Terra Zen Centre

While on vacation in Amsterdam, my boyfriend and I had a tough time finding vegan options. Thanks to Unilocal and the family we were staying with, we found Terra Zen! Good vegan food and good vibes. Chill atmosphere, so keep in mind the space is small and you’re sharing a large table with strangers. It has the nicest staff and it’s family owned too. This was my favorite vegan food in all of Amsterdam since options were very limited. We ate there twice, that’s how good it is. Try the crispy vegan chicken roti wrap.

I just got here from Paris and was desperate for some vegan food, so I stopped here. There was one employee and no one else, so he was very attentive to me. He answered all my questions about the dishes and he spoke perfect English! (I’m from America so this was great)
I ordered the crispy vegan chicken roti wrap and it comes with two big wraps/​burritos. It is absolutely delicious!!! I definitely recommend. I took it to go, but the seating inside has two tables. One table has four seats and one has about 10 or something.
If you’re a vegan (or even if you’re not) eat here. You won’t regret it.

The food was great, but the atmosphere and the service was a little weird. The prices are a little higher than I would expect, and the tables are plastic, so not exactly a fancy experience, but it’s a good place to grab lunch if you’re in the area.

Definitely a weird place. There’s only 2 tables. One for 4 people and one for 10 people. The table for 10 is to share among customers. All the chairs are different, one is even a small sofa. Table cloth is one of those plastic ones with drawings on it.
I went there with a colleague of work and I’m the one who had picked the place. I felt bad when we got in and almost wanted to turn around and go somewhere else.
When we asked what dishes are available he said there’s only 2: vegan plate and Jamaican plate. Easy choice, we took one of each.
Vegan plate has breaded vegan chicken with a katsu like sauce, brown rice with herbs, stir fried veggies, caramelized onions, salad and sliced carrots. Jamaican is the same except instead of breaded vegan chicken, its a vegan chicken curry.
We both really liked our food! Pretty amazing.
For dessert we took vegan cheesecake, also really good!
It is a bit pricey though, plates are € 15 each and dessert was € 6.50 each. However the plates are pretty big.
Good thing though: they accept any credit card with a chip, including international ones.
If you want delicious vegan food and don’t mind some weirdness, go there!

After reading some reviews and seeing the menu, I was very excited to try this place. It was a pretty nasty, rainy night, so when we finally got there, we were really upset to find that it was closed, even though it was only 6pm and was supposed to be open much later. We started planning where to go instead and before we left we looped back one last time and boom! The door was open.
Right when we walked in I was digging the cool, laid back, Caribbean vibe. The man who took our order was very friendly and the food came pretty quick. The portions were also large so I was able to leave feeling nice and full. I had the Chicken Roti and it was so flavorful.
The only thing keeping me from giving 5 stars here was the strange situation that the store seemed to be closed and the door locked, only to be open ten minutes later. That and the actual server was very cold and it seemed as though she really didn’t want to be there. So different from the smiley, happy guy behind the counter. All in all, totally worth it if you want some tasty Vegan food with some soul.

Four stars because of the food. Staff was not super service minded, however the food was very good and nice for a vegan.

I’ve been to Terra Zen Centre a few times now and like it well enough. There are some things which can be frustrating but overall the quality of the food is good especially for vegan eaters out there.
My frustrations come from the slowness of the service. Even when I called ahead to try and get takeout it is not ready when I arrive. It is usually packed inside so I’m sure that’s part of the reason.
My other concern is why do you so-​called vegan restaurants try to make their dishes what a meat dish would be without the meet. It causes them to use this strange me like products and the consistency is just never there. I would much rather have it where the dishes made using vegetables and just tasty and healthy rather than trying to emulate what a chicken tastes like. Maybe this is an easy transition for heavy need to meters into the vegan lifestyle.

Very limited menu, lots of stuff including some kind of vegan chicken protein. The service was incredibly slow.

cool spot, but can be pretty unreliable in terms of operating hours and prices… both have been a moving target for me.

I adored this place, but I can see why people just don’t get it. It feels like you’re visiting a friend who’s whipping up some dinner for you. I didn’t mean the owner but I love that it’s a family run place and I am happy to give them my money. The lady who seemed to take my order and also make the food was lovely. The food was very good, nothing like LA vegan food but still I would be back. One star off for the bathroom, it could use a little maintenance

The place looks wierd from the outside, but THE FOOD WAS SO AMAZING. So 5 stars. If you like that the place actually looks wierd and sketchy too like me, then one million stars.

My friend and I were super excited to try this restaurant for dinner after a long day of traveling and exploring the city. We got the Vegan Plate to share and it has crispy chicken and tempeh, salad, brown rice with seasoning and some sautéed veggies. It was amazing! We loved the variety of flavors and the hospitality of the owners! If you’re vegan, you have to make a stop here!

