Let's start with the classic: Café Colette is always good. On the cozy, heated terrace on the Oude Groenmarkt (on the other side of the Bavo Church on the Grote Markt) you can sit well many months. The interior is in bistro style and that suits the Haarlem public. The menu is also classic; the chicken, burger and steak tartare are fixed and you will also find some surprising dishes on the menu. The public is diverse and that makes Colette a nice place to sit for a drink or dinner.

Café Colette

Haarlem has a new regular haunt. Vis Café Ed is located right in the middle of the Grote Markt, in one of those old buildings the city knows so well. The atmosphere is that of a good traditional pub, but with seafood instead of bitterballen. Vis Café Ed is neither a stuffy fish shop nor a slick restaurant. Downstairs, you pull up a chair at the oyster bar: Zeeland oysters, cold bubbly, and the day's catch from the North Sea and Lake IJsselmeer. Upstairs, you look out over the Grote Markt, where the hustle and bustle passes you by. Typically the kind of place where you sit down for just one oyster and end up helping to close up.

Fish Cafe Ed

The building on Wagenweg has quite a few chapters behind it. In Dreefzicht – that is the building's official name – Van der Valk, a wok restaurant, and La Place came and went. And now there is Comer, and we expect this to be a keeper. The concept sits somewhere between bistro and fine dining. Seasonal dishes and local ingredients. Not a stuffy affair, but good food in a setting that feels just a bit more upscale than your average neighborhood restaurant.

Eat

DeDAKKAS is located in a greenhouse on the roof of the Kamp parking garage. A mega cool location with a large terrace and a wide view over Haarlem. The atmosphere is nice and relaxed and DeDAKKAS is therefore a great place for a dinner with friends, family, children or a date who loves architecture and sustainability. The business operations and the menu focus on working as sustainably as possible. With many surprising vegetarian and vegan options on the menu and a little bit of meat and fish. The icing on the cake of this glass spectacle is the vegetable garden and the chickens on the roof.

TheDAKKAS

Four years of renovation, and then this result. The monumental factory building on the Spaarne – once a glass, soap, and water meter factory – is now restaurant De Watermeterfabriek, and Haarlem was ready for it. It has been busy since day one. Open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch, drinks, and dinner, from French toast to coquelet. The building is divided into a conservatory, a high-ceilinged restaurant area, and a drinks corner – with sardines, artichoke dip, and Zeeland oysters on the café menu. And sure enough, coming in the morning and staying all day, working your way through the menus, is perfectly fine. Driving from Amsterdam or other parts of the country is also more than easy, with plenty of parking spaces nearby. Hooray – another great place in Haarlem. 

The Water Meter Factory

Just opened and already a hit. Gangnam Bar in Haarlem is the place for Korean fried chicken, cold beer, and soju. But there is more: at your table, you grill your own meat on an authentic Korean BBQ grill, guided by the wait staff. They even serve kimchi from a local maker. New to Haarlem, but it feels like it should have been there forever.

Gangnam Bar

From the moment the doors of Rigatoni opened, the pasta bar was a hit. As the name suggests, at Rigatoni they serve pasta at a bar. Although they also have regular tables and a sunny terrace. That bar creates a casual atmosphere, making this restaurant suitable for grabbing a quick pasta meal without getting dressed if you don't feel like cooking. But also for a cozy, planned dinner with friends. More about Rigatoni…

Rigatoni 

Another one from the same entrepreneurs: Colette, Rigatoni, and Corridor. They also have Nolita pizza, which is certainly worth mentioning as well. But back to Menu Corridor. Located on the spectacular grounds of the old Koepelgevangenis (Dome Prison), Menu Corridor is housed in the former prison registration building. This beautiful historic building serves as a restaurant with a terrace and a hotel. Here too, you'll find a classic interior and perhaps the tastiest dishes on this list. More about Menu Corridor…

Menu Corridor 

Eating out in style was already quite top-notch in the heart of Haarlem, but with a restaurant Mano the city center near Amsterdam has another luxury restaurant gem. On the Bakenessergracht you will find the restaurant that is run by two good friends who have both gained quite a few flying hours in leading Amsterdam and Haarlem catering establishments. Okay, but what to eat? As said: fancy. In a small establishment with no more than 24 covers, it is intimate dining. We say “date night”.

Restaurant Mano

Not for traditional food but mainly drinks and snacks. Then you are at the right place at Mooie Boules aan het Spaarne. That's right. We also know the Mooie Boules from Amsterdam, Rotterdam and the Delft And the pétanque court is also a success in Haarlem. You can eat indoors at Ron Gastrobar Streetfood, Roast Bar, and Fishbar Monk. Delicious food and a great atmosphere.

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OSO Coffee is located on Raamplaan, and the name immediately tells you what to expect, although you will need to look up the translation and thus the meaning. OSO means bear in Spanish, a nod to the warm and inviting energy of the place. Inside, it is fresh and contemporary, with terracotta tableware that always makes us happy. On the menu: coffee, bites, and pastries. Open Wednesday through Sunday.

OSO Coffee