Restaurants & dining – All our local tips

Located right next to Central station (and therefor right next to a construction site for the past 2 years) and still excisting shows how good this restaurant is.

When I celebrated my 11 year friendship with my best friends we chose this place for dinner. How refreshing it was. The first thing I noticed were their beautiful wine glasses.

By the time we wanted to look at the menu one of the staff members came with this big message board with the menu written on it. Haha what a wonderful idea! And handy too if you have a menu that changes often.

The food was absolutely delicious. If you still have some space left for desert try the tiramisu. You really need some leftover space though, cause it’s a big piece!

Apparently A proposito is popular for lunch as well. At whatever time of the the day, I can’t wait to eat there again.

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A proposito | Restaurants (Italian) | Pasta peperoni € 9.50
weena 505 | Center | +31102132334
Mon – Fri 12:00 – 14:30 & 16:30 – 21:30 (kitchen closes at this time)

Rotterdam’s citizens come from all over the world. The ratio native Dutch and people with foreign roots is about 50/50 which is an unlike any other city in the Netherlands. It would be a pity not to take that along in your Rotterdam experience. And the easiest way to experience the melting pot is to go to Bazar.

Bazar gathers the cuisine of many cultures, mainly from North Africa and the Middle East. Everything they serve is delicious -hence I cannot recommend one dish over another. The atmosphere is really nice as well. For a moment, you think you are in Marrakech.

If you make reservations (recommended) ask for a table downstairs for an intimate atmosphere. Please note, this place is crowded -always! Reservations ahead are recommended. And although the dishes come from tranquilo places around the world, don’t be late or your table will be passed on to the next in line.

Visit their site for a nice impression. Please note, it is also an hotel.

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Bazar | Restaurants (Med.) | Main course € 10.00
Witte de Withstraat 16 | Center | +310102065151
Mon – Sat 09:00 – 02:00, Sun 09:00 – 00:00

This restaurant transforms into a dancing place for salsa, meringue, zouk and bachatta lovers. Cantinero hasn’t been in the city for a very long time, but has been doing some good business. It does help that two big dance schools offer their lessons upstairs. As with all salsa parties, it starts at 22:00 but only get’s a bit busy from 23:00 on.

Before showing your moves on the dance floor, you can enjoy some great tapas or some Mexican food here. There are also special menu’s for groups who want to do a dance workshop at Cantinero.

If you’re here just to dance, you might want to try one of their cocktails to loosen up the hips.

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Cantinero | Bars, Music, Restaurants (Tapas)
Coolsingel 18 | Center | +31102810014
Sun – Thu 16:00 – 01:00, Fri – Sat 16:00 – 05:00

In the past the Nieuwe Binnenweg connected Delfshaven with Rotterdam. Nowadays it’s reckoned to be the longest shopping street in the Netherlands.

Why not bike from the city centre all the way down to Marconiplein, through West to Delfshaven. Or hop on and off tram 4? On your way you’ll find many interesting shops, bars and resto’s from all over the world.

One of them is traiteur-catering Chez Mo-i, which was recently opened by Monica van Leeuwen at number 302. Opposite Verheyden where we used to do our luxury food shopping for special occasions when we still lived close. Now Chez Mo-i gives us a new reason to go West.

Monica acquired her chef experiences as caterar and her colleague Catrine Bakken in the Zwetheul kitchen. Having her own traiteur – catering shop was a dream come true for Monica.

The place is light, spacious, cosy and beautifully styled with a mixture of 60ties furniture, nicely integrated in the total design done by Wouter Roeterin

k. In the back ther is a reoom where you can eat or drink and read in books about Rotterdam and food.

Upstairs is also a nice room specially for kids to play! In the front they sell Vlaamsch Broodhuys bread, in the middle freshly made sandwiches, pies, delicious grilled vegetables, couscous-, chicken- and tuna salads, olives, pasta, salt, oils and more mouth watering things to eat in or to go. Different Bionade lemonade available too! That presentation is important for Monica is obvious as everything looks tasteful.

Fans of Vlaamsch Broodhuys and cook books like Moro, The River Café and Ottolenghi amongst others can eat their heart out at Chez Mo-i.

The only thing I regret is that they don’t use fresh milk for the cappuccino.

In the summer you can sit outside in the garden!

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Chez Mo-i | Coffee & tea, Shopping, Snacks, Restaurants (Bread)
Nieuwe Binnenweg 302 | West | +31104771578
Tue – Sat 10:00 – 17:00

The Groene Passage is a paradise for Eco(friendly)lovers.

Vanbinnen, Natuurlijk Wonen at number 1.
They sell natural quality products for the interior. Have a look or get advise how to make your home greener. It’s expensive but I do enjoy every minute sleeping between my organic Damai sheets.

