Christmas Dinner in Amsterdam: Where to Book in 2026

Essentially Amsterdam · October 6, 2026

Photo: rawpixel / CC0, via Openverse

Restaurant Amstelle at Van der Valk Hotel Amsterdam Amstel is the easiest place to start if you want a full Christmas dinner on 24, 25 or 26 December.

Its holiday page lists a 5-course menu at €75 per adult, a 3-course children’s menu and an à la carte option on all three days. If you’d rather share dry-aged steak, The Uptown Meat Club offers Christmas sets from €75 to €150 per person.

Tables for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day fill up early, and many restaurants switch to fixed menus, ask for deposits and set firm seating times.

Knowing each restaurant’s format before you call saves you from booking a tasting menu when your group wanted à la carte, or a late slot when you have small children.

Some places on this list publish detailed Christmas menus.

Others are good, flexible options whose holiday plans are announced closer to December.

Each entry explains which is which.

One caution: the Christmas pages quoted below do not print a year.

Prices and dates are as they appeared on each venue’s own site in early October 2026, so confirm they apply to 2026 when you book.

Quick picks:

Best for families: Restaurant Amstelle, with a kids’ menu and Santa visits.
Best for meat lovers: The Uptown Meat Club’s shared Wagyu set.
Best for fine dining: Van Oost, overlooking Oosterpark.
Best for a canal-side classic: Sofitel Legend The Grand’s restaurants.

1) Bar Brasserie OCCO

Bar Brasserie OCCO sits inside The Dylan hotel on the Keizersgracht.

It has served a festive menu over Christmas before, but had not published 2026 plans by early October, so check its site closer to December.

The regular dinner menu gives you a sense of the style.

OCCO’s current menu includes a 3-course menu at €55, with a 3-glass wine pairing for €32.

À la carte mains include scallops and North Sea monkfish at €42, plus vegetarian dishes like celeriac at €24.

Practical points from the Bar Brasserie OCCO website:

Last-minute bookings go through +31 20 530 2010.
Groups of nine or more deal with the Events Team at events@dylanamsterdam.com.
High Wine runs daily in the Lounge for €55 per person.

OCCO suits couples or small groups who want a polished canal-ring setting with signature cocktails before dinner.

2) Restaurant Amstelle

Restaurant Amstelle publishes the clearest Christmas offer on this list.

The Van der Valk Amsterdam Amstel Christmas dinner page lists dinner on 24, 25 and 26 December, starting at 5:30 PM.

Option	Price	Notes
5-course menu	€75 per adult	Starts with an amuse-bouche
Children’s menu (4 to 12)	€29.50	3 courses
À la carte	Per dish	Groups up to 8 only

Groups of nine or more get the 5-course menu.

Groups of 14 or more can ask about private dining.

You book only by phone (+31 20 80 01 100) or email (feestdagen@amsterdam.valk.com), and a €15 deposit per person secures the table.

Free cancellation applies up to 7 days before your date.

The last seating is 9:15 PM.

Families get extras: a play area with a bouncy castle, and Santa visits the restaurant on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Parking in the hotel garage is free for the first 3 hours with your restaurant receipt, then €4 per hour.

3) The Uptown Meat Club

The Uptown Meat Club, at Van Baerlestraat 7 near Museumplein, stays open as usual over Christmas and adds three shared Christmas sets built around steak.

The Christmas menu page lists these options:

Christmas Sharing Set, €75 per person: shared starters, a 600 g chuck eye steak for two, sides and dessert.
Dry Aged Christmas Set, €100 per person: a 500 g Chateaubriand or 1.3 kg Tomahawk for two, both dry aged.
Wagyu Christmas Menu, €150 per person: a 500 g Australian full-blood Wagyu ribeye for two.

Every set comes with fries plus baby broccoli and sweet pointed pepper.

Main cuts are designed for two guests, so even-numbered groups work best.

You can also order à la carte if you’d rather skip a set.

The restaurant notes that seating is limited during the holidays.

