Europe · The Netherlands
Where to eat in the Netherlands, region by region
The Dutch eat dinner early, snack all day and have a long habit of borrowing from everyone they trade with. Start with the dishes and drinks of each region, then the places that do them best: the herring stand, the brown cafe, the Indonesian rijsttafel and the starred rooms. City guides cover Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague.
163places
5regions
63starred tables
36towns
Going to the Netherlands?Plan every meal across the whole country, or pick one city. Filter by region, save places, see them on a map.
Plan my Netherlands food tripAmsterdam & North Holland
82 places in 8 towns
What to eat
- Bitterballen Deep-fried beef or veal ragout balls served with mustard.
- Haring (Hollandse Nieuwe) Raw herring served chopped with onions and gherkins; new herring season runs late May to July.
- Stroopwafel Two thin waffle layers with warm caramel; best fresh from a market stall.
- Poffertjes Small buckwheat pancakes with powdered sugar and butter.
- Kibbeling Battered fried white fish with garlic or remoulade sauce.
- Ossenworst Raw smoked Amsterdam beef sausage with protected status.
- Van Dobben kroket Deep-fried croquette with beef or pork filling from an Amsterdam producer.
- Rijsttafel Rice with a dozen or more small Indonesian dishes, a colonial-era concept.
What to drink
- Wynand Fockink / De Drie Fleschjes Jenever proeflokalen (tasting rooms) dating to 1679 and 1650 respectively.
- Brouwerij 't IJ Brewery beneath De Gooyer windmill known for Zatte tripel and Natte dubbel.
- Proeflokaal Arendsnest Serves only Dutch beers, 50+ on tap.
Where to start
- Aan de Poel 2 starsAmstelveen · Creative · €€€€Add to my trip
- Ciel Bleu 2 starsAmsterdam · Creative · €€€€Add to my trip
- De Bokkedoorns 2 starsOverveen · Modern cuisine · €€€€Add to my trip
- Flore 2 starsAmsterdam · Modern · €€€€Add to my trip
- Restaurant 212 2 starsAmsterdam · Creative · €€€€Add to my trip
- Vinkeles 2 starsAmsterdam · Creative · €€€€Add to my trip
- 't Amsterdammertje 1 starLoenen aan de Vecht · Creative · €€€Add to my trip
- Apicius 1 starCastricum · Modern cuisine · €€€Add to my trip
Towns
Amsterdam 70Haarlem 3Loenen aan de Vecht 3Amstelveen 2Heemstede 1Vreeland 1Overveen 1Castricum 1
Rotterdam & South Holland
60 places in 15 towns
What to eat
- Uierboord Thinly sliced baked cow's udder, once eaten by the working classes and now seen as a Rotterdam specialty.
- Leidse kaas Cumin-spiced cheese from Leiden.
- Gouda Cheese that ranges from young to aged.
- Haring Hollandse Nieuwe herring is sold at fish stalls in The Hague, best May to July (MileHacker).
- Kibbeling Battered, deep-fried cod with garlic or remoulade sauce, sold at fish stalls (MileHacker).
- Patatje oorlog Thick-cut fries with sauces (MileHacker, listed as patat/friet with sauces).
- Indonesian rijsttafel Many small dishes served with rice; widely available in The Hague.
- Appelgebak met slagroom Warm apple pie with whipped cream (MileHacker).
Where to start
- Parkheuvel 2 starsRotterdam · Modern cuisine · €€€€Heuvellaan 21, 3016 GL Rotterdam · +31 10 436 0766Add to my trip
- Azurite 2 starsDelft · Modern cuisine · €€€€Add to my trip
- Fred 2 starsRotterdam · Classic French with its own twistAdd to my trip
- Restaurant FG 2 starsRotterdamAdd to my trip
- 't Ganzenest 1 starRijswijk · Modern French · €€€€Add to my trip
- Amarone 1 starRotterdam · Modern French · €€€Add to my trip
- Calla's 1 starThe Hague · Creative French · €€€€Add to my trip
- Central Park 1 starVoorburg · Modern cuisine · €€€€Add to my trip
Towns
Rotterdam 26The Hague 17Delft 3Leiden 3Capelle aan den IJssel 1Voorburg 1Rijswijk 1Wateringen 1Nootdorp 1Warmond 1Noordwijk aan Zee 1Gouda 1
Utrecht & Central
5 places in 2 towns
What to eat
- Vockingworst Additive-free liver sausage, greyish rather than pink, commonly offered on snackbar sandwiches.
