Anyway, De Willem lives IN that big white one arc de triomphe, Amsterdam style aka the Willemspoort. Nah, yes, it is (was) never actually called that: you may know it more as the Haarlemmerpoort, the fifth gate on the Haarlem side in the history of Amsterdam, part of the fortifications of Amsterdam. Anyway, it's really called the Willemspoort and when the building became available, the rush to open a huge catering business here was of course immediately on. That run was initially won by another party but then Corona came and threw a spanner in the works.

Bad luck for some, good luck for others, because the (immense! much more than an empty 'box' when the current owners moved in) renovation has now become a reality, a test run has been carried out and you can join this asset for the Amsterdam. The decoration was done by the Nicemakers (= good news, they designed more beautiful locations such as Hotel de l'Europe). De Willem has a wine bar (down the stairs), a relaxed café for the whole day (immediately when you enter) and a more fancy restaurant (take a look upstairs). We had a drink at the bar of the café (cozy!), ate a sourdough sandwich with pastrami from butcher Louman (delicious; nice, a sandwich that is just a sandwich without too much fuss, excellent in taste and nice and spicy because of the kimchi ) and can't wait until we experience a full evening program. See you soon Willumpie.

(images below via Instagram of Willem)