Its festive season overview covers New Year’s Eve too, handy if you’re planning both evenings.

4) Van Oost Restaurant

Van Oost brings fine dining to Amsterdam-Oost, in a 1908 former university building with tall windows over Oosterpark.

Chef Floris van Straalen and his team create a special festive menu for Christmas lunch and dinner, according to the Van Oost Restaurant website.

The cooking blends Japanese and French influences.

The chef’s mentor is 3-Michelin-starred chef Jannis Brevet.

The wine list, curated by sommelier Rick Neuteboom, earned one wineglass from Wine Spectator in 2025.

Regular menu pricing helps you budget.

A 7-course menu costs €159 and must be booked at least 24 hours ahead.

Wine pairings run €70 for 5 courses, €80 for 6 and €95 for 7.

One dietary note matters here: the restaurant says vegan, egg-free or soy-free versions of its complex menu aren’t possible.

Van Oost sits inside the 5-star Pillows Maurits at the Park hotel, so you can add an overnight stay.

5) Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam

Sofitel Legend The Grand runs a dedicated festive season programme at its historic hotel on the Oudezijds Voorburgwal.

Its seasonal offers page highlights the holidays, alongside a monthly shared-dining Sunday brunch at Oriole.

The hotel’s bars and restaurants give you several moods to choose from:

Bridges: a five, six or seven course Menu du Chef, plus a Chef’s Table.
Oriole Garden Bistro: Mediterranean seasonal dishes in a leafy indoor setting.
Library “Or”: The Grand Afternoon Tea in the lobby.
The Flying Dutchman: a Dutch brown café with local beers and cocktails.

This mix helps mixed groups.

A tasting-menu fan and a brunch lover can both find something here over the holidays.

You can reach the hotel at +31 20 555 3111 or contact.thegrand@sofitel.com.

It’s a short walk from Dam Square, which makes it easy to pair dinner with a walk past the Christmas lights.

6) PARK Café/Restaurant

PARK Café/Restaurant is the relaxed option on this list, set in Oosterpark as part of Hotel Arena.

It serves breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner, which gives you flexibility on quieter holiday days.

The PARK menu features sharing plates “for the table” for two, such as sea bass with eel butter sauce or a 350 g ribeye, each €55.

Smaller dishes run from €9 to €16, and bites include oysters and mushroom bitterballen.

Dishes use herbs from the restaurant’s own garden.

Key details from the PARK Café/Restaurant page:

Breakfast runs 07:00 to 10:30, until 11:00 at weekends.
The kitchen is open 11:30 to 22:00.
Groups of 10 or more can arrange a special group menu.
Reservations: Restaurant@hotelarena.nl or +31 20 850 24 00.

PARK works well for a laid-back festive lunch with friends, or a Boxing Day meal when you want something lighter than a multi-course feast.

How to Choose a Christmas Dinner

Start with the date, then match the menu format to your group.

This table compares what each restaurant publishes.

Restaurant	Area	Format	Published price	Kids’ menu
Bar Brasserie OCCO	Canal Ring	3-course or à la carte	€55 regular menu	Not listed
Restaurant Amstelle	Amstel/Oost	5-course or à la carte	€75 Christmas menu	Yes, €29.50
The Uptown Meat Club	Zuid	Shared sets or à la carte	€75 to €150	Not listed
Van Oost	Oosterpark	Tasting menu	€159 for 7 courses	Not listed
Sofitel Legend The Grand	City Centre	Menu du Chef, bistro, brunch	Not listed	Not listed
PARK Café/Restaurant	Oosterpark	Sharing plates, brunch	€55 for two-person mains	Not listed

Which date and neighbourhood work for your group?

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day draw the most demand, so Boxing Day (26 December, called Tweede Kerstdag) gives you more choice.

Restaurant Amstelle lists dinner on all three days.

Neighbourhood affects travel on quieter public transport days.

Oost has three picks close together: Amstelle, Van Oost and PARK.

