Restaurant Pisa

I often complain that the Italian restaurants near the Leidseplein all seem the same. Same menu, prices, tacky plastic plants and wall murals. Well at least the Pisa Restaurant ditched the plastic, giving this place a more modern, less dusty feel.

I’ve always enjoyed the lasagnas in Amsterdam, because they are a bit different from what you get in other cities. My guess is that instead of the typical combination of mozzarella and ricotta cheese, you get a richer selection of Dutch cheeses substituting for the traditional Italian cheese. This makes for a delightful change.

So I ordered a vegetarian lasagne and a beer. I was long thru my beer, and had to wait almost a half hour (or so it seemed) for my lasagne, which I guess was made from scratch to order. It was excellent with a variety of vegetables and lots of cheese and a combination of bechamel and tomato sauces. It was so good it was worth the wait, and I ate every bite. My only complaint was they served me a basket of bread just before the lasagne came out. It would’ve been much more welcome 20 minutes earlier when I was ready to eat the table setting! Traditions die hard in these Italian restaurants.

Open from noon until 11 pm daily.

Pizzeria Rimini

The Leidseplein area is famous for a wide range of entertainment and dining options. Most of the restaurants seem to be clones of each other, with little to differentiate the various ethnic places, especially the Italian ones.

Pizzeria Rimini is unique in that it offers pretty much the same fare as most other Italian eateries in the area, but boasts pizza and pasta dishes at about half the price of other restaurants. This was such an unusual claim, especially for Amsterdam, I had to give it a try.

I ordered a pizza funghi (with cheese & mushrooms) and I wasn’t disappointed. While it wasn’t the best pizza in the area, it equalled most others. It was huge covering the entire platter. The only faults I could find was perhaps just a little less of each ingredient. A little less cheese, fewer mushrooms (although there certainly was enough), and a slightly thinner crust.

All pizzas are priced at just 5 euros.

You’ll have to walk a bit farther to get the deal as the Rimini is at the edge of the restaurant district. No doubt that’s why they have the half price gimmick to get people to walk past a dozen other Italian restaurants along the way. It’s also very popular with young Dutch people looking to save a few Euros, so it might be crowed on weekends. If you’re looking for cheap eats around the Leidseplein, check out Rimini!