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Oud-Zuid · Amsterdam · Netherlands

The Old Soul

A fully vegan Afro-Surinamese soul food restaurant in Amsterdam Oud-Zuid, reimagining Creole classics with plant-based, sugar-free ingredients.

The essentials, at a glance

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Impact score
2 - Engaged
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Documented practices
Local sourcing
Sustainable meat/fish plant-based kitchen
Plant-forward menu
Health-intentional kitchen

Style
Casual
Cosy
Good to know
Terrace

The delicious details

The Old Soul brings Afro-Surinamese culinary heritage to Amsterdam through a fully plant-based lens. Founded in March 2022 by Diana Gambier, who moved from Surinam to the Netherlands 35 years ago, the restaurant reimagines Creole classics like pom, moksi alesi, and heri heri without animal products or refined sugar.

The intimate canal-side space on Hobbemakade in Oud-Zuid reflects Gambier's conviction that shared meals create connection across backgrounds. Dishes such as jackfruit bakkeljauw with nori and oyster mushrooms, and roti with masala potato, pumpkin, and chickpeas show the kitchen's inventive approach to plant-based reinvention of traditional Surinamese flavours.

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

A fully plant-based Afro-Surinamese kitchen reimagining Creole classics like pom, moksi alesi, and heri heri with plant proteins, whole ingredients, and no refined sugar. Gluten-free options are available across the menu, with vegan pastries from the kitchen's sister bakery, Majesteit Taart.

Dietary options
Vegetarian options
Fully plant-based
Gluten-free options
Dairy-free options
Halal
Health-intentional kitchen✓
Specific health practices named in at least one sub-area
Researched

The restaurant practises explicit sugar-free cooking using substitute ingredients across all dishes, including desserts. The menu is built around whole plant ingredients with homemade sauces, and gluten-free options are available across multiple mains.

Allergies handling

Allergen information is provided on a per-dish basis via the ordering platform, with gluten-free options clearly marked. Contact the restaurant at booking for accommodation of allergies and intolerances beyond what is documented.

Impact score
How this restaurant rates
2 - Engaged

The Old Soul's primary contribution is its fully plant-based menu, eliminating animal product sourcing entirely.

Diana Gambier has described buying locally and visiting farmers directly in press interviews, though no specific farms or growers are named publicly. The restaurant states that ingredients come from organic cultivation, though no named organic certification has been identified.

The restaurant holds the Lekker Vega Keurmerk Gold from the Vegetariersbond, confirming its fully vegan offering.

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

Diana Gambier buys locally and visits farmers directly; Majesteit Taart (pastries) is the only named supplier.

Diana Gambier stated in a Folia interview that she buys locally and visits farmers directly, finding it more affordable than wholesalers. However, no specific farms, growers, or producers are named for any core ingredient category.

The only named supplier is Majesteit Taart (pastries), a family business run by Gambier's daughter, covering a single minor category. The restaurant's website uses the term 'biologische producten' but provides no supplier specificity.

Strongest sourcefolia.nl ↗

The menu features weekly rotating selections and daily specials, though rotation reflects operational variety rather than structured seasonal cooking.

The menu features weekly rotating selections alongside permanent classics, with daily specials and a 'Soup of the Moment.'

This rotation appears to reflect operational variety rather than structured seasonal cooking. No seasonal produce is named in any menu, social media, or editorial source, and no guide or press coverage cites seasonality as a feature of the kitchen.

Strongest sourcehappycow.net ↗

Fully plant-based restaurant with no meat, poultry, fish, or seafood on any menu; dimension not applicable.

The Old Soul is a fully plant-based restaurant with no meat, poultry, fish, or seafood on any menu, including specials.

This dimension does not apply to fully plant-based kitchens per rubric rules. Cow's milk is available for coffee on request, but this does not affect the N/A classification.

Strongest sourcehappycow.net ↗

Woman-owned and minority-owned restaurant preserving Afro-Surinamese culinary heritage; offers student meals at the Science Park location in partnership with UvA.

The restaurant is woman-owned and minority-owned. Diana Gambier's mission centres on preserving Afro-Surinamese culinary heritage and making it accessible through plant-based reinterpretation.

A student meal is offered at the Science Park location, opened in partnership with UvA catering operator Cirfood to bring affordable, plant-based food to the campus. However, no named charitable organisation or formal social enterprise status has been identified.

Strongest sourcefolia.nl ↗

Fully plant-based kitchen; entire menu built around vegetables, legumes, tubers, and plant proteins with no animal products.

The Old Soul is a fully vegan restaurant where the entire menu is built around plant ingredients. Vegetables, legumes, tubers (cassava, pomtajer, sweet potato, plantain), and plant proteins (tempeh, seitan, jackfruit, oyster mushrooms) form the foundation of every dish.

Animal proteins are entirely absent from the menu. The restaurant is publicly described as vegan by multiple independent sources and holds the Lekker Vega Keurmerk Gold from the Vegetariersbond.

Strongest sourcehappycow.net ↗
Visit & practical info
Address, price, and more
Address
Hobbemakade 71h, 1071 XM Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Open in Google Maps ↗
Price
€€
Format
Intimate venue, à la carte, reservations available
Hours
MondayClosed
TuesdayClosed
Wednesday17:00–22:00
Thursday17:00–22:00
Friday17:00–22:00
Saturday17:00–22:00
SundayClosed
Style
Casual
Cosy
Good to know
Terrace
Web
theoldsoul.nl
Social
@theoldsoul.amsterdam
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.
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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