What is a rijsttafel?
A colonial-era invention
The rijsttafel was born in the Dutch East Indies, today's Indonesia, under colonial rule. Colonial households and hotels served dishes from several islands of the archipelago (Java, Sumatra, Bali, the Moluccas) at a single meal, in large numbers, to show off the abundance of the table. It is therefore more a colonial piece of theatre than a traditional Indonesian meal: in Indonesia, people usually eat a plate of rice with a few side dishes.
After Indonesian independence, recognised by the Netherlands in 1949, several hundred thousand people from the former Indies settled in the Netherlands. Their restaurants and their "tokos", Indonesian grocery-delis, turned the rijsttafel into a Dutch celebration meal. To understand this colonial past, visit the Wereldmuseum, housed in the former Colonial Institute, where a permanent exhibition looks at the colonial legacy from Indonesia to Suriname; the role of the VOC and the spice trade is summarised in our history of Amsterdam.
How many dishes, and which ones
On the menus these restaurants publish online, a rijsttafel has between 11 and 16 items, rice included. You will almost always find:
- rice: white rice (nasi putih), often fried rice (nasi goreng) or turmeric yellow rice (nasi kuning);
- meat: chicken or goat satay (skewers), daging rendang (beef slow-cooked in a spicy coconut sauce), chicken in chilli sauce;
- vegetables: sayur lodeh (vegetables in coconut milk), gado-gado (blanched vegetables with peanut sauce), spicy green beans;
- condiments: serundeng (toasted coconut with peanuts), acar (cucumber pickle), kroepoek (prawn crackers), sambal (chilli paste).
Our guide to what to eat in Amsterdam places the rijsttafel among the city's other specialities; this one goes into the detail.
Ordering and eating a rijsttafel
Ordering: for the whole table
A rijsttafel is ordered for the whole table: everyone has the same one. Blauw, Indrapura and Dèsa require at least two people. The price is per person: expect €27 to €60 depending on the restaurant and the option, with most rijsttafels between €35 and €50. If you are dining alone, go for a single dish instead (see below). Drinks and dessert are extra unless stated otherwise.
Eating: rice in the middle of the plate
The dishes all arrive together, often on warmers. Put some rice in the middle of your plate, then take a small spoonful of each dish around it, without mixing everything: the point is to move from one flavour to the next. In Indonesia, people eat with a spoon in the right hand and a fork in the left, using the spoon to bring food to the mouth. Portions are generous: an extra starter is rarely needed.
Vegetarian, vegan and spice levels
Every restaurant in this guide offers a meat-free rijsttafel: Sampurna and Indrapura can make any of their rijsttafels vegetarian or vegan, Blauw and Dèsa have a dedicated option, and Café Jakarta has a fully plant-based "Table Jakarta Sayur". Spicy dishes are marked on the menus with a small chilli; sambal is served separately so you can add as much as you like. The meat served at Sampurna and Blauw is halal. Mention any peanut allergy when booking: peanut sauce is everywhere.
Indonesian restaurants for a rijsttafel
Sampurna (Singel and Jordaan)
Sampurna, open for more than thirty years, is the most central option: Singel 498, 1017 AX Amsterdam, near the flower market. It is open daily from 12:00 to 22:30, for lunch and dinner. There are three rijsttafels, ordered for the whole table: Kuning at €31.50, Batara at €36.50 and Sampurna at €41.50 per person, all available vegetarian or vegan. Walk-ins are welcome, but the restaurant suggests calling ahead at busy times; it does not take large groups. A second, more intimate restaurant opens for dinner from 17:00 at Lijnbaansgracht 161 A, 1016 VX, in the Jordaan, with the same rijsttafels and space for groups of up to 30.
Indrapura (Rembrandtplein)
Indrapura, Rembrandtplein 40, 1017 CV Amsterdam, has served Indonesian food for more than thirty years on one of the centre's nightlife squares. It is open daily from 12:00 to 22:30; the bar stays open until 3:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. There are three rijsttafels, for a minimum of two people: Purnama at €37.50, Nusantara at €44.50 and Indrapura at €59.50 per person, the most expensive with lobster and rack of lamb. All are available vegetarian or vegan. Book online; groups of 9 or more should email the restaurant. Trams 4 and 14, Rembrandtplein stop.
Blauw (Oud-Zuid)
Blauw, Amstelveenseweg 158-160, 1075 XN Amsterdam, in Amsterdam-Zuid away from the tourist centre, is an Indonesian restaurant with a second branch in Utrecht; its menu lists exactly what goes into each rijsttafel. It opens every evening: 17:00 to 22:00 Sunday to Thursday, until 22:30 on Fridays and Saturdays; it is closed on 25 and 26 December and from 31 December to 2 January. Rijsttafels are for two people or more: Vegan Rasa at €42, Ikan Rasa (fish) at €44, Selera (meat) at €46 and Authentiek (meat, fish and vegetables, 16 items) at €48 per person. A €58.50 per person menu adds Indonesian street-food bites and a dessert. Book online for up to 6 people, by email for larger parties.