Part of my daily shopping is at number 9.
Gimsel is the largest biological supermarket in Rotterdam with a wide range of fresh EKO products. Vegetables can be found here, you can’t buy anywhere else.
I love the dried herbs from Het Blauwe Huis. Try the Arabic mix on your pumpkin dish! On sale is also delicious sour dough bread by famous Menno ‘t Hoen!
I always like the wall full of containers with products that come in bulk: dried mushrooms, nuts, cereals. Anything from your choice which can be weighed and packed by yourself.

In the middle of the shop you will find beauty products like Aveda. Ask the ladies for advice, they’re amazing!

Upstairs is the Wereldwinkel which sells Fair Trade global gifts and presents.
The Oost West Centre is for workshops.

Downstairs is bar-lunchroom/restaurant Spirit. I go there for a coffee or self-service salads. It’s not really a cozy place but good enough for when you have an appetite or as a meeting point. They serve good inexpensive biological foods and drinks.

Himalaya, a spiritual bookshop, is next to it.

De Groene Weg is at number 33, in my opinion the best biological butcher in town.

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De Groene Passage | Coffee & tea, Shopping, Snacks, Restaurants (Biological)
Mariniersweg 1-33 | Center | +310102331933
Mon – Fri 08:00 – 20:00, Sat 08:00 – 18:00

Rachel van Olm of theater Walhalla and chef Jim de Jong joined forces and opened a tables d’hôtes De jonge De Jong at Deliplein.

A corner building with an original Dutch interiour. It’s like stepping into a Delfs Blue decor. Not so staggering if you know stencil graffity artist Hugo Kaagman decorated the place.

The menu is simple. 3 starters, 3 mains and desserts or a 3 course chef special for only €27,50.

Jim is a young talented chef, who as trainee have had the opportunity to work in the 2nd best kitchen in the world (a place where I ate as a guest once:).

I love Jim’s food as it’s simple. Guess you can call it International French bistro style with a Dutch twist. He works with biological and local products and fresh things from the market and makes original combinations. We ate quinoa with cod, lentils with a sausage of Iberico and a dark chocolate with Bergamot mousse served in a large wine glass on it’s side. The food/wine combination wasn’t perfect, but just tell them and they offer you something else.

They opened last October, but officially mid January 2010. Don’t expect everything to be perfect. Just go, enjoy this special place and tell the staff or chef if they don’t meet your expectations. They all are very helpful and eager to give you an excellent night out.

I hope to be back soon, but next time by watertaxi (check the Watertaxi article) and I’ll go for the Theater Walhalla special!

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De Jonge De Jong | Art & culture, Theaters, Restaurants (French) | 3 course € 27.00
Delistraat 52 | Zuid | +310641374893
Wed – Sun 18:00 – 00:00

Suppose you just arrived in Rotterdam and you wonder how to go about to experience this diverse worldly harbour city… and you realize you could well do with a bit of something, to eat that is. Restaurants, tea corners, coffee bars, wine and snack buffets are all there in a wide variety. So maybe for that first step into this world unknown, go easy with a choice of the familiar: go for the ubiquitous world wide available food: go Chinese!!!

Walk down about 400 metres South from the central station and then turn right for the West Kruiskade and the very first restaurant on the corner of this multi cultural street is called: De Lange Muur – (The Long Wall).

A light Dim Sum meal for a pleasantly light lunch is a pretty good start for the tour around town. You may get a feeling of being anywhere but Rotterdam, as this place caters almost exclusively to Chinese ( 95% Chinese for lunch – 50/50 Chinese /Westerners for dinner ).

The menu could pose a puzzle if you are unfamiliar with Chinese characters, so Westerners get a handy menu with pictures of the over 200 dishes and short descriptions in English to help out. Just jot down the numbers of your choice – Bingo style – , hand it over to your waiter and with an amazing speed the table will fill up with the plates and dishes that you ordered.

This fast service allows you to order in waves or courses, so do not order all at once unless you are ravenous and in a hurry. The food is excellent, fresh and genuine and the restaurant is often filled up to capacity, but with 140 couverts available and a smooth turnover waiting time is no big deal.

Still, the atmosphere is surprisingly serene and relatively quiet: large, three generation families share a multitude of food rotating and turning in carrousel fashion in the middle of huge round tables and all you hear is humming contentment. Now start exploring Rotterdam or use it on the way out.

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De Lange Muur | Restaurants (Chinese) | Dinner € 20.00
West Kruiskade 1 | Center | +31102800518
12:00 – 00:00 daily

I get good vibes at this no-nonsense Rotterdam style Deli Bird Thai restaurant and Take Away.

The chatty owner is very welcoming and the chefs smile behind the pots cause they know they can cook.

Some may already know the take away at number 44A, but since mid January they openen a restaurant next door,. It’s only divided by the shared open kitchen.

Deli Bird Restaurant is family friendly and has a no-nonsense interior with some nice features like a sun set behind bamboo.

For those who never been to Katendrecht, it’s a pier in the harbour area. I truly recommend you to go and discover it by bike, over water or walking. Deliplein is surrounded by some of my favourite restaurants, Walhalla, tattoo bob and a cultvideotheek amongst many other things. This square is the place to at Katendrecht and you’ll meet mainly locals here of whom from different cultures, many creative professionals and young families.

