FuLu Mandarijn: The Chinese Meal I Didn’t Expect in Amsterdam

Who would have guessed that one of my favourite meals in Amsterdam would be Chinese? I did not come to the Netherlands expecting to eat Chinese food, let alone to enjoy it more than the Chinese food I have had in Montreal, in New York, and even at Chinacy in Vienna. Chinacy was good. This place had a kick to it.

FuLu Mandarijn at a Glance
📍 Where · Rokin 26, one flight up, just off Dam Square in central Amsterdam.
🌶️ What · Authentic Sichuan, served share-dining style; in the Michelin Guide Netherlands, and open 40+ years.
🍤 Order · Honey mustard chicken (milder), Sichuan dry-pot prawns (real kick), and beef tenderloin steamed in a stone pot at your table.
📱 How · Order at the table on a photo tablet; rice is billed separately, so add it.
💡 Tip · Walk-ins work even on a busy Sunday, or book on +31 20 623 0885. Look for the narrow door under the black awning.
⭐ Bubbly’s rating · 4.5 / 5 — memorable, delicious and filling; a genuine surprise.

Upstairs on the Rokin

FuLu Mandarijn is at Rokin 26, just off Dam Square, and it has been serving Sichuan food for more than 40 years. The dining room is one flight of stairs up from the street.

From the sidewalk, it looks like a hole in the wall: a narrow glass door under a black awning, with the stairs going straight up behind it. It is easy to walk past without noticing, and anyone who does is missing out.

We went on Sunday 26 April, the day before King’s Day, without a reservation. It was busy, and they seated us right away. Orange and blue balloons hung all over the room for the King’s Day celebrations, which made it festive.

The room has black dome lamps lined in gold, a stone feature wall, and a large mural of dried red chillies at the back.

The bar sits at one end of the room, with prints of spices and chillies on the wall beside it

Ordering by Tablet

Ordering happens at the table, on a tablet, and I thought it was pretty cool. Every dish and drink has a photo, so it is easy to see what a plate or a drink will look like before ordering it.

The staff bring everything out, and they stay close by to help or answer questions. They take service seriously. They were polite and courteous the whole time.

What We Ate

There were two of us, and we shared everything.

My favourite was the honey mustard chicken. I usually gravitate towards honey mustard, and this one was so flavourful: crisp pieces of chicken with green and red peppers, served in a paper-lined wooden box with a dish of grainy mustard sauce on the side.

The prawns with spice are a Sichuan dry pot. Gan guo means dry pot: a cousin of hot pot, but stir-fried so the sauce clings to the ingredients instead of being cooked in broth. Ours had the kick I mentioned.

The beef tenderloin came in a black stone pot with black pepper sauce, peppers and spring onion. They steamed it live at our table, a little show that was pretty cool.

We drank Tsingtao, a glass of Chardonnay, a Cola Zero and a large bottle of sparkling water.

It was delicious, filling and memorable.

Bubbly Tips

• Walk in, or call ahead. We were seated without a booking on a busy Sunday. To book, call the restaurant directly on +31 20 623 0885.
• Check the hours. It opens every day at 11:30 a.m. and closes at 10 p.m., or 10:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
• Try a late lunch. We arrived around 2:40 p.m. on a Sunday and walked straight to a table.
• Order to share. Two of us shared three mains, and it was plenty.
• Use the tablet photos. Every dish and drink is pictured, so you can judge the size and the look of a plate before ordering it.
• Balance the heat. The dry pot prawns have real kick. The honey mustard chicken is a good, milder partner.
• Order rice separately. White rice came as its own item on the bill, so add it when you order.
• Look for the black awning. The entrance is a narrow door under a black awning with FuLu Mandarijn in white, and the dining room is one flight of stairs up.
• Take the metro or tram. Rokin metro station has an exit on the Rokin just south of Dam Square, and trams 4, 14 and 24 stop there too.
• Pair it with the Dam. It is just off Dam Square, so it works as a lunch stop between sights in the centre.

Final Thoughts

I did not expect Chinese food to be one of the highlights of Amsterdam, but it was. Memorable, delicious, filling. We really enjoyed it.

Until next time!

xoxo,
Bubbly 🎈