Where to start
- Karel 5 1 starUtrecht · €€€€Geertebolwerk 1, 3511 XA Utrecht · +31 30 233 7555Add to my trip
- Maeve 1 starUtrecht · €€€€Kromme Nieuwegracht 18, 3512 HH Utrecht · +31 30 200 6767Add to my trip
- Wild Atelier 1 starHoog Soeren · €€€€Amersfoortseweg 86, 7346 AA Hoog Soeren · +31 55 519 1248Add to my trip
- Héron Bib GourmandUtrecht · €€Schalkwijkstraat 26, 3512 KS Utrecht · +31 6 45049921Add to my trip
- Restaurant Blauw Bib GourmandUtrecht · €€Springweg 64, 3511 VT Utrecht · +31 30 234 2463Add to my trip
Towns
Brabant & Limburg
11 places in 8 towns
What to eat
- Brabants worstenbroodje Spiced pork sausage roll in white bread, traditionally eaten at Christmas and carnival.
- Limburgse vlaai Flan with a soft base and crust, usually filled with apple, cherry or rice.
- Zeeuwse bolus (Zeeland) Sweet spiral pastry topped with treacle and cinnamon, typically eaten with coffee.
- Zeeland mussels Zeeland mussel season runs September through April, served with frites and mayonnaise.
Where to start
- SUIS 2 starsSchin op Geul · €€€€Strucht 77, 6305 AH Schin op Geul · +32 483 53 60 17Add to my trip
- Ambrozijn 1 starValkenburg · €€€€Plenkertstraat 45, 6301 GL Valkenburg · +31 43 200 3068Add to my trip
- Beluga loves you 1 starMaastricht · €€€€Plein 1992 nr 12, 6221 JP Maastricht · +31 43 321 3364Add to my trip
- De Cuijt 1 starMierlo · €€€€Burgemeester Termeerstraat 50, 5731 SE Mierlo · +31 492 661 323Add to my trip
- Rozewied 1 starKortgene · €€€Hoofdstraat 35, 4484 CB Kortgene · +31 6 38112035Add to my trip
- Tout à Fait 1 starMaastricht · €€€€St-Bernardusstraat 16, 6211 HL Maastricht · +31 43 350 0405Add to my trip
- Wiesen 1 starEindhoven · €€€Kleine Berg 10, 5611 JV Eindhoven · +31 40 244 6666Add to my trip
- Zarzo 1 starEindhoven · €€€€Bleekweg 7, 5611 EZ Eindhoven · +31 40 211 7700Add to my trip
Towns
Maastricht 3Eindhoven 2Schin op Geul 1Valkenburg 1Mierlo 1Kortgene 1Breda 1Weert 1
North & East
5 places in 3 towns
What to eat
- Eierbal Deep-fried snack of hard-boiled egg, ragout and breadcrumbs, popular across the north and east.
- Fryske dúmkes (Friesland) Sweet spiced oven-baked cookies with ginger, aniseed and cinnamon.
- Kosterworst (Drenthe) Hard, dry sausage dried while hanging.
- Zwolse balletjes (Zwolle) Hard candy first made in 1845.
- Nijmeegs Marikenbrood (Nijmegen) Pie of raisin bread dough, almond paste, cream, mandarins and cinnamon sugar.
- Lelystads Lekkerding (Flevoland) Newer apple pie made with Flevoland ingredients and plenty of cinnamon.
