{"id":86538,"date":"2026-07-29T00:18:55","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T22:18:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.amsterdamnow.com\/?p=86538"},"modified":"2026-07-29T00:18:55","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T22:18:55","slug":"vermut-vermouth-bar-simon-witmaar-oud-west","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.amsterdamnow.com\/en\/uitgaan\/vermut-vermouth-bar-simon-witmaar-oud-west\/","title":{"rendered":"Vermouth: How a Michelin-Starred Chef Traded His Star for an After-Dinner Drink"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some restaurateurs aim for even more stars after earning a Michelin star. Simon Witmaar chose a different path. The former owner of Coulisse\u2014the subsidized restaurant he ran for years\u2014opened Vermut on Jan Pieter Heijestraat. No white tablecloths, no tasting menus. Just a good vermouth at the bar, a plate on the side if you like, and seeing what the evening brings.<\/h2>\n

Witmaar made a name for himself in the upper echelons of Amsterdam\u2019s hospitality scene. Coulisse was considered a serious establishment\u2014the kind of place you needed a reason to visit. Vermut is the exact opposite of that. The choice of vermouth as the central concept is no coincidence: in Spain, the aperitif ritual is a daily occurrence, something you do between noon and dinner, with friends or colleagues, without too much fuss. Witmaar brings that culture to Oud-West, and it fits in better on this street than you might think.<\/p>\n

\"vermouth\"<\/figure>\n

Jan Pieter Heijestraat is one of the busiest shopping streets in Oud-West. During the day, people walk here with groceries and strollers; in the evening, they head to the restaurants and bars that make the street increasingly crowded. Vermut is located on the ground floor, right at street level, so you can just walk right in without having to plan ahead. The establishment combines an aperitif bar with a dining experience under one roof: you can stop by for a glass of vermouth and a snack, but also for a full meal if you\u2019d like. Mediterranean influences, a casual atmosphere, and a vibe set by the drink that takes center stage.<\/p>\n

For someone with his background to consciously choose to be accessible\u2014that\u2019s not a step backward. It\u2019s a choice.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It makes sense that Witmaar is doing this in Oud-West. In recent years, the neighborhood has built up a dense network of great spots\u2014from coffee to wine to food\u2014and there\u2019s room for a place that doesn\u2019t try to stand out but is simply good at what it does. For someone with his background to consciously choose to be accessible\u2014that\u2019s not a step backward. It\u2019s a choice.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Er zijn ondernemers die na een Michelin-ster gaan voor nog meer sterren. Simon Witmaar koos een andere weg. De voormalig eigenaar van Coulisse, het gesteunde restaurant dat hij jarenlang runde, opende Vermut op de Jan Pieter Heijestraat. Geen witte tafelkleden, geen degustatietasting. Gewoon een goede vermouth aan de bar, een bord erbij als je wil, … <\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":87594,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","rank_math_focus_keyword":"Vermut","rank_math_title":"Vermut | Vermouth-bar van Simon Witmaar in Oud-West","rank_math_description":"Vermut is een vermouth-bar van oud-Coulisse-chef Simon Witmaar met Spaanse aperitiefcultuur en Mediterraanse hapjes aan de Jan Pieter Heijestraat in Oud-West."},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"district":[21],"class_list":["post-86538","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uitgaan","district-amsterdam-west"],"acf":{"slider":[87593],"fotograaf":"De Westkrant \u00b7 Google \u00b7 www.dewestkrant.nl","editor":"","video":"","google_360":"","instagram_code":"","subregel":"Simon Witmaar ruilde zijn Michelin-ster in voor vermouth en aperitivo in de buurt","new_in_town":false,"featured_item":false,"beste_van_amsterdam":false,"homepage_carousel":false,"start_datum":null,"eind_datum":null,"cord_A":"4.8637161","cord_B":"52.3627412","introductie_tekst":"Simon Witmaar had een Michelin-ster restaurant. Nu heeft hij Vermut, een buurtbar op de Jan Pieter Heijestraat waar de Spaanse aperitief-cultuur centraal staat. Vermouth, kleine hapjes, een buurt die er klaar voor is.","rubriek":"Locatie","locatie_event":null,"naam_locatie":"Vermut","adres":"Jan Pieter Heijestraat 110","stad":"Amsterdam","website":"https:\/\/vermutamsterdam.nl","telefoon_nummer":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amsterdamnow.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86538","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amsterdamnow.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amsterdamnow.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amsterdamnow.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amsterdamnow.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86538"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.amsterdamnow.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86538\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87597,"href":"https:\/\/www.amsterdamnow.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86538\/revisions\/87597"}],"acf:attachment":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amsterdamnow.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87593"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amsterdamnow.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amsterdamnow.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amsterdamnow.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amsterdamnow.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86538"},{"taxonomy":"district","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amsterdamnow.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/district?post=86538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}