In the last 13 months, CUE has evolved from an ambitious newcomer into one of Amsterdam’s top dining destinations. Opened in October 2024, the restaurant received a Michelin star within ten months, reflecting the skill of chef George Kataras and his confident, laid-back approach to fine dining.
Home to three unique areas: the main restaurant on the ground floor, a Japanese-inspired cocktail and vinyl listening bar in the basement, and an upcoming private omakase-style space on the top floor, each concept offers a different experience but all reflect Kataras’s passion for uniting people through good food.
FOUR sits down with the chef to find out what drives his instinct for fire-led cooking, how music continues to shape his approach in the kitchen, and why simplicity—handled with rigour and respect—remains the most powerful tool in his repertoire.
Tell us more about your background and who/what inspired you to become a chef?
Born and raised in Athens, I studied music before becoming a chef. During my studies, I worked in restaurants and slowly got inspired by the chefs. I thought the chefs looked like cool guys, and that made me want to become a chef.
Can you give some details about your culinary career, and how this led you to CUE?
I started working for great chefs, like Nuno Mendez, Simon Rogan, Rasmus Kofoed, and Joris Bijdendijk (Chiltern Firehouse, FERA*, Geranium*** & RIJKS*). After working all over the globe for a decade, I set foot in Amsterdam and started working for RIJKS*. During COVID, I moved to a restaurant called VANDERVEEN*, where I became head chef. When I arrived, VANDERVEEN was more of a café/bistro, and within 1.5 years we turned it around into a fine dining restaurant that was rewarded with one Michelin star in 2023. Here I showcased my way of cooking, which focuses on pre-industrial techniques like smoking, fermenting and pickling. We use the BBQ for a lot of the dishes at CUE. Few ingredients, but packed with flavour.
What is your culinary philosophy now, and How is this put forward in the dishes atCUE?
Simplicity. Very few ingredients, selected with care and prepared with respect to the quality of the ingredients.
Why do you think you are so passionate about the culinary arts?
It’s about bringing people together around the table. With my Greek background, I value the gathering of people sharing an experience. The reason I do what I do is to create an environment where people like to come together.
What ambience do you and the team try to create at the restaurant?
Like old school hospitality, meaning warm hospitality. We want our guests to be themselves and feel at home. Within the team, we have a lot of fun, and this reflects on the guests. They can relax and enjoy each other’s company while having a fine-dining experience.
What about the aesthetic details, such as the interior design and the choice of tableware?
We selected all aspects of CUE based on the location. Meaning, the first time we stepped into the building, our thinking process started. We made the choices for interior, art, crockery and everything else organically—we listened to the building and constructed it in a way that it works and feels natural.
What inspires you most when cooking and thinking of dishes,?
Understanding nature and constantly learning and adjusting.
Describe the journey of your dishes from conception to execution…
It involves amazing produce, filtered through our philosophy and translated to the team. Before it comes to the plate, everyone has to agree.
What do you think is the key to a successful dish?
The key to a successful dish is that it serves the purpose the chef intends. It’s like telling a story, so every dish on a multi-course menu is equally important to the whole.
Do you have any favourite ingredients to use? If so, what are they and why?
Onions (Allium family) are the base of the kitchen, and they’re a big family. People sometimes forget the importance of this ingredient. You can do so much with it.
Where does the restaurant source its produce from, and why these producers?
We are always looking for consistency in our supply, but even more important is the personal relationship. By talking to like-minded people about produce, we can make sure that the quality of our ingredients is aligned with the story we want to tell.
Tell us more about the current menu at the restaurant and its highlights…
At the moment, the menu consists of very seasonal fruits, vegetables, and fish, with some touches of last summer’s preserved flavours. It contains smoky, charred, salty and savoury notes together with some fatty proteins. Warm, deep flavours that reflect the winter season.
If you could convey one message with your restaurant and/or cuisine, what would it be?
We value craftsmanship and everything that comes with it. So when we create our menu, we laugh, forget, play, press, scratch, tape, record, think, re-think, and, to be honest, mess up a bunch of times…
What achievements/awards that you’ve won have been most significant to you and why?
My first Michelin Star with VANDERVEEN* in 2023 is very important to me, because it was the first one, and we took on a big challenge, turning around a café and making it a fine dining restaurant.
Tell us about your plans for 2026…
International collaborations with Michelin-starred restaurants and top bars is something that we always do. Next to that, we have something special coming up. By this summer, after renovating, we are opening our top floor, which can host a very small group of people, and we are going to introduce the next level of CUE’s dining experience.
To find out more about CUE and book, visit the links below…
CUE Amsterdam
Utrechtsestraat 30A
1017 VN Amsterdam
Netherlands
Web: cue-amsterdam.com
Tel: +31 20 205 1332
Email: info@cue-amsterdam.com
Instagram: @cue_amsterdam
Images © ZsofiaBodnar