7 Best Restaurants in The Hague, Netherlands

Magnificently dating to 1423 but rebuilt in 1660, the oldest restaurant in The Hague has a well-preserved interior redolent of the Dutch Golden Age, complete with wood-beamed ceilings. The furniture and some of the decor is more contemporary these days, but it's still an impressive setting for a light lunch, a platter of bitterballen to wash down a cold beer, or a hearty surf-and-turfy dinner, or beef stew.

This elegant café can trace its origins back to the days of stagecoaches, but the menu—an appealing east-meets-west melting pot of Indonesian and Dutch classic—is anything but old-fashioned. Try to snag a table on the leafy terrace if possible (it's even heated in winter), as it looks out onto one of the prettiest squares in the city.

Dudok—with its vast granite-and-metal interior that looks like a cross between a 1930s railway station and an ultra-contemporary factory—is a great place for people-of-every-stripe-watching: politicians debating over a beer, fashionistas toying with their carpaccio salads, and pensioners tucking into an afternoon tea of cream cakes and salmon sandwiches. The menu combines international dishes with traditional Dutch fare such, but be warned it closes at 7 or 8 each evening, so don't leave it late if you're looking for a dinner option.

Down a quiet side street near the Escher in Het Paleis Museum, wood-paneled walls and flickering candles make the friendly Café Hathor an atmospheric spot for a snack, a full meal, or just a quiet drink. In good weather, tables on a raft overlook a gently flowing canal.

On an elegant square (it's circular if we are being pedantic) at the heart of The Hague's up-and-coming Zeehelden Kwartier (Sea Heroes Quarter), Van Kinsbergen bills itself as a UK-style gastropub. The food is delicious, but expect the menu to head in all kinds of global directions, from Korean fried chicken to Mexican ceviche, via French steak tartare.