A Beautiful Mess Amsterdam
A Beautiful Mess Amsterdam - terrace on the Oosterdok waterfront
Key charistaristics:
Max. capacity sit down:
140
Number of (semi)private areas:
4
Type of cuisine:
Middle Eastern, African, Halal
Location:
Amsterdam
Area:
City center, Waterfront
A Beautiful Mess Amsterdam is a Middle Eastern and African sharing-food restaurant on the Oosterdok waterfront, on the ground floor of the Booking.com headquarters and a five-minute walk from Amsterdam Centraal. Its mezze-style menu is prepared by chefs from across the Middle East, East Africa and beyond, and every dish on the menu is halal, with an extensive vegetarian and vegan selection.
The restaurant is run by a social enterprise that trains people who have sought refuge in the Netherlands, giving corporate groups a distinctive, purpose-driven venue alongside the water view over the IJ and Nemo.
Meetings & events
Beyond the main restaurant floor, A Beautiful Mess Amsterdam has several dedicated spaces available for private hire, and the whole location can also be booked as an exclusive buyout.
- Restaurant (saj-oven dining room): up to 140 seated
- Event space: up to 90 seated / 100 standing (102 m²), fitted with a full AV system, for conferences, presentations and parties
- Reception area: up to 40 seated or 60 standing
- Terrace with a view of the IJ: up to 100 guests
- Cooking studio: up to 30 guests, for workshops, private dinners or meetings
- Two meeting rooms: up to 12 and 10 guests
- Whole-venue buyout (restaurant, event space, terrace and meeting rooms): up to 300 guests
Opening hours:
Monday: 12:00-23:00
Tuesday-Saturday: 11:00-23:00
Sunday: 11:00-19:00 (no dinner service)
A Beautiful Mess Amsterdam serves a sharing-style "mezze" menu, with dishes rooted in Levantine, Mediterranean and East African cuisine and recipes from the chefs' home countries, including Syria, Iran, Yemen, Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, Afghanistan and Palestine. All dishes are halal-certified, with extensive vegetarian and vegan options.
Sample dishes
- Classic hummus with a crispy sesame topping
- Muhammara - roasted red pepper dip with walnuts and pomegranate molasses
- Fattoush and tabbouleh salads
- Musakhan - stewed chicken with sumac onions and almonds, rolled in flatbread
- Tsebhi Dorho - Eritrean chicken stew in a mildly spicy tomato sauce
- Spiced kofte of ground lamb and beef with a tahini sauce
- Kanafa Nabulsi - warm melted cheese and filo pastry dessert with pistachio and honey syrup
For groups of 10 or more, a fixed group menu of shared mezze is available, alongside set dinner and lunch packages.
Example menu: