This has become one of my favorite places in Haarlem as a classic Dutch "brown bar" cafe. It brings back memories from visiting Haarlem 20 years ago with family. It sits in full afternoon sun with an amazing view of the St. Bavo Church in the Grote Markt. It's about as centrum of Haarlem as it gets. The bar / restaurant is GROTE indeed (huge). It has two floors of tables and the bar is very sizable. The outdoor has a really nice terrace area, under cover and outside of the canopy. There is a beautiful green shrub that is majestic which acts as a nice divider. The service is quite good for such a large place. I can't call it "gezellig" but I'm sure it has it's moments depending on where you sit and who you are with. The food I've had there is quite good. Looks like a great place for huge parties or just a quick coffee on the terrace in the wonderful afternoon sunshine. Get the sun whenever you can here! read more

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Walked inside without a reservation, we were seated right away. Service was good. Beer selection here is good also, about 12 or so on tap. Tried a different beer every round. Menu is great. The quality of the food is good. It was gezellig inside with a great hall of this restaurant that's been here forever. Back in 1968 my parents had their wedding reception here in the event spaces upstairs. A classic Haarlem establishment and still going strong. Been on the terrace here before and the people watching is amazing. Outdoors you're surrounded by smokers. The only downside of any Dutch terrace. read more

Beautiful historic cafe with great food and service. The location is not too shabby either! read more

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LOVED this Paris-style cafe in the center of everything. Great homemade soup and moules frites. It must be a full kilo of mussels, and they are steamed with fresh herbs, leeks, and carrots. Outstanding. The fries are great, too. Service is wonderful and you can't beat the setting. read more

Grand Café Brinkmann - Fantastic mussels, must be a full kilo and steamed with fresh herbs and leeks. Highly recommended. - Cafes Near Me - Haarlem, New Hampshire

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Just concurring with most smart locals on this place - better than its tourist trap location would indicate. * I got a local Malle Babbe on draft - dry blone ale * Good frites and bitterballen * Excellent people watching on the Grote Markt, though it looked cool inside too * Good service read more

What a lovely Sunday lunch sitting in the huge square looking at the magnificent church with the bells ringing often. The blondy waitresses were calm and kind in the midst of locals, tourists and bikers. The hamburger was well cooked with some worchester sauce. The avocado salad very rich with a mild ranch dressing...lots of fresh greens. Perfect experience. read more

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The Grote Markt, where the Brinkmann is located, is full of mediocre yet expensive restaurants to take advantage of unknowing tourists. I would NOT call the Brinkmann mediocre or overly expensive. The service is always decent, the patio is always completely full when it's sunny and the food I've had has always been good. If I'm going to recommend a cafe in Haarlem centrum that I KNOW will be a good visit, it's either this or Cafe Fortuyn. read more

A typical place for tourists from outside Haarlem and/or outside the country. Little change you'll find locals here. Although it's been here for ages it's lost a lot of it's glamour in the last decade. Something that didn't change with the new owners. You may wonder, how did you as a local ended up here? We'll on the first sunny day ('rokjesdag') everybody want's to sit on a terrace in the sun. And because they had several spots while all other terraces were crowded it seemed a good choice. And oh well, a beer is a beer. Service was prompt. We didn't order food because of other dinner reservations. And we were glad. The things we saw passing weren't appealing. Typical tourist menu. Lots of calories for money. And to top it of, you have to pay for the use of the toilet. Even if you're a paying customer. I really dislike that. So, great for the view and a drink. For food I would suggest so many other options. read more

Not sure why the reviews are so bad here! The Brinkmann is a beautiful, classic Dutch Grand Cafe, dating to the 1800s. Old fashioned decor, very high ceilings, large open space with a long bar, lots of wood accents. It can be a little touristy, but to be honest, few tourists actually make it to Haarlem, so it doesn't bother me. I always enjoy having a drink at the Brinkmann with friends. Coffee's good, other drinks are too. Not sure I've ever eaten anything here, so I can't judge the food. Service has always been very reasonable. I recommend sitting in the back room, to your left when you come in. Feels a little more 'gezellig' and intimate than the front or outside on the square. read more

Classy restaurant in the middle of the Grote market. I love the decorations inside the restaurant. We didn't make reservations but there are plenty of empty table during lunch hour. I believe you seat yourself here because as we were waiting around to be seated, a group of people behind us just went straight to the table like they own the place. I ordered a fish soup since everyone kept telling me the fish soup in Europe is the best. And they're not lying. Soup was fresh with different kind of fishes. I literally drank every drop of that soup. As for the restroom, you don't have to pay to use but there's someone there "monitoring" and "directing" traffic which I think you supposed to tip him. Overall, pleasant experience. I was nervous that I would be disappointed based on how upscale looking it's outside. (Upscale= overpriced and underperforming) read more

Typical Dutch grand café with all the trimmings (even the bathrooms have a somewhat turn-of-the-century feel). Good location for people watching, the food is better than many other lunch places, and the staff friendly and efficient. read more

Popped by for some beers and snacks when we where visiting friends in Haarlem. Nice location and great for people spotting. Prices where good, service with a smile and prices good for that great location. read more

Yes it's touristy, and there's a reason: the service is great and the view of the square and Grote Kerk is superb. Drinks selection is ok and food can be so-so (there are definitely better selections of both elsewhere). But the staff are friendly and it is one of the places to sit on the square with trees you can sit under, which matters when it's hot outside. Order a beer and just relax a bit. read more

Only buy a beer at this establishment. We waited over an hour to be served a simple hamburger. When our food arrived it was raw and tasted like uncooked meatloaf. Terrible service and food. read more