Food on a budget and other Netherlands Restaurant Reviews

Restaurant Name: Food on a budget

For budget food which you can eat inside, your best chances are the so-called 'eetcafe' which is basically a pub that serves food. Also pizzeria's (a pizza would on average amount to 8-12 euro), and chinese restaurants.

Then there's the Surinamese take-aways. Check my Suriname page (South America) for an idea of the food. They offer chinese, indonesian, indian and creole food and they usually have a few tables where you can eat it as well. Good food for prices below 10 euro. You'll find them all over but not in the main poshier shopping streets.
Also an idea is buying food at a shoarma place and there are no problems with eating out on the street on a bench or in a park. So you can arrange yourself a picnic as well.
There are the so-called 'broodjes', which are fresh buns with all sorts of fillings that you can take away.

In general I would budget 12 euro for a sitdown lunch (including 1 drink and a coffee).

Favorite Dish: Eetcafe: sateh (usually chicken or pork on a stick) with a generous helping of fries, sateh sauce. 8-12 euro
For lunch an 'uitsmijter' which is 2 or 3 fried eggs with a choice of cheese and/or ham and/or beef on 2 or 3 slices of white or brown bread. 5-8 euro.

Chinese restaurant: either fried rice (nasi) or chinese noodles (bami) with babi panggang (crispy strips of pork in a red sauce) - 10-14 euro

Shoarma: a falafel (deep fried chickpea balls with all the trimmings of salads and sauces): about 5 euro

Surinamese: moksi meti (noodles or rice with an array of meats), roti (indian pancake with curry potato, a choice of curry-flavoured meat like chicken or lamb). And certainly the sauto soup (chicken broth with loads of nice stuff in it :-)

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Theme: Local
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Look around!

Restaurant Name: Dine with the Dutch

Who can describe it better than the initiator?

'Get to know Dutch culture in a unique way and join an Amsterdammer for dinner. Book an at-home dinner with one of our specially selected hosts. Listen to their stories about Dutch culture, find out more about Amsterdam and sample our kitchen!

Based on your individual preferences, Dine with the Dutch will match you with one of the special selected host families.
We will make the right match for a wonderful and unique evening in Amsterdam!!!!
For only ?49,98 you can enjoy our Amsterdam hospitality and a typical Dutch meal.
(Special prices for children and groups up to 15 people)

Do you want to have a special evening, for example with a taxidriver or an artistcouple?
For many tourists Dine with the Dutch is a wonderful and memorable experience, a unique way to find out more about Amsterdam!!!'

Favorite Dish: I haven't tried this but I hear good reports. I've a good mind to start offering this myself!

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Theme: Local
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$41 and up  » Currency Converter
Website: http://www.dinewiththedutch.nl/s
Other Contact: info@dinewiththedutch.nl

Restaurant Name: Maastricht: Toine Hermsen

Toine Hermsen is one of The Netherlands' finest chefs. Always in or near the top 5 lists anywhere.
Make sure to make reservations well in advance.
Closed Sunday and Monday.

Favorite Dish: Hermsen was one of the first chefs that changed the ą la carte menu to suprise menu's where you only choose the number of courses and an accompanying wine programme.

The restaurant is U-shaped and the kitchen is within the U. Now when I ate there, we had a first rate table at the bottom of the U, looking right into the kitchen. That was like watching a ballet performance. Amazing how this superb food could be made in such a small area. Our eyes were goggling. In fact, we were staring so much that we told each other we should have some table-conversation as it was quite embarrassing. LOL!
At some point we saw the chefs desperately searching for something. They lost a whole roasted large cut of veal. After a while they found it. And threw it away...

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Theme: French
Comparison: most expensive
Prices: US$41 and up  » Currency Converter
Phone: (043) 325 84 00
Address: Sint Bernardusstraat 2, Maastricht
Directions: City Center (just off Onze lieve Vrouwe plein). Note, it doesn't look like a restaurant, the door is closed as if you're visiting a friend. Just ring the bell.
Website: http://www.toinehermsen.com

Restaurant Name: Restaurant Het Veerhuis

In the province Limburg, along the river Maas, lies the tiny village Broekhuizen which can be reached by road but also by ferry from Arcen, across the Maas.

Veerhuis means "ferryhouse" and is situated right on the border of the Maas.

Favorite Dish: What did we enjoy ? The French white housewine, the asparagus Thai style and asparagus with monkfish, the ginger icecream dessert. the little surprises that came with the coffee, the asparagus flower arrangement on the table and the grand view of the river Maas with boats passing by all the time.
Click here to see my Broekhuizen page.

