Review of lunch place Bakker Nel, Amsterdam

Bakker Nel (Nel’s Bakery) in one of the Nine Streets just of Dam square, and has the same concept as the other Bakery shops popping up in Amsterdam, like Bakker Bertram and het Vlaamsch Broodhuys. Basicly they are a bakery selling loafs of bread and pastries and they have a few tables in the back for people to sit and enjoy a coffee, a sandwich or a pastry.

Going to this place I was already prepared, because I had already read a not so good review of this place, but being curious, I wanted to check it out myself. When we arrived in the street the heavens opened up on us, summer is still far from Amsterdam, so we arrived a little wet. All of the tables were almost empty, not a good sign! We took a table and looked on the menu. The menu was pretty standard, nothing that peeked our curiosity. A very friendly girl came a few minutes later to clear the table and get our order. I order a sandwich with warm ham and honey mustard sauce and my friend a sandwich with grilled chicken.

When the sandwiches arrived, I knew the review I had read was right. The bread was typical supermarket bake-off bread and the ham also tasted like it came from the supermarket. When I picked up my sandwich to eat, the sauce dripped out at the end, making the whole affair rather messy. My friend didn’t enjoy his sandwich much either. It all tasted like a sunday morning breakfast you could make at home from supermarket stuff, no special touches or anything. The best thing was the freshly squeezed orange juice, which was really fresh

After finishing the sandwiches we asked for the bill and the prices were average, so the price-quality ratio was not very good. It is kind of strange for a bakery to sell such bad quality bread. As we didn’t dare to take a coffee there, we quickly paid the bill and went to another place we saw in that street.

Although the service was really friendly, it didn’t make up for the bog standard sandwiches which are served here and are better suited for after a night out on the town.