4 Best Restaurants in Rotterdam, Netherlands

Reputed by locals to be the city's best Cantonese restaurant, Asian Glories serves lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch in a tasteful modern interior or outdoors on its terrace. It's hard to choose what is most delicious: their fresh oysters, mussels in black bean sauce, and Peking duck consistently get raves from fussy eaters, but make sure you also leave room for an exotic dessert such as ice cream with rice and red bean sauce.

Adjacent to the Stadsschouwburg (Municipal Theater), this popular spot—a favorite with local and international regulars alike—doesn't look too inviting from the outside, but the interior is modern, light, and airy; the staff are friendly; and there's a beautiful garden at the back, complete with birdsong. Better still, the kitchen produces excellent food using fresh seasonal produce.

In the grand style of Rotterdam's cafés, Loos—in business since 1988—has a range of international magazines and newspapers on reading racks, and in a fun gesture, six clocks with different time zones decorate one wall. As for the food, steak tartare and Breton oysters are perennial favorites.

This stylish grand café on a busy shopping street is worth a look simply for its lovely Art Deco interior, which spreads over several levels including a mezzanine. It's often packed, as people drop in for a quick lunch, a full fish dinner, or simply to sip an aperitif at the bar before heading on to a show.