Senses

If You've Been Before, Go Back — Senses Has Changed

If your first visit to Senses was under the previous kitchen, what you experienced then bears little resemblance to what's being served now. Chef Renaud Goigoux has reoriented the restaurant entirely around vegetables and plant-based cooking, Michelin's guide has taken notice — awarding a Plate in both 2024 and 2025, while the Radish rating jumped from 1 to 4 in a single move. That kind of recognition from two separate Michelin frameworks tells you something meaningful: the food here is worth the trip to Vijzelstraat in central Amsterdam.

For a returning diner, the decision to rebook is easy. The pure plant menu is always available, not a seasonal offering, not a special-request workaround, but a permanent fixture of the kitchen's identity. If you came before and found the menu interesting but not fully committed to a direction, that uncertainty is gone. Senses now has a point of view, it shows on the plate.

Vegetables as the Main Event, Not the Supporting Act

The editorial angle at Senses is ingredient sourcing, it's the right lens for understanding what Goigoux is doing here. Modern cuisine restaurants at the €€€ price point often use vegetables as garnish or accent. At Senses, sourcing decisions are the menu. The pure plant offering is built around what can be coaxed from careful ingredient selection rather than protein anchors, which means the quality of what arrives at the kitchen matters at every step, not just at the centrepiece.

This approach demands more from the kitchen technically, because there's no high-grade protein to carry a dish if the vegetable preparation falls short. For diners who have previously dismissed plant-based menus as nutritionally worthy but gastronomically dull, Senses is the counterargument in Amsterdam.

The scent profile of a kitchen working primarily with vegetables, ferments, herb preparations is distinct from a meat-forward kitchen, earthier, more botanical, with the kind of aromatic complexity that comes from stock-making with roots and skins rather than bones. If you're seated near the kitchen pass or at a table where the service flow brings dishes through the dining room open, that sensory layer is part of the experience before the food arrives.

How to Approach a Return Visit

If you've already worked through the plant menu in a previous iteration, the question on a return visit is whether the menu has evolved. Given the kitchen's stated focus on vegetable-first cooking and the momentum behind Goigoux's tenure, the reasonable expectation is that the menu moves with season and sourcing, which means a return visit three to six months out is likely to show real variation. At €€€ pricing, that's the kind of rotation that justifies revisiting rather than treating the first meal as definitive.

For Amsterdam's broader modern cuisine scene, Senses sits at an interesting position. It's more affordable than Ciel Bleu or Flore, both of which operate at €€€€, and it carries a clearer thematic identity than many restaurants in its tier. If you're coming from outside Amsterdam and want to anchor a dining itinerary around the city's most purposeful kitchens, Senses belongs in that conversation alongside Sinne and Bistro Féline.

The address at Vijzelstraat 45, 1017 HE Amsterdam puts the restaurant in the heart of the city, easily reachable by tram from most central Amsterdam locations. Booking is rated easy, which is a practical advantage in a city where Spectrum and other higher-profile rooms can require weeks of forward planning. If you want a same-week reservation at a Michelin-recognised kitchen in Amsterdam, this is one of the more accessible options.

The Wider Picture: Netherlands Plant-Forward Cooking

The Netherlands has produced some serious plant-forward kitchens at the leading end. De Nieuwe Winkel in Nijmegen operates at two Michelin stars with a full vegetable tasting menu and is widely considered the benchmark for this format in the country. Senses isn't competing at that level yet, but the Radish trajectory and the Michelin Plate recognition suggest a kitchen that's moving with genuine ambition rather than trend-chasing. For Amsterdam specifically, the combination of central location, accessible booking, €€€ pricing makes Senses the most practical entry point for this style of cooking in the city.

If you're building a broader Netherlands dining itinerary, note that the plant-forward approach Senses is pursuing has parallels in restaurants across the country at various price points. De Librije in Zwolle and Inter Scaldes in Kruiningen operate at the very best of the country's fine dining register if you're extending the trip. Closer to Amsterdam, Aan de Poel in Amstelveen offers a different modern cuisine perspective at a comparable price tier.

For diners exploring the country more widely, De Lindenhof in Giethoorn, Tribeca in Heeze, Basiliek in Harderwijk, and De Swarte Ruijter in Holten each represent regional modern cuisine worth planning around if Amsterdam is a starting point rather than the whole itinerary.

Pearl's full guides to Amsterdam restaurants, Amsterdam hotels, Amsterdam bars, Amsterdam wineries, and Amsterdam experiences cover the full picture if you're planning a longer stay.

The Verdict

Book Senses if: you want a Michelin-recognised kitchen in Amsterdam at €€€ pricing, you're interested in serious plant-based cooking rather than token vegetarian options, or you've been before and want to see what the new direction delivers. The Radish score jump from 1 to 4 under the current chef is the single most compelling reason to give this restaurant a serious look.