Where to start
- De Librije 3 starsZwolleAdd to my trip
- Le Epifaan 1 starVeeningen · €€€€Bloemberg 5, 7924 PW Veeningen · +31 522 463 116Add to my trip
- Nassau 1 starGroningen · €€€Martinikerkhof 23, 9712 JH Groningen · +31 50 317 6550Add to my trip
- Dokjard Bib GourmandGroningen · €€Noorderhaven 63, 9712 VJ Groningen · +31 50 364 2420Add to my trip
- Wijn Boer Bib GourmandZwolle · €€Samuël Hirschstraat 1, 8011 PT Zwolle · +31 38 792 0192Add to my trip
Towns
The three-star tables
- De Librije Zwolle
How to book and eat well in the Netherlands
- Dutch people usually eat dinner early, between 5 and 6 PM; many eat around 7:30 or 8 PM, especially in smaller towns.
- Restaurants usually open in the evening around 5:30 or 6 PM and close around 10 PM; many kitchens are closed after about 10 PM. Amsterdam Tourism gives lunch 12:00-14:00 and dinner 18:00-22:00.
- Eetcafés are usually open all day and serve both lunch and dinner; veggie restaurants often close early, around 7 or 8 PM.
- Bars stay open until about 1 AM on weekdays and 2 AM on weekends; proeflokalen (tasting houses) sometimes close around 8 PM.
- A 2019 Fine Dining Lovers article says De Librije (Zwolle) required booking six months in advance; the current window may differ.
- Amsterdam Tourism says Tempo Doeloe needs booking 2-3 weeks ahead for weekends.
- Tipping: 5-10% or small change for good service is customary but not required (Leiden International Centre); over 15% feels patronising and service is built into menu prices by custom.
- Amsterdam Tourism says cash tipping is preferred and you can ask the card machine for no tip; DutchReview says splitting the bill is common, sometimes via Tikkie requests.
- Market days: Albert Cuyp Mon-Sat; Haagse Markt Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat 9:00-17:00; Noordermarkt organic market Saturday.
Etiquette
- Guests invited to dinner wait until the host says it is time to start eating (Leiden International Centre).
- Say 'Eet smakelijk' for enjoy your meal and 'proost' to toast (Leiden International Centre).
- Knife and fork side by side on the plate signals you have finished (Leiden International Centre).
- Raise your hand to get a server's attention (Leiden International Centre).
- Arrive on time; last-minute cancellation is seen as worse than lateness.
- Phone calls at the table are considered rude.
Eating by season
- Spring. White asparagus runs late April to mid-June, served with butter, ham and boiled egg. New herring (Hollandse Nieuwe) is young herring caught mid-May to end of June; the 2025 season opened 18 June.
- Summer. Hollandse Nieuwe at peak in July and August; steamed mussels on terraces from late July.
- Autumn. Zeeland mussels season September through April; game in October and November; pumpkin from October. Bokbier is an autumn beer.
- Winter. Stamppot and erwtensoep through January; oliebollen from carts mid-December to New Year's Day; speculaas and pepernoten through December.
- Drinks across the country. Jenever: Dutch gin made from molasses and flavoured with juniper, usually served in a small glass; ask for a borreltje (straight) or bittertje (with angostura); Kopstoot: Jenever chased with beer; the first sip of an overfull tulip glass is taken bent over the bar; Pils: Pilsener-style lager is the favourite drink, served in a small measure; Heineken, Amstel and Grolsch are common; Bokbier: Rich, fruity autumn beer; Coffee: Standard coffee is strong, served black with koffiemelk (evaporated milk) on the side; Chocomel: Chocolate drink served hot or cold; Anijsmelk: Warm milk flavoured with aniseed, sold in some cafés
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Every place comes from a published source (Michelin Guide Netherlands, tourist boards, Eater and other food writers). Many addresses, phone numbers and prices are not in those sources, so we leave them blank rather than guess, and we have not confirmed every place is still open. Hours and prices change, so confirm before you go. All city guides