Diner with a view and other Netherlands Restaurant Reviews

Restaurant Name: Flevoland - Het Wapen van Ens

'Het Wapen van Ens' is situated in the Noordoostpolder and we had a diner after we finished an auto tour along the tulip fields in this Dutch polder. And it was just nice to have a table at the window with a view on the tulip fields on the other side of the road. (The other time of the year you will have a great view on the polder landscape.)

It is a typical local resaturant with good and fair food.

Favorite Dish: We did take the menu of the month.

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Theme: Local
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Address: Baan 1a, Ens, Noordoostpolder
Directions: along the highway N50 between Kampen en Emmeloord
Website: www.hetwapenvanens.nl

Restaurant Name: Gelderland - Empe (Klein Amsterdam)

This coffee and teahouse is located in the middle of the rural area between Apeldoorn, Zutphen and Brummen. This almost idyllic location makes it a wonderful place for a break during a bicycle or car trip in this beautiful landscape.

Of course you can get a good cup of coffee (coffee comes from the famous Dutch coffee roaster De Pelikaan) or tea, but the menu also has a number of lunch dishes. It is also possible to book a high tea.

If the weather cooperates a little bit, you are good in the garden or one of the other shady spots. During one of our visit we had a view of a stork’s nest in one of the nearby meadows.

De Hommel also has a small shop with local products.
Opening hours: March till October - 10.00 till 19.00 hours.

Favorite Dish: They serve a damned good coffee and apple cake in a quiet and peaceful setting.

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Theme: Coffeehouse
Comparison: about average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Hommelstraat 3, Empe
Directions: Just outside the settlement Klein Amsterdam - follow the 'Diederikweg' and 'Weg over het Hondsveld' for a couple of hundred metres - and you will see De Hommel.
Their website has a map.
Website: www.koffiehommel.nl

Restaurant Name: Gelderland - Hoog Soeren

In the middle of the tiny village of Hoog Soeren, located 5 km’s west of Apeldoorn surrounded by vast forests, is a small and cosy restaurant. According to its name it is serving a wide range of pancakes, on the menu are more than 120 different kinds of this typical Dutch food.

In case you don’t like pancakes (which I can not imagine) you can get a lot of other dishes, among them some specialities from the Veluwe.

Favorite Dish: 'Of course' our nDutch speciality: one of the pancakes.
Good value for your money

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Theme: Local
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Hoog Soeren 30, Hoog Soeren (Apeldoorn)
Directions: If travelling by car see for directions: www.viamichelin.com
Also accessible by bike from Apeldoorn; follow signs for 'Hoog Soeren'.
Website: www.restaurantbergendal.nl

Restaurant Name: Groningen - Smeerlings Theehuys

This ‘tearoom’ is located in Smeerling, a settlement existing of eight impressive Saxion farmhouses. Together they do have the status of a protected area. In a barn of one of the farmhouses (dating from 1842) has been made a huge glass construction for the tearoom.
But we preferred to sit outside on the terrace with views of the landscape of the ‘Ruiten A’, a small river which meanders through the area.

The Theehuys offers of course tea, but also coffee, other drinks and a (simple) lunch.
It is also starting point for two walks and a biketour around Smeerling.

Favorite Dish: The quietness and peacefulness of this place was just amazing.
And the coffee and cake were very good.

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Theme: Other
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Smeerling 15, Smeerling
Directions: Directions:
Smeerling is signposted along the road between Onstwedde and Vlagtwedde (province of Groningen). See www.viamichelin.com
Website: http://www.xs4all.nl/~natuurmo/smeerling_index.htm

Restaurant Name: Limburg - Vijlen

A gen Kirk calls itself ‘wandel en fiets café’ (bike and hike café) and indeed when staying in the B&B or sitting on the lovely terrace, we did see a lot of bikers and hikers. Having a break, drinking a coffee or beer or having a home made apple pie, lunch or snack.

