Luden

Decided to stop in here after a 3 hour bike ride. Has a good menu with different options both traditional Dutch specialties and typical fare — hamburgers, sandwiches, steaks etc.
Also had some local beers which I engulfed — the double — a strong beer at 6.5 alcohol. Had the Kroketten — veal croquettes — they were delicious ! Friendly service and nice ambiance.

Menu seems serviceable if generic, but not many vegetarian options for a broad-​appeal touristy place and mediocre fries. My vegetarian burger came with brie, which was unusual, but the patties were super-​dry and bland. I probably should have stuck to meat-​based dishes. Service was maybe a little slow but pretty typical of what we’ve experienced in the Netherlands.

Our first day in Amsterdam (5÷4÷2015) and we woke up super late but refreshed after our long flight. With over half the day already gone, we were starving and just wanted some food before exploring what we could. Walked around a bit and settled here since it had good reviews on TripAdvisor and looked pretty quaint. Bar in the center of the restaurant. A few tables outside are available with lots more seating inside. Bathrooms are located upstairs via a very narrow staircase.
Grolsch Vaasje 2,60 €
Chaudfontaine: (2,35 €) Still water
Geitenskaas: (10,50) Goat’s cheese salad au gratin with a honey-​thyme dressing, olives, walnuts and apple
Friandise: (7,50 €)
3 Course: 28,50 €
1. Runder Carpaccio: (10,50) Thin sliced fillet of beef with pine nuts, Grana Padano, truffle-​mayonnaise and salad
2. Biefstuk Kruid: Fillet of beef served with vegetables and roseval potoatoes. Choice between pepper sauce or herb butter
3. Hollands kaasplankje: (+2 €) Dutch cheesplatter served with rye bread and fig compôte
BF was still sleepy and not very hungry, so he got the salad. He seemed to enjoy it. I was starving since I was awake longer than him and had the Beef Fillet. I thought the herb butter would be melted when it came out with the beef but it was a huge hockey puck on top of the meat. I don’t like butter typically so that was even more off putting. The beef fillet was fine with out the butter anyways. BF wanted to end the meal with a cheese plate so I ordered it with my 3-​course meal and my BF ordered a sweets platter. The cheese came out on a huge board with a good variety of cheeses. Loved the fig compote. We couldn’t finish everything though. The sweets weren’t that appetizing unfortunately. Espresso wasn’t too bitter and came with a cookie.
Service was just ok as it was hard to get a waiter’s attention when we needed something. Food took a long time to come out. Only when dinner rush started did the food start coming out faster. Nothing to go out of your way to eat at.

Not good! In fact, borderline bad! Tourist trap. Pricey for the quality of food that they serve. The service is so slow. So slow. It took them an hour, ONE HOUR, to bring us the appetizer! When our drinks were finished, no one asked if we wanted anything else to drink. I ordered a burger, it was not edible. Their pork tenderloin, which is listed as one of their classic meals, was so bland and average at best. We walked in here out of complete desperation when every restaurant we found to be decent on Unilocal and TripAdvisor were closed on a Friday evening. This was in front of us and was open so we walked in thinking we should be able to find something to eat! WRONG! The decoration and the set up is very cute. But do not fall for it…

Came here for lunch, had a beautiful soup and some krokkets.
Nothing fancy, good portions, very tasty meal. Price was also reasonable. I’d totally recommend it if you are into trying something local.

During a nice walk on a sunny Sunday afternoon I stopped at Luden for a quick bite. What I did not expect was a cozy place and a warm welcome, and let’s not forget about the delicious food!
I ordered a club sandwich with smoked salmon, cucumber and salad, with an avocado dip: delicious!
Highly recommended, especially for the typical Dutch croquettes. Next time I will come around I will definitely treat myself with some dessert.

My colleagues and I stumbled upon this place one evening for dinner, after a conference in the university. We didn’t know what was good and what wasn’t in the area, and since this place was open and the menu looked enticing, we tried it.
I ordered the spare ribs, which was not in the menu, but was offered in the chalkboards. I wasn’t expecting much since this is dead center in a high tourist traffic area, so I thought it was a tourist trap, but the spare ribs were rather well prepared. The meat just fell off the bones, and it was very tasty.
I don’t live in Amsterdam, so I don’t think I’ll be back here any time soon, but if there is a chance, if I don’t feel like exploring other parts of the city, this would be definitely one choice I would consider.

They have very broad menu for breakfast/​lunch/​dinner. The location is spacious, so there is a high chance to get the table for oneself, if all other places are full. The food is good as well

Luden Brasserie
Spuisstraat 304, Amsterdam
310 206 228 979
«Service beyond the call of duty»
Cute, charming, and classy place near Amsterdam University
Can get crowded; take trams 1, 2, or 5 to the Spui area
They promote Grolsch beers
Very good pasta bologna
Nice mixed salad and cheeseburger with bacon & grilled onions
Excellent food service
Special commendation: we had lots of pasta left over and told the waitress we wanted to take it with us. She hesitated at first and said that she didn’t have a «to go» container, but then said wait a minute and that she would take care of it. Later that night we found out that she had put the leftover pasta in a real porcelain bowl and wrapped it up in the aluminum foil. [we, of course, returned the bowl the next day and thanked the wonderful woman]

So there are two sides to the restaurant: the brasserie and the restaurant. There is a considerable difference in price and food between the two but the quality is the same — excellent. At the brasserie I had a mackerel salad and a pint of Grolsch, both delicious. A couple days later, my girlfriend and I went to the restaurant side, where I had their veal and some kind of wine (I’m not a wine drinker but it went with the meal). The veal was tender and delicious; the wine was… just wine. The waiter was incredibly nice in the way that most Dutch people are, and assisted us when there was a spontaneous downpour outside (how does it rain sideways?) that very nearly soaked us through.

This review is for the brasserie as I didn’t make reservations for the restaurant side («hint hint!»)
Luden Brasserie serves up some pretty good food at a fair price. I would recommend to not order their pasta, as my wife’s dish was not very good at all. However, their Fish stews and daily soups are really well done, lots of seafood and hits the spot on a cold night in October. The hamburger was quite good too and would recommend it if you were harking for some more American style-​fare.
Staff was attentive and won’t rush you out after your meal is done. This is a good place for some casual dining and I would come back on my next trip to Amsterdam.