Corner of Weteringstraat, near the Rijksmuseum
Natural wine by the glass and bottle
A short, well-chosen list
Our Take on Buffet van Odette
Buffet van Odette sits on the corner of Prinsengracht and Weteringstraat, in the southern stretch of the canal belt a short walk from the Rijksmuseum and the antiques quarter around Spiegelgracht. Odette Rigterink started the kitchen in 1994, selling homemade food from a bicycle, and moved the room to this 17th century canal house in 2011.
The room itself is the appeal. Heavy linen curtains, natural tones, and custom wooden furniture make it feel domestic rather than designed, and the terrace on the water is one of the better daytime seats in this part of town. I amsterdam files it as a restaurant, but the natural-wine app Raisin lists Buffet as both a bar and a restaurant, which is the honest read.
The menu pairs regular classics with changing seasonal plates and a list of fine natural wines. The kitchen leans on long-standing local suppliers, Lindenhoff and Frank's Smokehouse among them, and the truffle cheese omelet is the dish reviewers keep coming back for. Come for a slow glass and a plate by the canal. Skip it if you want a late-night bar, the energy here is daytime and early evening.
The bicycle origin still reads in the cooking. Odette sold homemade food before the kitchen ever had a door, and the same care shows in the small things, Bocca coffee and Bakkerij Hartog bread set beside the wine. It is the kind of detail that keeps locals on the terrace past one glass, and the reason brunch here books out on a sunny Saturday.
For more rooms in this mould, see our guide to Amsterdam's canal-side bars, the full Amsterdam wine bars list, and our pick of the best bars for wine lovers.
The Move at Buffet van Odette
The Word on the Canal
- Yelp reviewers single out the omelets and the canal terrace, calling it a weekend-brunch favourite that locals guard rather than a tourist stop.
- Raisin's natural-wine community lists Buffet as a place to drink low-intervention bottles, which puts it in the natural-wine circuit rather than the general-restaurant crowd.
- The recurring note in guides is the room, a 17th century canal house kept warm and personal, that reads as someone's home more than a restaurant floor.
Read the Room
- A slow weekend brunch with a glass of natural wine on the water
- A daytime date that wants a canal terrace over a loud bar
- Skip it for a late night, the room runs on a lunch-and-early-evening rhythm
When To Visit Buffet van Odette
Buffet runs on a daytime rhythm. Lunch opens at noon and dinner from 5:30pm, and the sunniest seats are the canal-side terrace tables that go first on a clear weekend. For brunch, a Saturday or Sunday booking is close to essential once the sun is out.
For a quieter glass, a weekday late afternoon is the move. The terrace is calmer, the kitchen has room, and a single natural-wine pour with a plate stretches into the golden hour without a wait.
The Room
