A GUIDE TO RESTAURANTS INHAARLEM |
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This is a highly personal guide to the restaurants of Haarlem. Be aware
that most of the comments have been submitted by two people who don't eat
read meat or chicken, which almost certainly influences the
perceptions of restaurants. In order to make this guide slightly more
reliable new or modified entries are now dated and have the initials of the
originator (so that alternative views of the same restaurant can be
accomodated).
For a more extensive list of restaurants visit the Haarlem Dinner Site
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| In 't Goede Uur | Cheese | Korte Houtstraat 1 | 023 - 5311174 |
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| Small, cosy, but slightly scruffy, restaurant with very short
menu: fondue, raclette, cheese boards. The owner has the habit of sitting
on your table while chatting away at high speed. Not at all the best fondues
but enjoyable.
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| Quatre Mains | Cheese | Grote Markt 4 | 023 - 5424258 |
| Stays open until 1:00 in the morning! Specialises
in Fondues but also has some fish and meat dishes. The restaurant is
small and attractive, but the food is merely adequate.
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| Pinang | Chinese | Houtplein 2 | 023 - 5315063 |
| Small simple restaurant, with friendly service. The food is basic chinese, dominated by stir-fries with (I suspect)
rather too much mono-sodium glutimate. It is quite good value for money though and I quite frequently ring up with a take-away
order and call in to pick it up 15 minutes later [ORW: May 2002].
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| Tai Ping | Chinese | Frederikspark 2 | 023 - 5315063 |
| Spacious and attractive restaurant. I have changed my opinion over it in recent years (or maybe
it has just got better) and now regard it as the best Chinese restauarnt in Haarlem. They charge accordingly, however.
They do an authentic Peking Duck menu, but it needs to be ordered 48 hours in advance [ORW: June 2002]
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| Babbels | Dutch | Lange Veerstraat 23 | 023 - 5423578 |
| Cheapish restaurant with an eet-cafe style atmosphere.
The food is reasonable, but not exciting.
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| De Bickerij | Dutch | Houtplein 32 | 023 - 5323478 |
| Very traditional Dutch food: huge portions of meat and fish accompanied
by 4 or 5 different vegetables. Of its type it very good, particularly during
the game season, but I find the portions a bit daunting.
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| Pecherie Haarlem aan Zee | Fish | Oude Groenmarkt 10 | 023 - 5314884 |
| Fish restaurant in an attractive location by the Grote Kerk.
Unfortunately all the fish on the suspiciously large menu tastes like it
come out of the freezer. Not recommended.
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| De Gekroonde Hamer | French | Breestraat 24 | 023 - 5312243 |
| Cosy, relatively up-market restaurant with
particularly imaginative first course salads. Downstairs the seating is next to the
open plan kitchen which I don't like, so I tend to sit upstairs if possible.
There is a roof terrace in the good weather.
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| Haarlemse Heeren | French | Houtplein 22 | 023 - 5313214 |
| Small restaurant which used to be very good, but is now let
down by rather slow service and inattentive front-of-house. We have had some reasonable
meals there recently, but don't go if you are in a hurry [DLR Jan 2004].
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| Kaneda | Japanese | Houtplein | 023 - |
| Tepanyaki style restauarant, but also does reasonable sushi and
sashimi. Easily the best Japanese restaurant in Haarlem. Very friendly service. As with
most Japanese restaurants it is not cheap [DLR Jan 2004].
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| Applause | Grand Cafe | Grote markt 23/a | 023 - 5311425 |
| Very near the Concertgebouw so a handy place for a quick pre-concert
meal.
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| Gandhi | Indian | Houtplein 2B | 023 - 5322108 |
| Rather cramped restaurant, but the only Indian
restaurant in Haarlem which I still visit.
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| Maharadja of India | Indian | Kleine Houtstraat 31 | 023 - 5316649 |
| I've only been once. The food tasted as if all the
spices had been ground several years ago and they burnt the papads.
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| Mooi Java | Indonesian | Kruisweg 32 | 023 - 5323121 |
| Unremarkable restaurant: ambiance and food both
adequate but not special.
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| Flamboyant | Indonesian | Kleine Houtstraat 3 | 023 - 5421503 |
| Small restaurant which has the best Indonesian food I've
eaten, although the selection for non-meat eaters is a bit limited.
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| Costerlyck | International | Riviervischmarkt 9 | 023 - 5344749
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| De Vroome Poort | International | Nieuw Heiligland 10 | 023 - 5317285 |
| Death by salt. I had to drink about 2 litres of water
during the night after going here and so I haven't been back.
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| De Componist | International | Korte Veerstraat 1 | 023 - 5328853 |
| Located in an old music shop. Large, relatively expensive restaurant
with a pleasant atmosphere.
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| Donatello's | Italian | Gierstraat 66 | 023 - 5317581 |
| Very "cheap & cheerful" and always crowded. Good place for
a quick meal if you are going to the Schouwburg.
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| Venezia | Italian | Verwulft 7 | 023 - 5317753
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| Black Beauty | Italian | Verwulft 5 | 023 - 5326381
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| Napoli | Italian | Houtplein 1-5 | 023 - 5324419 |
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Very large Italian restauarnt that makes it into the Michelin guide. If all you want is a simple pasta or pizza, then this is a
rather expensive option (and I don't find the pizzas very special). If you want a meal for a special occasion though it can be a
good option: the Turbot for example is excellant.
It was renovated a few years ago and now looks more attractive than previously [ORW: July 2002].
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| Il Posto | Italian | Schagchelstraat 28 | 023 - 5420512 |
| Has a large selection of anti-pasti which you can select
in a wide number of combinations. This is quite fun and the main reason
I visit this restaurant. The main courses are acceptable, but the restaurant
is normally a bit smokey.
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| Amigo | Mexican | Kruisweg 72 | 023 - 5311563 |
| Fairly standard Mexican restaurant.
Has a cheap cinema menu on Monday and Tuesday (buy the vouchers at the
Brinkmann Cinema when you buy the cinema ticket).
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| Alfonso's | Mexican | Oude Groenmarkt 8 | 023 - 5317434 |
| Central location next to St. Bavo's Kerk.
Adequate food, but I prefer AMIGO.
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| La Plume | Steakhouse | Lange Veerstraat 1 | 023 - 5313202 |
| Always packed with a mainly young clientele. You will
probably have to wait for a table. The fish steaks
(e.g. Tuna and Swordfish) are large and very good.
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| Erawan | Thais | Schagchelstraat 13 | 023 - 5342923 |
| Not the most elegant Thai restaurant in the world
but an extensive menu of reasonably prepared and reasonably priced (spicy!)
dishes, so we eat there quite a lot. Unusually
good for vegetarians and fish eaters. The fixed menus give you far too
much too eat.
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| A la Turka | Turkish | Zijlstraat 95 | 023 - 5341162 |
| Nothing special. I only go there on Mondays and Tuesdays when they have a cheap cinema menu (buy the vouchers at the Brinkmann Cinema when you buy the cinema ticket). | |||