Down south Vondelpark, the largest urban park in Amsterdam, you find MKZ. This kitchen for the people is part of the Binnenpret, a legalised squat, one of the few left in the city. The name stands for “Miltvuur Keuken Zuid”, something like Anthrax Kitchen South. Yeah, they identify as an infectious virus, possibly the virus of community, veganism, anti-capitalism, and good food.

MKZ is one of a kind. As you get in the picturesque restaurant, you might indeed feel the energy in the air to be contagious. In the kitchen, everyone is busy preparing the different components of the meal – they serve three-course-vegan-meals – in this homey style that resembles a very well coordinated family reunion. In this case, the family enlarges as someone else comes in. You are probably going to share a table with people you don’t know yet, so the thing here is to make yourself at home from the start. Once the feast is on, you stand in line, grab a plate, and serve yourself. The food smells heavenly and has been prepared with care. And, hey, if you do not attack the buffet like a starved lion, there’s enough for everybody.

You’ll be washing your dishes after dinner, and you can stay for a couple more beers because chances are high you’ll have just met interesting people in which company you’ll be willing to stay a little bit longer. Oh, 5 euros is the set price of the meal. Doors open at 19:00. Eet smakkelijk!