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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.
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.
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.
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 burgers in the evening.
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.
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) serves a variety of meat, fish, and veggie mains; a simpler lunch menu is available in the grand café below.
Chic, modern decor forms a welcoming backdrop in this extensive café, which serves an inventive range of salads, steaks, 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.
This popular central eatery boasts a spectacular interior setting in the form of a restored church dating from 1860, complete with organ pipes. The Belgian-influenced food ranges from hearty stews to steaks and seafood, and is backed up by a similarly impressive beer list that also comes mainly from the Netherlands' southern neighbor—simpler dishes including croque monsieurs are served at lunch.
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.
