When I lived in Abu Dhabi a friend came to visit me. She brought with her the most delicious cheese accompanied by pear confiture I had every tasted. We skipped dinner and just snacked on the cheese all night instead. The brand name on the cheese and jam said “De Rotterdamsche Oude”, which is not a brand I was familiar with, so I asked her where she bought it.

Markthal

She was shocked I hadn’t heard of the Markthal in Rotterdam. It had opened at the end of 2014, and it’s the only indoor food market in the Netherlands. It probably goes without saying that the moment I set foot back in the Netherlands I wanted to check this place out for myself, so I called up my friend and we made our way to the market.

This place has everything it should contain. It’s filled to the brim with food and drink stalls, it has restaurants and bars, a supermarket, parking and all of this under one artful roof.

I didn’t even mention you can also buy or rent apartments in the building, which would mean you are always a few minutes away from fresh produce.

A Day at the Market

I wanted to play it low-key during my first visit. The food market contains so many stands that it could bring an excitable and indecisive person like me out of balance pretty easily. Instead, I followed my friend’s lead. She needed items for a party that evening, so I followed her along on her day of shopping (and I grabbed a few items for myself as well… obviously.)

Monsieur Saucisson

The first stop was at Monsieur Saucisson, which has an abundance of delicous looking sausages with interesting flavour. Examples of sausage flavours include kangaroo, pheasant cognac, hazelnut, goat’s cheese. I didn’t try anything here yet, but I’m keeping this place in mind for future parties.

Arjaa’s

There’s a first time for everything. Even though I’ve visited Italy a couple of times before (Rome, Milan, Verona), I had never tried cannoli – an Italian pastry dessert. My friend had just come back from a trip to Sicily from where this recipe originates, so she pointed me to the shop she liked at the Markthal and she bought me my first cannoli with vanilla flavour. It was so delicious that I’m sharing the picture of me taking a “picture-perfect” fake bite as well!

Bram Ladage

Bram Ladage is a household name in Rotterdam. In 1967, Bram opened his first French fries shop (chip shop for the British among you) on the market. He prided himself in making his French fries from scratch (from potato to fries) and serving them in paper cones. Nowadays, he has around thirty shops in and around Rotterdam.

If you make your way to Rotterdam, and you find a Bram Ladage, I would advise you to try a bag of his French Fries. Eat them with mayonnaise and saté sauce (peanut sauce) if you want to be like a real Dutchie 🙂

De Rotterdamsche Oude

Last and certainly the best was a stop at de Rotterdamsche Oude stall. If you’re looking for a purely local gift from Rotterdam; you’re at the right place. If you’re hosting a party; you’re at the right place. If you’re planning a movie night by yourself on the couch; you’re at the right place. You can never go wrong at De Rotterdamsche Oude. As I said at the start of this article, the cheese is delicious and they also sell things to go with the cheese such as port, wine, confiture, and small snacks.

This is a stall I would never skip on a visit to the Markthal.

Wine Bar

The last stop of the day was at a wine bar overlooking the Markthal to recover from all the food tasting and money spending.

Conclusion

Rotterdam has been named one of the best cities to visit in 2016 by Lonely Planet. A visit to the Markthal is a must when you’re in town! It’s located next to the metro station Rotterdam Blaak, but it’s also possible to reach the Markthal on foot from Rotterdam Centraal train station.