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

Love this place! Happy that we were able to get a seat quickly here because reservations are a…read moremust! Inside may feel and look cramped but it is super cozy. We were able to get seated right on the window area. We chose menu 5, which was just enough for two people. Everything was delicious! Their pea soup is out of this world. Don't know why as it is a simple dish but wow! I also love their herring. It was so delicious that I wanted seconds. It paired so well with their onions and mustard. And their bitterballen was just enough bite. Creamy and crispy! We also got a combination of the hutspot. They were all delicious! Although for me the meatball was just a tad bit salty but it is probably just me! Everything else was spot on. I love their dessert at the end. It was a great way to end the night. Our server and their staff were all amazing! Very friendly and welcoming. Yes it is a tourist spot but totally worth it.

This restaurant was on my wish list for places to definitely go while visiting Amsterdam. We…read morefinally went for lunch yesterday after our walking tour. Reservation recommended. We did not have one but they were happy to seat the 2 of us and invited us to switch tables once another couple left (they were checking out). Small space, can accommodate groups of 2-4, cozy atmosphere, lots of the traditional blue and white ceramics on the wall (dishes and tiles). Traditional Dutch cuisine: we ordered the Boerenkoolstamppot with smoked sausage and Zuurkoolstamppot with smoked sausage and a slice of apple pie to share for dessert. The food arrived piping hot in about 20 minutes. It was sooo delicious--the tasty juicy sausage pairs perfectly the mashed potatoes with either sauerkraut or kale. The apple pie was also tasty--larger chunks of apple and more spices less sugar than American apple pie from what I can tell. Perfect with whipped cream. A must visit if you're in Amsterdam and want to try traditional fare. Highly recommended!

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.