Alliance in the Netherlands and works closely with the Youth Food Movement. The restaurant describes its role as spreading knowledge: 'Good food is not an elite matter; the restaurant is a place where knowledge can be spread.'

Strongest sourcerestaurantmerkelbach.nl ↗

The entire regular lunch menu is vegetarian, with at least three vegan options, and holds Lekker Vega Silver certification.

The regular lunch menu is entirely vegetarian and holds Lekker Vega Silver certification (minimum 75% vegetarian, minimum 30% plant-based). Vegetables, legumes, and herbs from Park Frankendael form the foundation of the kitchen.

Animal proteins (meat and fish from Lindenhoff and Goede Vissers) are available only for private group dining, not on the regular menu. The regular service is structurally plant-forward by design.

Strongest sourcerestauplant.com ↗
Sourcing signals
✓
Own-grown produce
✓
Direct named-farm sourcing

Herbs and seasonal ingredients sourced from Park Frankendael, confirmed by multiple independent sources. This extends beyond decorative herbs; the park's produce is a structural sourcing input.

Two named suppliers: Lindenhoff farm in Baambrugge (meat; authentic breeds, whole-animal processing) and Goede Vissers (sustainably caught North Sea fish, direct auction purchase, same-day delivery). Chef Geert Burema personally knows his suppliers.

Visit & practical info
Address, price, and more
Address
Middenweg 72, 1097 BS Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Open in Google Maps ↗
Price
€€
Format
Regular vegetarian lunch menu (changing monthly); private group dinners available with meat and fish. Advance notice required at booking for dietary requirements and allergies.
Hours
Monday09:00–18:00
Tuesday09:00–18:00
Wednesday09:00–18:00
Thursday09:00–18:00
Friday09:00–18:00
Saturday09:00–18:00
Sunday09:00–18:00
Style
Casual
Cosy
Good to know
Terrace
Garden
Private dining room
Web
restaurantmerkelbach.nl
Reserve a table

Wait... there is more!

Restaurant Merkelbach earned a place on five Craves lists

Gluten-free dining Restaurants handling gluten-free options in Amsterdam → Outdoors worth the detour These restaurants have outdoor space worth choosing: a garden, rooftop, courtyard or… → Slow Food Restaurants recognised by the Slow Food movement — Chefs’ Alliance (Alliance of Cooks)… → Teens at the table Eating out with teenagers shouldn't mean either a fast-food default or a hushed dining… → Top Treats Our highest-rated restaurants: four and five planets, awarded for consistent… →
Reviewed by My Treats
Last reviewed 12 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.
Endorsed Meaningful practice across three or more dimensions.
Recognised Strong practice across four or more dimensions, with independent corroboration.
This place
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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