Restaurant in Amstelveen, Netherlands
Plant-forward South African cooking, serious wine list.
SAAM is Amstelveen's most distinctive tasting menu: a Michelin Plate restaurant (2024, 2025) built around Chef Jasper Hermans's South African culinary roots and a plant-forward philosophy recognised by the We're Smart Green Guide. At €€€ with a 4.8 Google rating (189 reviews) and Star Wine List recognition in 2025 and 2026, it earns its price. Book if a focused, identity-driven tasting format appeals.
A 4.8 on Google across 189 reviews is a number worth pausing on. For a €€€ restaurant in Amstelveen, that score represents genuine consistency, not a honeymoon bump. SAAM earns it through a tightly focused plant-forward tasting format built on South African culinary roots — a combination you will not find at any other table in the Netherlands at this price tier. If you are planning a serious dinner in Amstelveen and want something with a distinct culinary identity rather than another European tasting menu, book SAAM. If you need à la carte flexibility or a lower price ceiling, look elsewhere first.
SAAM sits at Amstelzijde 59 in Amstelveen, a city that punches above its weight for serious dining given its proximity to Amsterdam. The restaurant is the project of Chef Jasper Hermans, whose cooking draws directly from South African culinary traditions — an influence that gives SAAM its most distinctive quality: a menu architecture that feels genuinely unlike the Nordic-influenced tasting menus that dominate Dutch fine dining at this tier.
The tasting experience here is built around restraint. Where many €€€ tasting menus in the Netherlands reach for complexity through layered technique or elaborate garnish, SAAM's philosophy is to focus each course on a small number of key ingredients and let those ingredients carry the progression. The We're Smart Green Guide recognised this discipline, noting that the plant-forward philosophy aligns with their standards and welcoming SAAM into their movement , a credential that carries weight if vegetable-driven cooking is important to your decision. Michelin awarded the restaurant a Plate in both 2024 and 2025, confirming that the kitchen is operating at a level worth the attention of serious diners, even if the full star has not yet followed.
The pure plant menu is the clearest expression of what SAAM does at its sharpest. It is not a concession to dietary preference , it is a structural pillar of the kitchen's identity. South African culinary influence shapes the flavour logic: ingredients that carry earthiness, brightness, and depth in combinations that feel rooted in a specific food culture rather than assembled for novelty. For explorers who travel to eat and want a tasting format that reflects a genuine point of view, SAAM delivers that in a way that Aan de Poel , technically accomplished but more classically European , does not.
Wine program adds a second layer of specificity. Star Wine List recognised SAAM in both 2025 and 2026, which for a restaurant of this size and setting is a meaningful signal. The South African wine list is not a gimmick , it is the logical extension of the kitchen's identity, and it gives the pairing experience a coherence that generic European wine lists at comparable restaurants rarely achieve. If wine matters to your dinner, the list here is worth engaging seriously rather than defaulting to by-the-glass.
Recent evolution at SAAM has moved in the direction of deeper commitment to plant-forward cooking, with the We're Smart Green Guide recognition arriving in a period when the kitchen appears to have sharpened its identity rather than broadened it. This is the right direction for a restaurant whose strength lies in focus. The Michelin Plate returning for a second consecutive year in 2025 suggests that the quality floor has held and, if anything, the kitchen is building toward the kind of consistency that precedes a star conversation.
The atmosphere has been described as charming , a quality that matters at this price tier because €€€ dining in the Netherlands can tip toward sterile formality. SAAM apparently avoids that. The room supports the food rather than competing with it, which makes it a genuine candidate for a special occasion dinner where the conversation matters as much as the cooking. For Amsterdam visitors willing to make the short trip to Amstelveen, SAAM offers a tasting format that stands apart from what you will find at comparable price points in the city itself , including Ciel Bleu, which delivers more classical French luxury but less culinary distinctiveness at the €€€€ level.
For context within the broader Dutch fine dining circuit: SAAM sits in interesting company. De Nieuwe Winkel in Nijmegen operates at the high end of vegetable-driven cooking in the Netherlands, with Michelin recognition and a more maximalist approach to plant cuisine. SAAM's South African framework gives it a different reference point entirely , less about Dutch seasonal produce, more about a distinct culinary tradition applied to the tasting format. Internationally, the format shares a philosophical kinship with places like Lazy Bear in San Francisco, where a strong point-of-view drives the progression rather than technical virtuosity alone.
Booking is direct by the standards of Michelin-recognised restaurants in the Netherlands. You are not fighting a release date or a weeks-long waitlist. Plan ahead, particularly for weekend evenings, but this is a table you can generally secure with reasonable notice.
Booking difficulty is low relative to comparable Michelin-recognised restaurants. Reserve in advance for weekend dinners. No booking method is specified in the venue record , check the restaurant's own channels directly. Address: Amstelzijde 59, 1184 TZ Amstelveen.
Quick reference: €€€ · South African · plant-forward tasting menu · Amstelveen · Michelin Plate 2024–2025 · Star Wine List 2025–2026 · 4.8 Google (189 reviews) · booking difficulty: easy.
