The Randstad Restaurants

Although this area of Holland is home to some of the country's most worldly restaurants, keep in mind that most bars also offer house specials whose prices are usually cheap enough to keep students and young people sated (keep an eye out for the kleine kaart, or lighter meal menu, usually offered in the bar area and available throughout the day). Perennially popular dishes such as satay and pepper steak never come off the menu.

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  • 1. Aan De Zweth

    $$$$

    In a restored 18th-century building, Delft's classiest restaurant actually began as a humble pancake house, but owner and top chef Joris Peters now serves an ever-changing, but always innovative, array of exquisitely refined French-inspired dishes. Set a little outside town, but easily reached by cab, in fine weather it is worth trying to snag a table on the beautiful terrace, overlooking the Schie River.

    Rotterdamseweg 480, Delft, South Holland, 2636 KB, Netherlands
    010-470–4166

    Known For

    • High-end fine dining
    • Canal views
    • Reservations essential

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Tues. and Wed., Credit cards accepted, Reservations essential
  • 2. De Zakkendrager

    $$

    As you walk down the narrow alleyway to this gem, it's easy to be misled by its unassuming exterior, but the interior is cozy, and the rear opens out into a breezy conservatory, with views of a beautiful walled garden dominated by a 200-year-old beech tree. Fashionable locals come here for generous portions of grilled meats, excellent salads, and an unusually large vegetarian range.

    Zakkendragerssteeg 26, Utrecht, Utrecht, 3511 AA, Netherlands
    030-231–7578

    Known For

    • Friendly service
    • Elegant surrounds
    • Informal dining

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
  • 3. Broodje Mario

    $

    The eponymous baker Mario is a city institution, who has been serving a variety of rolls and pizza slices from his shop window on Oudegracht for over 40 years. If you can't decide, follow the lead of most locals and order his signature "broodje Mario": a must-try warm bun, generously stuffed with cheese, salami, chorizo, shredded veg, and chili.

    Oudegracht 132, Utrecht, Utrecht, 3511 AX, Netherlands

    Known For

    • Individually portioned folded calzone pizzas
    • Long-standing local favorite
    • Fast turnover keeping everything freshly made

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
  • 4. Café le Journal

    $$

    This café, with an excellent menu ranging from breakfast to a sirloin steak dinner, has the widest terrace and so catches the most sun (when there is any) of the cafés along Winkenburgstraat and Neude—large trees soften the view across the square. Inside, floor-to-ceiling framed magazine covers reflect the general news theme, and the long communal table inside is stocked with newspapers, including a few English-language titles.

    Neude 32-34, Utrecht, Utrecht, 3512 AG, Netherlands
    030-236–4839

    Known For

    • People-watching from the terrace
    • Friendly staff
    • Laid-back vibe

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No credit cards
  • 5. De Lachende Javaan

    $

    Stepping into "The Laughing Javanese," off an old Haarlem street that hasn't changed in centuries, you are hit with a flash of color and pungent smells. You can sit upstairs at one of the window tables and look out over the sober gabled houses while eating kambing saté (skewers of lamb in soy sauce) and kipkarbonade met sambal djeroek (grilled chicken with a fiery Indonesian sauce), or cobble together a meal of 12 or more small dishes if you want.

    Frankestraat 27, Haarlem, North Holland, 2011 HT, Netherlands
    023-532–8792

    Known For

    • Decorative Indonesian artworks
    • Informal service
    • Generous portions

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No lunch, Credit cards accepted
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  • 6. De Wijnhaven

    $

    This Delft staple has loyal regulars, drawn by a mean Indonesian satay, served at one of the many terrace tables on a small square overlooking a narrow canal. There's a smart restaurant on the first floor, but the bar and mezzanine have plenty to offer, with lunch snacks, a reasonable menu for dinner with the latest tracks on the speakers, and great fries and salads.

    Wijnhaven 22, Delft, South Holland, 2611 GS, Netherlands
    015-214–1460

    Known For

    • Canal views
    • Cozy vibe
    • Historic ambience

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
  • 7. Eetcafé de Poort

    $$

    This place is on Ledig Erf, one of Utrecht's small squares, which becomes a hive of energy and is filled with huge shade umbrellas when the sun comes out. The café's tables spill over the bridge, so you can sit overlooking canalside gardens as you tuck into basic rolls and salads at lunch or steaks and homemade burgers in the evening.

