On the corner of Gerard Douplein in De Pijp sits a brasserie that knows what it wants to be. No fusion, no surprise menu, no concept that needs explaining. Brasserie Lolita serves French brasserie food, period. Dimmed lights, lively music in the background, and a menu that covers everything from apéro to dessert. Anyone who sits down here knows what's coming. And that's exactly the point.
Little is publicly known about who is behind the business, but the menu speaks for itself. The starters immediately show where the kitchen stands: eel on toast and a Dutch shrimp cocktail. This is no accident. French technique, but with an eye for what's on the market in the Netherlands. The shrimp cocktail is one of those dishes that disappoints you in many places, but here it's right. And eel on toast is just a good idea that too few people execute.
The interior does what it's supposed to do. Dimmed lights so you can see your conversation partner just well enough. Tables close enough together to feel the atmosphere, far enough apart to have your own evening. It's a brasserie interior without becoming a pastiche. The location on the corner of Gerard Douplein helps with that: you're kind of in the heart of the Pijp, with all the associated movement outside the window.
A brasserie that just keeps going on Friday nights when everything else is already closed is rarer.
That latenight option is what sets Lolita apart from most brasseries in the neighborhood. The Pijp has plenty of spots for an early dinner, but a brasserie that just keeps going on Friday nights when everything else is already closed is rarer. Whether you pull up at eight for a full dinner or walk in at midnight for a glass of wine and something small from the apéro menu, the place is there for both scenarios. That's no small feat in a neighborhood where most kitchens close by ten o'clock.