Greenhouse as Restaurant

De Kas restaurant, the Dutch rendition of Chez Panisse-meets-the-French Laundry, occupies a top spot on our must-visit list.

De Kas (the name is Dutch for greenhouse) is located on the outskirts of Amsterdam, in the heart of Frankendael Park, which at one time housed the city’s municipal nurseries. In 2001, when the greenhouse was slated for demolition, noted chef Gert Jan Hageman bought and renovated the property, turning it into a restaurant featuring produce grown in the nearby fields (at the time, the concept of sourcing food locally was still a new idea). Diners can tour the on-site nurseries and gardens, and during the summer, tables are set up in the herb garden. For more information, visit De Kas.

Photography by Hotze Eisma for De Kas (except where noted).

Above: The restaurant is located in a former greenhouse; photograph by Jet van Fastenhout for De Kas.

Above: Dutch designer Piet Boon oversaw the interior design. Photograph by Ronald Hoeben for De Kas.

Above: Produce from De Kas’ fields in nearby Ilpendam.

Above: Presentation is as important as the ingredients.

Above: The restaurant overlooks a verdant park.

Above: On-site greenhouses and an herb garden are a ready source for herbs and edible flowers.

Above: The produce is picked fresh daily. Hageman no longer is the daily chef, preferring to spend his time in the fields overseeing the crops.

Above: A communal table in the center of the restaurant (the industrial black tubes are air ducts). Photograph by Ronald Hoeben for De Kas.

Above: Several mature trees are housed in the restaurant’s interior.

Browse more of our favorite Restaurant Visits or search for restaurants near you in our Destinations Guide.

N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on April 2, 2012 in Remodelista’s issue on Dutch Design.