The food is totally 100% vegan. It’s got a Jamaican chef so the dishes have a rasta vibe and flavor, and my girlfriend and I couldn’t get enough! Two thumbs way up for the food. The soya coco milkshake is insanely good. The place is small with only 2 tables (one that seats 6 – 8) and the other seats 4. When we arrived the place was full so we waited 30 minutes for a table to open up. Maybe a good idea to call ahead to reserve a table. Anyway, if you’re vegan or just curious to try some vegan food, go find this hidden gem!

The critics are not wrong. Excellent food and it was not your average restaurant atmosphere; much more unique and interesting. Had the vegan chicken roti wrap, which was flavorful and spiced just right. If you enjoy healthy, ethnic cuisine then seek this place out. Highly recommend.

I completely regret eating here. I’m a bit in shock here as the last review was not even two weeks ago. And all the reviews were so good!
This tiny place looks like it had been shut a month and decided to open up and serve anyway. Nothing like the Unilocal photos. No full drinks fridge or deli cabinet.
First, the place with filthy. Completely run down. Dirty floors, counters, deli, toilet… I can’t imagine how the kitchen was.
But the menu online looked great! Oh, there’s only (six) April specials? well that’s ok. Everything is served with vegan chicken though? Ok… There’s still time to back out… no, it’ll be ok.
It totally wasn’t.
We asked for water. The server brought one. She gave fewer than 0 shits about us.
Sweet & Sour vegan chicken: was not sweet and sour in any sense. More stir-​fried with caramelized onions.
Curry vegan chicken: runny curry, tasted like it was from a jar. I was expecting some of this homemade Caribbean magic…
It came to 30 euros*. I about choked.
One star for large portion and brown rice. Let the missing 4 stars propel you somewhere else!
I seriously cannot warn you enough to stay away! Something has gone wrong here!
(*Whereas in vegan café Koffie ende Koek we had 2 coffees, mint tea, 2 sandwiches and 2 desserts all homemade for 25 euros. GO THERE.)

I’m not a vegetarian by any means and I was surprised when I walked to this place that it was in fact a vegetarian restaurant. I’m glad we ran into someone who talked me from walking away from it. We had the veggie platter and everything was amazing. The sauces are incredible and make everything taste delicious. Highly recommend to try if you are in Amsterdam. Prices are very reasonable as well. Only wish they served beer, but you can’t have it all. Oh, yeah, the staff was really friendly as well.

Was visiting Amsterdam for 3 days and we ate here 2x, it was that good! Great Caribbean vibes from the shop and LOVE the Asian Caribbean fusion cuisine.
We had the roti wrap that had soy chicken and bok choi that was delicious! He also did a tasting plate that had a bit of everything. I grew up eating Caribbean food and was blown away by how beautifully blended the two cuisines are. Also kudos for all the fresh vegetables!
Once we got to chat with the owner and hear his story, it totally made the experience for us. Support a local business that’s trying to do it right and is the only one of its kind in Amsterdam!

De passage à Amsterdam pour bosser sur un concert, je me renseigne auprès de mes amis vegan pour tenter de découvrir un petit restaurant sympa où manger. Les hollandais étant bien plus avancés que nous sur les questions éthiques et écologiques, je n’ai aucun mal à recevoir des suggestions. Mais c’est le Terra Zen Centre qui attise ma curiosité.
Situé dans une toute petite rue piétonne de la capitale des Pays-​Bas, le lieu né paie pas de mine de l’extérieur. C’est petit et très étroit. Le nom est écrit sur la vitrine avec des marqueurs de couleurs.
Une fois dedans, je suis d’abord séduite par l’entrée constituée de vrais plantes. Ensuite, vient le choc: une déco 100% made in Asia mais avec du reggae en fond sonore. Why not? Le lieu est vraiment exigu et peut accueillir une dizaine de personnes maximum.
Un tableau blanc reprend les menus du jour. C’est écrit à la main sans recherché esthétique. Tout est dépareillé ici: la déco, les chaises, les tables, les assiettes, les couverts. On né vient clairement pas au Terra Zen pour l’esthétique.
Je porte mon choix sur l’assiette vegan du jour et patiente avec un verre de jus de pomme chaud au gingembre. Moi qui adore le gingembre, la première gorgée m’a déstabilisée tellement le gout était prononcé. Mais c’était très bon.
Aux fourneaux, on s’affaire. Cela commence à sentir bien bon.
Arrive alors mon assiette. Je suis toute émoustillée: des légumes d’hiver au lait de coco, des légumes en wok, un mélange de 5 différents, une petite salade, du tofu et du tempeh frit. Et c’est là la seule déception qui me gagnera: un peu trop de fritures à mon gout. En sortant de là, j’aurai même l’impression de sortir d’un fritkot.
Mais tout le reste est délicieux et pour seulement 15E.
Le Terra Zen est un lieu dépaysant et surprenant mais tellement chaleureux. La nourriture y est succulente et respectueuse des animaux (mais ils servent quand même du poulet vegan pour ceux qui ont peur). Un restaurant vraiment à la croisée des mondes et des univers. Une belle réussite pour moi !