    Tolsteegbarriere 2, Utrecht, Utrecht, 3511 ZD, Netherlands
    030-231–4572

    Known For

    • Relaxed atmosphere
    • Good-value eats
    • Simple, but good cooking

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No credit cards
  • 8. Eetcafé de Waag

    $$

    The ancient brick-and-stone walls of this cavernous former weigh house are adorned with hulking 17th-century balance scales—happily, dishes such as Flemish asparagus with ham and egg, or parelhoen (guinea fowl) in a rich dark broth, are equal to the fabulous setting. Tables on the terrace in front nestle under the town's magnificent, looming clock tower, while a more intimate restaurant area upstairs, open evenings only (closed Sunday), offers a more upmarket menu.

    Markt 11, Delft, South Holland, 2611 GP, Netherlands
    015-213–0393

    Known For

    • Historic setting
    • Good-value eats
    • Canal views from the rear mezzanine

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
  • 9. Garrone

    $

    A short walk from the Frans Hals Museum, the city's favorite ice cream parlor has been making Italian-style gelato since 1949, in around 50 mouth-watering flavors.

    Grote Houtstraat 179, Haarlem, North Holland, 2011 SM, Netherlands
    023-531–2173

    Known For

    • Still run by Garrone family
    • Range changes daily
    • Friendly service
  • 10. Grand Café Brinkmann

    $

    The spacious and high-ceilinged Grand Café Brinkmann offers baguettes, pancakes, and other light snacks. Windows edged with stained glass overlook the Grote Markt and Sint Bavo's church across the square.

    Brinkmannpassage 41, Haarlem, North Holland, 2011 NZ, Netherlands
    023-532–3111

    Known For

    • Art Deco interior accents
    • Traditional Dutch snacks
    • Large terrace, great for people-watching
  • 11. Jacobus Pieck

    $$

    One of Haarlem's best eetlokaals (dining spots), which attracts locals with its long bar, cozy tables, and lovely sun trap of a garden, is also extremely popular—get here early or book ahead to snag a table. The menu offers standards but with a twist: try the Popeye Blues Salad—a wild spinach, blue cheese, and bacon number, with creamy mustard dressing for a lighter option—or, for dinner, lamb with ratatouille and rosemary jus.

    Warmoestraat 18, Haarlem, North Holland, 2011 HP, Netherlands
    023-532–6144

    Known For

    • Imaginative flavor combinations
    • Popular eatery
    • Hard-to-get tables in the evening

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun.–Mon., No credit cards
  • 12. Jopenkerk

    $$

    The café/restaurant of the Jopen brewery enjoys a magnificent setting in the lovingly restored interior of the former Jacobskerk; the ecclesiastical feel has been maintained thanks to the high ceilings and stained-glass windows. The restaurant on the mezzanine (evenings only, Tuesday–Saturday) serves weekly stews and a variety of other meat and fish mains; a simpler lunch menu is available in the grand café below.

    Gedempte Voldersgracht 2, Haarlem, North Holland, 2011 VR, Netherlands
    023-533–4114

    Known For

    • Craft beers, brewed in-house
    • Stunning architecture blending old and new
    • Suggested beer pairings for each main course
  • 13. Kleyweg's Stads-Koffyhuis

    $ | Coffee

    Kleyweg's Stads-Koffyhuis looks out over the oldest and one of the most beautiful canals in Delft. Inside, you'll find a stamtafel, a large table laid out with newspapers and magazines, where anyone may sit and chat, as well as smaller individual tables where you can enjoy good coffee, delicious pancakes, and terrific apple pie.

    Oude Delft 133, Delft, South Holland, 2611 HB, Netherlands
    015-212–4625

    Known For

    • Popular terrace on a canal barge
    • Good-value eats
    • Good breakfasts
  • 14. Le Vieux Jean

    $$$

    The tiny, family-run restaurant serves tasty meat-and-potatoes fare as well as good fish dishes such as kabeljauw (cod) with asparagus sauce. The adjoining Café de Oude Jean serves up somewhat cheaper fare.