You don’t like to wait, try to get a hold of the menu and place your order at the Take Away by phone 010-4854004, so the food will be ready when you arrive. They also sell Hottie sambals here.

I recommend to eat in at 44 B-C, for freshly (no ve-tsin used!) made Thai soups, Curry’s, salads, wok dishes and more. My favourite dishes are Moo ping and Kaend phed with a cool Singha beer. Till the summer you order from the Take Away menu, but it gives you a taste of the future when the restaurant. Different dishes to share, just like in Thailand.

Let the water taxi bring you to Katendrecht. It’s just a small walk to Deliplein.

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Deli Bird Thai Kitchen | Shopping, Snacks, Restaurants (Thai) | Starters € 3.75
Delistraat 43 A-C | Zuid | +310104854004
Tue – Sun 17:00 – 21:30

The interior doesn’t give it away, but this place is tops!

I just got rid of my fried rice with mushroom addiction, cause I discovered how good their sushi is.

This place is always very busy, so you might have to wait for a seat at one of the long tables. Or…you can ask for take away and eat your dinner/lunch at a nicer place.

Don’t be afraid you won’t have enough food. It come in pretty good portions (you know, just a little too much that you eat anyway and then feel way too full!)

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Dim Daily | Restaurants (Asian) | Mixed sushi 8 pieces € 14.00
Rode zand 48 | Center | +31102809026
Sat -Thu 12:00 – 22:00, Fri 12:00 – 23:00

From the same owner as Stalles (check the Stalles article), Parket and The Vibes (check the Vibes article) there is Furore, located between the Centre and Crooswijk.

The food here is a delicious experience around the world in mini size. For about € 20.00 you get to choose 3 courses each and you get to do this 4 times in a row. Might not seem like much, but trust me at the end of round 3 you’ll be stuffed.

Besides dinner they just launched a lunch card, on which- next to a BTL and salads- you can opt for a ‘City trip’, ‘Weekend out of town’ or a ‘Trip around the world’. Nice for people with a travel bug but without money!

Since I live almost around the corner, I also like to come in just for a drink or two. When you’re having a drink you get some nuts, chips or olives on the side, nice! The place hasn’t jet developed to be a bar as well, but I think it’s only a matter of time and sun since their terrace is nice too.

Furore is not just for food and drinks, there have been salsa-nights, bands playing, comedy nights and film evenings. There is always lots to do.

In summer it was still up and coming. Now, it’s there!

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Furore | Bars, Restaurants (Worldly) | Dinner € 19.50
Jonker Fransstraat 237 | Crooswijk | +31102262883
Mon – Thu 11:00 – 01:00, Fri – Sat 11:00 – 02:00, Sun 12:00 – 01:00

A great location for watching all the action on the river, while lounging, drinking and eating. See the Rhine barges, tankers, yachts, ferries, wherries, tugs, tourist and speedboats, watertaxi’s and just about anything that floats go up and downstream.

Half hidden under the southern section of the Erasmus bridge the Swan – its popular name) with a huge panoramic all glass double gabled front, this grand café offers a wide view across its huge terrace over the river, the “Noorder eiland” and the line up of the tall and magnificent architecture of the office and residential towers along the river Maas waterfront.

Prachtig = “beautiful / gorgeous” – aims to offer happy drinking and eating just about all day and evening long. Simple “bitterballen” and luxurious snacks – why not some oysters or lobster tail with a crisp Chardonnay ? – and sandwiches throughout the day, or lunch or dinner with good waterfront food like bouillabaisse or fruits de mer.

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Grand Cafe Prachtig | Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Intern.) | Lunch € 10
Willemsplein 77 | Center | +31102130640
11:30 – 23:30 daily

This restaurant lives up to it’s name, heaven on earth. It’s the favorite restaurant of one of my best friends and not with out a reason. Their tapas are delicious and there is lots to choose from. My favorite are the dates filled with an almond and rolled in bacon.

This popular place does not take reservations during the weekend, so it could be that you have to wait before you get a table. Or you can take a seat at the bar.

Just with their food, the owners have put a lot of thought and love into the interior of the restaurant. Everywhere in the place there are statues of angels and other things that have to do with heaven.

Enjoy a great meal here and maybe afterwards you can have a nice beer or something warmer by the fireplace at the Locus Publicus (check the Locus Publicus article).

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Hemel op aarde | Restaurants (Tapas) | Dates with almond & bacon € 3.25
Oostzeedijk beneden 205a | Kralingen | +31104139656
17:30 – 00:00 daily

In the last century at the end of the Wilhelminapier the Holland America Line had its head office and passenger terminal for the regular line service to New York. The company now operates mostly from the USA and the historic building is now being dwarfed by the surrounding towers built on this peninsula.

