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About us

A piece of Thessaly

In the heart of mainland Greece lies Thessaly — a region of mountains, monasteries and quiet villages. We brought that feeling to the Amstel.

Our terrace on the Wilhelminakade, right on the Amstel
The Meteora monasteries in Thessaly, northern Greece

Six floating monasteries

In the middle of the Thessaly region, on the Greek mainland, the rock formations of Meteora rise from the landscape. Six Byzantine-Orthodox monasteries balance on pillars of sandstone, sometimes more than six hundred metres above the plain. Meteora literally means "suspended in the air" — and anyone who stands there for the first time understands why at once.

The first monks withdrew here in the eleventh century, seeking silence and solitude. The monasteries themselves were built from the fourteenth century onwards with ropes, ladders and a patience we barely know today. Since 1988 the complex has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list — but to the Greeks themselves it is much more than that: a place where the everyday and the sacred live side by side without effort.

The region around it — Thessaly — is the breadbasket of Greece. A working farmland of sheep, olive groves and tomatoes that burst open with flavour in July. And it is the region we ourselves come from: here lie our roots, and with them our way of cooking. It is no coincidence that we borrowed our name from it — what comes to our table has grown from this soil. Quietly, with attention, and made to be passed on.

On the Amstel since 2020

Our restaurant opened in 2020. On the Wilhelminakade, right on the Amstel. We started as a family business — with the dishes we love to eat ourselves and that we missed when we were in Greece. No twist, no trend. Simply the way it comes to the table at home.

The paidakia are prepared on the grill, the moussaka is layered in the same oven dishes and the herbs come from our own garden. Recipes we were given by our parents and grandparents — and that we pass on to our guests unchanged. Authentic, as it should be.

"Greek cooking is not a technique. It is instinct, respect for the ingredient and patience. That's all there is to it — and no less than that."
Alpha Estate Tannat — one of our top Greek wines

The wine

Our wine list is one hundred percent Greek. That is deliberate. We believe Greek dishes are at their most beautiful with wines from the same soil — Xinomavro from Macedonia, Assyrtiko from Santorini, Liatiko from Crete. Grapes you will hardly encounter anywhere else, yet that have stood on the tables of this country for millennia.

We work directly with estates in Drama, Naoussa, Epanomi and Kavala. Some bottles come from organic old vineyards that barely exist anywhere else. The result: a list of 22 wines that pairs with our food as if it were always meant to be.

View the wine list

The table

At our place, food is shared. Shared dining is in our DNA — not because it's trendy, but because this is how Greek dishes are meant to be eaten: from one large platter in the middle, with many hands around it. Whether you come in a pair or a group of twelve, our Larissa, Thessalia and Afroditi platters are made to be passed around.

For birthdays, company dinners and Christmas meals you are warmly welcome too. We love to receive larger parties — from a surprise cake to exclusive use of the whole restaurant. We're happy to think along with you.

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Thessalia — the front of our restaurant on the Wilhelminakade
The team

Who we are

Thessalia is a family business. We opened our doors in 2020 with one simple idea: to let our guests taste the dishes we grew up with. Recipes that have been on the table at home for generations — from grandmother's moussaka to the paidakia the way our father placed them on the grill.

What holds us together is not the menu, but the way we welcome people. At our place you are not a customer — you are a guest. You are greeted the way we do it in Greece: with a warm welcome, no rush, time for a chat. Whether it is your first visit or your hundredth, we try to give everyone the warm Greek hospitality we were brought up with — including the glass of ouzo that comes to the table.