From a street acrobat on Dam Square to the King of the Crispy Roll, from Amsterdam's first French bistro to three restaurants today. Heemelrijck is a family story that leaves you wanting more.
Grandpa took his first job abroad, where he worked in the kitchen and in his spare time gave sports lessons to passengers. He later became a member of the Jewish sports club Maccabi, where he took up wrestling and boxing under the guidance of Ome Nelis at the Bisschop gymnasium.
Nars and his friend Cor formed a street acrobat duo and performed impressive acts that drew large crowds throughout the city.
This was the year grandpa Nars decided to shake up the city with his sandwich shop right in the heart of Amsterdam. No ordinary sandwich shop: before long he was known far and wide as "The King of the Crispy Roll."
The appetite of Amsterdam turned out to be slightly larger than grandpa's supply. In 1962 the sandwich shop grew into a proper restaurant, prepared with love and passion by the family. A resounding success, with full houses every day on the Damrak.
Son Robbie returns from a culinary world tour with French recipes in hand and takes the helm. In 1976 Amsterdam's first Dutch-French bistro was a fact: snails as a starter, braised beef as a main, suddenly the most natural thing in the world.
In 1990 wife Karen also came on board. The restaurant gained warmth and vibrancy. After many years, Karen and Rob decided to move to their beloved Spain and the restaurant closed.
Old habits die hard. In 2023 Nars opened his first restaurant on Amsterdam's Van Woustraat on 1 January. The family recipes were back.
Thanks to the boundless passion of our team and the many wonderful guests from around the world, we open our third location at the end of this year, right in the heart of the iconic Leidseplein, on the Lijnbaansgracht. Where history and conviviality meet.
Heemelrijck is more than food and drink; it breathes the Soul of Amsterdam. It is that feeling of coming home.