Heemelrijck - Heemelrijck -Heemelrijck - Heemelrijck

At the age of 18, he started his first job abroad, where he took care of the kitchen and gave sports lessons to passengers in his spare time. Later, he joined the Jewish sports club Maccabi, where he started wrestling and boxing under the guidance of Uncle Nelis in the Bisschop gym.

Nars and his friend Cor formed a street acrobatics duo and performed impressive acts that attracted a lot of attention in the city.

This was the year that grandpa Nars decided to shake up the city with his sandwich shop in the middle of Amsterdam. This wasn't just any sandwich shop—no, this became the place to be for anyone who knows Amsterdam a little! Before you knew it, he was known as "The Crispy King”

The appetite of Mokum (Amsterdam) turned out to be just a little bigger than grandpa's stock. So, time for an upgrade! In 1962, the sandwich shop changed into a real restaurant. A restaurant where delicious dishes were served. Just like now, all dishes were prepared with love and passion by the family. This restaurant was a total hit and had a full hous every day on the Damrak in Amsterdam.

Son Robbie had been helping his father in the restaurant since he was a young boy. After he returned from a culinary world trip, with French recipes in his back pocket, he decided to take over the lead of the restaurant as the second generation. In 1976, the first Dutch French bistro in Amsterdam was a fact, where snails were served as a starter and tournedous as a main course suddenly became the most normal thing in the world. The rest? A history to repeat!

In 1990 Robbie´s wife Karen (mother of Nars) also joined. The restaurant got the female love it needed and kept getting busier every day! After many years it was enough and Karen and Rob decided to move to their beloved country Spain and closed the restaurant.

Blood is thicker than water and in 2023 the third generation decided to continue the family recipes. Nars opened his first restaurant on the first of January 2023 at the van Woustraat 23, in Amsterdam.

Heemelrijck is now more than just food and drinks; it breathes the Soul of Amsterdam. It is that feeling of coming home whether you enjoy a delicious stew on the van Woustraat, a tasty lunch on the Singel or enjoy a French toast in the bakery. In 2025, Heemelrijck will have three locations including the restaurant on the van Woustraat 23, Petit Heemelrijck or the Bakery on the Singel in Amsterdam.

Heemelrijck will also continue to grow in 2025. Thanks to the boundless passion of our team and the many wonderful guests from all over the world, we will be opening our third location at the end of this year – right in the middle of the iconic Leidseplein. A square known for the celebrations of Ajax, its beautiful theaters, and famous hotels. You will find our authentic restaurant on the canal, at Lijnbaansgracht 246 – a place where history and coziness come together.