From the owner: Ons huiselijke restaurant ligt aan de mooiste gracht van Leiden, het Rapenburg. Het is gevestigd in…read moreeen historisch pand, waar begin vorige eeuw een drogisterij onderdak vond. De 'Gaper' aan de gevel is nog altijd een markant herkenningspunt. Op het menu staan eigentijdse gerechten, die met veel aandacht voor zowel de ingrediënten als voor de gast worden bereid. En bij alles geldt: alleen kwaliteit telt! Parkeert u op de Haagweg, dan heeft u gratis vervoer naar ons restaurant.

The best cocktails in town if you ask me! They have the biggest cocktail menu and they even have…read morebig bowls and buckets they fill with a specific cocktail to share. You can also ask the waiters to fill a big bowl with a different cocktail. The prices are lower than avarage. The atmosphere inside is very cozy and they usually have good music playing in the background, at night they turn the music a bit louder. Outside they have normal tables and chairs but also lounge couches with heaters. The service could be better though. It's often quite slow!

From the owner: Dineren - Borrelen - 50 Lokale Bieren - 25 Open Wijnen - 200 Cocktailsread more

The Pantry serves authentic Dutch food in a cozy environment. Definitely get one of their…read moreprix-fixe menus. It includes an appetizer, entree, and dessert. If you are sharing a meal with someone, get items from a different prix-fixe menu and you can both try a variety of items. We enjoyed: * Charcuterie plate: sausages taste minimally processed and delicious * Beef and onion stew: taste slightly different than ones in America * Cauliflower and cheese oven bake: vegetarian's comfort food * Hutspot (mashed potatoes and carrots) and meatballs: non-vegetarian's comfort food * Pea soup with smoked ham For desserts, we had chocolate mousse and vlaflip (vanilla custard) and they were just okay. I'm not sure if desserts are the Dutch's strengths, except maybe the Dutch apple pie. They even bottle their own house beer. The restaurant is small. Try to make a reservation if you can. We didn't have a reservation, but went to the restaurant at around 5PM and were seated in about 15 minutes. At times, the line could get very long, but the staff is still welcoming and ensures that everyone gets served...eventually.

Traditional Dutch foods, served in a charming/cozy dining room - what's not to love? We enjoyed…read moreevery dish that we ordered; even our pickiest (child) member of our party ate well (the meatball and hutspot disappeared from the plate :). Portions are substantial and a very good value in a neighborhood where tourist-markups are the norm. They have a/c, but in order to feel it you'll need to sit closer to the back of the restaurant/near the kitchen, as there is only one wall unit back there, and they leave the front of the restaurant open to the elements (even in 98+ degree heat).

Extrodinary Indonesian food but pricey. Dinner for two without drinks $ 172 US…read more It was a dining experience to do once. Service was excellent.

Disappointing changes to the menu, and after living in Leiden for 7 years, quite possibly the…read morerudest service by one of the male wait staff. Really overpriced life what amounts to bar food and no concern for the experience of customers who have a severe food allergy. Do yourself a favor and go somewhere else.

For the quality of restaurants normally found in Leiden, this one is rather excellent. All the food…read moreis fresh, well-prepared, and full of flavour. The restaurant itself has a nice welcoming atmosphere, even though the waiters and plate settings would indicate that it's rather stiff-upper-lip, the clientelle is relaxed and everyone is welcome. I would only give a few dings for the following things: (1) The service - yes, I know I should not complain of the service in the Netherlands, but I can't help myself. The waitress told us that as per the concept, they recommend ordering one 'small' bite, two 'medium' ones and one 'large' one. Setting aside the fact that this is actually an outrageous amount of food for one person, when our group of 4 proceeded to not follow the 'recommendation' and order haphazard amounts of everything from different parts of the menu, the waitress clearly panicked and started asking us about the order in which things should we served. We told her to essentially figure it out herself and were rewarded with fairly haphazard serving order in return. (2) Odd flavour combinations - while some dishes were absolutely delicious (like the classic Asperges a la flamande), others where they clearly tried to experiment were frighteningly bad. In particular the 'food shot' (served in a shot glass) of diced cervelat salami served with chunks of vodka jelly on top of a bed of sliced onions - this dish was not appealing in any way, shape or form. There were a few other similar clearly failed experiments and I'm not sure why they've chosen to keep them around on the menu. Other than this though, it's definitely an interesting place and worth checking out if in Leiden.

Situated on a picturesque canal bank, 10 minutes away from Leiden's central train station, this is…read morean extraordinary restaurant well worth the 25 minute train ride from Amsterdam. The service is friendly, with knowledgeable and English speaking staff. In den Doofpot boasts an expansive wine list starting with €35 bottles and climbing over €1500 for the finer Petreus. The menu includes creative dishes and appetizers to order a la carte. On our visit in late June 2011, my wife and I tried the "surprise" menu: a 4 course meal that changes daily to include fresh market items purveyed by the chef. Our courses included house-smoked salmon in rice paper, served with champagne foam, and chilled lobster; poached cod with a perfectly grilled prawn, served over beet mousse; seared fillet served over pumpkin chutney and grilled vegetables; and ice cream of forest fruits accompanied by mousse made of the same berries as well. We had a nice, oakey chardonnay from Auxey-Duresses that was an excellent pairing even for the meat. The total for two people came to about €150. Getting to this restaurant from Amsterdam is straight forward. A round trip for two, from Amsterdam's Central Station to Leiden's Central Station cost €18 in second class. There are several trains every hour connecting the two cities; tickets are valid on all trains between the cities. From the train station walk across the plaza, toward the canal, towards the main market square and you'll find the restaurant right away. Google maps is an accurate source of walking directions as well.

Beautiful setting, superbly prepared food, expert service, an incredibly knowledgeable sommelier…read morewho is helpful in several languages. As expensive as one would expect. They were understanding and accommodating about my gluten sensitivity. The only negative is the narrowness of the menu. No fowl, no pork, no lamb, mostly beef and nary a vegetable, soup, or salad to be found.

Food is good. Limited coctail and wine list. Not too loud, service is pretty attentive.read more

Adorable, handsome unique tower on the water; there is a pier behind the tower to view the…read moreentirety. There is a bar in the first floor that serves "The Heinekenbier" among others, and the restaurant on the 3rd floor descends back to the 2nd and is totally medieval in design, reached by tight winding brick staircase in the monkey tower.

My wife and I visited De Hoofdtoren mainly because of the novelty of eating inside a 1600s gate…read morehouse that used to be on the south sea (now on a lake). Turns out the food is really excellent and the service is friendly. They had just launched a new menu when we paid a visit and the sandwiches for lunch were delicious, though not exactly filling. Probably an appropriate serving size. The view from the small windows isn't too expansive, but the atmosphere is still very nice. We'd definitely skip the street level restaurants to dine here again.

My family and I visited Amsterdam, and this restaurant did not disappoint. Very elegant fine dining…read moreexperience. It is in the lobby hotel, and when you walk into the hotel it's directly to your left. The service was amazing, everyone was very friendly. We had Rose as our server, she was very personable and gave great recommendations about the menu. My family and I got the fish special, the flat iron steak, the mussels, and the crème brûlée. Would highly recommend all of these dishes, they were delicious! Would recommend this place if you are visiting Amsterdam. Great restaurant for family dinners or a date night!

Came here just for breakfast. The interior is spacious and elegant. The breakfast menu is a bit…read morelimited in my opinion, but still good. I got the Croque Madame which was yummy. Service was fine. I have no complaints about this place, but it was nothing mind-blowing.