This restaurant is known throughout Maastricht for its ribs - and the ribs are justly famous…read more Although the food in this establishment is first rate - think of this place as a bar with food - to get more of a feel for what the experience is really like. This is one of a long line of brasseries that line the east side of the Vrijthof, one of the two main squares of Maastricht. The entire East Side of the Vrijthof is one extended "hang-out". There are maybe ten maybe twenty brasseries all right next to each other - and nothing but brasseries on the strip. the entire sidewalk is lined maybe eight deep with rows of tables under canopies and umbrellas - and pedestrians wend their ways through the tables to get to the brasserie of their choice. about 3/4 of the places have heaters - so people sit outside in droves - even when it is freezing cold. inside the decoration of most places is "english pub gone dutch". the menus tend to be dutch dutch and dutch with pizza and pasta options since the dutch love pizza and pasta. you are here to drink more than eat -although the food will be copious - and while dutch beer is neither belgian beer nor german beer - the nation that gave the world heineken ain't bad with a brewery. because this is a hangout for spending all night - service is slow. Slow by design. So as the other reviews note - you WILL wait for your food - which is being painstakingly prepared. You are supposed to be getting drunk and talking to your friends. When the food comes, you will die and go to heaven. (or at least you won't need to eat again until you die and go to heaven because servings are ENORMOUS) We started with a tomato red pepper soup for which I would KILL to get the recipe. It was made with the red peppers for which the Dutch are famous but with more red pepper flavor than you get even in a tube of Hungarian red pepper concentrate. The ribs were an unusual take on ribs. They were grilled over a fire rather than smoked - but with the lightest of light of sauces. No thick heavy red stuff with catsup and sugar US-style. No dominant meat-masking Memphis rub. No cloying Chinese pure syrup. The sauce was transparent and put an barely discernible amount of sweet touch on to the ribs -subtle but most assuredly there. The dominant flavor was that of really good grilled meat - but with the glaze making it more suave - giving it a child-like flavor of dessert. I was OMG raving about the ribs all night. And the quantity was HUGE. Lots of places in the US will give you the full rack of ribs - and this was a full rack of rigs. A full rack of ribs from one very very big Dutch pig. I can polish off a US rack and not think twice about it . This was more rib meat than I have had in a meal since I don't know when - Sides easily of the quality - of the soup and the mains. The standard French Fries in the standard wire Belgian French Fry Basket. But their angle? Give you a dipping bowl of standard Belgian mayonnaise - AND give you a dipping bowl of their own house improved kickier mayonnaise. The house improved kickier mayonnaise is tarter than plain old mayo (even good homemade mayo) and was a clearly superior accompaniment for ribs. A cabbage salad is also there - freshly made - not pickled like a kraut but vinegary enough thank you very much. Plus the decorating inside the pub is completely nice with fine wainscoting and beautiful tulip light fixtures. If I am ever back in Maastricht - this is my one clear return-to destination.

Went here with a large group (a day trip from Aachen to visit Maastricht). They seem to serve…read moremostly traditional Dutch food. The salad I had - a little bit of lettuce and a big chunk of locally made cheese - was very good. For the entree I had a good venison steak and 'fries' (or chips or whatever you want to call them). Several good local beers to choose from. Lots of tables on the first floor for smaller groups and then space upstairs for pretty large groups. There were a lot of us but service was pretty good.

Amazing "Maastrichtian café" (= Sjinkerij)! I went there…read morefollowing a personal recommandation and was not at all disappointed. We had fish soep and burger + 2 drinks for 23€. Prices are ok in general and service is great. You should stop there just for the decor, very typical and authentic. Several draft beers. Menu is in 'Maastrichtian' followed by the Dutch explanation.

Great food - great atmosphere, very cozy!! Especially good in fall or winter!read more

I only got tea here but my cousins got This jar of cake and whipped cream dessert before we watched…read morethe Andre Rieu concert. The atmosphere was very crowded at the time. We had to scope out a table. My cousin tried to order a dessert and they were out of all of them except what he got. I was overwhelmed here and didn't care for it. My tea was fine and my cousin enjoyed his dessert. Would I go back ehh maybe not.

