Pizzeria Lorenza

I was on a date here a while ago on a busy night. You could tell the staff had a hard time keeping up with all the orders. The only good memory I have of this place is the company. The bread was dry and the pizza had been in the oven for way to long. I won’t go back here anytime soon.

This is not authentic Italian. The meat is smothered in sauce that does not resemble any true Italian dish with a similar name. The staff was nice, but that is not enough to get me to come back here again.

Amersfoort may be one of the better kept secrets of the Netherlands. A fantastic city to visit, and if you do, Restaurant Lorenza is a must. We sat outside as the weather was great. After reviewing the varied menu, we settled on the Soup of the Day (which happened to be tomato) and various grilled Panini… one of our group of six ordered the «Bread & Butter». The serving staff were great — quick, pleasant, friendly and spoke perfect English! The food was far better than the other review I have read. I had a Chicken Panini and the soup — both were exactly what I was hoping for… the panini had ample filling and was hot and very tasty served in a herb panini roll, which was not expected but very welcomed. The tomato soup was amazing and tasted as if the chef had just made it… great flavour and a perfect serving size, not too much, nor too little, just right (sorry for the Goldilocks reference, but they figured this one out). We sat in the patio which was busy but not too crowded, meaning Lorenza did not have too many tables and chair… again, just right. In fact, everyone in our group of six felt that they were not overly stuffed, and did not depart feeling hungry, rather, everyone (sorry in advance) thought it was JUST RIGHT. About the person who ordered the Bread & Butter with her soup… OMG…that was just amazing. A garlic, herb butter that was salted (experience has taught me that salted butter is not common in Europe) and fantastic!
I believe that while the food must be good and the staff must be at least moderately interested in you being there for me to think of a positive review, I also believe that there are other aspects of the experience that must meet the minimum… the toilet facilities– this should not be a tricky one. I am not expecting a concierge with a warmed towel to dry my hands unless I am in Dubai (thats another story)…but in the same vein I do not want to use a towel that is hanging on a hook and may have been used to wipe other things and has been used by X number of people before me. I also do not want to feel like my feet are sticking to the floor of the facilities (if you know what I mean). Unfortunately this place had both and really was the only reason that I did not give it the highest rating possible. Great food, great staff, great ambiance, need to work on the toilet experience… that part was not «Just Right». Cost per person for a 500 ml beer, grilled panini & soup was 12 Euro.
Free Wifi is available but not on the patio… only inside… a pain as you should not have to go inside to use it, and when traveling it is always nice to have free wifi!

Service was great, but the food was nothing to write home about. Went with a pesto pasta dish, and it was far too creamy to be authentic. Ate it all because I was super hungry, but wouldn’t order again.