Noorderlicht

An offbeat food establishment which ticks several of the boxes one might expect from a venture located in Amsterdam's hip, over-the-river wharf development known as NDSM. The business started in 2004, by two Dutch guys, first as a temporary café, then two years later as a proper venue – among the earliest NDSM settlers. The restaurant then shut in 2022 to rebuild the venue with a view to reopening in 2025. In April 2023 this temporary, outdoor-only beer garden opened, with a menu including both signature dishes (the vegan Noorderlicht Burger) and items suitable for the setting, though emphasis remains on vegan and vegetarian dishes, non-industrial fish and meat and chicken dishes. Kitchen opens at 11.30am and closes at 9pm. The restaurant, which has views of the city across the river, opens at 10am and closes when it gets a bit too nippy. There's also an events component here, notably the twice-yearly (?) LGBTQ+ Arabic-flavoured music-and-dance festival Tropikali. 'Noorderlicht' translates as 'Northern Lights'.