Discover everything the Rotterdam food scene has to offer, from cheap coffee shops to trendy vegetarian restaurants. These are our favourite places to eat in Rotterdam.
Nicknamed ‘Gateway to the World’ thanks to its extensive public transport system, Rotterdam has internationally-inspired eateries sprawled all across town. With plenty of new Rotterdam restaurants and bars opening their doors every day, there has never been a better time to eat out.
In this article, you’ll find well-established institutions and new kids on the block alike. This is the ultimate foodie guide to Rotterdam.
If you’re wondering about my favourite places to eat and drink in Rotterdam, check out the embedded map below (or click the link if the map isn’t showing)
Why don’t you start your journey to Rotterdam by watching my travel video?
Skip ahead with the following links:
Bertmans is a breakfast restaurant in Rotterdam where you can go for a reliable meal at the start of your adventure-filled day.
Bertmans serves both sweet and savoury dishes, with plenty of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options for you to choose from.
My personal recommendation: French toast with an iced latte.
Baker & Moore was founded by Paul & Eline, who had always dreamed about starting something and decided to pursue their dream after a round-the-world trip.
At Baker & Moore, you’re in charge. You can assemble a sandwich, salad or yoghurt bowl the way you want to, using their #CreateItYourself formula.
You can come here for all-day breakfast, lunch, or just a drink.
What’s in a name, right? At Bagels & Beans, you can find great bagels, salads, coffee and other drinks at reasonable prices.
Don’t let the fact that this is a chain scare you away. After all, there must be a reason for the company’s success, right?
In the case of B&B, the success is in its simplicity and its accessibility: you can practically find a franchise around every corner in major Dutch cities.
Harvest Coffee Brewers is a place where good food, good coffee and good service come together.
Both founders worked in the Melbourne hospitality industry, where your ability to prepare a great cup of coffee can make or break your reputation. In other words, they know what they’re doing.
At Harvest, they share their Melbourne experiences with the people of Rotterdam, so you may as well enjoy it.
One of my favourite places to get coffee in Rotterdam was Coffeecompany.
If you’re looking for a Starbucks-like coffee chain that’s not Starbucks, Coffeecompany is the place to go for you.
Visiting this place was a part of our morning routine of getting coffee, orange juice and pastries and eating them in our hotel room, and I would highly recommend it.
People with eagle eyes will notice that this is the second time I’m mentioning Baker & Moore.
But I’m the one writing this Rotterdam food guide, so if you have a problem with that, you’re going to have to find a way to deal with it. 🤷
I’m just mentioning them again because they also turn out to have splendid coffee, iced tea and other brunchy drinks.
In its essence, Lilith is a rebellious vegetarian breakfast & coffee place in Rotterdam with a large array of plant-based and gluten-free options.
If you’re looking for great coffee, friendly service and kick-ass American pancakes in an Instagram-friendly interior, you’re not going to find a better spot than Lilith.
Lilith was recommended to me by a friend who’s actually from Rotterdam! If even the locals approve, you’re doing a good job as a restaurant.
Mecca is originally a restaurant that serves some of the best Arabic, Lebanese and Mediterranean food in Rotterdam, consistently recommended by many magazines and bloggers.
But a little-known fact is that the coffee at Mecca is also splendid.
So if you’re in the neighbourhood and you want to unwind, drink some coffee and enjoy the serenity of the surroundings, be sure to pop inside or take a seat on the gorgeous outside terrace.
Markthal isn’t technically a restaurant, but you’ll understand why I put it on this list once you go there.
The best way to describe Markthal I can think of is this: it’s an indoor food court inside a huge dome.
Popular stalls and shops inside Markthal feature authentic food and drinks from all kinds of culture and will give you Dutch stroopwafels, Japanese ramen noodles and Spanish tapas, among many other delicious meals.
Destino is a contemporary Spanish tapas restaurant with a menu that changes every 8 weeks.
If you’re looking for the best classic Spanish dishes with a twist or surprising new Spanish-inspired combinations, look no further than this trendy restaurant, which is located in the up-and-coming neighbourhood Oude Noorden (Old North).
Added bonus: you can find Spanish recipes and an extensive list of tips for restaurants in Spain on Destino’s website.
Op Het Dak is more than a restaurant — it’s an experience.
