Vegan food cafe near Dam square. Menu combines Caribbean and Japanese tastes and ingredients. Sample dishes like the house-made vegan burger, quinoa salad, fresh spring rolls, udon noodle, hijiki seaweed salad, and changing vegan cheesecakes and desserts. Beverages offered include fruit shakes, tea, and coffee. Hosts special events. Reported to close an hour earlier than stated times. Open Mon 13:00-15:00, 17:00-22:00, Wed 12:00-15:00, Wed-Sun 17:00-22:00, Thu 13:00-15:00, Fri 12:00-15:00, Sat-Sun 13:00-15:00. Closed Tue.
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19 hs Sint Jacobstraat, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1012 NC
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- Accepts credit cards
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Last update on 09 Sep 2024 by koortje
Update business info -
Added by The Veggie Cook on 08 Nov 2011
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620 Reviews
First Review by ChakaKamaNath
hungryherbivores
Points +46
Green smoothies for daaays - Edit
My friend and I visited this restaurant twice during our stay in Amsterdam solely for their smoothies. I had their green smoothie and their coconut/soya milkshake. We didn't have any food but the smoothies themselves are worth a visit. The owners of the restaurant were very kind people as well.
Read morePros: delicious smoothies
Guest
idjuv
Points +24
The best vegan food cafe I have ever been to - Edit
I love everything about this place. The owners, the atmosphere, and of course the food! I wish I could eat here for the rest of my life.
Read morePros: 100% vegan, GREAT food, Not too tough on your wallet
Guest
Valerii
Points +28
Very nice vegan place! - Edit
Nice cozy place! Very delicious variety of food and drinks. Large portions, reasonable prices. Cheerful and pleasant family staff, the owner is very cool man! Respect for TerraZen Centre!
Read moreGuest
MBecker
Points +58
Excellent people & food, diverse menu - Edit
My partner & I wandered into TerraZen around 8:30pm on a Monday night, and the place was CROWDED. It's tiny, seating around 4 groups of people at a time, or maybe 6 - 7 couples, but the location is phenomenal. The restaurant is just a bit north of Dam Square, in the pedestrian-only shopping alleys. Inside, the place is full of color, with murals and paintings on the wall. The menu is Japanese and Indian-inspired, with lots of tempura, rice, noodles, and tempeh.
Read moreThe clientele and staff are super friendly. While we waited for 2 seats to open up, a regular customer chatted with us and volunteered information about the best menu items. She said she'd been coming every week since the place opened, and never had a subpar dish there. The staff were also very kind, exchanging laughs with us and being very patient while we tried to decide on what to order.
We ultimately ordered:
- Ginger Tea
- Hot Ginger Soyamilk
- Tempura Udon (€9.80)
- TerraZen Teishoku with Miso Soup (€15)
- Chocolate Cake
In total, we spent €35 for a meal that could have fed 2 very hungry people, or 3-4 moderately hungry people. And it was DELICIOUS. With the exception of the hot ginger soyamilk, which was just soymilk with ginger chopped up in it (I don’t know what I was expecting), everything was phenomenal, and very fresh, piping hot, and crispy.
Actually, the meal was so filling that we saved the entire Teishoku dish in tupperwear and ate it for lunch the following day. The Teishoku is a mix of 3 of the first 6 items on the “Main Dishes” menu, decided upon by the kitchen based on what veggies are around and what’s good (which was perfect for my indecisive partner & I). The Tempura Udon is a gigantic bowl of noodle soup with tempura and veggies (such as seaweed and mushrooms) on top. For dessert, we finished with the chocolate cake, which was PHENOMENAL -- just moist and just sweet enough, but not too much. It was perfection.
If I were to suggest anything, it’d be to add seitan to the menu.
Pros: delicious food, upbeat vibe / atmosphere, great location
Cons: no seitan, very small location
Guest
killianH
Points +122
The vegan experience! - Edit
Like all good vegan resturants, this place is unique. It serves a mix of vegan meals, not overtly gourmet, but always fresh and cheap. Its a small place, and the nice guy running it can get a bit busy, but is always smiling. Ive been three times and will always go back.