But A gen Kirk also has also a diner menu, although the choice isn’t too extensive it has something for everybody from local to more general dishes. During our stay in the B&B the weather was so nice and we enjoyed the afternoon sun on the terrace. So we decided having diner at A gen Kirk.
And to be honest: it was marvellous !! We had four different dishes: salmon, vegetarian pasta, natural steak and ‘coq au vin’ and they all were tasteful and very well cooked by Daniël, one of the owners. As dessert we had (both times) an excellent crème brulée.

(More info/pics about Vijlen)

Favorite Dish: Good and honest food for very affordable prices.
We paid for our main course (2009) between € 10,- en € 13,50.

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Theme: Local
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 043-3061963
Address: Vijlenerberg 115 , Vijlen, Netherlands
Directions: Vijlen: just a couple of km's from the main road between Maastricht and Vaals (signposted) in the southern part of the province of Limburg.
Website: www.agenkirk.nl
Other Contact: info@agenkirk.nl

Restaurant Name: Noord-Brabant - Deurne

The café/restaurant is located in one of the oldest and prominent buildings of the town. It is supposed there was already an inn established around the year 1600. Nowadays it has changed its name into ‘Grand Café Beekman & Beekman’, named after a book of a rather famous Dutch writer, who lived in Deurne.

During our visit to Deurne we had a cappuccino on the terrace of this café, overlooking the tree lined market square. We were impressed by the atmosphere inside the building and decided to have diner as well.
And we were not disappointed: the food was tasteful, honest and simple (it is just a ‘pub serving meals’). We had a homemade tomato soup and a salmon filet. But the menu offers a lot off meat and fish dishes as well as typical local dishes.

Simply: good value for the money.

Favorite Dish: The location: if having a drink or diner on the terrace (with heating) you are sitting in the centre of Deurne overlooking the market square and the interior of the café is just amazingly attractive.

!! Be aware not having your dinner too late on Friday and Saturday evenings, because the café changes into a kind of disco with lights and loud music. Not really pleasant during a dinner !!

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Theme: Local
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 0493 - 35 44 18
Address: Markt 8, Deurne
Directions: In the center of Deurne.
Website: www.beekmanbeekman.nl

Restaurant Name: Noord-Brabant - Woudrichem

The old medieval fortified town of Woudrichem has just one remaining gate between the town and the river Merwede. This gate is called ‘Gevangenpoort’ (Prisoner’s gate) and till the end of the 19th century prisoners lived only with water and bread. You still can find the names of the prisoners carved into some wooden panels. There is a good view through the remaining prison windows on the houses of Woudrichem.

Nowadays the ‘Gevangenpoort’ houses an attractive restaurant; the main room has only eight tables. Although they showed us an extensive menu, we took the salmon. Just because of the history of the salmon fishery of Woudrichem (even if ‘ours’ were from Norway).

The food and wine were good, although rather expensive. Perhaps we were in a (too) big hurry to enjoy our diner.

Favorite Dish: The historical building/setting of this restaurant with a very attractive dining room; knowing it has been a prison many years ago.

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Theme: Eclectic/International
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$31-40  » Currency Converter
Address: Kerkstraat 3, Woudrichem
Website: http://www.degevangenpoort.nl

Restaurant Name: Zuid-Holland - Sassenheim

After our bike trip through the Bulb and Dune Region we had dinner in ‘Eetcafé De Voogd’ in Sassenheim; one of these ‘bulb villages’ in the area. An ‘eetcafé’ can be described as a kind of pub serving meals, nothing fancy, but simple, honest and affordable.

So are the meals: we had a fantastic fried salmon with a very tasteful sauce, French fries and a huge mixed salad. For dessert our choice was a ‘crème brulée’ of green apples and sugar and we finished our meal with a real Italian (Illy) cappuccino.

De Voogd also has a sidewalk café for a coffee/tea or lunch; as we had earlier that day during our bike trip.

Favorite Dish: Great food, friendly young staff and very affordable.

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Theme: Pub/Brewery
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: US$21-30  » Currency Converter
Address: Hoofdstraat 267b, Sassenheim
Directions: In the centre of Sasssenheim.
Website: www.eetcafedevoogd.nl