If you have read the About section of my site you’ll know that a love for food is not something that came naturally to me. I went from just eating fries on holidays to wanting to try different kinds of foods in every place I visit. I’m not going to lie, writing about food excites me just as much as writing about travels. I’ve been living in the Netherlands for a few months now, and I’ve been out to dinner a couple of times so I feel it’s time to write my first compilation of places to wine and dine in Rotterdam. More cities will follow throughout the year and I assume more restaurants in Rotterdam as well.

nhow Rotterdam

The first place I tried out after I got back to The Netherlands is straight away one of my favourites in the city, namely nhow Rotterdam.

It’s a bar in a hotel with a view to kill. My friend and I were lucky enough to secure a table at the edge so we had an unblocked view of the Erasmus bridge and the approaching sunset over the skyline which is often compared to the one in Manhattan.

If you want to secure a seat – especially if you want to sit outside – you should arrive as early as possible. Try to beat after work rush hour because the place fills up pretty fast; but the view is worth the effort.

In terms of food we kept it small. We ordered two savory platters with eight bites each. Basically we had everything on the bar menu apart from the sashimi and oyster. We loved everything: the mini burger, the shrimp croquette, the yakatori chicken skewer, the chorizo croquette, the crispy prawn and the goatcheese lolly.

Picknick

When my friend and I visited the Markhal we decided not to have lunch there. Instead she found out about Picknick, a little quirky lunch room near the Markthal.

I tried the pulled pork in a 5-spice marinade with sweet & sour vegetables, peanuts and Japanese mayonnaise. Absolutely amazing! I liked how the quirky industrial design of the restaurant translated into the dishes; there’s certainly nothing boring about this place.

Opa

Opa is one of the many restaurants and bars that are lining Witte de Withstraat in Rotterdam, which in turn is one of the main hubs, if you’re looking for a good (pub)night out in the city.

I like the interior design of Opa. The drinks cabinet looks like you could find it in your grandparents house, although it probably wouldn’t be quite this big. And, since Opa means Grandfather in English, a collage of grandfather photos has been hung on the wall of the restaurant.

At dinner my friend and I made a small miscalculation. We ordered the starter platter for 2, and we also each ordered a main course. I’ve never had a starter that was really filling, so when someone tells me I don’t have to order a main alongside a starter I would never believe them. However, take it from someone who can eat a lot, the starter for 2 and a main is too much at Opa. I found out the hard way because there wasn’t much space left in my tummy to enjoy the chicken saté.

NY Basement

Hotel New York is a famous hotel in Rotterdam. I’m almost ashamed to admit I’ve never visited the hotel until the day I had dinner at the new restaurant, aptly named NY Basement.

My friend and I went all out at this restaurant. We ordered champagne to celebrate my new job and I ordered the fancy-pants lobster thermidor with cheese and spinach as a main. There are times when my wallet is leading the food decisions in restaurants, but sometimes my tummy takes over and I order something I like without looking at the price tag.

When I say we went all out I don’t mean we had an expensive main. We had lemon pie with caramel and hazelnuts we each had a glass of dessert wine from French.

Then we closed the loop with an espresso.

Of course, the amount on the bill was our least favourite thing in this restaurant but that was our own doing. You can easily have a good and not too expensive dinner here, or you could go crazy for once and order champagne with lobster. You only live once, right? 🙂