If you want a more traditional Dutch pancake house Amsterdam experience outside the busy city center, Boerderij Meerzicht was one of my favorite food stops during our Netherlands trip. It sits inside Amsterdamse Bos, a huge forested park just south of Amsterdam, and the entire setting feels much quieter and more local compared to the usual canal-side brunch spots.
This is not a trendy aesthetic brunch café situation. It’s more of a classic Dutch pancake house surrounded by walking trails, bikes, trees, playgrounds, deer, and families spending the afternoon outside. It kind of feels like a little cottage hidden in the woods that also happens to serve giant pancakes.
And after eating there, I completely understood why people keep stopping here during bike rides through Amsterdamse Bos.
Boerderij Meerzicht is located inside Amsterdamse Bos near Amstelveen, just outside central Amsterdam.
Amsterdamse Bos is much bigger than a normal city park. It’s more like Amsterdam’s giant outdoor recreation area filled with biking paths, lakes, canals, picnic areas, cafés, farms, kayaking areas, playgrounds, and walking trails. A lot of locals come here to bike, walk, picnic, or spend the day outside.
If you’re planning multiple day trips around the Netherlands, my Best Day Trips from Amsterdam guide pairs really well with this area since Amsterdamse Bos is an easy escape from the city.
One thing worth knowing before you go is that the navigation can apparently get a little confused if you use the restaurant’s direct address.
If you’re driving, use:
Meerzicht Parking Lot, Amstelveen
instead of the restaurant’s actual address.
Using “Koenenkade 56” can sometimes send navigation systems to the wrong area, so the parking lot name works much better.
Parking itself was pretty straightforward once we used the correct navigation.
If you’re renting a car for tulip season or exploring smaller Dutch towns outside Amsterdam, I’d also recommend reading Driving in the Netherlands (What It’s Really Like for Tourists) because Dutch parking systems and road signs can feel a little different at first.
Walking up to the restaurant felt very storybook Dutch countryside in the best way. The building looks like a cozy little cottage tucked into the woods with outdoor seating, indoor seating, trees everywhere, and tons of open space around it.
There’s also a surprising amount to do nearby besides just eating.
You can feed deer, walk through the woods, let kids play on the playground, or go look for the singing tree nearby. People were biking all through the area while we were there, so the whole place had a very active outdoor atmosphere.
It felt a little touristy but still is much more local overall.
The ordering process confused me when we first walked in, mostly because it doesn’t work like a normal restaurant.
So here’s the easiest way to explain it.
When you walk inside, veer to the right and grab a menu. Drinks, salads, sandwiches, pastries, coffee, and basically anything that is not a pancake gets picked up or ordered through the indoor buffet area.
Then you order and pay for your pancakes separately at the register.
After paying, you take your receipt over to the pancake kitchen window. They’ll hand you a little electronic disk that lights up and vibrates when your pancakes are ready.
Once it starts flashing, you go pick up your pancakes at the pancake kitchen.
After watching a few other people do it, the system made much more sense.
If you’ve never had Dutch pancakes before, they’re very different from thick American pancakes.
They’re huge, thin, and somewhere between a crepe and an American pancake. The edges get slightly crisp while the middle stays softer, and the toppings cover basically the entire thing.
The portions here are massive too.
If you’re going with another person, I’d highly recommend splitting a couple different pancakes because it’s more fun trying both sweet and savory options.
The menu at Boerderij Meerzicht is enormous.
There were sweet pancakes with apples, cherries, pineapple, Nutella, whipped cream, chocolate, cinnamon, and powdered sugar, plus savory combinations with bacon, cheese, salami, Mediterranean spices, shoarma, and syrup.
One thing worth knowing: when the menu says “icing sugar,” they mean powdered sugar, not frosting. My American brain needed a second to process that.
We started with fresh strawberries and cream as a little “appetizer,” which felt like an excellent decision considering I’m always ready to eat sweets.
I also got a fresh squeezed orange juice that you get to watch being made fresh in front of you.
For the pancakes, I tried both sweet and savory.
The savory pancake had bacon, apple, and syrup, which sounds slightly crazy but worked together surprisingly well. The salty bacon with the sweet apple and syrup combination made more sense after about two bites.
I also got the classic apple pancake with cinnamon and powdered sugar, and that one ended up being my favorite. It felt closer to the traditional Dutch pancake experience and was simpler in the best way.
If strawberries had been fully in season while we were there, I probably would’ve ordered the strawberry pancake too.
Save this for later on Pinterest so you don’t forget it.
The pancakes here are huge enough that sharing works very well if you want to try multiple flavors.
Most pancakes were around €9–€18 depending on the toppings.
The simpler pancakes with powdered sugar, fruit, syrup, or cinnamon were mostly around €9–€12, while the larger savory combinations with multiple toppings, meats, or cheeses were closer to €14–€18.
The apple and cinnamon pancake was around €11.50, while the savory bacon, apple, cheese, and syrup pancake was closer to €16.50.
Considering the portion sizes, the pricing felt pretty reasonable.
There was no wait when we arrived, but the restaurant was already pretty full.
They do not take reservations.