Read morePros: vegan straight up!, fair prices, unique
Guest
tcasalena
Points +99
different but good - Edit
There are few restaurants where you can walk in greeted by a Jamaican man with a joint pressed between a huge smile. Okay, the guy is really nice and runs the place by himself. Okay, I'm lying, when it gets busy his kids become your servers which was weird for their age. Overall though the food was really good and we went back for more. Go for the stews for a larger more filling portion for the price, the burgers were smaller. The food was really good, the chocolate cake was amazing. I'd recommend at least giving it a try, for at least the experience of dining on what seems like a living room with table service.
Read morePros: food, weirdness
Guest
sauce1173
Points +31
One of the best vegan spots in A'dam - Edit
I have seen a lot of review for this place so I decided to check it out. Yea the service is not the best(where is in Holland?) but it is family owned = ). I think the food is great and I consider it a treat to eat here. If your not in rush and want to relax and have some vegan food this is the place.
Read morePros: Everything VEGAN and yummy!!!!!, Local family owned place
Cons: Could be remodled.
Guest
Purple Carrot
Points +47
memorable and weird restaurant experience - Edit
My eating experience here was pretty memorable.
Read moreIn spite of booking a table both via e-mail (that nobody checked) and then via phone an hour before, seats had not been reserved for us. But luckily after a 30 min wait, quite a few people were leaving and the restaurant emptied out of guests.
There were quite a few people buzzing about, including what appeared to be 3 chefs, two children working as waitresses and then a couple of men who looked like they might own the place. Everybody were super friendly but utterly incapable of offering anything that resembled service. We made our order with the kids and they promptly forgot parts of our order, (they forgot half the order from the table next to us as well). But we only found that out after a 1 hour wait for my meal and another 45 mins wait for my table companions meal. The food was decent, and quite lovingly prepared, so we enjoyed it enough to want to try it again.
But as we were finishing up our meals, one of the guys got out his karaoke kit and started singing. All his family and friends that had been milling around formed a circle around him and the guests, a total of four, all smiled at each other in disbelief. The entire experience was really quite weird. So when we left the restaurant several hours after arriving, we left with smiles on our faces.
Pros: Food, Friendly staff, Good location
Cons: No service
Guest
Chiechi
Points +62
Tasty, great atmosphere - Edit
I wandered in here one evening after a super long day in Brussels and a mess with the trains. I was exhausted, irritable, and starving. Inside was the well-travelled and incredibly warm, friendly owner and an atmosphere that reminded me more of having dinner with friends than a restaurant. I walked out peaceful, happy, and well-fed. The food is an interesting mix of Japanese and Caribbean. The portions are reasonable, but on the small side for me, which is no problem because it means I get to enjoy more side dishes.
Read morePros: Nice Atmosphere, Good Food, Nice People
Guest
Asleep On A Sunbeam
Points +113
Yummy! - Edit
Whilst the food was impressively tasty the portions were not massive. But given the price of the food and the friendly atmosphere, and the quality of the food, I heartily recommend this place. If you're in Amsterdam you should definitely go here.
Read morePros: High quality, Low and fair price, chilled friendly atmosphere
Cons: portions weren't massive
Guest
Lolamoviola
Points +78
so cute! - Edit
This place looks a bit weird at first but when you get it: it only gets better! Today we ate here and we both loved it! I got the 'chicken burger' and it was soooo delicious! i don't like Fake meat at all, but the girl ( i think it's their daughter, only twelve years old or something..) advised me the chicken burger! The place is filled with nice music, nice service and good food!
Read moreGuest
sakurahappyanimals
Points +28
Awesome! - Edit
I totally missed japanese food coz I am japanese! hehe today I oder tempura donburi was really really really JApanese style! was soooo yum!!!! Im loving terraZen! I go tmrw again! will get natto avo bowl! You really should try! real japanese and ppl are so nice!!!!!!!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on Tuesday November 13, 2012
Pros: excellent food
Guest
ThomasPDX
Points +24
Best Vegan Food in Amsterdam - Edit
Seriously, if you are vegan and in Amsterdam, this is the place to go. The food was absolutely delicious. I had the tempura donburi/miso soup and I couldn't get enough.
