Rotterdam Shopping Tips by ATLC Top 5 Page for this destination

Kruiskade area: Fresh hot Surinamese black pudding and tripe Speciality food shops Review

It's not a shop but a stand, only on Saturdays on the West-Kruiskade. The stand sells fresh Surinamese black pudding, hot sausage, and tripes (gut). All hot and sold as a snack with 'sambal', a very VERY spicy chili paste.

This stand seems very popular but they are only on the street on Saturday. The sign stated black pudding and meat sausage (in Dutch) and two Surinamese words Fladder (intestines or stomach) and Beré (pig gut). I asked to taste the gut (photo 2), which has a soft, fatty consistency and tasted nice coming out of the stock with a faint tripe flavour.

The fladder I did not taste, it is a darker 'meat' attached to the gut.

What to buy: I must say the black pudding was delicious. I have eaten it often in UK and France and of course in my own country. This Surinamese version has different spices.

What to pay: I paid € 3,50 for a small portion of black pudding.

Address: Westkruiskade

Other Contact: --

Phone: --

Theme: Food and Drink

Butcher Thijs van de Kieboom: Organic butcher Speciality food shops Review

This butcher has the best of organic meat from many countries, including of course The Netherlands.
I visit once a month to stock up on pork fillet, lovely lamb, or more 'ordinary' stuff like sausages, mince meat and chops.
It really tastes way better than other meat.

What to pay: Considerably more than for regular produced meat.

Address: Lusthofstraat 60b 3061 WG Rotterdam

Directions: Metro stop Voorschoterlaan, walk to Lusthofstraat (5 mins), about halfway.

Other Contact: info@scharrelslager-kieboom.nl

Phone: 010 4122357

Theme: Food and Drink

Website: http://www.scharrelslager-kieboom.nl

Little Italy: Italian specialities Speciality food shops Review

This is a little, off-the-main-road supermarket with only Italian products. Not too fancy, which I like. People there are really helpful. I asked for wine advice and then was pointed towards someon else to help me choose cheeses and pasta. They're not about to pull your leg, as they pointed me to a special offer of pasta rather than buying something more expensive.
I asked for specific products from Florence, which I got too. The woman proudly said she came from that region and that I wasn't to buy 'that' biscuit, but rather another! She pointed towards a label with a nice city view on it and proudly said: that's my town!

Fresh pizza's are also sold there and I've seen from other reviews that they are good value for money.

My Italian dinner for 9 went very well and was well pleased with the quality of the products.

What to buy: There's a big chees and sausage/ham counter. Also wine, fresh and dried pasta's, delicacies (olives, grilled vegetables and such). Many other Italian supermarket items.

What to pay: A bit more than in a general supermarket. I paid 81 euro for 7 bottles of wine, loads of pasta, various biscuits and sweets, Italian bread, tinned tomatoes, coffee, special cheeses, and a handful of other grocery items.

Address: Lombardkade 51-A, 3011 ZD Rotterdam

Directions: Just off the Meent, across from the big weekmarket.
Tram: Meent (150 m) line 7 or 8

Phone: 010 4139609

Theme: Food and Drink

Galerie Ecce: Gifts and art Art galleries Review

A nice spacious shop in the lively, renovated Witte de Withstraat.

What to buy: Apart from designer furniture you can browse lots and lots of fun little design gifts.

What to pay: I bought two little gift items for € 12,45 total

Address: Witte de Withstraat 17A, 3012 BL Rotterdam

Other Contact: info@galerie-ecce.nl

Phone: 010-4139770

Theme: Home Furnishing

Website: http://www.galerie-ecce.nl

De witte tanden winkel: Everything for your teeth

The White Teeth Shop offers everything for your teeth. I didn't know there were sooo many more toothpastes than in a regular drugstore!

What to buy: Tooth powder to whiten your teeth, electric tooth brushes, tongue cleaners, you name it!

What to pay: Prices differ per product. I spent € 30,90 on 3 pots of tooth powder, a soft tooth brush and 2 brushes for my electric tooth brush.

Address: Nieuwe Binnenweg 62, 3015 BB Rotterdam

Directions: From the city center, westwards, on the left side, +/- 50 metres before the crossing with Mathenesserlaan. http://www.viamichelin.fr/viamichelin/gbr/dyn/controller/Cartes-plans?mapId=-towc8gl65vf9cp&initialMap=mapid&dx=259&dy=297&empriseW=694&empriseH=400

Phone: 010 4360860

Theme: Bath and Beauty

Website: http://www.wittetandenwinkel.nl

Anny's: Chinese bakery Speciality food shops Review

I always enjoy a visit to this Chinese bakery. Spacious, clean and with a big variety of savoury and sweet pastries.
Unfortunately I have never made a photo of all the delightful products from this shop. Remind me for next time!

