La Fiorita

It’s almost overwhelming how many Italian restaurants you find cramped in the tiny Jordaan neighbourhood, making it all the more difficult to choose. Luckily three of them have fantastic wine lists, which makes the selection a lot easier. Perhaps the best of these three is La Fiorita in the buzzing Tweede Tuindwarsstraat. La Fiorita is owned by chef Thor Lunstroo, who made his mark in other fine Amsterdam establishments, and Benjamin Sanchez, who also owns one of Amsterdam’s best pizza places, ‘La Perla’ next door.

Besides the wine list, the interior of this restaurant is also top-notch. Understated luxury, a bit like you could describe Sanchez himself. A lot of money has been spent renovating the worn-down place it was before La Fiorita opened, but all of that has been done so well. No bling-bling, but warmth, elegance and an almost homey feeling. The linen tablecloths don’t feel posh at all, but nice comfortable detail. The food is pure, honest and expressive, experimenting with flavour combinations or ingredients here and there, but never out of bounds. Great value for money too.

So is the very extensive wine list. A wonderful and diverse selection of Italians is what you would expect and what the restaurant delivers with both traditional and modern producers in Piedmont, for example, from Burlotto to Gaja. What other neighbourhood Italian could you find three vintages of Monfortino? If you like Italian food, but the wines are not your cup of tea, you’ll surely get your satisfaction from the wide array of Champagnes and Burgundies from mostly small artisanal producers. With friendly service on top of the good food and great wine, La Fiorita is definitely a place worth visiting.