Dèsa (De Pijp)
Dèsa, Ceintuurbaan 103-H, 1072 EX Amsterdam, is a neighbourhood restaurant in De Pijp, a few minutes' walk from the Albert Cuyp market. It is open daily from 17:00 to 21:30. It has the cheapest rijsttafel in this selection: Rijsttafel Desa at €28.90 per person (eleven items) and Rijsttafel Vegetarisch at €26.90, for a minimum of two people. Online booking requests are only confirmed if sent before 17:00; without a booking, the team will try to find you a table.
Café Jakarta (Java-eiland)
Café Jakarta is the restaurant of Hotel Jakarta, Javakade 766, 1019 SH Amsterdam, at the tip of Java-eiland in the Eastern Islands. The setting is fitting: ships for the Indies used to leave from these quays. The kitchen mixes Indonesian and Western dishes, served daily from 12:00 to 22:30. The Table Jakarta, a two-course tasting of Indonesian dishes ordered for the whole table, costs €42 per person (€48 with dessert); the plant-based Table Jakarta Sayur costs €39 (€45 with dessert). The dining room can be booked online; the terrace on the IJ cannot be reserved.
Summary: rijsttafels compared
| Restaurant | Area | Rijsttafel per person | Meat-free option | Opening | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sampurna, Singel 498 | Centre (flower market) | €31.50 to €41.50 | All, vegetarian or vegan | Daily, 12:00-22:30 | Online, or walk in |
| Sampurna, Lijnbaansgracht 161 A | Jordaan | €31.50 to €41.50 | All, vegetarian or vegan | Daily, from 17:00 | Groups up to 30 |
| Indrapura | Rembrandtplein | €37.50 to €59.50 (min. 2 people) | All, vegetarian or vegan | Daily, 12:00-22:30 | Online |
| Blauw | Oud-Zuid | €42 to €48 (min. 2 people) | Vegan Rasa, €42 | Every evening, from 17:00 | Online up to 6 |
| Dèsa | De Pijp | €26.90 to €28.90 (min. 2 people) | Vegetarisch, €26.90 | Daily, 17:00-21:30 | Online before 17:00 |
| Café Jakarta | Java-eiland | €39 to €42 (€45 to €48 with dessert) | Table Jakarta Sayur, €39 | Daily, 12:00-22:30 | Online (not the terrace) |
Prices found in October 2026 on the restaurants' official websites, drinks not included.
Simpler: nasi goreng, satay, gado-gado and rames
On your own, in a hurry or on a tight budget, order a single dish. All Indonesian restaurants serve them à la carte:
- Nasi goreng and bami goreng: fried rice or noodles, often with chicken or prawns, an egg, pickles and kroepoek. At Sampurna, nasi goreng java costs €22.50.
- Satay (saté): chicken skewers (ayam) with peanut sauce, beef or goat (kambing) with sweet soy sauce; three chicken skewers cost €8.90 at Sampurna.
- Gado-gado: blanched vegetables, egg, tofu or tempeh covered in peanut sauce, the most common vegetarian dish; €16.50 at Indrapura, €17.50 at Sampurna.
- Rames (or nasi rames): a plate of rice with small portions of a few rijsttafel dishes. It is the "rijsttafel for one", the classic toko dish.
Tokos and takeaway
Tokos are Indonesian grocery shops that also sell ready-cooked dishes to take away: the cheapest way to try Indonesian food, to eat on a bench by a canal or back at your hotel.
- Toko Bersama has three branches open every day: Bilderdijkstraat 116 (Oud-West, 12:00 to 21:30), Van Woustraat 86 (De Pijp, 12:00 to 20:00) and Eerste Van Swindenstraat 423 (Oost, 12:00 to 20:00). A rames plate costs €15.50 (€14.95 vegetarian), a gado-gado €9.95, and takeaway rijsttafels start at €31.95 for the mini version.
- Toko Ramee, Ferdinand Bolstraat 74, in De Pijp, has been in business for more than fifty years. Its kitchen makes Indonesian and Chinese-Indonesian dishes, from a full rijsttafel to gado-gado, and the shop sells sambals, spices and snacks. Open Tuesday to Friday 11:00 to 18:30 and Saturday 11:00 to 18:00; closed Sunday and Monday.
- Blauw also sells its dishes to take away, Wednesday to Sunday from 16:00 to 20:00.
Practical tips
- Book at weekends: the rijsttafel is a popular evening meal with locals and visitors alike. For Friday and Saturday evenings, book a few days ahead.
- Opening hours: kitchens close early, between 21:30 (Dèsa) and 22:30 (Sampurna, Indrapura, Café Jakarta). Arrive before 20:00 to enjoy a meal that takes its time.
- Payment and tipping: bank cards are the usual way to pay; Sampurna also takes cash and American Express. Service is included; local customs are explained in our guide to money, payment and tipping in Amsterdam.
- Spice: if in doubt, ask for a mild version ("niet te pittig") and taste the sambal before adding it.
- Leftovers: portions are generous; ask to take home what is left.
Further reading
To choose a place by the area where you are staying or sightseeing, see our guide to where to eat in Amsterdam. For the other specialities to try, from herring to stroopwafels, read what to eat in Amsterdam. And to put the rijsttafel in context, plan a visit to the Wereldmuseum.
