Harmsen

This is a very unassuming restaurant, which might cause you to hesitate before making your decision to go in. Well, don’t hesitate. The linguini vongole with chili pepper (my favorite dish), creamy mushroom crostini made with puff pastry, French Onion soup, and crisp veal sweetbread (the best I’ve ever had), all very delicious.
The service was prompt and friendly, and the prices are very reasonable.
We visit Amsterdam two to three times a year and we have a handful of favorite restaurants, Harmsen is now on that list.

Lovely french restaurant in the Utrechterstraat.
When we entered was empty but in short time the place was full. The restaurant has 2 floors and a garden, if the weather it’s nice I recommend going outside :)
I was soled by the poster in the window «linguine with vongole» for only 11,50 eur. Of course as a starter. I chose the linguines as a main course, 19 eur but very satisfying and delicious. I also asked for them not to be spicy and some extra parmesan. Everything was answered with «I will go ask» and rapidly solved. The mussels were also enough and delicious and they came with fries, sauces and salad.
They work with menu options, 3 courses
for 30 eur and I think that’s a fair price for Amsterdam and for the delicious food they serve.
Prompt service and very friendly. Nothing to complain about. I recommend them
for a nice evening out and not too far from the centrum area.
Wifi pas: harmsen1

Les Six Raviolis Tristes
By Dennis M.
This is a story… Of 6 sad pieces of ravioli.
Once upon a time, a food loving boy happily walked into a new Restaurant called Harmsen. The boy was joyful to try a new place and was interested in their menu that included duck meat bitterballen! Upon greeting the rest of his friends and getting situated at the table, he was never offered anything to eat or drink. Luckily there was left over bread from his friends that they were will to share with the hungry boy. The bread was crispy and olive oil was nummy making the boy excited to try the rest of the food!
It was a busy Friday night with a full house and even though the service was slow, it didn’t bother the boy one bit since he was enjoying time with his friends. However, the boy is quite the alcoholic and became despondent since ordering beer was quite a chore for him and his friends! Some people would get their drinks, sometimes we had to reorder long forgotten drinks, and others just gave up. The boy was even more surprised that our group had to ask five times to order before the order was actually taken. On top of this, this waitress was happy to disclaim her annoyance that five different people had to ask her for our order. None the less, the hungry boy understands that sometimes you strike out on service and that food can make it all better.
And now it was time; in comes the duck bitterballen. The warm crusty balls perplexed the hungry boy. Not in a bad way. The boy found it interesting how the chef minced duck meat and fried it into balls that seemed to semi-​fill his hunger. But then again, the boy knew that anything fried is good so now his mind turned to the main course — ravioli!
When the plate of ravioli appeared before the hungry boy’s hopeful and glistening eyes, a wave a great disappointment and sadness consumed the boy. He stared at six round pieces of the saddest ravioli he has ever witnessed in his food binging life. How is it possible to inject ravioli with cheese and great sadness, thought the boy. However, the optimistic boy decided not to judge a ravioli by the cover and to try a piece to see which wonderful treasures lay within.
Munch, munch, munch, sounded the mouth of the hopeful boy as he ate one of the sad raviolis.
As soon as the boy finished swallowing the chewed remains of the sad ravioli, the already saddened boy’s face turned despondent.
Such sorrow the boy felt when imagining the sad life these raviolis must have had. Weeks even months of isolation in a fridge can only explain the extreme dryness of the pained ravioli. Negligence from the creator and lack of flavorful imagination have surely contributed to the ravioli’s understandably complete lack of self-​worth. For a moment, the boy felt the pain of the flavorless, dry, sad raviolis and decided to put them out of their misery by putting on his best face while trying to finish them off.
Naturally the boy was still famished after eating nutritionally and emotionally void ravioli and turned to what seemed to be an aesthetically pleasing steak nearby. However, the chewy flank of meat coupled with a lack of any flavor brought painful memories of the recently consumed sad ravioli. In an attempt to forget the recent sadness that entered the boys mouth and stomach, he injudiciously decided to order a piece of cream filled chocolate truffle. Foolish was the boy for his actions, for the cream was hard, flavor-​void, and did not come close to even a slagroom truffle from Albert Heijn.
The boy left the restaurant ready to drink the sorrows of the dinner away. Taking a deep sigh in the chilly January night looking up towards the star lit sky, the boy spotted six bright stars and hoped with all his food loving heart that the six sad raviolis have finally found their place of rest in the pasta heavens beyond…
La Fin

Just an average place with very average food and below average service. It started out nice with oysters on the house. Then we played an awkward cat and mouse game the rest of the night with our annoyed waitress. The food was very underwhelming, but also not bad. Just… meh!
I think the décor and vibe itself was nice, but not enough to make up for the rest. Sorry Harmsen. all you did is sort of Harm my taste buds.