Good spots in The Hague and Rotterdam.
It started as our own list. Independent restaurants with a good menu and a room you want to stay in. No chains.
The Hague
RotterdamPhotos: Joris1919, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Sonse, CC BY 2.0
What are you in the mood for?
Just opened
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Onda
€€€Weekend DJs play vinyl through a serious hi-fi while the natural wine and Mediterranean plates go round. Named best new restobar in the Netherlands at the end of 2025.
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Bistro Jean
A cheese trolley does the rounds of the room. Since September 2026 it has replaced Michelin-starred Savarin, with oysters and champagne at the bar.
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Restobar Harvey
€€Four young locals from the Savarin family run it. Good cocktails at a central bar, and new in Gault&Millau this year.
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Annabelle
€€A vinyl booth by the bar and small plates with an Asian accent. Open since January 2026, with Friday drinks built around new wines.
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Bistro Blendd
€€Inside De Doelen, so handy before or after a concert. Open since September 2026, with starters at 15 euros and mains at 27.50.
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Lucia
€€€The team behind Louise Petit, gone Italian on the Rotte. A lot of it is cooked over open fire, and you can see straight into the open kitchen.
Why this list
We kept looking for places like Il Peperoncino on the Fred or Harper on the Plaats, and kept finding lists full of chains and restaurants that closed years ago.
So we keep our own. Every month we go through it: closed places come off, good new ones go on. Restaurants don't pay to be here.