The idea for Aubergini grew out of his disappointing experiences with take-away food in Amsterdam, tells founder Hamid Safaei. With his restaurant, his aim is twofold. To offer take-away food which is actually healthy and energizing for the body. And to offer that qualitative food without people having to wait too long for it.

The name Aubergini refers of course to eggplants, which is said to be the most consumed vegetable in Amsterdam. Here they use it in a considerable amount of dishes of course! Aubergini opened summer 2021. Besides health-conscious people and vegans they intend also to reach commuters and people working at offices nearby. Read more

After spending several years living abroad (Australia and England), Walter Marskamp and his partner Sally Mitchell returned to Amsterdam. Having extensive experience working at numerous restaurants including in Amsterdam, this time they wanted to open something by themselves. Eventually spring 2018 they opened Yerba! Walter as chef, Sally as hostess and sommelier, many other people in their team as well.

Over the years they became more conscious of the ecological impact of the amount of meat used in most restaurants, even if it’s organic. For this reason they chose to only use very small amounts of meat and fish on the menu of Yerba. Read more

When Ly was dealing with general bad health and overweight a few years ago, he stumbled upon the teachings of a Dr. Sebi. By following his dietary guidelines Ly was able to heal himself two years ago. Being convinced of the benefits of the diet, he decided to open up I Can Do Better together with a partner. “If I can heal myself, you can do it, that’s why we’re called I Can Do Better.”

Herbalist Sebi (1933-2016) advocated the alkaline diet, which basically holds that by correcting the pH balance from the body from acid to alkaline, we can improve our health and reverse many diseases. Note, these claims are disputed by traditional medicine.

Ly differentiates between plantbased food made by man, and plantbased food made by nature. We should eat the latter he tells me, clean foods, instead of the processed foods one can find in most stores. “The supermarket isn’t there to promote your health.” Back to the basics in a radical way: even some vegetables such as broccoli or carrots are to be avoided, as they are hybrids, created by man. Read more

They met at a restaurant where they both worked at the time. Maurice ‘Morris’ in the kitchen, Annebel ‘Bella’ serving. Bella was vegan but the restaurant not exactly vegan-friendly, so Morris would cook her a vegan meal every day. They fell in love with eachother and eventually decided to start a restaurant together!

Morris & Bella opened in 2017 as a plant-forward restaurant, meaning the menu is vegan, but you can order non-vegan supplement dishes if desired. One of the reasons for this choice was so also people hesitant about vegan food would be tempted to come in.

Then when corona happened, they reflected more on their concept and felt the time was there to make a clear statement, so since June 2021 they are a completely vegan restaurant. “Because the pandemic is forcing us to make more sustainable choices, but also because customers are now more used to vegan food,” says Bella. Morris adds, it was also harder and harder for him to come up with the non-vegan supplements as they were not what his menu was about. Read more

Two years ago some friends wanted to open up a cafe, and decided to combine that with a furniture store (which was already an occupation of one of them). They found a temporary location at Purmerplein (Amsterdam Noord) and called it Purmer.

When they had to move, they found a new place in a former church building. Vegan chef Sam joined forces and so their own menu is now fully vegan. The new name Cometa refers to the name of the street: Kometensingel. They opened May 2021, and here they are now also open during the evening. And another improvement, this location is not a temporary one anymore! Read more