However the hotel New York will keep its open view to the West over a wide terrace and grass field with cross paths named after famous Manhattan streets; here thousands of immigrants once left for a future in the Americas.

Entering from the terrace you pass the seafood section, where the famous seafood platters are made up, and you face a very large multi-level high ceiling café and restaurant area with over a hundred tables still in the century old ornamental style. It is always busy and it hums with the activity of brisk walking waiters and a broad mix of people, hotel-guests, locals, tourists and day trippers.

The huge reading table is a favorite reading or meeting place for friends, partner or blind date ( here I met my wife ).

These days the ever more glamorous hyper-modern cruise liners will regularly moor up along the nearby passenger terminal, but Hotel New York still makes you feel like and long for the old times.

This place offers everything food and drink-wise, whereas the view on the river and the city skyline is mesmerizing day and night.

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Hotel New York | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Grand cafe)
Koninginnenhoofd 1 | Center | +31104390555
07:00 – 00:00 daily

If life is a journey of the senses, make sure you include Ivy on the way. Take a full evening out to expose yourself to an eclectic range of tastes, sensations and surprises. Prepare for a festive workout for tastebuds and palate complete with warming up and cooling down.

You need to go to the Lloydpier on the river in a westerly direction, where renovated warehouses and modern architecture house young innovative startup companies, designer studios and galleries – a perfect spot for Ivy that matches all those artistic qualities.

Walking in you face a modern interior, a young and enthusiastic serving staff, keen on explaining in subtle details the dinner program. A fully open kitchen brims with activity and meticulous finesse, where the fully white brigade mills around in a disciplined, muted shoulder to shoulder synchrony resembling a bee hive.

And all of this leads to fun and excitement, to let your tongue attempt to trace an unexpected mix of ingredients. Give the sommelier a free hand to and let the sampling wines match and intensify the multiple courses ( take 5 or 7 ) or take ample time to look over the more than thousand wines on the list. Ivy wants you to have a meal, that makes you think, wonder and delight – in the end you will happily realize that you ate and drank while doing it.

The fall is most complimentary to IVY: a steady stream of accolades from the national press, a Michelin star and a top ten spot in the national selection by the Specialbite.com site and the Promise of the year 2010 award for chef Francois Geurds by Gault Millau all endorse our recommendation to celebrate your choice lunch or dinner here.

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IVY | Restaurants (Modern top biological, seasonal and vegetarian) | Menu from € 75.00 – 115.00
Lloydstraat 294 | Delfshaven | +31104250520
Tue – Sat lunch from 12:00 & dinner from 18:30

As I’m from a former Dutch colony, Suriname, I still have a craving for real Suriname cuisine.

What is ‘Surinam cuisine’, you may ask?
It’s hard to define but I’ve heard of an interesting research about the origins of the dishes we have. From some it’s easy to tell like the nasi and bami goreng (fried rice and noodles) as they are from my other roots, Indonesia. Roti comes from motherland India, and there’s even a Jewish dish known as ‘pom’.

Digging into the history of these dishes gives you an interesting tale and history of how this country has shaped itself through its inhabitants and mixing not only their cultures but also their cooking.

A nice place to experience it yourself and challenging your taste buds is Kiem Foei at the West- Kruiskade near central station. West-Kruiskade is known as ‘China Town’ but the Surinam toko’s (shops) also dominate the street.

Kiem Foei’s interior doesn’t look hip but nobody cares as it’s all about the food here, which is partly Surinamese and partly Antillean. Eat in or to go. Mingle with the crowd and try choosing a snack or dish. Buns filled with either vegetables, meat or shrimps are more for snacking. But whatever you choose, get ready for some interesting flavours.

The Suriname kitchen is a good choice in variety if you’re on a tight budget but don’t feel like cooking.

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Kiem Foei | Snacks, Restaurants (Surinam) | Snacks from € 3.00
West-Kruiskade 29 | Center | +31104139983
12:00 – 23:00 daily

This is one of my favourite restaurants in Rotterdam and many agree!

I just love eating here because everything is perfect. The atmosphere is nice, the interior is modern, the chefs are passionate cooks and the waiters give excellent service. You will not regret going here, but book in advance! Most of the time they are fully booked.

Have been here many times in different settings, celebrating my b’day, meet up with a colleague or dine with my boyfriend or friends. On each occasion it was perfect.

The food is French International and the concept unique. They only serve small portions between €7,50 – 9,50 each. You can order as many different things as you feel like it. My experience is that 4 dishes are enough.

Creative cooking, delicious, fresh and all homemade. Excellent wines you can order by a full or half glass. New is their selection of sherrys! And do try their cheeses!

My favourite spot is at the bar (2 pp). It makes you feel part of the kitchen and they might spoil you with little extras;)

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Kwiezien Restaurant | Restaurants (French International)
Delistraat 20-22 | Zuid | +310102151440
Tue – Sun 18:00 – 22:00

This lunchroom is very near to where I work. So I come here often when I have a long break, or after work with a colleague. But have been coming here for some years before. I think they got a new owner, since there was always this tall man walking around, and now there are two women. The quality is still very good.

