Restaurant 212

212 abolished the distance between kitchen and guest: the restaurant is one long counter wrapped around the pass, where chef Richard van Oostenbrugge's team plates two-star cooking at arm's length — langoustines, sea bass with crisped scales, an oyster ice cream that regulars name-check for years. The format makes dinner a performance you're seated inside rather than in front of. Lunch on weekdays is the accessible entry; evenings are the full production. Book well ahead and come curious.

At a glance

In Grachtengordel, Restaurant 212 is a French restaurant at Amstel 212.