On the menu: fresh oysters and the allure of a national monument. The Seafood Bar opens its doors in a new special location: the Beurs van Berlage on the Damrak in Amsterdam. The fresh fish and seafood for which The Seafood Bar is known will be served under the beautiful vaults of this monument.

Familie De Visscher is altijd op zoek naar unieke locaties voor hun bijzondere restaurants, dus toen de mogelijkheid voorbijkwam om een vestiging van The Seafood Bar te openen in een prachtig monument in de hoofdstad, was de keuze snel gemaakt. Na een intensieve renovatie, waarbij alle historische kenmerken van de Beurs van Berlage bewaard zijn gebleven, kunnen gasten vanaf nu hun fruit de mer of kreeftensoep eten onder de indrukwekkende gewelven van dit voormalige beursgebouw.

Fruit de mer in a monument
In addition to the restaurant in the art nouveau building on the Spui in Amsterdam and the restaurant in London, this will be The Seafood Bar’s third monumental building. Designed by architect and urban planner Hendrik Petrus Berlage, the Beurs van Berlage was completed in 1903. It is now among the top 100 monuments in the Netherlands and Maxima married her Willem-Alexander here. The Seafood Bar has an enormous frontage of fifty meters on the Damrak, where large windows offer views of the ins and outs of the city. The high ceiling gives a wonderful spacious feeling, and the historic vaults and wooden floor complete the special experience. Fish lovers can enjoy the finest quality seafood both inside and outside on the terrace of the Damrak. Think vongole in white wine, fish and chips, lobsters, generous fruits de mer, and fresh oysters.

Pepijn de Visscher, co-owner of The Seafood Bar: “The Damrak is one of the most imposing streets in Amsterdam, with unprecedented architecture. But the street also needs more quality. We are sparing no expense to turn it into a beautiful establishment worthy of Berlage. Together with the Beurs, the Bijenkorf, and the new Dior store, the tone has been set as far as we are concerned.”

Close family business
The Seafood Bar is a true family business. Pater familias Fons de Visscher was a passionate fishmonger for 27 years and ran a well-known fish store in the Brabant town of Helmond before fulfilling his wish in 2012 and opening his first fish restaurant on the Van Baerlestraat in Amsterdam. Since then, the business has grown to six branches, including in London, and employs some 350 staff.

In addition to the restaurant, The Seafood Bar plans to open a cocktail bar in the basement of the Beurs van Berlage next year. Stay tuned! The Seafood Bar is open seven days a week. There is room for about a hundred guests inside and another sixty fish lovers on the terrace. More information can be found at www.theseafoodbar.com.