Elsa's Homemade

Elsa's Homemade serves cheap, filling Dutch classics with a Mediterranean twist onboard De Feniks, a passenger boat moored in Amsterdam during the winter.

Elsa's Homemade is a winter restaurant in all senses of the word. Located in the cosy galley of De Feniks (The Phoenix), a passenger boat that is moored between Central Station and NEMO science centre, it is only open from October to March and serves up warm comfort food.

Climbing down from the deck into the restaurant is like entering someone’s living room. There are only a handful of tables, a stack of newspapers if you want to catch up on the news and a green parrot sits grooming itself and squawking occasionally on a perch in the corner.

Elsa, after whom the restaurant is named, cooks up Dutch classics with a Mediterranean flavour. Dishes include chunky pumpkin soup, pork cutlet with potato gratin, fish baked with thyme and lemon and beef stew with homemade apple puree. The menu, which can be found online, changes daily and is inspired by whatever Elsa finds at the market. This means it is predominantly based on fresh, seasonal ingredients.

The food at Elsa's Homemade is by no means fancy, but it is wholesome; and with a price tag of €15 for a starter and a main, it wins points for value. Coffee and tea are free and unlimited and homemade cakes are available for dessert for €2 extra.

There's no alcohol licence at Elsa's Homemade, so it’s bring your own beer and wine but there's no corkage fee. Special diets can be catered for if indicated in advance.