Even without waiting for a table, it still took around 30 minutes for our pancakes to come out because the kitchen was busy.
So if you visit during a popular biking or weekend lunch time, I’d expect a bit of a wait for food.
Part of what makes Boerderij Meerzicht fun is that it’s surrounded by so many outdoor activities.
Amsterdamse Bos has bike rentals throughout the park (“fietsverhuur” means bike rental in Dutch), plus walking trails, lakes, canals, picnic spots, cafés, playgrounds, kayaking, rowing, and even small ferries for cyclists and pedestrians like Pont Ome Piet and Rederij Oeverloos.
The historic Electric Museum Tram Amsterdam also runs vintage streetcars through nearby parks and neighborhoods.
If you’re visiting during spring, combining this stop with the Best Tulip Fields Bike Route from Keukenhof or the Best Tulip Field Driving Route in the Netherlands would make a very fun Netherlands day.
There’s even a small shuttle service called the Bosmobiel that helps transport visitors around parts of the park.
I think this place works especially well for people looking for a more traditional Dutch pancake experience in a quieter setting outside central Amsterdam. It’s especially good for families with kids, bikers exploring Amsterdamse Bos, groups where everyone wants different toppings or flavor combinations, or anyone who enjoys sweet-and-savory comfort food.
The setting is a huge part of why people come here too, not just the pancakes themselves.
If you’re expecting fluffy American-style pancakes or a trendy city brunch atmosphere, this may not be your favorite stop.
Dutch pancakes are much thinner and larger, and some of the topping combinations can feel slightly unusual at first if you prefer more traditional breakfast flavors.
The experience also feels much more old-school and traditional rather than polished or modern.
During the winter season (November 1 through February 16), Boerderij Meerzicht is open Friday through Sunday from 10 AM to 6 PM, with pancakes starting at 11 AM.
During the summer season (February 19 through October 31), they’re open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 AM to 7 PM, with pancakes starting at 11 AM.
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I would absolutely go back to Boerderij Meerzicht.
Part of the appeal is obviously the pancakes, but the bigger reason is the whole atmosphere around it. Sitting in the middle of Amsterdamse Bos eating giant Dutch pancakes after walking through the woods just felt very Netherlands.
The apple pancake alone would probably get me back there eventually anyway. Which feels pretty a-peel-ing. (Yep, I went there.)
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The newsletter is basically me texting you before a trip instead of after one. Sign up and you’ll be the first to know where I’m headed next, plus a few things I’ll never post here.
Link in bio if you want in. ✈️
Yes, it’s only July. Start planning anyway. Fall books faster than people expect, and a few of these destinations are worth getting ahead of. Here are five places worth putting on your radar right now.
Ireland: Cooler temps, moody skies, dramatic coastline fall was made for it. Tourist crowds drop, the green stays, and the whole country feels a little more like itself.
Great Smoky Mountains, TN/NC: Fall foliage in the Smokies is the real thing. The color peaks mid-October and the views from the ridgelines are hard to argue with. It’s also one of the most visited national parks in the country, so going on a weekday makes a real difference.
New York City: Fall is NYC at its best comfortable temps, the energy of the city shifting into a new season, and every neighborhood doing something worth showing up for. It’s also just a great walking city when it’s not brutally hot.
Japan: Fall foliage season is as good as spring cherry blossoms and somehow less talked about. The colors are dramatic, the temples and gardens are stunning, and it’s worth planning around peak dates by region.
Mystic, Connecticut: Small, walkable, genuinely charming Mystic in fall feels like exactly what a New England autumn is supposed to look like. Easy to pair with a broader New England road trip if you want to extend it.
Full guides linked in bio 🍂
There are two kinds of travelers: people who plan a trip and then figure out where to eat, and people who book a restaurant and then build the rest of the itinerary around it.I am the second kind. I will not apologize for this.
The reservation gets locked in first. The hotel search happens within the same 24 hours. The flights get compared around the restaurant’s hours of operation. The rest of the trip exists to fill the days before and after the table I actually came for.
If this sounds unhinged, I completely understand. It has also resulted in some of the best meals of my life, so I’m going to keep doing it.
Drop a 🍽️ if you plan your trips around food too.
Let’s talk about when to actually book that Dubai trip you’ve been pinning for two years. I get asked this constantly, so here’s the honest breakdown: October through April is your window. Anything outside that and you’re basically touring in a sauna!
October and November give you warm days and cooler nights, which is basically the sweet spot for wandering around without melting. December through February is peak season: gorgeous weather. March and April are the quiet insider pick, right before summer heat shows up and ruins everyone’s plans.
Saving this for later? That’s what it’s here for. Full breakdown linked in bio.
If you’re chasing energy, beaches, nightlife, and nonstop luxury, Dubai takes the crown. If you’re craving culture, iconic architecture, and meaningful landmarks at a slower pace, Abu Dhabi shines.🤍
My advice? Base yourself in Dubai and do Abu Dhabi as a day trip! The perfect balance of excitement and culture in the UAE.
Want the full breakdown? Check out my Dubai and Abu Dhabi guide for tips, itineraries, and must-sees!
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