Restaurant Red is a canal-house steak and lobster specialist at Keizersgracht 594 in Amsterdam, open daily from 09:30 to 22:30. The menu is built around two things: South American tenderloin baked in butter and whole Canadian lobster from the oven. Expect to pay roughly €45 per person for a main-course-led meal, and reserve ahead for weekend evenings.
The concept: two ingredients, done repeatedly
Red narrows its kitchen to a single idea. Tournedos arrive in 160-gram and 250-gram sizes, cooked in butter to the temperature you request, while the Canadian lobster is prepared in the oven and served whole at around 500 grams or split as a half portion. Homemade chips come with every main, which is why the plates look generous rather than fussy.
The most useful thing to know before you sit down is the house shorthand. Tell your server “let’s surf it” and a half lobster is added to whatever you ordered, whether that is steak tartare, tenderloin, or the burger. That is the cheapest route into the surf and turf experience without committing to the full combination plate.
What to order
- Surf and turf — the headline pairing of tenderloin and Canadian lobster, and the reason most people book.
- Whole lobster — oven-prepared, roughly 500 grams, the kitchen’s clearest statement of intent.
- Half a lobster (€24.95) — served with herb oil and lime mayonnaise; the single most-reviewed dish on the menu.
- Tournedos, 160 g or 250 g — butter-baked South American beef; order the smaller cut if you are also adding lobster.
- Gambas from the Josper oven — a charcoal-grilled starter that breaks up the butter-heavy main courses.
- Burrata (€14.95) — tomato, basil, capers, onion, and balsamic syrup, and one of the few genuinely light options.
What a meal actually costs
Red sits in the mid-to-upper bracket for central Amsterdam without reaching fine-dining pricing. Published guide estimates put a typical menu at around €45 per person, and one diner reported a two-person dinner with bottled water, two glasses of wine, a bread starter, and two mains landing near €100. Starters cluster between €9.95 and €14.95.
| Dish | Price |
|---|---|
| Soup of the day, with bread | €9.95 |
| Burrata | €14.95 |
| Escargots, six pieces | €14.95 |
| Camembert from the oven | €14.95 |
| Half a lobster | €24.95 |
The room and the atmosphere
Red occupies a canal-side building where the Keizersgracht meets Nieuwe Spiegelstraat, and it markets itself on a warm, Parisian-bistro feel. It is worth setting expectations accurately: the restaurant’s own group-dining information describes the ambience as informal and energetic, with capacity for 60 to 70 guests. This is a busy, sociable dining room rather than a hushed, intimate one, which makes it a strong fit for groups and birthdays and a weaker one for a quiet conversation.
Champagne and wine are a deliberate part of the offer alongside the food, and the kitchen keeps a vegetarian chef’s special on the card for guests who do not eat steak or shellfish.
Reputation and reviews
Restaurant Red holds a 4.3 out of 5 rating across roughly 1,509 Tripadvisor reviews, placing it in the upper tier of Amsterdam’s several thousand listed restaurants without being a critics’ destination. It has been trading on the Keizersgracht for more than ten years and belongs to a small Amsterdam group that also includes Black & Blue, BLACK, and Bleu Amsterdam, which explains the shared steak-and-seafood house style.
Practical information
- Address: Keizersgracht 594, 1017 EN Amsterdam, on the corner of Nieuwe Spiegelstraat
- Phone: +31 20 320 1824
- Email: [email protected] (group and sales enquiries: [email protected])
- Opening hours: Monday to Sunday, 09:30–22:30
- Lunch service: 11:00–17:00
- Dinner service: 11:00–22:30
- Capacity: 60–70 guests, suitable for group dining
- Reservations: strongly advised, and bookable online
- Dress code: no formal requirement; smart casual suits the room
Getting there
- By tram: the restaurant’s booking listing directs guests to the Keizersgracht (Vijzelstraat) stop, a short walk east along the canal. Check the current GVB route map before travelling, as Amsterdam tram numbering changes periodically.
- On foot: roughly 20 to 25 minutes from Amsterdam Centraal through the canal ring.
- By bike: canal-side racks nearby; expect them to be full on weekend evenings.
- By car: paid street parking only in the surrounding streets, and it is scarce. Nearby garages are the practical option.
Where it fits in the neighbourhood
The location puts Red at the edge of the Spiegelkwartier, Amsterdam’s antique and art gallery district, and within a ten-minute walk of the Rijksmuseum and Museumplein. Because the kitchen runs continuously from late morning, it works as a late-lunch stop after a museum visit as well as a dinner booking before cultural events at the nearby concert halls.
Who should book, and who should skip it
- Book it if you want a reliable steak-and-lobster plate in the canal ring, you are dining as a group, or you want lobster without fine-dining prices.
- Book it if you are combining dinner with the Rijksmuseum, Spiegelkwartier galleries, or a concert.
- Skip it if you want a quiet, low-volume room, an adventurous or seasonal tasting menu, or extensive vegetarian and vegan choice beyond a single chef’s special.
Frequently asked questions
What are Restaurant Red Amsterdam’s opening hours?
Restaurant Red is open Monday to Sunday from 09:30 to 22:30. Lunch runs 11:00 to 17:00 and dinner service runs 11:00 to 22:30.
How much does dinner at Restaurant Red cost?
Published estimates put a typical menu at around €45 per person. Starters range from about €9.95 to €14.95, and a half lobster is €24.95. One reported two-person dinner with wine and a starter came to roughly €100.
Do you need a reservation at Restaurant Red?
Reservations are strongly advised, especially for weekend evenings and for groups. The restaurant accepts online bookings and can be reached on +31 20 320 1824.
What does “let’s surf it” mean at Restaurant Red?
It is the restaurant’s shorthand for adding a half lobster to any dish you order, such as the tenderloin, steak tartare, or burger. Say it to your server when ordering.
Is Restaurant Red suitable for groups?
Yes. The dining room seats 60 to 70 guests, the restaurant describes its own ambience as informal and energetic, and it promotes itself for group dining.
Are there vegetarian options at Restaurant Red?
The menu lists a vegetarian chef’s special alongside meat and seafood mains, plus vegetarian starters such as burrata and oven-baked camembert. Choice is limited, so confirm when booking.