    Heilige Geestkerkhof 3, Delft, South Holland, 2611 HP, Netherlands
    015-213–0433

    Known For

    • Refined dining
    • Friendly service
    • Cozy, romantic atmosphere

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon. No lunch Sat., Credit cards accepted, Reservations essential
  • 15. ML

    $$$$

    This long-standing city favorite, housed in the hotel of the same name, is a showpiece for the combined talents of chefs Mark Gratema and Kevin Kion. The spacious, airy dining room is a seamless blend of modern and traditional, with wood-paneled walls, crisp linens, and chic furniture—the perfect backdrop for sampling an endlessly changing menu of cutting-edge and creative dishes that are as big a treat for the eye as they are for the palate.

    Klokhuisplein 9, Haarlem, North Holland, 2011 HK, Netherlands
    023-512–3910

    Known For

    • Award-winning high-end cuisine
    • Stylish decor
    • Playful flavor combinations

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon. No lunch., Credit cards accepted, Reservations essential
  • 16. Moeke

    $$

    Chic, modern decor forms a welcoming backdrop in this extensive café, which serves an inventive range of salads, rolls, and burgers, but a bigger draw awaits outside. Sunny skies will have you heading for the tables, set under leafy lime trees out front on the picturesque square.

    Beestenmarkt 16, Delft, South Holland, 2611 GB, Netherlands
    015-213–3311

    Known For

    • Modern Dutch cuisine
    • Laid-back vibe
    • Tables right along the Beestenmarkt

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
  • 17. Willem van Oranje

    $$ | Coffee

    You might normally be wary of any large establishment on a main tourist crossroads, with a menu in six languages, but what redeems this place, besides its to-die-for view between the Stadhuis and the Nieuwe Kerk, is the wide selection of good-value Dutch and international dishes. Fill up at lunchtime with all the usual Dutch café standards, including omelets, rolls, and salads, or enjoy a juicy steak from the more sophisticated dinner menu.

    Markt 48a, Delft, South Holland, 2611 GV, Netherlands
    015-212–3059

    Known For

    • Great people-watching
    • Large and popular terrace
    • Lunchtime-only pancakes

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted, No dinner Mon.
  • 18. Winkel van Sinkel

    $$ | Coffee

    This sprawling Neoclassical "palace" started out in the 18th century as Holland's first department store and is fronted with columns and cast-iron statues of women that conjure images of Grecian abundance. You can dine either on the terrace overlooking the canal or in the high-ceilinged Grote Zaal, and select from an international menu of pasta, steaks, salads, and more that is designed to satisfy all tastes.

    Oudegracht 158, Utrecht, Utrecht, 3511 AZ, Netherlands
    030-230–3030

    Known For

    • People-watching from the terrace
    • Lively vibe
    • Canalside "tapas" in the cellar bar

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No credit cards
  • 19. XO

    $

    A very funky restaurant-bar, XO has chunky silver graphics, purple-and-gray walls, and fun touches like "king" chairs, complete with claw feet and red cushions—an alluring setting for lunch and evening edibles. The menu contains a wide array of mouthwatering and exquisitely presented burgers and sandwiches, joined by a few more substantial mains available evenings only.

    Grote Markt 8, Haarlem, North Holland, 2011 RD, Netherlands
    023-551–1350

    Known For

    • Simple but delicious food
    • Funky decor
    • Lively weekends with DJs, dine early if you prefer quiet

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
  • 20. Brancatelli

    $$$ | Centrum
    Closed Permanently

    Around the windblown environs of the Erasmus Bridge you can find several eateries specializing in Mediterranean cuisine, Brancatelli being the best. "Kitsch" is the word that springs to mind when you spot the large glass animals on every table; add a preprogrammed player piano, and you are going to either laugh or cringe. If you feel a smile tickling, then the (very) pink table settings won't be too much, either. The friendly staff really play on being Italian, making, as they say, "a nice evening" of it, especially for groups. A typical four- or five-course menu is usually fish based. Even if the price pushes up your expectations, the presentation and sheer quality of the dishes justify the cost.

    Boompjes 264, Rotterdam, South Holland, 3011 XD, Netherlands
    010-411–4151

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No lunch weekends, Credit cards accepted, Reservations essential

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