The story of Hendrik
1265
Where the name Hendrik comes from
Hendrik van Vianden played an important part in the history of Vreeland. He was provost of Cologne and bishop of Utrecht, and in 1265 he granted Vreeland its town rights. Here he built castle Vredelant, a border stronghold between Utrecht and Holland. In 1279 the castle was besieged by count Floris V of Holland, while the lords of Amstel defended it. Today the archaeological monument of castle Vredelant lies under the grass of the Sperwerveld in Vreeland. Our restaurants are named after him.
Five grains from a mill on the Vecht
It starts with the flour. The De Ruiter windmill stands on the Vecht in Vreeland and grinds the heritage flour our batter is made with: wheat, buckwheat, corn, barley and rye. Five grains instead of one. That is why our pancake has a fuller taste. Flour and recipe have not changed since 1967. Amsterdam bakes with exactly the same flour.
1967
A coach house that became a pancake house
On the Breedstraat in Vreeland stands a former coach house. Pancakes have been baked there since 1967. For a long time the house was called Noord-Brabant, and for walkers, cyclists, boaters and generations of children from the Vecht region it was a fixed address.
2021
Four brothers who grew up in the place
We are four brothers, raised in the country around the Vecht. As children we were in and out of this place, and we have warm memories of it. In October 2021 we took the restaurant over. That was the beginning of Hendrik.
"Many things change, but the homely, cosy, old Dutch feeling of this restaurant has to be kept for the future."
In 2022 the restaurant reopened after a thorough renovation, its classic character intact. Now a new generation of parents and children can make memories at Hendrik.
2025
From Le Garage to a village in the city
We live in Amsterdam. When the building on the Ruysdaelstraat came free, for years the domain of Joop Braakhekke and Le Garage, we saw a piece of Vreeland in it straight away.
After a thorough renovation the doors opened on 9 December 2025. Copper chandeliers hang above the tables, there is an old aquarium and a fireplace, and much of the antique we gathered ourselves.
A warm, easy-going place, where you sit down with family or friends, and where children are just as welcome.
nu
Two places, two restaurants, the same batter
Vreeland and Amsterdam are linked by geography and by history. The Vecht was a trade route between Utrecht and Holland early on, and along that same route a settlement at the mouth of the Amstel grew into Amsterdam. In 1275 count Floris V granted its inhabitants freedom from tolls, which drew trade and laid the foundation for Amsterdam as a trading city.
At Hendrik that bond comes together again. Twenty kilometres, two restaurants, one mill, the same batter.