Rotterdam Restaurant Tips by ATLC

Restaurant Name: Struisenburg

Typical 'brown cafe' restaurant/pub in the eastern part of town. Frequented by 'suits and students'. We were with a party of 14 and had a lovely evening.

Favorite Dish: Bits of grilled beef with nice vegetables, fries and a sauce of your choice (peppersauce, blue cheese sauce, thai curry sauce, etc.). For € 14,95.
Desserts look nice too. I had a chocolate mousse for € 4,95.
Looking around the table I saw that actually all was to satisfaction: from sole to vegetarian wrap, lamb chops and sate.

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Theme: Local
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$31-40  » Currency Converter
Phone: 010 2141136
Address: Oostzeedijk 344, Rotterdam
Directions: Take a metro to Oostplein, walk 2 minutes, Struisenburg is on your right.
Website: http://www.struisenburg.nl/
Other Contact: info@struisenburg.nl

Restaurant Name: Shabu shabu

Eat all you can for € 16 at lunch or € 19,50 at dinner. But beware: you have to pay for what you have ordered but did not eat.
You order a max. of 8 different dishes per person in one go, but you can go on doing that until you have had enough.
At lunch I made it to 10 dishes.

Favorite Dish: The sushi were nice and so was the seaweed salad. I was less charmed by the tempura. Too greasy and the vegetable sushi was unexpectedly heavy. Ask for the pickled ginger because it isn't served automatically.

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Theme: Japanese/Sushi
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: US$21-30  » Currency Converter
Phone: 010 4116533
Address: Westblaak 82, 3012 KM Rotterdam
Website: www.shabushabu.nl

Restaurant Name: Grand Palace, Dim Sum...

Grand Palace, Dim Sum Restaurant
There are several real Chinese restaurants closeby in the center of Rotterdam. About half or more diners at any time are Chinese people. It's cheap, you can make it last as long as you want, and it's original Chinese food.

Favorite Dish: Just name a price and ask them to prepare something! Drink Chinese tea with your meal, a large pot is only about 1.5 € !

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Theme: Chinese/Dim Sum
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: +31(0)10 4145838
Address: Schouwburgplein 54, 3012 CL Rotterdam.

Restaurant Name: Warung Mini

In my opinion the best Surinamese eating-place in Rotterdam. The Surinamese kitchen has Hindustani, Indonesian and Creole influences. All dishes (roti, nasi goreng etc.) are good. But the sauto is the best!

Favorite Dish: Sauto soup, a huge bowl filled to the brim with chicken broth, bean sprouts, chicken meat, a boiled egg and other tasty stuff, with a bowl of rice and hot sauces (sambal) on the side. Very cheap and very satisfying.

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Theme: Other
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Witte de Withstraat, Rotterdam

Restaurant Name: La Borsa

A very plain-looking restaurant just in front of ABN-AMRO bank, but it's run by real Italians and as said: the tomato soup is heavenly!

Favorite Dish: Crema di Pomodori (tomato soup)... smooth, velvety, garlicky... big bowl with a basket of fresh bread and garlic butter. A cheap and perfect lunch which I have eaten regularly between work hours over the last 6 years.

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Theme: Italian

Phone: 010-2132956
Address: Coolsingel 117, 3012 AG Rotterdam-Centrum

Restaurant Name: See you See me

A modern, spacious restaurant. Opened in 2006.
Kitchen is a mix of Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Indonesian, Vietnamese...
Opened daily from 12-23 hours (Monday closed).

Favorite Dish: Excellent Thai soup and an array of Asian 'tapas' makes this a very good lunch for under € 18 per person (including a pot of tea and a coffee).

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Theme: Pan-Asian and Pacific Rim
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$21-30  » Currency Converter
Phone: 010 2809331
Address: Hartmansstraat 31, 3012 VA Rotterdam
Directions: perfect location next to parking garage, between Witte de Withstraat and Westblaak. Very central.
Website: www.restaurant.seeyouseeme.nl

Restaurant Name: Schipper

Best fries in town can be had at the stall on Schouwburgplein.
Photo courtesy of VT member stefank60 who I hosted on his visit to Rotterdam in June 2007.
I long wanted to make a tip for this but now that he made a photo of me, enjoying my fries, I've his permission to use the photo :-)

Favorite Dish: A bag of fries with mayonaise, or maybe a croquet. Well, it's fast food but definitely good fast food. Enjoy it on a bench on the square and do some people watching while you eat :-)

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Theme: Local
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: +31 651785023
Address: Schouwburgplein
Directions: On the corner of the square called Schouwburgplein in the city center. If you're with your back to cinema Pathe, the on the lefthand corner across the square.
Website: www.schipperpatat.nl
Other Contact: contact@schipperpatat.nl

Restaurant Name: Brasserie Staal

A brasserie inside the World Trade Center in Rotterdam. Modern, stylish atmosphere, packed with business people. It has a downstairs/outside terrace. Good meeting place.

Favorite Dish: Great tomato soup. Fresh, with basil and cream. Huge slices of bread. Dark, wholemeal. In my case with filet americain. Although the spread was not meagre, the bread was still almost too thick. But tasty.

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Theme: Local
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 010 4443494
Address: Beursplein 33, 3011 AA Rotterdam
Directions: Center of town, the WTC is the tall green tower. Metro and trams: stop Beurs
Website: www.staalrotterdam.nl

Restaurant Name: ZIN Spijzen

ZIN is a colourful restaurant where you can meet up for drinks, lounging, lunches and dinners. You can also do a tapas-formula.
We had a 3-course tapas meal for € 26,50 per person. I was a bit disappointed with the variety and flavours. Little cooking went into it. However, the Dutch restaurant IENS (www.iens.nl) does mention plenty of guest reviews that are 'good' or 'excellent'. So I suppose the quality differs a bit.
The service was excellent, very kind en prompt. Every table has a bamboo stick with a red painted end. If you put the red end up, on your table, staff will come and ask what you need. Effective!

The restaurant is easily located near theatre, concert hall, cinema and shops.

Favorite Dish: The four of us started on a large dish with various little bowls containing tuna salad, egg salad, chorizo sausage, feta cheese salad, small spring rolls, and very very good serrano ham. With bread, aoili and tapenade.
The main course was a similar large dish with little bowls: meat balls in tomatosauce, mushrooms in garlic, mushrooms in truffle sauce, chicken sate sticks, japanese sate, fried mini chorizos and a large salad and excellent fries.
For dessert a large plate for four containing a few miniature desserts like strawberry icecream, chocolate brownie, vanilla cream with passionfruit gelee, white chocolate mousse.

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Theme: Eclectic/International
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$21-30  » Currency Converter
Phone: 010-281 09 10
Address: Lijnbaan 40-42, 3012 EP Rotterdam
Website: www.zinrotterdam.nl

Restaurant Name: De Pappgay

Brasserie, restaurant De Pappegay situated in the historical Schielandhuis


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Theme: Other

Phone: +31(0)10 4117232
Address: Korte Hoogstraat 31, 3011 GK Rotterdam
Website: http://www.depappegay.nl/