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De Negen Straatjes · Amsterdam · Netherlands

Restaurant Smelt

A cheese fondue specialist in Amsterdam's Negen Straatjes, born from the union of a celebrated cheese shop and a neighbourhood brown cafe.

The essentials, at a glance

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Impact score
1 - Starting
→
Documented practices
Local sourcing
Seasonal cooking

Style
Casual
Cosy
Cuisine
Dutch
French
International
Good to know
Terrace
Bar

The delicious details

Smelt brings together two Amsterdam institutions: De Kaaskamer van Amsterdam, a specialty cheese shop with over 25 years of history, and Cafe de Doffer, a well known brown cafe on the Runstraat. The result is a restaurant built entirely around cheese fondue, prepared from personally selected French, Dutch and Swiss cheeses.

The menu runs from a classic Dutch fondue through Swiss, Italian, French and truffle variations, each paired with a recommended wine. A vegan fondue made from fermented cashew nuts widens the table. Seasonal vegetables, sourdough bread and a short list of starters and mains complete the offering.

The space retains the warm, lived in character of the former brown cafe: vintage furniture, low lighting and what the owners describe as a living room away from home.

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

The kitchen specialises in six varieties of cheese fondue, each built from distinct French, Dutch, Swiss or Italian cheeses, served with unlimited sourdough bread and seasonal vegetables. Beyond fondue, the menu offers sandwiches, French onion soup, salads and named starters such as smoked mackerel rillettes and roasted artichoke cream. A vegan fondue made from fermented cashews accommodates plant-based diners.

Cuisine
Dutch
French
International
Dietary options
Vegetarian options
Vegan-friendly
Dairy-free options
Impact score
How this restaurant rates
1 - Starting

Smelt's local sourcing is grounded in its partnership with De Kaaskamer van Amsterdam, the neighbouring specialty cheese shop that has selected and supplied cheeses for over 25 years. Dutch varieties like Petit Doruvael and Tynjetaler sit alongside French, Swiss and Italian selections, with additional named local suppliers including Holtkamp for bitterballen and Massimo Gelato for ice cream.

The menu follows seasonal rhythms, updating to reflect what is available: a roasted pumpkin salad in winter, asparagus fondue in spring and rotating specials such as Mont d'Or during the colder months.

The impact dimensions
Local & direct sourcing✓
Seasonal cooking✓
Sustainable animal products
Plant-forward menu

De Kaaskamer van Amsterdam, co-owned by a restaurant partner, supplies cheeses; imported French, Swiss and Italian varieties form the core of the fondue menu, alongside named suppliers Holtkamp and Massimo Gelato.

De Kaaskamer van Amsterdam, the neighbouring specialty cheese shop, has supplied the restaurant with cheeses for over 25 years and is co-owned by one of Smelt's partners. This is a named, traceable local sourcing relationship, independently confirmed by Foodini and Your Little Black Book.

The core cheese selection draws heavily on imported French (Comte Alpage, Abondance, Roquefort), Swiss (L'Etivaz, Vacherin Fribourgeois, Appenzeller Noir) and Italian (Parmigiano Reggiano, Fontina, Taleggio, Provolone) varieties. Dutch cheeses (Petit Doruvael, Tynjetaler, Bunker Blosse, Stolwijker) represent one of six fondue options plus bar snacks.

Additional named local suppliers include Holtkamp, a long-established Amsterdam bakery providing bitterballen, and Massimo Gelato for ice cream. Local sourcing represents approximately 30–40 per cent by key ingredient category.

Strongest sourceFoodini ↗

The menu rotates seasonally, with specials such as Mont d'Or fondue in January and asparagus in spring; all fondues feature seasonal vegetables as standard.

The menu PDF is titled 'wintermenu_2025', indicating quarterly rotation. All fondues are served with seasonal vegetables, and extra seasonal vegetables are available as an add-on.

The restaurant offers rotating seasonal specials including Mont d'Or fondue in January, asparagus fondue in spring, and habanero fondue as a current offering. A winter salad with roasted pumpkin and goat cheese appears on the current menu.

Multiple editorial sources confirm seasonal changes to starters that rotate throughout the year. Evidence of at least quarterly menu updates.

Strongest sourcerestaurantsmelt.nl ↗

Grass-fed bresaola and wild game appear on the menu; no named butcher, fishmonger or welfare certification is documented.

The menu includes mackerel rillettes, bresaola (described as grass-fed beef), wild game grill sausage, wild goose pastrami, Black Angus burger, chicken satay and a charcuterie board.

Bresaola's grass-fed label provides a partial welfare signal. Wild game is a lower-impact protein. However, no named suppliers, no MSC, ASC, Beter Leven or organic certification, and no farms or growers are named for any animal product.

Strongest sourcerestaurantsmelt.nl ↗

Approximately 40–50 per cent of mains are vegetarian, including a vegan fondue made from fermented cashews; the kitchen is structured around cheese as the centrepiece.

The menu is structured around cheese fondue, with cheese as the restaurant's core identity. Multiple vegetarian items are available: omelette du fromage, Groninger mozzarella sandwich, cheese croquettes, ravioli, winter salad, French onion soup, olives, bread and artichoke tapenade.

One vegan fondue made from fermented cashew nuts is offered. However, the menu includes multiple meat items including burger, bresaola, wild game sausage, wild goose pastrami, chicken satay and charcuterie board.

Vegetables serve as accompaniments rather than the main focus. Plants are not structurally dominant in the kitchen's identity or menu design.

Strongest sourcerestaurantsmelt.nl ↗
Sourcing signals
✓
In-house preparation

Multiple items are made in-house, including French onion soup, chocolate mousse, cheese croquettes, smoked mackerel rillettes, roasted artichoke tapenade, and housemade sauces and vinaigrettes.

Visit & practical info
Address, price, and more
Address
Runstraat 12, 1016 GK Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Open in Google Maps ↗
Price
€€
Format
Fondue specialist
Hours
Monday12:00–23:30
Tuesday12:00–23:30
Wednesday12:00–23:30
Thursday12:00–23:30
Friday12:00–23:30
Saturday12:00–23:30
Sunday12:00–23:30
Style
Casual
Cosy
Good to know
Terrace
Bar
Web
restaurantsmelt.nl
Reviewed by My Treats
Last reviewed 29 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.
This place
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.
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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