Capital Kitchen

Capital Kitchen is an all-day restaurant, bar and art space at Weesperplein 4A in Amsterdam, inside the Capital C building — the restored 1911 Diamantbeurs (Diamond Exchange) — and directly next door to Koninklijk Theater Carré. It serves breakfast through dinner Monday to Friday from 10:00 to midnight, with weekends available on request, and it is one of the few kitchens in the city built specifically to feed theatre-goers three courses and still get them to their seats.

Head chef Dave Wijnschenk has run the kitchen since 2021, working with regional suppliers to keep the menu local and seasonal. Sommelier Regi curates a wine list drawn entirely from within a 600-kilometre radius. Before you even reach your table you walk through a free public gallery whose exhibitions change every three months. That combination — regional cooking, a tight wine radius, rotating contemporary art — is what separates it from the brasseries around Rembrandtplein.

Capital Kitchen at a glance

Address	Weesperplein 4A, 1018 XA Amsterdam (Capital C)
Phone	+31 20 247 7040
Hours	Monday–Friday 10:00–00:00; Saturday and Sunday on request
Meals served	Breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks, group dining
Kitchen style	Seasonal Dutch and French-leaning cooking, regional sourcing, vegetable-forward
Typical spend	Around €39 for two courses without drinks
Head chef	Dave Wijnschenk
Nearest transit	Weesperplein metro (51, 53, 54) and tram stop (1, 7, 19)
Good for	Pre-Carré dinner, business lunch, group dinners up to 300, after-work drinks

What the kitchen serves

The menu is built around what the Amsterdam region can supply, which the kitchen frames as a low-carbon approach rather than a marketing line. Bread comes from Stadsbakkerij As. Vegetable dishes carry real weight on the card — roasted leek with vadouvan is a recurring example — and the chef’s specials lean into cuts that reward slow cooking, such as procureur from beef neck served with thick fries.

Lunch runs until 16:00 and suits working meetings; dinner is structured for sharing. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free dishes appear on the regular menu rather than as an afterthought, so dietary requests rarely need a special arrangement. Flag allergies when you book anyway, since the seasonal card changes.

The bar and Regi’s wine gallery

Sommelier Regi built the list on a single rule: every bottle is sourced within 600 kilometres of Amsterdam. The result balances natural and low-intervention wines against older classics, which makes it a genuinely useful list for anyone curious about northern European and near-French growers. Ask for a pairing arrangement with lunch or dinner rather than ordering by the glass blind.

• Wine pairings matched to the seasonal menu, arranged by the sommelier
• A broad beer selection for anyone skipping wine
• Cocktails and mocktails mixed in-house
• Bar seating you can use without a full dinner reservation
• Audio Collective DJs from 17:30 every Thursday

The art, the interior, and the anatomy tables

Dutch stylist Maarten Spruyt designed the interior around the theme of the inner human body. Each table has its own design named after an organ or system — cerebellum, stomach, kidney, pancreas, oesophagus, salivary gland, thyroid — and the staff will tell you which one you are sitting at if you ask. Overhead hangs a Rotganzen melted disco ball, the most photographed object in the room.

The pop-up gallery you pass on the way in is curated by Amsterdam Art, changes exhibitions roughly every three months, and is free and open to the public. You can walk it with a drink in hand, which makes it a reasonable stop even if you are not eating.

Best time to visit

Because the restaurant operates on a weekday schedule, timing matters more here than at a seven-day brasserie.

• Lunch, 12:00–14:00: Quietest stretch, strong daylight through the tall Diamantbeurs windows, and the lunch card runs until 16:00.
• Early dinner, 17:00–19:00: The pre-theatre window. Tell the team your Carré curtain time and they will pace three courses to fit it.
• Thursday from 17:30: Audio Collective plays the bar, so choose this slot for atmosphere and avoid it if you want a quiet conversation.
• Late dinner, 20:00 onward: Post-show and after-work crowd; the kitchen serves toward midnight, later on Fridays at some points in the year.
• Weekends: Normally closed. Saturday and Sunday bookings are handled on request, usually for groups and private events, so contact the restaurant directly.

Reserve either way. Capital C hosts events and the restaurant takes group bookings up to 300 guests, so a walk-in on a busy event night can find the floor committed.

How to get to Weesperplein 4A

The entrance faces Weesperplein, on the corner of the Capital C block, a two-minute walk from the metro exit. Do not aim for Amstel 115–125 — that is Carré’s address, next door.

• Metro: Lines 51, 53 and 54 all stop at Weesperplein, one stop past Waterlooplein from Centraal Station. The station exits onto the square.
• Tram: Lines 1, 7 and 19 stop at Weesperplein on Sarphatistraat, directly above the metro station.
• Walking: Roughly 20–25 minutes from Dam Square, or about 10 minutes from Waterlooplein along the Amstel.
• Bike: Racks sit around Weesperplein; use two locks and avoid leaving anything in a bag or basket.
• Car: Street parking here is expensive and scarce. Q-Park Centrum Oost (Wibautstraat 3B) is about a 10-minute walk and bookable online; Q-Park Weesperplein at Eerste Boerhaavestraat 29 is another option, though it has no lift.
• Journey planning: The 9292 app routes door to door from anywhere in the Netherlands — set Weesperplein as your destination.

Practical tips before you book

• Book online or call +31 20 247 7040, and say if you have a theatre curtain time.
• Ask the sommelier for pairings instead of choosing by the glass; the 600-kilometre list rewards guidance.
• Smart casual is right for the room. There is no enforced dress code.
• Arrive 10 minutes early to walk the gallery before you sit down.
• Note dietary needs at booking — the vegetarian and vegan dishes are part of the main menu, but the card is seasonal.
• For groups, private dining or exclusive venue hire, contact the events team rather than using the standard reservation form.
• Check current hours before a Friday-late or weekend visit, since third-party listings and the official site have differed on closing times.

Frequently asked questions