I have been eating all kinds of things here, like omelets, pancakes, salads, pasta… And it all tastes very good. The only problem I have is choosing what I would like every time I come there. I think the prices and the portions are very reasonable. Also you do not have to wait too terribly long for you meal to arrive, except on some crowded hours when all the shops nearby are having their lunch break, or dinner break on Fridays, since there is always shopping night on Fridays.

On the menu there is also ’soup of the day’, but there are usually two or three kinds. So be sure to ask what it is, if you like a cup of soup. They also sell fresh mint tea, my very own addiction.

What I like about this lunchroom, is the fact that it has an open kitchen. So even when you have to wait for a while, you know they are working on it. But the main reason is that there is no better joy, then watching some one else working, while you’re sitting on your behind.

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La Corbeille | Snacks, Restaurants (Lunch)
Aert van Nesstraat 24 | Center | +310104332550
Kitchen Mon – Thu 07:45 – 18:30, Fri 07:45 – 20:30, Sat 08:30 – 17:30, Sun 10:30 – 16:30

Level is situated in the upcoming area around the Meent and this describes the place a bit as well. It’s decked out very trendy and lots of people come here to be seen. All the others come for the cocktails, especially the “Porn star”. I’m not the biggest cocktail drinker, but even I like some of the ones they make here.

During summer the front, which is fully made out of glass doors, opens up. This way the terrace is an extension of the bar. Plus they have heaters to keep you warm when the sun goes down.

Before 21:00 when the place turns into a crowded cocktail bar, Level is a restaurant. They have nice food and they serve that food pretty, but that’s also what you pay for! Their chocolate dessert for chocolate lovers is to die for though!

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Level | Bars, Restaurants (European) | Chocolate desert € 7.50
Pannekoekstraat 76A | Center | +31102800788
12:00 – 01:00 daily

I was planning to go and enjoy some lovely sushi at the Dim Daily (check the Dim Daily article) with one of my friends when she suggested to go to this Vietnamese restaurant right underneath the apartment building where she lives. She said it was very nice and something different, but I shouldn’t expect Dim Daily.

She was so right. What a nice place she took me to. We had to eat at the bar, because we didn’t make a reservation (stupid us, it was a Saturday) and it was very busy. Still the service was quick and very good.

The food was lovely, I enjoyed every bite. The tea we had afterwards was a bit strong, but my friend and I do drink very weak tea.

Dim Daily doesn’t have to worry, nothing beats their friend rice with egg and mushrooms, but Little V did just stole a little place in my heart.

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Little V | Restaurants (Vietnamese) | Noodles with gamba’s € 12.00
Grotekerkplein 109 | Center | +3110413191
Tue – Wed 17:00 – 23:00, Thu 17:00 – 01:00, Fri – Sat 17:00 – 01:30, Sun 12:00 – 22:00

Since November on Friday, Saturday and Sunday creative mother Eleanora and daughter Anastasia open the doors to Lof der Zoetheid.

An AMAZING un-Rotterdam place for breakfast, lunch and sweet things.

They are located at Noordplein 1, next to Kookpunt ~ the shop where you can buy everything for the kitchen.

Some may know Lof der Zoetheid by their original delicious catering, others maybe by their amazing presentation at Kunsthal Kookt. But for those who don’t know them yet, go and experience it! Great hospitality, everything is either home made or purchased at the best places in town.

Eleanora bakes the cakes, pies, sweets and bread. Anastasia the rest. If you doubt what to choose from the menu and you are with two, they offer you a tasting with the soup of the day, different home baked bread, cheeses, cold cuts and side kicks like pumpkin marmelade, onion-cherry – and tomato chili jam and more for only €9,50 a person. Pie with salad, Soup of the day with bread, Beef stew with Leffe and bread. For those who love sweets, try their home made chocolate or their famous cheese cake. Every detail is special at Lof der Zoetheid, the record player, the crockery with Anastasia’s designs, the high tea in a box ~ a great present, the old school furniture, the open kitchen, the special teas.

Be warned!

If you go once and let them spoil you with DELICIOUS food and GREAT coffee, tea, freshly made hot chocolate or home made lemonade and ice tea, you’ll end up finding excuses to go there every weekend.

All I hope for is they open more days in the week;)

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Lof der Zoetheid | Art & culture, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Sweet)
Noordplein 1 | Noord | +31102650070
Fri – Sat 10:00 – 17:30, Sun 10:00 – 17:00

Nostra doesn’t have a the biggest menu, but what they have is fantastic. I love the Italian bread roll with pastrami, but I have also tasted their several club sandwiches, yummy!! They make them extra special with all ingredients you’d never expect. And all the food, and you get a lot, is made with love and care. Nostra has an open kitchen is, so you can actually see that they do.

Not too long ago I organised a baby-shower/high tea here and they made such a nice thing out of it. Again the food was delicious and the table was decorated so nice and very trendy!