Bar seating details are not confirmed in the available venue data. Given SAAM's tasting menu format, the full experience is almost certainly designed for table dining rather than bar or counter service. Contact the restaurant directly before planning a bar visit.
Yes, with a clear caveat: SAAM works well for occasions where the food itself is the centrepiece. The €€€ price tier, Michelin Plate recognition, and a tasting format built around a coherent culinary identity give the dinner a sense of occasion that generic special-occasion restaurants at this price point rarely match. The atmosphere has been described as charming rather than stiff, which helps. If your group wants a more celebratory, service-forward experience, Aan de Poel at €€€€ offers more classical luxury , but at a higher price.
The pure plant menu is the clearest expression of what SAAM does leading. Chef Jasper Hermans built the restaurant's identity around plant-forward cooking with South African roots, and the We're Smart Green Guide recognised it specifically for this. Pair it with the South African wine list, which earned Star Wine List recognition in both 2025 and 2026 , the pairing is designed to be coherent, not incidental. Specific dish details are not available in the venue record; ask the kitchen what is driving the current menu when you book.
At €€€, SAAM is worth it if tasting menus with a genuine culinary point of view are your format. The 4.8 Google rating across 189 reviews, back-to-back Michelin Plates, and dual Star Wine List recognition suggest the kitchen is delivering consistently at this price tier. For comparison, Bistro Toost at €€ is a lower-stakes option if budget is the primary filter , but SAAM is operating at a meaningfully different level of ambition and execution.
The plant menu signals a kitchen that takes vegetable-forward eating seriously as a structural commitment, not an afterthought. If you eat plants only, SAAM is likely one of the more genuinely accommodating options at this price tier in the area. For specific allergen or dietary needs beyond plant-based, contact the restaurant directly , no formal dietary policy is available in the venue record.
For a step up in price and classical technique, Aan de Poel at €€€€ is the obvious move , more formal, more service-intensive, and a different culinary register entirely. For a lower-spend evening, Bistro Toost at €€ offers Modern French cooking without the tasting menu format. Amber Garden at €€€ covers Chinese cuisine if you want to stay at a similar price tier with a completely different flavour profile. Ron Gastrobar Indonesia at €€ is the pick if Indonesian food and a more relaxed spend are the goal.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAAM restaurant | €€€ · South African | €€€ | Star Wine List (2026); Star Wine List (2025); Saam is a project Chef Jasper Hermans brings a cuisine inspired by South African roots. And yes, this includes a fantastic pure plant menu! It’s a great place with a lovely atmosphere and creations that always focus on a few key ingredients. Saam has a charm that many restaurants can envy. The plant-forward philosophy aligns perfectly with what We’re Smart Green Guide is looking for, so welcome to our movement! And while you’re there, don’t forget to enjoy some delicious South African wines, of course!; Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | Easy | — |
| Aan de Poel | €€€€ · Creative | €€€€ | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| Bistro Toost | €€ · Modern French | €€ | Unknown | — | |
| Amber Garden | €€€ · Chinese | €€€ | Unknown | — | |
| Ron Gastrobar Indonesia | €€ · Indonesian | €€ | Unknown | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
No bar seating is documented for SAAM. The restaurant's format centres on Chef Jasper Hermans' tasting menu experience at table, so walk-in counter dining is not a realistic option here. check the venue's official channels via its booking channel to clarify seating configurations before you visit.
Yes, and it earns that position on merit rather than just atmosphere. A Michelin Plate (2024 and 2025), Star Wine List recognition in both 2025 and 2026, and a 4.8 Google score across 189 reviews give SAAM the credentials to anchor a celebration dinner. The South African-rooted menu with a dedicated plant option also means the table does not need to share a single format, which matters for group occasions.
The plant menu is the most distinctive thing on the table at SAAM — We're Smart Green Guide singled it out, and it reflects Chef Jasper Hermans' genuine commitment rather than a box-ticking add-on. The South African wine list holds Star Wine List status for two consecutive years, so lean into the wine pairing rather than treating it as optional.
At €€€ in Amstelveen rather than central Amsterdam, SAAM prices sit below what you'd pay for equivalent Michelin-recognised cooking in the city. The back-to-back Michelin Plate recognition and Star Wine List status both support the ask, and a 4.8 Google average across nearly 200 reviews suggests the kitchen delivers consistently. For the price bracket, it holds up.
Plant-based diners are explicitly accommodated: SAAM runs a dedicated pure plant menu, not just a substitution on request. We're Smart Green Guide recognised this as a genuine programme. For other dietary needs beyond plant-based, contact the restaurant ahead of your reservation — no further detail is on record.
Aan de Poel is the nearest comparison for formal fine dining in Amstelveen, holding a Michelin star and pitching at a higher price and formality level than SAAM. Bistro Toost and Amber Garden offer lower price points if €€€ is more than the occasion calls for. Ron Gastrobar Indonesia, further into the Amsterdam orbit, is worth considering if you want a different cuisine format at a comparable spend.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
