Bob Nagel's Amsterdam empire
If you're looking for any Dutch gloobles friends on a chilly weekday evening or a sunny summer night, you'd be well served to head straight to twee prinsen.
Or café binnenvisser. Or cornerstore. Or calisto. Or bakkerij louf. They're all incredibly cosy and unbelievably charming. And they're all part of the dining empire of Amsterdam restaurant guru, Bob Nagel. In anticipation of the release of the fourth edition of AMSTERDAM the gloobles guide in a few months, we're chit-chatting with a few of the masterminds behind some of our most beloved spots. And with five tips in our not-so-little guide? Well, Bob seemed like just the guy.
Ready? Let's dive in.
gloobles: Hi Bob! So cool to sit down with you; we're really pumped to learn a bit more about some of our fave spots in town. Could you tell us your hospitality origin story?
Bob: So, after a couple of years of having fun, playing records and lots of partying, Maarten's and my paths went into a different, more mature, direction. We started serious, corporate jobs. After a year or so, Maarten decided that this was not something that made him happy, and he decided to jump into the hospitality game. I experienced a similar sensation and realised that I wanted to start something for myself. It has always been my dream to open up a restaurant or bar. At a certain point, Niels (from De Goudfazant) asked Maarten to help set up FC Hyena, and I asked Maarten if I could help out. That's how our dreams of opening up a restaurant & bar came together.
gloobles: Sounds like fate. So, FC Hyena was the gateway?
Bob: Exactly. While working at FC Hyena, we got all excited about natural wines. At that time, natural wines were still quite underrepresented in Amsterdam. Today, you see more and more bars and restaurants serving natural wine. Our idea was to open up a classic Amsterdam-style café, with quality wine, music and some nice bites. That got a bit out of control, in a good way. It turned out that Guus was a really good chef; guests went crazy for the food he cooked in our tiny kitchen. From that moment, we started to focus more on the restaurant aspect, without losing the buzzing café vibes.
gloobles: It totally still has that wonderful vibe of a typical café, but the food is just... spectacular. The interior is also pretty great. Did you design it yourself? What was the vision you had for the space?
Bob: We did not have huge piles of money laying around, and we had some time until our permit would come through, so we just started doing things ourselves. Niels also helped us out with some drawings and inspired us a lot. We had the vision of creating a place that would be gezellig but with a classic atmosphere. A place that is reminiscent of an old school café in Amsterdam with a slightly younger appearance, a bit more brightness. Therefore, we decided to work with natural materials and colours and make the unique stained glass windows, previously hidden away, visible again.
gloobles: We love that you really honoured the building's roots. It makes it feel really Amsterdam. How would you describe your food ethos?
Bob: Seasonal dishes with a focus on veggies and high quality, local products. Because we work with seasonal products, we get what is available and of the best quality at that particular moment. We try to change dishes pretty frequently to keep things interesting for everyone.
gloobles: That makes such a difference in quality. There's nothing worse than a hot-house tomato! We can imagine you get a lot of inspiration from the earth, from the produce you buy. But is there anything else that inspires you?
gloobles: Oh yeah, that checks out. Food-wise, there's nothing quite like France or Japan, eh?
Bob: Paris is the Mecca for low intervention wine, and the standard of quality is set high. Tokyo is amazing because of the rich Japanese culture. The food, the people—in particular their perfectionism. Their hospitality game is on a whole different level. They do everything with the greatest passion and precision; we could learn a lot from them.
gloobles: Absolutely. It's really like nowhere else in the world. And while we don't have quiiite that level of precision here in Amsterdam, there's still something about the dining scene here. If you want a good glass of wine or a delicious meal and you’re not eating at one of your places, where do you like to go in Amsterdam?
Bob: Mostly, we dine with our friends at BAK, Choux, Gebroeders Hartering, Hotel de Goudfazant and so on.
gloobles: Oldies but goodies, for sure. It's so nice to see that people in the hospitality industry in Amsterdam really support one another. It's pretty heartwarming. Alright, now zooming back out of the Dutch capital. Any must-visit spots globally?
Bob: In Paris, you should visit BAMBINO, a hi-fi vinyl bar with a sick sound system, good food and great wine. For some classic French bistro food with an extended (natural) wine list, we definitely recommend Bistrot Paul Bert. The owner is a really cool, classic Frenchman. He actually runs four restaurants on the same street. He's definitely someone to look up to for us youngsters in this hospitality business!
gloobles: He's like the restaurant world's godfather! Alright, before we let you go, we want to ask you one more thing. Where do you see your restaurants in 10 years?
Bob: Our plan is to keep the quality and the vibe on the same level so our spots remain interesting places where the same kind of guests like to come over and over for many, many years.
Hayley Daen
South Carolina bred, UK educated and Netherlands enthused, Hayley has an insatiable hunger for travel and, of course, all things delicious. A traveller as seasoned as her cast iron skillet, Hayley always knows the best spots for a tasty bite or a cheeky glass. When she's not digging up killer hole-in-the-wall falafel spots in Beirut or trying (sometimes vainly!) to find inspiring exhibitions across the globe, she's busy writing & reading.
