Amsterdam's gold-leaf Michelin star on Dam Square, chef de cuisine Tristan de Boer — book direct weeks ahead for a proposal.
The Reservation Problem at The White Room
Most hotel dining rooms are an amenity. The White Room is a reason to cross Dam Square. It sits in the monumental old hall of the Anantara Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky at Dam 9, a gilded, chandeliered room that the Michelin guide has starred since 2018 and Gault&Millau rates at 15 points. The White Room, ranked #26 in Amsterdam, is the address you book when the dinner has to matter.
The kitchen runs under chef de cuisine Tristan de Boer, with Jacob Jan Boerma — once three-starred at De Leest — as signature chef. De Boer threads Thai, Japanese, Indonesian and Surinamese notes through a modern French base, but the dishes Amsterdam regulars order without looking are the classics: lobster thermidor and the souffle. The difficulty is not the room's fame. It is that the booking does not happen where you expect.
How to Book The White Room
The White Room manages its own reservations. You book online through restaurantthewhiteroom.com or by phone at +31 20 486 67 29 — not through OpenTable or Resy, which do not list it. That single fact is why tables look more available than they are: people search the big platforms, find nothing, and assume it is full.
Weekend dinners go three to six weeks out, especially around King's Day, tulip season and the December holidays, when Amsterdam fills. A weeknight is often gettable inside two weeks. If you are staying at the Krasnapolsky, the concierge can reach the restaurant directly and is the fastest route to a tight-notice table. Book the menu when you reserve, and flag dietary needs then — the vegetarian Green menu is a full parallel tasting, not an afterthought.
What You Eat
Two seven-course tasting menus, both €185: Gold, built on meat and seafood, and Green, fully vegetarian. Each takes a classic or premium wine pairing. The lobster thermidor and the souffle are the signatures to look for, and the foie gras is the other regular order. This is jacket-suggested, $$$$ dining where the room and the cooking are pitched at the same register — an occasion meal, priced and paced like one.
The Smart Play
Book direct, book the menu in advance, and pick your night around the city's calendar rather than the restaurant's. A weeknight three weeks out is the easy table; a Saturday in tulip season is the one to lock early. For a proposal or an anniversary, request a table in the main hall under the chandeliers, not the edges. If you want the full read on this occasion, the best restaurants for a proposal guide is the canonical reference.
If The White Room is full, Amsterdam's other serious tables in the same tier are Ciel Bleu and Bord'Eau — both worth the wider Amsterdam reservation strategy.
Not for a casual weeknight or a quick bite. This is jacket-suggested, €185-a-head tasting-menu dining built for an occasion you have planned, not a table you wander into.
View The White Room on Restaurants for Kings →
Related Reading
- Our full profile: The White Room, ranked #26 in Amsterdam.
- The wider city: Amsterdam dining guide and the hardest restaurant reservations in Amsterdam.
- Strategy: how to get impossible restaurant reservations.
- Platforms: OpenTable vs Resy for restaurant booking.
- By tier: how far ahead to book each Michelin tier.
- When it is sold out: inside the grey market for restaurant reservations.
- Nearby tables: Ciel Bleu and Bord'Eau.
- More how-to-book guides: how to book Bavel in Los Angeles and how to book L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon.
Frequently Asked Questions
How hard is it to book The White Room?
Harder than it looks, for an unusual reason. The White Room does not list on OpenTable or Resy, so people search the big platforms, find nothing, and move on. You book through restaurantthewhiteroom.com or by phone at +31 20 486 67 29. Weekend tables go three to six weeks out, while weeknights are often gettable inside two weeks if you book direct.
How far in advance should I book The White Room?
For a weeknight, two weeks is usually enough. For a Saturday, give it three to six weeks, and book early if your date falls near King's Day, tulip season or the December holidays, when Amsterdam fills. If you are staying at the Anantara Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky, the concierge can reach the kitchen directly and is the quickest route to a short-notice table.
What is the dress code at The White Room?
Jacket suggested. This is a Michelin-starred room in a monumental hotel hall, so blazers, tailored dresses and smart shoes are the norm, though a tie is not required. Avoid jeans, trainers and casual daywear. The setting — gold leaf, chandeliers, Dam Square outside — rewards dressing for the occasion, which is most of why people book it in the first place.
How much does The White Room cost?
The seven-course tasting menus, Gold and Green, are €185 per person each. A classic or premium wine pairing adds to that, as does the a la carte option where offered. This is firmly $$$$ dining, so budget for a full evening rather than a quick dinner. The vegetarian Green menu costs the same as Gold and is a complete parallel tasting, not a reduced option.
What should I order at The White Room?
The lobster thermidor and the souffle are the signatures Amsterdam regulars order without checking the menu, and the foie gras is the other reliable choice. Both tasting menus are strong, so the real decision is Gold versus Green — the vegetarian Green is a full seven courses, not a compromise. Take the wine pairing; the cellar is the room's quiet strength.