Truly, it all started at Hotelschool The Hague back in 2006, when Kim and Freek first met. Ohh, the things that this meeting would have led to. Here they learned the key foundations of the hospitality industry and management. Meanwhile, they loved to travel back and forth from Italy, constantly falling in love with the glasses of wine from Valpolicella and Monferrato, the meats from Toscana, the authentic Italian pizza, the gelato from Treviso, and the Parmigiano Reggiano from Emilia Romagna. Eager to combine the passion for Italian culture with the knowledge acquired at Hotelschool, the first draft of an authentic Italian restaurant came to mind.
The meeting with Renato marked the path. Born and raised in Italy, Renato moved to The Netherlands to bring Italian tastes abroad. He opened his Pizzeria in Amsterdam in early 2004 together with his beloved wife, Rina. Kim and Freek instantly fell in love with the place, the familiarity and coziness of Renato's Pizzeria.
Coincidentially, Renato was selling his beloved Pizzeria to open new bussinesses in Enkhuizen, the town where he lived with his wife and family. Quite a perfect timing. So, on November 1st 2013, Kim and Freek officially became the owners of Renato's Pizzeria at Karel du Jardinstraat 32 in Amsterdam De Pijp. The coming months would have been immensely tiring and beautifully exciting. Luckily, with the help of Renato, his wife Rina, and Sanne, everything seemed to just fall in place quite perfectly. It was truly a dream coming true.
It didn't take too long before the Pizzeria became busy. Every night there was something to celebrate and people were lining outside the doors to grab a seat at their favorite pizza place. And so Renato's Osteria came along. It was a cozy and small restaurant, serving homemade pasta, wines and antipasti. It was perfect: our Amici could have grabbed a bite while waiting to be seated at Renato's Pizzeria, just across the street. But then we got overexcited to make our own pasta, and Renato's Osteria became an independent restaurant - and our friends were loving it. In short time, our little Osteria became too small for all the friends we were having every night. Just across the street, at Van der Helstplein 17, a big and spacious restaurant was looking for new owners. And that's how Renato's Osteria moved to a bigger location, with a gigantic terrace and 2 floors inside. Renovations started, again. It was so exciting so start afresh, with a new concept.
And what with the old location of Renato's Osteria, you may ask. Here, Freek's life-long dream came true: Renato's Laboratorio was opened. The production kitchen where new recipes were created and our chef's and pizzaioli's creativity would unleash every day. On the same year, 2014, thanks to the connections with Hotelschool, we were asked to open our very own stand at Foodhallen in Amsterdam West. At that time, Foodhallen Amsterdam was already a great success. People loved to spend their nights in the vibrant environment of Foodhallen, enjoying the cocktails and different cuisines that each stand was offering. We went all in. Renato's was just the touch of Italian culture that the Foodhallen was missing. We came along, and we rocked it: We were truly loving it - and still do, in 2024.
While loving our time at Renato's Pizzeria, Renato's Osteria, and Renato's Foodhallen Amsterdam, 5 years went by in a blink of an eye. It was 2019 when Brouwerij 't Ij reached out for a collaboration. The summer was approaching and we were being asked to take over the kitchen at 't Blauwe Theehuis in Vondelpark. Can you believe the excitement? Once more, we went all in. Shortly after, the same year, the proposal to collaborate with the new opening of Foodhallen in The Hague came along. How could we not. We opened two stands there, one specialised with pizza, the other with pasta: Renato's Foodhallen Den Haag was launched.
Then 2020 came. Despite the challenges, on September 14th, Renato's opened its doors in Nijmegen, in the region of Gelderland. The location was truly amazing, with a lovely terrace, and a wonderful new team. And then 2021 hit. We realised the Laboratorio (production kitchen) we had was starting to get a little small for our horizons. Luckily, we were able to merge our large office with our Laboratorio. An open-space of dozens of square meters: Upstairs the offices, downstairs the magic of homemade pasta and pizza.
But that's not all. At the end of January 2023, we also opened in one of the most iconic buildings on the Dutch coast. Renato's Beach Club in Bloemendaal aan Zee: A huge space, a 900-square-meter oceanfront terrace from which to watch breathtaking sunsets. What a dream! Take-away on the beach, sunset cocktails, or a 3-course menu overlooking the sea -- there's something for everyone!
And then in 2023 came Renato's Spaarndammerbuurt, in Amsterdam West. A bright restaurant with a large terrace, located on one of the neighborhood's most vibrant streets. What an adventure!
Today, Renato's has grown to a chain of 8 Italian restaurants in Amsterdam, Bloemendaal aan Zee & Nijmegen. While further opening arms and hearts to expand to over 90 employees. Renato's strives to bring the most authentic Italian culture and cuisine to The Netherlands. From the most delicious cheeses of Lazio, to the most authentic meats from Lombardia and Toscana, to the true Taggiasche Olives from Liguria and the wines of Piemonte, Renato's brings Italy to The Netherlands. And this is not all. With chef's & pizzaioli from all around Italy, Renato's brings the Italians to The Netherlands, too.
