Graven Molen

I had a really fun dinner here not too long ago. The service was very friendly, the food was excellent and reasonably priced and I loved the shabby chic interior! I really liked the calamari, and also the manchego cheese, which was served with a sweet jam, I think guava? It made for a great pairing. The wine was nice and nicely priced as well.
We were the last customers to leave (there were 8 in our group) and the owners offered us shots of jaegermeister on the house. A fun way to wrap up a fun evening!

My husband and I visited Amsterdam and enjoyed pretty much everything we did.
One night we decided to get a nice dinner. We had just been eating at pubs and shopping at Albert Heijn for yogurt and other snacks.
Graven Molen is right across the hotel we were staying and it looked interesting inside with low lights and dark woods.
We got to the restaurant pretty late and the kitchen was out of a lot of ingredients but they were able to make us some extremely yummy food with what they did have. The service was quirky and fun. There were a couple of little dogs running around and begging us for food. It just made us enjoy everything so much more.
I believe it was the server’s or bar tender’s birthday that day also, and so they had also drunk most of the wine. We were still served a house Cabernet Savignon that was spot on and perfectly priced.
The food was great. We were served different types of shelled fish prepared differently. Grilled calamari, really fresh bread with aioli, and other little touches just made our experience so nice.
We will be returning to Amsterdam for another visit and will likely stay at the same hotel and I have a feeling we will return to Graven Molen.

Was on my way to another restaurant, but stopped in for a look at Graven Molen during a rain downpour and decided to stay.
A friendly place, filled with robust music and most of the tables occupied, I sat at the white marble bar. Great waitstaff. Very friendly.
I wasn’t very hungry, so settled in for the Tapas side of the menu with an order of fried calamares (€ 6.50) and an order of marinated octopus (€ 5.50). Served alongside was some freshly baked breads with a most delicious garlic butter. While waiting enjoyed the house red (€ 4) which was very good.
Both the octopus and squid were delicious. Along with the bread smothered in the garlic & butter and another glass of red… everything complemented the other.
I saw several orders of the lamb rack that went out to the tables and will try that on the next visit.

On the pricy side, even for Amsterdam but this place is worth it. The décor is an ambiant mix of chandeliers, candels, dark wood, and stone. This is definitely a romantic place. Recommend it for couples who want some real romance and not Amsterdam kitsch. The food is great, we tried the tapas, the cheese selection is also good. The waiter was very friendly. It’s a little hard to find but that just adds to the charm.