Thai Food in Amsterdam with a Story 🇹🇭 🇳🇱

I am doing it again. I am shamelessly promoting my sister’s Thai restaurant in Amsterdam and I feel absolutely no guilt about it. When your family runs a place that survived six years in one of the toughest industries in the world you promote it. When that same restaurant kept its doors open through a pandemic we all prefer to forget — you promote it twice.

Restaurant Thai Thai Poppetje has become a little universe of its own in Amsterdam West. My sister, her husband, and my mother have poured their energy into every plate that leaves the kitchen. They began this journey six years ago with nothing but hard work and a head full of recipes. Today the restaurant is still buzzing and growing and I cannot pretend to be neutral about it.

The dishes are based on recipes inspired by my mother who spent her entire life in restaurants — first in Thailand, then in Switzerland. Now her ideas and flavours are alive in Amsterdam. You can taste her experience in every bite and if you know her you also taste her stubbornness and absolute refusal to cut corners. She cooks with a seriousness that scares some people and comforts others.

I visited Thai Thai Poppetje recently and it honestly felt good to be back. I had a red curry with jasmine rice and duck, shown in the first picture. You know I love wild game and this combination was perfect for me. Rich curry. Tender duck. A plate that makes you pause for a moment. In the picture below you can see the dish my mother chose. A tofu-based khao soi. Northern Thai. Coconut curry. A warm bowl that always reminds me of home.

You might think I’m biased. Fair enough. But this is not only me talking. Major publications and respected food critics have already given their stamp of approval.

“Thai Thai Poppetje is het beste Thaise restaurant in Amsterdam.” — that’s how food critic Mara Grimm described it for Het Parool.

“Hartverwarmend en vrolijkmakend” — that’s how De Volkskrant described it in a recent review.

Then there’s the glowing piece by De Westkrant, calling the food “sensationeel” and praising the genuine Bangkok-style flavours brought to Amsterdam by my mother.

And the blog-style review from Barts Boekje, from when Thai Thai Poppetje first opened, called it a “not so ordinary Thai bar” well worth discovering.

So yes I am promoting my family’s restaurant again. When people you love work this hard you want the world to know. And when the food tastes this good and critics you respect agree — you definitely want the world to know.

If you ever happen to be in Amsterdam go visit Thai Thai Poppetje. Tell them I sent you. They will probably laugh. And they will definitely feed you well. Here is the link to their website to see the menu and make reservations.