The Grand and OCCO suit a city-centre evening with canal lights.

If guests are coming from outside Amsterdam, check parking; Amstelle has its own garage.

Our Amsterdam neighbourhood guide helps if you’re unsure which area is easiest for everyone.

Do you want a set menu, à la carte dinner or brunch?

Set menus make budgeting simple.

Amstelle’s 5-course menu is €75 per adult, and Uptown’s sets are priced per person.

À la carte gives picky eaters freedom, but watch group limits.

Amstelle offers à la carte only to groups of up to 8.

Brunch or lunch suits families with early bedtimes.

PARK serves brunch, The Grand runs a monthly Sunday brunch at Oriole, and Van Oost offers a Christmas lunch.

What should you check about dietary needs and children’s menus?

Mention allergies when you book, since kitchens prepare holiday menus in advance.

Amstelle asks you to list allergies and dietary needs in your reservation email.

Tasting menus are less flexible.

Van Oost states that vegan, egg-free or soy-free versions aren’t possible.

For vegetarians, OCCO and PARK list meat-free dishes on their regular menus.

For children, Amstelle stands out with a €29.50 3-course menu for ages 4 to 12, a play area and Santa visits.

Before You Book

Lock in the deposit, cancellation terms and travel plan before you confirm a Christmas table.

When do Christmas reservations open?

Restaurants release holiday menus on their own schedules.

Some post them in autumn, others in early December.

The Uptown Meat Club warns that seating is limited, and Amstelle asks guests to contact it in time.

Booking methods differ too:

Amstelle takes Christmas bookings by phone or email only, not through its online tool.
OCCO handles last-minute requests by phone.
Groups usually go through an events team: OCCO from nine guests, PARK from 10, Amstelle from 14.

The What’s On calendar also lists festive events if you want to build an evening around dinner.

What do deposits, cancellation terms and drinks packages cover?

A deposit holds your table and is usually taken off the final bill.

At Amstelle, it’s €15 per person, paid through a link sent after your request, and the booking is only final once it arrives.

Free cancellation runs up to 7 days before your date.

Drinks are often extra.

OCCO’s regular 3-glass wine pairing costs €32, and Van Oost’s pairings range from €70 to €95.

Ask whether the Christmas menu price includes drinks, service or bread.

How can you confirm holiday transport and opening hours?

Plan your route home before the night.

GVB trams and NS trains run reduced timetables on holidays, and taxis get busy late on Christmas Eve.

Driving guests should know Amstelle’s garage offers 3 free hours with a restaurant receipt.

Street parking near the hotel is free at weekends.

Regular hours can change over Christmas, so check your restaurant’s holiday hours when you book.

The daily Essentially Amsterdam newsletter shares train updates and cycling conditions during the holidays.

Related Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Amsterdam restaurants serve Christmas dinner on 25 December?

Restaurant Amstelle lists Christmas dinner on 25 December, from 5:30 PM.

The Uptown Meat Club stays open as usual through the season, and Van Oost offers a festive Christmas lunch and dinner menu.

Are any of these restaurants open on Boxing Day?

Yes, Restaurant Amstelle serves its Christmas menus on 26 December, and Santa visits that day too.

The Uptown Meat Club stays open as usual over the Christmas season.

Can I book a Christmas dinner without a fixed menu?

Yes.

Amstelle offers a Christmas à la carte menu for groups of up to 8, and The Uptown Meat Club serves à la carte alongside its Christmas sets.

How far ahead should I reserve a Christmas table in Amsterdam?

Book as soon as menus appear, ideally several weeks before December.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day fill first, and Amstelle allows free cancellation up to 7 days ahead if plans change.

Which of these restaurants can accommodate children or dietary requirements?

Restaurant Amstelle is the strongest family pick, with a children’s menu for ages 4 to 12 and a play area.

Tell any restaurant about allergies when you book; note that Van Oost can’t make vegan, egg-free or soy-free versions of its tasting menu.