The White Room by Jacob Jan Boerma

Worth a return visit; and the room holds up on both counts

If you have been to The White Room before, come back expecting the same grand dining room and a kitchen that has sharpened rather than shifted. Chef Tristan de Boer continues the technical line established under Jacob Jan Boerma's name, the result is one of Amsterdam's most precisely executed French menus; better suited to diners who want classical technique with occasional daring than to those chasing novelty for its own sake. At the €€€€ tier, this is a serious commitment, but the cooking justifies it for the right diner.

The Room Itself

The dining room inside the Anantara Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky Amsterdam dates to 1885, the atmosphere rewards those who pay attention to it. The energy here is composed rather than buzzy: low conversation, the soft movement of a well-drilled floor team, a room dressed in gold accents that sit closer to restrained grandeur than to ostentation. This is not a loud room. If you want energy and noise after 9 PM, look elsewhere. If you want a setting that makes a long dinner feel like an occasion, this delivers.

What the Kitchen Does Well

The editorial angle here is technical precision in a classical French tradition, that is where The White Room earns its reputation. The kitchen works with dry-aged proteins, house-reduced jus, produce sourced from Dutch soil, threading fresh citrus and exotic spice into a framework that is fundamentally classical. The young chef's approach is to demonstrate command of technique first, then introduce contrast, floral garnishes, fermented elements, or daring spice combinations, rather than lead with the concept. Compared to Ciel Bleu, where the creative architecture of a dish tends to drive the experience, The White Room is more grounded in classical execution. Which you prefer depends on whether you want to be surprised or satisfied.

Wine program is a genuine reason to book here rather than at a peer venue. Wine Director Frederico Figueiredo oversees a list of 6,230 bottles with 475 selections, with particular strength in Burgundy and France broadly. Wine pricing is mid-range for a room at this level, the list has breadth at multiple price points, not just at the leading end. A €60 corkage fee applies if you bring your own. For a food-and-wine explorer, this list is one of the better reasons to choose The White Room over Bolenius or De Kas, neither of which matches it in cellar depth. The restaurant was also published on Star Wine List in December 2023, a meaningful signal of wine program credibility.

When to Go

White Room opens Wednesday through Friday for dinner (6 PM–11 PM), adds a Saturday lunch service (noon–4 PM) alongside dinner, closes Sunday through Tuesday. If you want flexibility, Saturday lunch is the more accessible entry point and tends to feel slightly less formal than Friday or Saturday dinner. The current dinner-only weeknight schedule means this is leading planned rather than spontaneous. Booking is rated easy, you are unlikely to face the multi-week wait common at top-tier Amsterdam restaurants, but do not leave it to the day before for a weekend table.

White Room holds an Opinionated About Dining Classical ranking of #460 in Europe (2025), which places it in a respected but not elite tier within the continental classical category. That is an honest signal: this is a very good room with a credible wine program and precise cooking, not a destination that requires planning a trip around it. For visitors to Amsterdam who want one serious dinner, it competes well. For diners planning a Netherlands fine-dining circuit, pair it with De Librije in Zwolle or Aan de Poel in Amstelveen for a fuller picture of what the country's leading kitchens are doing.

Pearl Picks, Also Consider

• Lars Amsterdam, for a different register of Amsterdam fine dining
• Restaurant Showw, if you want something more contemporary in approach
• Restaurant Bougainville, another strong option in Amsterdam's upper tier
• Flore, €€€€ contemporary for a contrast in style
• De Librije in Zwolle, if you are building a Dutch fine-dining itinerary
• 't Nonnetje in Harderwijk, classical Dutch cooking worth the detour
• Parkheuvel in Rotterdam, €€€€ Modern Cuisine if Rotterdam fits your route
• Inter Scaldes in Kruiningen, €€€€ Modern Cuisine for a regional contrast

For more options, see our full Amsterdam restaurants guide, our Amsterdam hotels guide, our Amsterdam bars guide, our Amsterdam wineries guide, and our Amsterdam experiences guide.