As an Amsterdammer, it can be easy to forget that life exists outside the A10. And yet as the city gets busier and busier, I find myself increasingly drawn outwards \u2013 to where the pace of life feels a little slower and the air a little cleaner. I\u2019d not expected to find authentic Indian and Nepalese food in Zaanse Schans (of all the most Dutch places imaginable!) but there it was: Kathmandu Kitchen<\/a> \u2013 or as they say on their website, \u201cbetter known among the locals of the Zaanstreek as the \u2018Zaanse Kathmandu Kitchen\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n For this is a local find as much as an international one. Co-owner and front-of-house Nishan Sapkota told me that 80% of Kathmandu Kitchen\u2019s guests come from the local region \u2013 testament to the quality of the cooking that keeps them coming back. But with the famous Zaanse Schans windmills just a stone\u2019s throw away, and Amsterdam only a 20-minute train journey from the closest station, it\u2019s a wonder that more tourists haven\u2019t discovered this rather unique restaurant.<\/p>\n Kathmandu Kitchen has lived in the historic green wooden building known as \u201cDe Waakzaamheid\u201d since 2017 \u2013 having expanded from its first location in Amsterdam. Nishan\u2019s father was (and still is) the head chef of this proud family business, bringing his culinary heritage with him from the Himalayas.<\/p>\n But before it became a restaurant, the building had seen many different lives. Built in 1626, De Waakzaamheid<\/a> is looking good for 400 years old. It\u2019s the oldest wooden hospitality building in the Netherlands, located next to the Koogersluis to serve travellers \u2013 a rare surviving example of 17th-century Zaanse timber architecture. During World War Two, it served as a hub for the resistance, used to shelter Jews in hiding. From the 1950s onwards, it became better known for its musical performances \u2013 first as a jazz caf\u00e9, later as a discotheque. And in 2010, it was voted the second most beautiful building in the Netherlands \u2013 finally gaining official Rijksmonument (national heritage) status in 2026.<\/p>\n It\u2019s perhaps fitting that a building that\u2019s seen so many incarnations is now back to its roots in hospitality: serving guests from its extensive menu of Indian, Nepalese and halal-friendly dishes<\/a>.<\/p>\n We started with chicken momos<\/em>: distinctive Nepalese dumplings, made in-house and served with two sauces \u2013 a mild, tomato-based sauce and a hot, chilli-based one. Juicy, spicy and moreish. But my favourite dish of the evening was a new one on me: sekuwa<\/em>, traditionally made with goat but here with lamb, the meat had been marinated in Nepalese spices and cooked in a dry clay oven, then served with a mix of caramelised onion and fresh coriander. The spices were fragrant, the heat levels perfect, and the meat moist. I could\u2019ve eaten it twice over.<\/p>\n When the mains came out, we were in more familiar territory: butter chicken was rich and comforting, and (crucially) not too sweet. It came with a separate pot of the chilli sauce we\u2019d seen with the momos<\/em> earlier, so we could spice it up if we wanted to. Worth noting: Kathmandu Kitchen uses chicken thigh rather than chicken breast in its curries \u2013 a switch that makes perfect textural sense in the dish. Tandoori lamb chops were equally toothsome and tender, arriving at the table sizzling with peppers and onions. And the rice pilau was a meal in itself: studded with green peas, cashew nuts and sultanas. See also: fluffy, buttery, garlic naan \u2013 you can\u2019t beat it.<\/p>\n After all that, we probably didn\u2019t need dessert, but we finished with the gulab jamun<\/em>: perhaps best described as India\u2019s answer to oliebollen<\/em>, but served swimming in syrup with coconut and vanilla ice cream.<\/p>\n While the food is fantastic, it\u2019s clear that Kathmandu Kitchen is more than just a restaurant. Nishan is adamant that it needs to form part of the community, and \u2013 fittingly \u2013 for the building\u2019s 400th<\/sup> birthday they\u2019re organising all sorts of community-based events. \u201cWe host cooking workshops<\/a> on the last Wednesday of every month,\u201d he told me; \u201cthe next one on 26 August will focus on making traditional Nepalese dumplings (momos<\/em>).\u201d<\/p>\n Kathmandu Kitchen is also participating in \u201cDe Langste Tafel Zaanstad\u201d (The Longest Table in Zaanstad) on 23 September. It\u2019s a long, communal table that will start on the terrace and then reach towards the water, where refugees, statushouders<\/em> (people with residency status) and other Zaanstad residents will eat together \u2013 targeted to reach 250 guests. It\u2019s part of the wider Zaanstad \u201cLangste Tafel\u201d initiative (also seen in Amsterdam and elsewhere), which is all about inclusion and bringing communities together.<\/p>\n Kathmandu Kitchen may be young compared with De Waakzaamheid\u2019s 400 years, but I predict that both will be bringing enjoyment to the Zaanstreek, Amsterdam and further afield for decades to come. And if you happen to be staying (or living) further west, the Sapkota family has branches of Kathmandu Kitchen in Beverwijk and Leiden, too.<\/p>\n This feature is brought to you in partnership with Kathmandu Kitchen, and is a paid collaboration. For more Indian and Nepalese food, read my\u00a0<\/em>guide to Indian restaurants in Amsterdam<\/em><\/a> (now including Zaanse Schans and Amstelveen!).<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nThe storied, 400-year history of De Waakzaamheid<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Distinctive dishes: Indian and Nepalese cuisine brought to the Zaanstreek<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Smells like community spirit<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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