We started our restaurant De Waterraaf in the beautiful marina Jachthaven Nauerna. Twenty minutes from Amsterdam's hustling city centre, we can be found in the 'Zaan' region, known for its centuries old windmills, architectural heritage, history of hard working and its typically rustic, Dutch countryside. As French impressionist painter Claude Monet said about this region: "There is enough here to paint for an entire lifetime.' We started The Waterraaf to offer a place of enjoyment, relaxation and enjoying the fruits of hard labour. For many of our regular guests, the winding road along the dike to our place already unburdens them. Once arrived, we strive to welcome anyone wholeheartedly: we think all too often people are judged by their backgrounds, appearance, preferences and what more. Everyone is welcome here. We enjoy sourcing the majority of the ingredients for our menu locally. Local beer brewers, fishers, farmers, distillers, artisanal bakers: we are honored being able to call them our friends and our chef happily spends his early mornings obtaining their fresh produce, at the right moment in the season. People come here in the morning to taste our freshly baked artisinal cakes with our coffee, that is roasted carefully by inmates in a prison nearby. learning the trade. They have a vegan lunch, or a lunch with fresh fish and (local) meat, while paddling in the water. Many of our guests join us for a typically Dutch 'borrel': enjoying drinks and bites in the afternoon with friends, colleagues or family. In the evening people enjoy the multi-course menu of our chef, that is continually changing with the season. Or they hang out in our relaxed outdoor lounge, enjoying a burger of locally shot goose, fish and chips or - our favorite - a tasty vegan celeriac burger from our befriended farmer Ted. We explore, try things out, make mistakes, stay true to ourselves and keep each other sharp to do what we love best: making people feel welcome. www.dewaterraaf.nl