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Theme: Local
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$41 and up  » Currency Converter
Address: Veerweg 11, 5872 AE Broekhuizen
Directions: Where the tiny ferry lands.
Website: www.hetveerhuis.com

Restaurant Name: De Bourgondiėr

Not worldshaking gastronomical food but simple and good. Not badly presented either.
I did miss a few day specialities though.
Unfortunately (it was May 7) none of the Bergen op Zoom specialities were on the menu: fresh anchovies, asparagus and strawberries.
Maybe we were a teeny bit too early in the season?

Favorite Dish: Trio of fish (seabass, salmon, tuna) grilled with mustard sauce € 18,50
Salmon with Hollandaise sauce. € 15,50

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Theme: Local
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$21-30  » Currency Converter
Phone: +31 (0)164 25 40 00
Address: Grote Markt 3, Bergen-op-Zoom
Directions: It's the main square in the city center next to the town hall.
Website: www.grandcafehoteldebourgondier.nl

Restaurant Name: De Smaeck van Brielle

Small restaurant but in summer you can sit outside on the little square to enjoy lunch, dinner or just have a drink.
Take care to make reservations, it's very popular since it opened beginning of 2006. I've eaten there about 4 times now and was quite satisfied each time.

Favorite Dish: The service is very good and attentive. Save for some tiny mistakes (elegantly solved by the staff) you're at a good place to enjoy a culinary dinner in an informal surrounding. I like their curry/appel soup, and they do roast meat and fish very well. They plate up very prettily.

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Theme: Local
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$31-40  » Currency Converter
Phone: 0181 417076
Address: Wellerondom 7, 3231 XV Brielle
Directions: Walk towards the big church (St. Catharijne) and you come across a little old square. It's behind the old well.
Website: http://www.desmaeckvanbrielle.nl/

Restaurant Name: Culinary Rotterdam

There are about 18 restaurant tips on my Rotterdam page in any category you would wish for. From local to exotic and in every price range you can wish for.
VT member Kozzmozz is a local of Rotterdam and his page includes even more restaurants.


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Theme: Local

Website: www.virtualtourist.com/m/2bf0c/6fc73

Restaurant Name: IJmuiden (province Noord-Holland) Imko's

Specialised seafood restaurant in the not so attractive but lively harbour area.

Favorite Dish: Although it's been a while since I was there, I remember the great oysters I had here. The largest I've ever eaten, prepared Asian style with soy sauce and chillies.

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Theme: Seafood
Comparison: most expensive
Prices: US$41 and up  » Currency Converter
Address: Halkade 9C, 1976 DC IJmuiden
Directions: About 30 minutes from Amsterdam on the west coast of The Netherlands.
Website: http://www.imkos.nl

Restaurant Name: Hotel New York, Rotterdam

Art deco architecture, this was the building of the Holland-America Line where the managing directors held office. Built right in the middle of Rotterdam in the old harbour.

To be honest, foodwise this is not my favourite restaurant. But don't miss HNY if you visit Rotterdam! Even for a pot of tea and a giant eclair (moorkop). Great place for people watching.

Favorite Dish: Fish soup and fresh seafood.
Any other dish was never really up to expectation. Yet I take all my foreign guests here for the spectacular location. A beer is always good :-)

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Theme: Other
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$31-40  » Currency Converter
Phone: +31-10-439 05 25
Address: Koninginnenhoofd 1, 3072 AD Rotterdam
Directions: Via the Erasmus bridge to the south bank of the river Maas, turn right immediately and drive or walk to the end of the Wilhelminapier. Or take a watertaxi from Veerhaven.
Website: http://www.hotelnewyork.nl/2007/en/

Restaurant Name: Every restaurant or dining at home

If you have coeliac you need to be sure that the food served is glutenfree. So here's a folder which you can print out and give to the staff in restaurants or to your host if you are dining at someone's home.
It explains to the reader what coeliac (coeliaki) is, and what happens if the person eats the wrong food. It includes tips for dishes to eat. And a list of foods that are allowed and foods that are forbidden.

Coeliac folder in Dutch

Favorite Dish: If you are in The Netherlands, glutenfree is 'glutenvrij' in Dutch. In supermarkets you may find these products in the special foods or diet section.

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Theme: Local

Phone: +31 30 2471040
Address: http://www.glutenvrij.nl/bieb/dieetinfoflyer.pdf
Directions: Just click on the link
Website: www.glutenvrij.nl