I always have a fabulous time here. The staff is also very nice and funny, they really make you feel at home.

At the moment the original place on the Van Oldenbarneveldstraat is under construction. So they moved just around the corner at the Mauritsstraat.

If you’re looking for a nice place to have lunch, Nostra is absolutely the place to be!

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Nostra | Coffee & tea, Restaurants (Lunch) | Italian bread/pastrami € 8.50
mauritsstraat 79 | Center | +31104118232
12:00 – 18:00 daily (kithcen closes Mon – Thu 16:00, Sat – Sun 17:00)

Because I don’t like cheese I really like going to this restaurant. Amongst their pizza’s with cheese, their also have two without; and they’re delicious!

O’Pazzo’s is divided into two parts. One serves only the pizza’s and the other, slightly more expensive part, where there’s more to choose from the menu.

The place is very popular, so don’t expect a table right away. But you can have a drink at the bar and nibble on their great foccacia. You can also opt for a take away pizza!

What ever you choose, visit the toilets here. It’s a real experience!

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O’Pazzo | Restaurants (Italian) | Pizza € 9.50
Mariniersweg 90 | Center | +31102827107
10:30 – 00:00 daily

Tucked away in a street between the Van Oldenbarneveldstraat and the Binnenweg there is a small restaurant called Open. Here you can get some good salads and sandwiches. My favourite is the sandwich with smoked chicken with basil dressing, but there is much more to choose from.

The place is small but brightly decorated, something that they change every now and then. The staff isn’t the quickest, but their friendliness makes up for that.

I have had dinner here once, a couple of years ago, but generally come here for lunch.

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Open | Coffee & tea, Restaurants (Mediterranean ) | Bread roll salmon € 7.50
Jacobusstraat 215 | Center | +31102136257
Sun – Thu 12:00 – 21:30, Fri – Sat 12:00 – 22:00

On your way in you pass a pile of wooden logs that augur the specialty of this easy going and relaxed restaurant, where the chef/owner reigns in front of the wood fired open oven.

Try and get a chair close to him facing the oven and watch him create wonderful dishes over an array of herbs, spices, oils and vinegars. You are in for a feast of the palate, when you go for the standard option of the 4 or 6 course menu of mostly biological ingredients from his own selection of local suppliers of meat, fish and veggies.

Double the delight by letting him accompany them with a surprising choice of wines by the glass. He will casually inform you – if you want – how each course is put together and otherwise the staff will fill in likewise.

The cool and concentrated style of cooking will not miss to raise you to the challenge of wanting your taste buds to discover how and what it is made of.

This is a really good place for an evening of calm and relaxed great dining and talking, attended by a watchful, but unobtrusive staff – another one of my favorites!

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Restaurant Eendracht | Restaurants (Biological) | Dinner +/- € 35.00
Eendrachtsweg 31a | Center | +31614865478
Fri – Mon 18:00 – 21:30

Eating out can be quick and simple or a glorious pastime to be taken seriously and passionately. If good food or better superb dining as gourmet evening entertainment is your goal, Fred will fulfill your expectations.

Based on the classical French cooking style, but modernized to the current lighter approach with a widening variety of tastes, flavors and ingredients, stunning plates artistically arranged are presented. Go with the flow and let the chef decide on your surprise menu – changing every two weeks – and mellow down with the accompanying wines, where the sommelier will take great care to let them suit the dish, your preference and wallet. The wine list shows a wide collection of mostly French wines with the rest of the globe well represented as well.

Wait for the upcoming surprises and relax and your evening is all set. The restaurants interior is a statement in itself and breathes a certain solidness and serenity – by the way in contrast, the ladies washroom is a spectacle and a frivolous surprise -.

It did not take long for Fred to receive nationwide recognition in the 2010 listings: a top ten spot in the national review by Specialbite.com, a Michelin star ( he had one before in his previous restaurant), a high score in the Gault Millau. Well done Fred and your team!

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Restaurant Fred | Restaurants (French ) | 4 course dinner € 59.50
Honingerdijk 263-265 | Kralingen | +31102120110
Mon – Fri 12:00 – 14:00 & 18:00 – 21:30, Sat 18:00 – 21:30

Stylish and yet bohemian in style and setting, creative, season based Italian cuisine with a Sicilian twist, a chef, who has been there since the opening in 1987 and adds new dishes all the time, an attentive staff with a youthful radiating smile are the key ingredients of Lux solid reputation. Book ahead or come in late and await your turn.

A menu with limited quantity daily changing specials is your starting pojnt for a tempting choice. As the season is the main guide for what appears on your table, you can be guaranteed of variety, freshness and inventiveness. Bread – 2 types and breadsticks – and water appear on your white paper clothed table while you deliberate what to pick: start with the appetizers -antipasti-. Make up your own mix and share with your dinner partners. Then follow through with a pasta or the daily changing risotto and it is the time for the main course, while you select your side orders separately. Let at least one order the plump and crispy potato fries or rather wedges – they may not be particularly Sicilian, but they are the best.