What to buy: My favourite snack is the white bun Cha Sieuw. The white bread is quite sweet (but not sugary) and slightly sticky with a brown crust, filled with savoury/sweet pork. Very satisfying.
I also enjoy the pastries filled with red beans (very sweet) and the featherlight, quite artificially coloured 'angel cake' like cakes.

What to pay: You pay € 1 for each pastry, or € 10 for 12 (whatever you choose).

Address: Westkruiskade 42, Rotterdam

Theme: Food and Drink

R&R Collections: Sarees and Indian clothing

The West-Kruiskade continues onto the 1e Middelandstraat where you will find a number of Indian clothing shops. They are all extremely colourful and glittering with handsewn beads and decoration.

What to buy: Beautiful colourful sarees, evening gowns, childrens festive clothes, shoes, Indian jewelry, scarfs...

I bought 2 beautiful fabrics in the end-of-sale. A very large green scarf with lovely dark red knotted fringing, and a beautiful saree purple and green. Both were € 10 a piece. I think I will use the saree as a table cloth, as it is slightly damaged and not really fit to wear it as a saree. But beautiful nonetheless.

What to pay: A saree or evening dress is from about € 65 to € 250. You can also buy fabric and have it sewn into a ready made saree for € 30 extra.

Address: 1e Middellandstraat 30A, 3014 BE Rotterdam

Directions: 10 minute walk from Central Station.

Phone: 010 4365254

Theme: Women's Clothes

Lusthofstraat: A nice urban shopping street

The rather posh quarter Kralingen has a nice shopping street called Lusthofstraat. It's really important that small shops stay in existence. That not everything is taken over by chains and megastores.

What to buy: Good quality shops like a bakery, good butcher and also an organic butcher, deli/cheeseshop, Turkish shop, various fashion boutiques, bookstore, toys, etc. Everything you need really in just one small street.

My eye fell on a beautiful purple leather shoulderbag in one of the boutiques (Altanzza) and my fate was sealed when I entered. Waaay too expensive. I'm no good at brands, but by seeing the quality I knew I had to do with serious quality brands for shoes, bags and other accessories.

In the end I found a bargain in the end of wintersale pile.

What to pay: I fell for a pair of gloves at the end of wintersale.
The gloves were half-price (which was still a considerable amount, haha!).

Address: Lusthofstraat 31, Rotterdam

Directions: use www.viamichelin.com and put in the address

Phone: +31 104113300

Theme: Other

Kazaguruma: Japanese groceries Speciality food shops Review

A tiny shop filled with canned, boxed, cooled and frozen Japanese foods. I've been here different times. Not all of the people that work there speak Dutch well, so sometimes it's a bit of a struggle.

What to buy: Japanese pepper mix € 1,95
Dried seaweed salad € 3,50
Dried seaweed € 2,50
Green tea ice cream powder € 2,95

Address: Pannekoekstraat 99A, Rotterdam

Phone: 010 4330769

Theme: Food and Drink

Slagerij Munnikhuis: Best butcher in town is gone Speciality food shops Review

I'll keep this tip for historical reasons. Unfortunately the butcher does not exist anymore. So sad to see really good knowledgeable shops go!

This butcher has been here for over 90 years. Because of the many customers being working people, this butcher has many ready made and half prepared products which he all makes himself. You'll often smell wonderful cooking smells here: hearty soups, grilled hams, sausage rolls, stewed beef, vegs and mash, lasagna.....
One day I came in and he said: here, taste this... and he scooped some soup from the pan in a chipped flowered cup.
This butcher is 35 km. from my hometown but I often popped in after work or during lunch time to take home some goodies.

First written Oct. 4, 2002

What to buy: I love the mushroom soup (home made from the freezer), the butcher can always tell you about the meat, what you need to do and where it comes from.
I bought some beef stew the other day which was very good.
It's just enjoyable to meet an experienced, knowledgeable butcher who goes along with modern times without losing the old-fashioned sense of quality and craftmanship.

Address: Witte de With straat, Rotterdam

Theme: Food and Drink