At a ten minute walk from the central station, you’ll find the first rooftop farm and urban garden of Holland. Attached to this is a place where you can have breakfast and lunch, with a focus on clean, simple and local food.
The menu is mostly vegetarian, but there is also a daily catch of fish that the chef transforms into a lovely meal. My personal recommendation is the courgette shakshuka.
Little V is a franchise of restaurants serving traditional Vietnamese food in the Netherlands, located in Rotterdam and The Hague.
The first Little V restaurant was launched in The Hague in 2006, as a way to introduce Dutch people to South Vietnamese food. Fourteen years later, this restaurant is still going strong, and the chain is doing better than ever.
One of the reasons why Little V works so well is because of its focus on shared eating: you order a few dishes, place them in the middle of your table and share them with friends and family.
Without a doubt, dining at Zino Urban Bistro was my most interesting experience in Rotterdam. The only thing you can order at Zino is a surprise menu of 3, 4 or 5 courses.
The contents of the menu change every week, but it’s always based on French cuisine. Of course, if you have dietary restrictions, just tell the waiter and you’ll get an adapted menu.
The food here was magnificent. Surprising combinations, innovative techniques and wonderfully attentive staff made sure that Zino became one of my favourite restaurants in Rotterdam.
While most restaurants in Rotterdam have at least a few vegetarian-friendly options, there are some restaurants that go the extra mile and are dedicated to the veggie lifestyle. Here are my favourites vegetarian restaurants in Rotterdam.
The main reason why Rozey is one of my favourite places to eat in Rotterdam is because you barely even notice that you’re not eating meat.
The concept is simple: you pay a set price and you get to order delicious vegetarian food to your heart’s content. (And yes, drinks are also included in the price.)
Be sure to try out the feta rolls and the fried sweet pepper.
At Sugo Pizza, the star of the show is their famous pizza al taglio – pizza baked in large rectangular trays, and sold by the square.
Granted, not all pizzas at Sugo Pizza are vegetarian, but they have plenty of veggie-friendly options.
Okay, so get this. Contrary to popular belief, junk food doesn’t have to be meaty. Whoa. I know. And, hold on to your hats, Vegan Junk Food Bar proves that vegan food can be delicious.
Not only that, but the food is also incredibly Insta-worthy (as their 80K+ Instagram followers will testament).
Cruelty-free plant-based burgers? Loaded kapsalon fries? Flashy cocktails? Find all of this – and more – at Vegan Junk Food Bar.
Aloha markets itself as a ‘low waste foodbar’, but it’s actually much more than that. It used to be a subtropical swimming pool, until it was converted into the trendy restaurant it is today.
Aloha is on a mission to serve slow food with unique combinations of surprising ingredients and to reduce food waste. And while that’s a great mission to stand behind, there’s one thing about Aloha I love more.
The rooftop terrace. The atmosphere here is unlike anything I’ve experienced before and the view of Rotterdam’s harbour is to die for. But I guess you’ll have to see it yourself to believe me.
As a Belgian travel blogger, I can’t help but feel drawn to a place called ‘Belgian Beer Café Boudewijn’. I just can’t help it.
This bar combines the brilliance of Belgian beers with the hospitality that Rotterdammers are known and loved for.
At Boudewijn, you’ll find 24 splendid Belgian beers on tap and over 200 bottled beers. Or, as we call it in Belgium, just enough to have a bloody good time.
Related: 20 Cities In Belgium Worth Exploring
One of the best places to get a drink in Rotterdam is called Bokaal. A trendy city café in the newest cool neighbourhood in Rotterdam, Bokaal has something for everyone.
Whether you’re a beer connoisseur, a freelancer looking for a place to work for a few hours or just someone who wants to get tipsy with friends, Bokaal is the place to be.
Thoms is one of those places in the city where you can spend an entire day without getting bored.
It’s a coffee bar, restaurant, café, terrace and nightclub all rolled into one fabulous establishment in the heart of Rotterdam.
At night, the underground bar magically transforms into a nightclub where you can move to the beats until the early hours.
By now, surely, you’ve realised that there’s something for everyone in this city. They don’t call it the New York of the Netherlands for no good reason, right?
So, now that you know where to eat and drink in Rotterdam, there’s nothing left for me to do than wish you the very best on your trip.
Do let me know if I missed anything or if you went to one of these places and loved it just as much as I did.
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