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.
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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.
If you end up booking anything for your trip, using my affiliate links helps support my blog at no extra cost to you. I spend a lot of time researching and writing these guides, so I really appreciate the support.
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.)
No landmarks, no crowds, no souvenir shops. Otterberg is the everyday side of Germany 🇩🇪
It’s a small town just outside Kaiserslautern. Lunch at Putai inside the historic Das Blaue Haus means crispy chicken in coconut curry and spring rolls with homemade sweet chili sauce, then a slow walk past the old church and quiet streets. The Palatinate Forest and Humberg Tower views are close by. If you want a packed itinerary this isn’t your town, but if you like good food and nowhere to be, you’ll love it.
Save this for your Germany road trip!
Every 6 minutes a new round unlocks, and you can eat your way around the world for two hours. 🌍🍽️
Masons in Kaiserslautern: Korean BBQ, Jamaican jerk chicken, raclette potatoes, crispy baked ricotta from Monaco, and the Belgian cookie cheesecake you’ll still be talking about the next day. €39-45 per person. Bring a group and pace yourself, because they charge for leftovers.
Save this for your next trip to Germany
Sedona got me again 🌵
This was my second trip, and somehow I liked it even more. Every visit adds another trail, viewpoint, or restaurant to the list, and the list keeps getting longer. This time I stayed near Airport Mesa, with sunsets right outside my door and none of the crowds.
My Substack has everything I’d tell a first-time visitor: the lodge I’ve now stayed at twice, the experiences I’d do first, and the restaurants I’d plan my days around.
Subscribe for free so you don’t miss the next one. Link in bio ✨
YES is always the answer... ✈️
I’m Wendy, and yes, I travel for a living (still pinching myself). After 15 years teaching middle school math, I traded the whiteboard for a passport and never looked back. Knoxville is home base, but Arizona sunsets are on another level, and if it’s been sitting on your list, this is your sign to finally say yes and book it. City guides, hotel reviews, and foodie spots are all on the blog. So glad you’re here 🌵☀️
A café, bakery, market, and wine shop all in one Phoenix stop 🍊
At La Grande Orange, order the crepes first, they’re the thing I’d go back for. The chicken salad sandwich is perfect if someone wants lunch while you’re still on breakfast, and the red velvet mini cupcake and a chai latte round it out. The sea salt chocolate chip cookie is heartier than gooey, so it’s best for dunkers. It’s counter service with easy parking, and the market has quirky gifts you won’t find elsewhere. Leave time to browse, because you’ll stay longer than planned.
Save this for your Phoenix trip ☀️
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