Nine Bar is a specialty coffee and food restaurant in Centrum, Rotterdam.
A small specialty coffee bar and light lunch spot near the Markthal with rotating single-origin beans and a short savoury menu. The pour-over programme changes.
Must order: Filter coffee and the sourdough tartine.
Tip: The pour-over takes five minutes to prepare; this is not an espresso-and-go bar, and that is the point.
Address: Botersloot 44a, 3011 HH Rotterdam
A Mexican cantina near Mariniersweg serving handmade tortillas, proper mole, and agua fresca. One of the more authentic Mexican restaurants in the Netherlands.
Order: Tacos and a mezcal-based cocktail.
Tip: The happy-hour snack menu from 17:00 to 19:00 offers the best value in the room.
A Rotterdam Surinamese institution since 1982 on Pannekoekstraat, serving pom casserole, roti wraps, saoto soup, and bakabana at prices unchanged for decades.
Order: Roti met kip (chicken roti) and the daily pom if it is still available before noon.
Tip: Arrive before peak hours: the room fills up fast and queues form early on weekends.
The Rotterdam outpost of Amsterdam's legendary steak house, serving straightforward dry-aged Dutch beef with no frills in a busy dining room next to the Markthal on Binnenrotte.
Order: House steak, cooked medium-rare at the table.
Tip: Book the terrace for lunch on a sunny day; the Markthal is visible from your seat.
A Mexican cantina near Mariniersweg serving handmade tortillas, proper mole, and agua fresca. One of the more authentic Mexican restaurants in the Netherlands.
Order: Tacos and a mezcal-based cocktail.
Tip: The happy-hour snack menu from 17:00 to 19:00 offers the best value in the room.
A Rotterdam Surinamese institution since 1982 on Pannekoekstraat, serving pom casserole, roti wraps, saoto soup, and bakabana at prices unchanged for decades.
Order: Roti met kip (chicken roti) and the daily pom if it is still available before noon.
Tip: Arrive before peak hours: the room fills up fast and queues form early on weekends.
Three floors of Moroccan, Persian, and Levantine cooking in Hotel Bazar on Witte de With. The souk-panelled interior and long terrace make it the street's most.
Order: Mezze platter and the lamb tagine.
Tip: Book ahead for the terrace in summer; the interior is loud but lively on Friday evenings.
The Rotterdam outpost of Amsterdam's legendary steak house, serving straightforward dry-aged Dutch beef with no frills in a busy dining room next to the Markthal on Binnenrotte.
Order: House steak, cooked medium-rare at the table.
Tip: Book the terrace for lunch on a sunny day; the Markthal is visible from your seat.
A legendary Rotterdam harbourside restaurant in Kralingen Park since 1929, known for its terrace on the Kralingse Plas lake and classic Dutch dishes like uitsmijter.
Order: Bitterballen and the traditional Dutch meatballs.
Tip: Ask for the daily stamppot when it is on; it sells out by early evening.
A long-running Indonesian rijsttafel address in Hillegersberg, open since 1995, with a garden terrace and a kitchen that balances classic Javanese stews and sambals with lighter contemporary dishes. The reference rice table dinner in the north of the city.
Order: The full Javanese rijsttafel with extra sate ajam.
Tip: Book a terrace table on a summer evening and pre-order the rijsttafel so the dishes land in the right order.