Ok… Here is the review that should open your eyes and help you understand this restaurant. Terra Zen is not a typical restaurant… you will not have a typical waiter/​waitress at your beckoned call waiting on you and serving you. This is a family run business. Dad is the mad scientist in the kitchen creating magic on a plate and the girls are there to assist «at times.»
I have been coming here for a few months now and I don’t even ask for anything I just ask him to make me a plate. The dining area will remind you of eating at your mom’s house. There is one round table enough for five or six people and one small square table one that will seat four. The idea is communal eating. You’ll be surprised who you end up sitting with and talking to… maybe me! I’ve met a couple from Iowa, two women from Finland, a couple from Japan, a guy from Isreal… it’s about connection and meeting people. People with the same type of food interests and ideas that you have. The conversations that you get into is just as great as the food.
Be prepared to wait… making vegan food to order is not a McDonaldized thing. It takes time. If you want fast food there is a lovely Burger King a few blocks away. I have read several complaints about the «weird» atmosphere, the long wait time. WE ARE VEGANS! We ARE WEIRD! We are bucking the system for whatever reason intolerance, allergy, or morality. We do things differently on a day to day so why would it shock you to have to wait for great vegan or even gluten free food from here.
He doesn’t have an assembly line in that kitchen… it’s just him and the family.
The service is what YOU bring to the table. Help yourself to the beverage that you want in the chiller, sit down and talk to someone that you’ve never met. I eat here at lease once a week and I have never been disappointed with the food or the conversation.
Just sit back and relax.
Learn something new from someone
Talk to a stranger
Get on the wifi if you want
I’ll tell you this, I wish more restaurants were like this, not about the number of people that you can squeeze in but about the environment of encouraged conversation.
If you see me here… please pull up a chair.

Wow! That was good. Sometimes I wait and go back before I give the stars but in this case I want to go back right away. It’s tucked away on a small side street but worth the effort to find. It’s a small place but there was plenty of room the night we went. It may take a moment for the food to come out but it’s made fresh «in the now» and it’s well worth the wait.
I had a nice plate with various items and they were nicely seasoned, nicely textured and delicious. I’ll have to go back and get more details. The people that were already there left with smiles on their faces. No pictures, sorry, by the time I thought of it most of the meal was finished.
I wish it was in my neighborhood.

Our first night walking in here, we were a bit skeptical… the place was small, only a few places to actually sit, and it doesn’t give off a high sanitary score vibe. We looked over the totally vegan menu and i had trouble deciding. There were a lot of delicious sounding items. I asked for the gentleman’s suggestion and he recommended one of the tofu dishes. After he went back to the kitchen to prepare the food, smoke began to fill the area with a ‘something is burning’ smell raising our level of concern of what we were going to be served. A few minutes later, our Jamaican chef emerged from the smoke with our plates of food. It turned out to be the greatest prepared tofu dish in the world with flavor throughout. It was so good, as were the vegetables that came with it.
We came back again a few days later and I ordered the same thing. Again, delicious. Do not hesitate to eat here for some of the tastiest food anywhere. One love.

Ich kann mich meinen Vorrednern nur anschließen. Ein echtes Juwel der veganen Küche. Mitten im lebhaften Gewusel von kleinen Strassen der Innenstadt liegt etwas versteckt das Terra Zen Centre. Drinnen gibt es die Möglichkeit auf einem Podest um einen runden Tisch «auf dem Boden» auf Kissen zu sitzen oder an verschiedenen wild und verrückt kombinierten Tischen/​Sofas. Alles macht einen coolen, verrückten, hippen Eindruck. Aber auch konservative Geister sollten sich nicht von dem ungewöhnlichen inneren abschrecken lassen.
Man wird herzlichst begrüßt und, wie schon beschrieben, fast familiär «aufgenommen». Das Essen aber ist die wahre Krönung. Die Portionen sehr großzügig und der Preis angemessen. Wir aßen einen leckeren Tempeh Burger, Samosas, einen gemischten Hauptspeisenteller (Reis, Algen, Tofu, Seitab-​Gemüse Stirfry), und zum Nachtisch einen unvergesslichen Schokokuchen. Wir waren im siebten Himmel!