Read moreIt's a little hidden down a side street and it took me a while to find it. The portions were a tad small. But I would go again in a heart beat. I think it was the best meal I've had in Europe so far.
Pros: Delicious food
Cons: Hidden, Small Portions
Guest
EmileKuijvenhoven
Points +48
fun place to eat - Edit
TerraZen Centre is a small but funny place to eat.
Read morepeople are friendly and the food is good.
will go back next visit to Amsterdam
Guest
ragekid999
Points +26
Delicious vegan - Edit
Went here, exactly sitting still here.
Read moreWith my dongle on talking with a friend I went shopping with today.
How amazing the food was.
Variety of choiche for vegans.
We both had a vegan chicken curry & roti.
Absolutely recommendable.
Serverd with the coffidence the meal deserved.
We absolutely both loved it.
She isn't veggie or vegan.
I'm vegan.
My friend she's gonna tell her mom about this place
I just wrote this review.
When you walk in their is sort of amazing calm vibe.
Pros: food, vibe, drinks
Guest
VeganTrav
Points +164
Delicious, cosy and super friendly! - Edit
The food is delicious, the owner super friendly and the atmosphere very cosy, I'm going to eat here more often to try all the other dishes on their wide interesting menu :P
Read morePros: delicious, cosy, friendly
Guest
RoseVonVegan
Points +300
Great vegan food in a great location - Edit
I've been to TerraZen a few times - well, I think, every time I went to Amsterdam when living in the Netherlands. I brought a vegetarian there and he left a vegan, so that was a success... ;)
Read moreThe food is very tasty, I guess a little expensive if you are used to very cheap, but for Amsterdam it is actually pretty reasonable. (Have these other reviewers seen the rents?!)
The main downer is the opening hours - which seem to be "when we feel like it". If you arrive too early, you might find they are closed. It's not a bad idea to call up first to check they are open before trekking your way over to them.
The portion sizes were fine for me, but perhaps a little small for some people like my high-metabolism boyfriend. But the food itself is really delicious and varied, so it makes up for it.
It is run by a vegan couple, she's Japanese and he is from the Carribean (I gather?). He is the one who deals more with customers, and is really friendly and has a great sense of humour. He really believes in veganism, too, so you won't see him making any "milk for tea" compromises like some places!
YES, the place is a bit "rustic", it's no posh restaurant, but it's nice, homely, and good food made in a 100% vegan environment. Nice! Recommended.
Pros: Tasty food, Varied menu, Friendly, funny staff
Cons: Unreliable opening hours
Guest
Joloco
Points +311
small portions - Edit
A vegan restaurant in the centre of Amsterdam. On first impressions it was quite ramshackle - not that we're strangers to ramshackle, but for the prices charged you'd expect better than a piece of wood on cinder blocks next to a random jumble of computer equipment for a seat. It was nowhere near as nice as the photos make it seem. We ordered what was meant to be a bean stew, but it was a bean salad really, with the strange addition of three slices of bread with peanut butter on them. We also had a faux-chicken burger, which was chicken-style pieces rather than a burger. It was okay. The couple who run the place were very friendly and helpful, and they're obviously pointing in the right direction, so I wish I could give it more than a three cow rating. Maybe we caught it on a bad night, but to us it felt like it definitely needs improvement, and even if you're a vegan in Amsterdam.
Read morePros: location, friendly staff, vegan
Cons: small portions
Joloco
I also find it a little suspect that TerraZen Centre has so many reviews by users who signed up to Happy Cow, left a very enthusiastic review the same day, and then never came back. (Another one appeared almost immediately after I left my review!)
