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Food Identity Researched
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

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 vegetarian lunch menu changes monthly with seasonal availability, drawing on French-Mediterranean tradition. Vegetables, legumes, and herbs from Park Frankendael take centre stage, with vegan options throughout. Private group dinners extend into meat from Lindenhoff farm and sustainably caught North Sea fish from Goede Vissers.

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

Notify the restaurant at booking to discuss allergies and intolerances; the kitchen can accommodate gluten-free, nut-free, and lactose-free requirements. Cross-contamination cannot be ruled out, and severe allergies cannot be accommodated.

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 across key categories: Lindenhoff farm in Baambrugge (meat, authentic breeds), Goede Vissers (North Sea fish, direct auction purchase), and Park Frankendael (herbs).

Multiple named, traceable local suppliers are confirmed across key categories: Lindenhoff farm in Baambrugge for meat (authentic breeds), Goede Vissers for sustainably caught North Sea fish (purchased direct at auction, delivered same day), and herbs and seasonal ingredients from Park Frankendael. Chef Geert Burema has personally known his suppliers since 2004 and initiated the Slow Food Chefs Alliance in the Netherlands.

Supplier claims are corroborated by independent food media (Van Amsterdamse Bodem, Track & Trees) and the Goede Vissers restaurant listing.

Strongest sourcevanamsterdamsebodem.nl ↗

Menu changes at minimum monthly to follow seasonal availability; herbs from Park Frankendael shape the kitchen alongside commercial suppliers.

Menu follows seasonal availability as a guiding principle, with changes at minimum monthly (Vegetariers.nl) and some sources citing daily menu shifts (In Your Pocket). Seasonal produce from Park Frankendael shapes the menu. Slow Food philosophy since 2004 positions seasonality as foundational to the kitchen's identity.

Lekker Vega Silver certification and multiple independent guides confirm the seasonal approach as a defining practice.

Strongest sourcevegetariers.nl ↗

Whole-animal (nose-to-tail) processing for meat sourced from Lindenhoff farm.

Whole-animal (nose-to-tail) processing is confirmed for meat from Lindenhoff farm, described by independent sources (Van Amsterdamse Bodem, Track & Trees) as a specific and named food waste reduction practice aligned with Slow Food philosophy.

Strongest sourcevanamsterdamsebodem.nl ↗

Lindenhoff farm (Baambrugge) supplies meat with authentic breeds and whole-animal processing; Goede Vissers supplies sustainably caught North Sea fish purchased direct from daily auctions.

Two named, traceable suppliers are confirmed: Lindenhoff farm in Baambrugge for meat (authentic breeds, whole-animal processing) and Goede Vissers for sustainably caught North Sea fish (traditional methods, North Sea waters, direct purchase from daily auctions). The restaurant is listed on the Goede Vissers partner network.

Lindenhoff farm has an independently verifiable online presence, and the sourcing claims are corroborated by independent media (Van Amsterdamse Bodem, Track & Trees).

Strongest sourcegoedevissers.nl ↗

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

Chef Geert Burema initiated the Slow Food Chefs Alliance in the Netherlands and is involved with the Youth Food Movement, signalling engagement with food-system networks and education. The restaurant's positioning as 'a place where knowledge can be spread' reflects a commitment to food culture beyond commerce.

Strongest sourceRestaurant submission

Entire regular lunch menu is vegetarian with Lekker Vega Silver certification; at least three vegan options available daily.

The entire regular lunch menu is vegetarian, with at least three vegan options per day (RestauPlant: 3 vegan, 12 vegetarian, 0 non-vegetarian meals). The restaurant holds Lekker Vega Silver certification (minimum 75% vegetarian, minimum 30% vegan, plant-forward by design).

Vegetables, legumes, and herbs from Park Frankendael form the foundation of the kitchen. Animal proteins are available only for private group dining, not on the regular menu.

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

Herbs and seasonal ingredients sourced from Park Frankendael, the ecological park surrounding the restaurant, extending beyond decorative herbs as a structural sourcing input. Confirmed by multiple independent sources.

Two named suppliers confirmed: Lindenhoff farm in Baambrugge (meat; authentic breeds, whole-animal processing) and Goede Vissers (North Sea fish, direct auction purchase, same-day delivery). The restaurant appears on Goede Vissers' partner listing.

Visit & practical info
Address, price, and more
Address
Middenweg 72, 1097 BS Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Open in Google Maps ↗
Price
€€
Format
Lunch and private group dinners; reserve ahead
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
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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