The all Italian winelist covers most regions, is nicely selected for a reasonable price.

Try the granita for dessert or the ice creams or the cakes and you will certainly understand why this is one my favorites. Then relax or go back to the bar for espresso and your fancy of the grappas and digestifs and take a peek from there in the downstairs kitchen to watch the care and attention of a happy team.

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Restaurant Lux | Restaurants (Italian ) | Dinner € 40.00
’s Gravendijkwal 133 | Center | +31104762206
Tue – Sat 18:00 – 23:00

Facing the Veerhaven, close to the river with a great view of the Erasmus Bridge and the regularly visiting ocean-liners moored on the Wilhelmina Pier Rob and Emmy – versatile veterans in the Rotterdam culinary scene – run their latest addition with a terrace, wine bar and restaurant in a pleasantly stylish and relaxed two floor former warehouse.

You enter either through the wine bar that doubles as restaurant if reservations add up or through the delicatessen store with a variety of vegetables, olive oils and dressings, fresh French cheeses and sausages.

Take the stairs in the back, passing the all French wine store imported by the owner and find yourself in the restaurant featuring fresh often biological food. Seafood platters, great salads, seasonally cooking with a delicate, rural French twist , savoury herbs and wines – even by the glass – to suit your lunch and dinner.

Or as an alternative for a hot day: make up your own picnic with the goodies from the delicatessen store and walk up to the river and enjoy your food at the tables right next to the waterside in the shade.

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Restaurant Z & M | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants (French) | 3-course dinner € 30.00
Veerhaven 13 | Center | +31102800980
Tue – Sun 12:00 – 22:00

The city’s former pride and glory – the ss (steamship) Rotterdam – of its maritime top rank position has been revitalized to be a landmark for the port for years to come.

The initial owner – the Holland America Line – operating from the head office at the Wilhelmina pier (see the Hotel New York article) had the Rotterdam make its maiden trip to New York in 1959 as part of a transatlantic Europe – America service.

Till 2000 the ss Rotterdam traversed world wide seas first as a passenger liner and later as a cruise ship. When the ship had been decommissioned and was withering away, a conservation society was founded to enable the Rotterdam to return home as a hotel and conference center, a tourist attraction and a variety of dining and eating, drinking and lounging spots. After a lengthy and costly renovation with a focus on restoring its former grandeur and style of the sixties, it is now permanently moored in Katendrecht across from the Euromast (see the Euromast article).

It is a great destination for getting a feel of an ocean liner from the old days, now fixed up with up to day amenities. Guided tours can be booked or audioguide self exploration trips to acquire a look and feel of the decks, engine room and steering bridge and so on. A small museum records the ship’s history in more detail, an experience center will be opened shortly, a boutique shop with memorabilia and a theater all help to revive the nostalgia.

The Lido restaurant offers food and drink almost all day long from 06.30 till 22.00, just like the days when the ship was at large (I know from experience: I worked as a pantry boy on the Rotterdam in 1964 and again as the ship’s doctor in 1974). The adjacent Club Room offers fine dining from 18.00 – 22.00.

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ss Rotterdam | Art & culture, Bars, Shopping, Restaurants (Intern.)
Katendrecht | Zuid | +31107410900
Apr – Oct 09:00 -19:30 daily | Nov – Mar 09:00 – 16:00 daily

One of my favorite bars in Rotterdam is definitely ‘Stalles’.

The location and its terrace is ideal for some good people watching. The different type of visitors to this place is also the reason I like it so much, a nice mixture of all kind of people. One thing they all have in common is that they’re relaxed.

Next to Stalles is ‘Parket’, which is the same kind of place. In fact only one wall separates the two places form being one. They share owner, staff and bathrooms.
Where Furore is more a restaurant, ‘Stalles’ and ‘Parket’ are known as pubs, when the menu here is very good and gets regular up-dates. Monday and Tuesdays are pizza night. From 15:00 pizza’s cost between € 4.50 and € 6.00. For me the salads are the best.

If you stay long enough during the weekend you can walk straight onto Club Vibes (check the Club Vibes article), yaay!

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Stalles | Bars, Restaurants (European) | Salad € 9.50
Nieuwe Binnenweg 11a | Center | +31104361655
Mon – Thu 16:00 – 01:00, Fri 16:00 – 02:00, Sat 14:00 – 02:00, Sun 14:00 – 01:00

This hidden treat is located somewhat far from the city centre, but worth every cent. Jump on the tram 21 or 23 that run through the city centre -hop on at Blaak, Erasmusbrug, Coolsingel, Weena or Central Station- and hop off just over the bridge in Spangen. Here you will find the best biological food of Rotterdam.