Read moreGuest
Roaming
Points +61
Brought a friend - Edit
My second great meal at TerraZen. This time I brought a friend who commented "Weeds smell and smoke full house, caribbean and reggae music, japanese tempura on the menu, microsoft windows screen saver on the ceiling, stoned waiters with weird Arabic dress, spiritual talks with strangers ... lol this restaurant is really just.. I'm speechless lol". Oh, and he liked the food, too :-)
Read moreGuest
pfafff
Points +60
disagree with other review - Edit
Small place, not very clean (the sons of the owner enter in the restaurant with bikes). Flavorless food. The only flavor I recognized was seaweed (alga). I got some rice with avocado (and somethine else) but it was really flavorless. (we only tried 2 dishes from the menu). Average price but it doesn't worth it.
Read morePros: price
Cons: flavorless
Guest
slithers
Points +701
Made to order - Edit
When I stumbled in here, punch-drunk from jetlag on my first day in Amsterdam, I pretty much fell in love. The atmosphere is very quirky and welcoming (not sterile/boring like many places) and so too was the owner/chef. He was very helpful in answering my questions and made our food exactly as he'd described (I had an Ital stew). I would've liked a little bigger portion, but it was my first day in Europe so I hadn't yet adjusted to the smaller portions there (in America, it's usually eat until you're stuffed) - the prices were good and the cake we got to go was delicious later. It is not far from Dam Square (the center of Amsterdam), but a little hard to find the first time. I only regret that I didn't get to go there twice.
Read morePros: charming atmosphere, charming owner, great, healthy food @ good prices
Cons: small
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Sawardja
Points +25
Don't judge a book by it's cover - Edit
That was the lesson learned! Honestly, I was a little hesitant when I walked in and saw the tiny, somewhat hole-in-the-wall interior of a small alley in Amsterdam. Especially with the Rastafarian decor, it seemed a bit like a Coffee House at first. I wasn't sure I wanted to stay, but was glad I did! The fusion Japanese-Caribbean cuisine was quite tasty and less expensive than a typical Amsterdam meal. Quite honestly, I had some of the best vegan food I've ever had here. Different and delicious! I wish we had had time to stop by again. Most definitely worth the trip.
Read morePros: novel cuisine, tasty, inexpensive
Guest
martinwhybrow
Points +17
Worth a trip - Edit
Thoroughly enjoyed a visit to this small, quirky vegan cafe. It is located centrally in Amsterdam but down a small street so probably doesn't gain much passing trade - so spread the word! The proprietor is a lovely guy, very friendly welcome, trying to get established after about four months. The food and drink was excellent (a bit of Caribbean, a bit of Japanese, all vegan, of course). I particularly recommend the ginger soya milk.
Read morePros: Friendly, Great food and drink, Central location
Cons: A bit hidden away, look it up first
Guest
els
Points +215
Excellent vegan food - Edit
It is a very small place, not suitable for really large groups, but very cosy and with a very relaxed atmosphere. But most notable is the food, I had a Deep Fried Tempeh Donburi and it tasted so very very good that I couldn't remember when I last ate something as good as this in any restaurant. The Ginger Coffee was also remarkable good. On the menu are much more appealing options so we'll be coming back to try them all, and off course for more Tempeh Donburi :-).
Read moreGuest
Gudrun
Points +4901
Great Place - Edit
What a nice place! Great food, friendly owner, relaxed atmosphere, faire prices and very close to Amsterdam Central station! I had the curry of the day, banana cake, ginger soy melk and ginger coffee. Can recommend all of those (well, if you don't like hot stuff, don't ask for that curry - they have other great stuff as well, but I justed loved it). Will soon be back and bring some friends along!
Read morePros: Excellent Food, Good Value, Friendly Owner
Guest
ChakaKamaNath
Points +16
Great place to dine & meet people! - Edit
A lovely place with homemade, pure vegan & organic foods. Its inexpensive. The menu is ranging from tasty Udon noodles to seaweed salads and vegan burgers!. Homemade pastry, fresh tropical fruit shakes and delicious ginger coffee & tea's.
Read moreYou can taste the love, Swizaba puts in his food (the
owner)!!!
Thank You, Brother!!!
One Love
Open from 11.00 in the morning to 10.00 in the eve.
Pros: excellent food, healthy cuisine, good value
Guest
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