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 cafΓ© situation. Itβs 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. Itβs more like Amsterdamβs giant outdoor recreation area filled with biking paths, lakes, canals, picnic areas, cafΓ©s, farms, kayaking areas, playgrounds, and walking trails. A lot of locals come here to bike, walk, picnic, or spend the day outside.
If youβre 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 restaurantβs direct address.
If youβre driving, use:
Meerzicht Parking Lot, Amstelveen
instead of the restaurantβs actual address.
Using βKoenenkade 56β 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 youβre renting a car for tulip season or exploring smaller Dutch towns outside Amsterdam, Iβd also recommend reading Driving in the Netherlands (What Itβs 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.
Thereβs 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 doesnβt work like a normal restaurant.
So hereβs 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. Theyβll 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 youβve never had Dutch pancakes before, theyβre very different from thick American pancakes.
Theyβre 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 youβre going with another person, Iβd highly recommend splitting a couple different pancakes because itβs 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 βicing sugar,β 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 βappetizer,β which felt like an excellent decision considering Iβm 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 wouldβve ordered the strawberry pancake too.
Save this for later on Pinterest so you donβt forget it.
The pancakes here are huge enough that sharing works very well if you want to try multiple flavors.
Most pancakes were around β¬9ββ¬18 depending on the toppings.
The simpler pancakes with powdered sugar, fruit, syrup, or cinnamon were mostly around β¬9ββ¬12, while the larger savory combinations with multiple toppings, meats, or cheeses were closer to β¬14ββ¬18.
The apple and cinnamon pancake was around β¬11.50, while the savory bacon, apple, cheese, and syrup pancake was closer to β¬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, Iβd expect a bit of a wait for food.
Part of what makes Boerderij Meerzicht fun is that itβs surrounded by so many outdoor activities.
Amsterdamse Bos has bike rentals throughout the park (βfietsverhuurβ means bike rental in Dutch), plus walking trails, lakes, canals, picnic spots, cafΓ©s, 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 youβre 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.
Thereβs 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. Itβs 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 youβre 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), theyβre 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.)
The tulip fields in the Netherlands look exactly like the photos, except the photos donβt capture how massive the color blocks actually are stretching across the countryside. Or the windmills. Or the sheep randomly standing in the middle of everything like they donβt know theyβre in the most photogenic country on earth.
The honest caveat: tulip season moves fast, the fields rotate every year, and peak bloom is not a guarantee, it depends on the weather, the harvest schedule, and a little bit of luck. But thatβs also part of what makes it feel less like a tourist attraction and more like something you actually found.
Full driving route with towns, parking tips, and what to expect | linked in bio. π·
#netherlands #travelling #tulipfields #exploreeurope
Amsterdam has a way of making you feel like you need to see everything, and then rewarding you most when you slow down anyway. The museums and canal cruises are worth it, but so is just wandering neighborhoods, eating whatever looks good, and sitting along the canals with a grilled cheese and nowhere to be.
First-time visitor guide is on the blog. Link in bio. π·
#travelling #travel #amsterdam #visitamsterdam #traveleurope
10 stops. One very full day. Zero regrets. Amsterdam has one of the best food scenes Iβve experienced anywhere in Europe, but the honest caveat is that some of the viral spots come with lines that will genuinely test your character. I skipped a few. I regret nothing.
Hereβs what actually made the cut on my self-guided Amsterdam food tour:
Fresh stroopwafels at Hans Egstorf: made right in front of you, warm caramel, no line. This one won.
Lourens cookie croissant: flaky outside, gooey chocolate inside. Did not share.
CafΓ© Winkel 43 apple pie: one of the rare viral places that fully lives up to the hype.
Davieβs Amsterdam for the Lelie sandwich: pastrami, pickles, marbled bread. Deceptively simple. Absolutely excellent.
De Kaaskamer to end the day: 400+ cheeses, grilled cheese with what they call ketchup (itβs not ketchup, and itβs better), and bunker cheese aged in underground military bunkers.
The full route covers 10 stops through Jordaan, the 9 Streets, the canal district, and the flower market area with a Google Map included so you can just follow along.
Full guide with every stop, tips for beating the lines, and what Iβd skip vs. do again | link in bio.
#amsterdam #visitamsterdam #netherlands #travel #visitnetherlands #traveleurope
Thereβs a version of Gatlinburg thatβs all fudge shops and tourist crowds, and then thereβs the version that actually makes you want to come back.
Hereβs everything worth doing downtown, in the order Iβd do it: ποΈ
β¨ Start at @gatlinburgskypark before the crowds hit
β¨ Walk the strip mid-morning when itβs still manageable
β¨ @googooclusters stop (see my post from Tuesday: donβt skip it)
β¨ Dinner at one of the local spots off the main drag
β¨ Wander back out at night when the lights are on and it gets actually pretty
This isnβt your overscheduled Smoky Mountain itinerary. Itβs more of a βhereβs what Iβd actually do if I had one solid dayβ kind of list.
Full downtown Gatlinburg guide linked in bio. π
If someone told me Iβd spend five hours at SkyPark, I would not have believed them. And yet. π
Gatlinburg SkyPark sits above the strip and itβs one of those places that looks like a quick stop on paper and turns into most of your afternoon. The SkyBridge alone is worth it β longest pedestrian suspension bridge in North America, and yes, you will look down.
β¨ SkyBridge (longest pedestrian suspension bridge in North America)
β¨ SkyLift ride up with views of the Smokies
β¨ Walking trails with mountain views in every direction
β¨ Way less crowded than downtown
Fair warning: if heights genuinely freak you out, the bridge might not be your thing. The rest of the park is still 100% worth it. Full guide with tickets, tips, and what to skip linked in bio. π
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