Before going into the tasty treats at Van de Boer, I should point out how nice it is to see such a great place emerge in a formerly unpopular neighbourhood like Spangen. Some years ago, Spangen was known to be one of the most poorest and dangerous places in the Netherlands. However, increased efforts of the local government to restore buildings and attract young new families are paying off -and for me, Van de Boer is a nice example of the improvement this location is going through.

So, back to Van de Boer. This restaurant and shop is an excellent choice for every meal of the day. All the dishes are made with the freshest and eco-friendly ingredients available, all coming from the farmers in the direct area of Rotterdam. On the menu you can find the origin of a lot of ingredients. And, let’s say, you had lunch and tasted this delicious cheese or mustard, you can go the shop next to the restaurant.

If you come at a quiet moment, ask the waiters about the projects they are doing to promote the use of fresh farmer produce by city-folk. The people running van de Boer, Rianne Andeweg en Nicole Hove, are really friendly and passionate about their dream. Going to Van de Boer is more than eating out, it is a whole experience in itself.

(For the tech-minded, there is free internet available at Van de Boer.)

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Van de Boer | Coffee & tea, Restaurants (Ecological) | Lunch € 10.00
Mathenesserweg 2-4 | West
Tue – Thu 11:30 – 22:00, Fri – Sat 10:00 – 22:00

Rotterdam has a vibrant Suriname community and they brought some excellent food to the streets of Rotterdam. Famous are the Surinaamse Broodjes (Eng: Surinam Sandwiches). These sandwiches are available practically everywhere. These sandwiches are stuffed with all kinds of meat, fish or shrimps. Try out Pom which is made from sweet potato and chicken, Bakkeljauw made from fish or Kouseband garnalen which is shrimps with yardlong beans.

The best place to go for Surinaamse broodjes or any Surinam dish is Warung Mini. This authentic little place serves the best dishes in town for very little money. Try Nasi Moksi Meti -fried rice with all kinds of meat or tjaumin with any kind of topping. For a drink, try some of the more popular drinks like Dawet (the pink stuff) or Old Jamaican ginger beer (the real deal, so no root beer!)

And if you didn’t manage to have lunch or dinner here, you can always come back at night as they are open until 6:00 in the morning in weekends.

Although it looks like a restaurant, you have to order your food at the counter in the back. Just walk to the far end of the place and mind the queue. You pay in advance, but will bring your food to the table. Expect an honest meal, no delicate cuisine.

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Warung Mini | Restaurants (Surinam) | Dinner & drink € 10.00
Witte de Withstraat 47 | Center | +31104047456
Mon – Thu 12:00 – 00:00, Fri 12:00 – 06:00, Sat 16:00 – 06:00, Sun 16:00 – 00:00

This complex of restored 19th century warehouses now packs some of the best art-galleries, bars and restaurants of Rotterdam.

For Dutch speaking people, go to De Belastingdienst (Eng: Tax-service); every dish or element in the restaurant has been named after some tax-related phenomena. Starters are called ‘Voorheffingen’, mains are ‘hoofdheffingen’ and desert is called a ‘naheffing’. I once went here and had a great laugh over the funny references. However, it is a tad expensive and reservations beforehand are recommended.

For art-lovers I would recommend the gallery Smelik & Stokking. Although their selection of works does not fully comply with my personal taste, they are renowned for the art on display.

For those that have somewhat less to spend, like me, and still want to have dinner at this nice place, head for the Italian restaurant, Abacanto, at the back on the top floor. Here you can have an affordable pizza and dance afterwards.

Design lovers head for Van Oostrom Concept Store. They are a reseller for many famous design labels. Especially look out for the Moooi design founded by Marcel Wanders. This label features the work of Ross Lovegrove, Front and Trent Jansen.

And besides the aforementioned places, there are plenty of other nice places, shops and bars to hang around on either of the two floors. Wherever you go, expect high-end bars and restaurants. For a nice virtual tour on beforehand, go the website of Smelik & Stokking.

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Westelijk Handels Terrein | Art & culture, Bars, Coffee & tea, Shopping, Restaurants (intern.)
Van Vollenhovenstraat 15 | Center
Daily

The picture shows the unorthodox non conventional style of Wine or Water: the chef at ease peeling potatoes, the old rowing boat on the left functions as the herb garden, the terrace hidden behind and embraced by the surrounding containers, a ship moored along the quay.

Originally planned as a temporary restaurant, this wonderfully creative place still is where it was and hopefully it will remain. The architect put this unique restaurant together by gathering up several sea containers, connected them, put them on top of each other, and voilà. A quiet place, on the edge of the waterway leading to the North Sea , with a staggering view, especially at night from the large terrace.

Good cooking (fusion, Italian, French), reasonably priced, with a nice wine list or the option to let the wines by the glass suit your choices. This is the place to be on a warm summer night overlooking the river or on the inside for a cosy tete-a-tete.

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Wijn of Water | Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Fusion) | Dinner € 25.00
Loods Celebes 101 | Delfshaven | +31104778454
Terrace (open if at least 18 degrees C ) Wed – Sun from 12:00, dinner Wed – Sun from 17:30