Atrium

Description:

• Students, professors, and regular humans in search of cheap, sustaining nosh congregate in the casual self-service mensa (student restaurant) at the University of Amsterdam. A courtyard between restored buildings has been covered with a glass roof that lets in plenty of light. To reach the food lines, walk up the stairs and, just inside the door, cross over the pedestrian bridge. The menu mixes standard Dutch fare like salads and pea-and-ham soup with exotic influences like filled Indonesian bami (noodle) and nasi (rice) croquettes that have themselves become Dutch standards. None of these, it must be stated, are produced to any unforgettable effect, but they're all perfectly edible, and the knowledge that they're costing close to nothing goes a long way toward compensating for any culinary shortcomings. An added value is the nature of the place, which makes it easy to share tables and strike up conversations.

• © Frommer's 2013