Café de Klos

Café de Klos has been grilling on Kerkstraat since 1971, and it proudly says that its menu has stayed the same since day one. The room is small, crowded and noisy, with closely packed tables, and the mood is closer to a neighbourhood café than a restaurant. Most people come for one thing: spare ribs.

The ribs come either classic or smoked, in portions of two or three pieces, or as a larger mix of both styles. The rest of the menu stays on the grill, with steaks such as tenderloin, entrecôte, T-bone and prime rib, pork tenderloin, lamb chops, a whole lamb shoulder for sharing, smoked half chicken and chicken fillet. Every main course comes with mixed raw salad, French bread and sauces, and you can add a baked potato with garlic butter. Portions are generous, and many diners take the option of adding extra ribs to another main.

The place suits meat lovers, groups of friends and anyone who prefers a lively atmosphere to formal service. It is less suited to vegetarians, given that the menu is built almost entirely around grilled meat, and it is not the place for a quiet, lingering dinner.

De Klos does not take reservations, with no exceptions, so arrive early or be ready to wait for a table. It opens at 4pm from Monday to Thursday and at 2pm from Friday to Sunday, closing at 11pm every day, and it is closed on 31 December. Coming soon after opening, or for a late lunch at the weekend, is the easiest way to avoid a long queue. There is no dress code. Allow about an hour and a half.

Kerkstraat runs parallel to the Prinsengracht in the southern canal ring, between Leidsestraat and Vijzelstraat. Leidseplein, with its theatres, bars and tram stops, is about five minutes' walk away, and the Rijksmuseum is around ten minutes on foot. After dinner, the bars around Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein are close by, and the Melkweg and Paradiso music venues are a short walk for a concert. If the queue is long, it can be worth coming back later in the evening, once the first wave of diners has left.