I have been coming to In Den Ouden Vogelstruys since 2007 when I had my first experience in…read moreMaastricht and I dare say it is one of the reasons I return. In Den Ouden Vogelstruys is a brown cafe with various claims to historical permanence. Take your pick 1700's...1800's...there's even a canon ball stuck in the outside facade labeled 1670. There are a half-dozen bars on this block all beckoning for your hard earned (or recently converted euros). I have sampled them all and In Den Ouden is by far my cuppa. This time I was not alone and wanted to get a second opinion. Kate was not disappointed. We ordered the 4 cheese plate (Limburger, Brie, goat cheese and bleu). Two wedges of each along with a French roll, 4 slices of fruit and nut bread, apple syrup and a salad of grapes, walnuts and rocket all for $13.50. We accompanied this with her local herbed liqueur coffee and my Le Trapp. We had anticipated this to be a simple bar snack but in fact turned into our lunch of the day. We in particular loved the paring of the apple syrup over the bleu cheese and the Brie on the fruit/nut bread. All was yummy and beautifully presented. This was a perfect meal to linger over and be thankful for your blessings. We will come back.

This place came highly recommended by the interwebs. Zoervleis is described as a sour beef stew…read morewhich sounds unappetizing, I thought it tasted like beef stew in a spiced barbecue sauce, somewhere between KC and NC style. The fries were nothing special but the main was a tasty intro to local food, with a side of apple sauce to clean the palate. Mandarin sorbet was tasty and not overly sweet. It has some floral notes, perhaps honey? A lot of things are decorated with this amusing drawing of a man and woman at dinner. The man is licking his plate while the woman is holding it up like a mirror. Inside is on the smaller side, though I may be comparing to American size. It does get kind of loud.

Highly recommended. We arrived around 1800 and it was packed. We waited for a table for a little…read morebit which was no problem since one of our party hadn't arrived yet. The staff ensured we had drinks and chatted with us as we waited. Over the next four plus hours we had an incredible time. The staff was very welcoming, and the food was fantastic. It's not very big but for our party of 4 that wasn't a problem and the seating was comfortable. Hope to go again the next time I'm in Maastricht.

The Witloof will let you choose your meal and will pair the appropriate beer based on your meal…read morechoices. The husband/wife duo, are super friendly and humorous folk. The cellar of common and somewhat rare Belgian beers was why I chose this place. I had beers with my meal and also bought a dozen bottles for takeaway. Perfect!

Belgian restaurant in Maastricht,…read more This place offers you Belgian grandmother's kitchen and 200 mostly Belgian beers to choose from. The best thing about it is that just like with wine, they pair the beers to the food they serve. They use Belgian quality products, Belgian blue cattle for their beef or belgian cheeses like Maredsous abbey cheese and of course belgian chocolate in their deserts. The point of the restaurant is that most of these products are sometimes unfortunately forgotten but Belgium has so much to give when it comes to fine food. The restaurant itself is rather picturesque and it has won lots of international design awards.. They use old china which adds something to the whole experience of the grandmother's dishes being served. The staff is very friendly and the owner works alongside the staff serving tables. The idea is that you'll have a 2 or 3 course menu for which a very acceptable price is charged. They have a small menu, so I'm pretty sure it's all freshly prepared a la minute. When in Maastricht make sure to put this on your list, and make reservations in advance. Thumbs up for this restaurant for showing us how amazing some of those forgotten Belgian dishes are. They also have takeaway, parking facilities near the door: ol-Vrouwen parking

We came here travel weary and irritable and wanted something to eat that was hot, tasty and fast. I…read morehad the Steak Maison which turned out to be a succulent juicy veal steak smothered in a lardon, mushroom, onion and sweet Marsala sauce. J had the Maastricht zuurvlees - a thick black sweet and sour beef stew made with appelstroop and reminiscent of beef stifado. Our order came in minutes with a golden crunchy bucket of fries.Unbelievably good and 14-15 euros for a giants portion. Just magic - it transformed two tired grumps into smiling contented customers!

For some reason this is my friend's favorite place to eat in Maastricht. She and I both had the…read moresaté, while our other friend had the glutenfree "zuurvlees". I thought the food was alright, but nothing too special. You do get a lot, so that's definitely a plus. Like I said, my friend ordered her dish glutenfree, since she has a gluten allergy. After we ate and left the place she told us her stomach was hurting. And the next day she had fallen ill. I'm not quite sure what went wrong, whether they had accidentally given her the wrong dish or something else. What I do know is that she is never going back there again. For me personally, I thought the food was quite tasty just didn't have that wow factor. Though knowing about my friend getting sick I just can't recommend this place, especially not for someone with allergies.

Great place for a quick pint of Guinness. Stopped in on a Friday evening and had the fish and…read morechips. Very good and a friendly staff.

John Mullens is a restaurant that attracts many tourist and expats but refrains from taking on the…read moreunsightly pallor of being a tourist trap. I applaud the establishment for being able to balance the demographics of its patrons. Restaurant serves standard Irish Pub fare - fish and chips, Shepherd's Pie, Guiness, Jameson, Black and Tan, etc. Serves breakfast also if you're down for some black pudding, fried eggs, and sausage. Ate a surprisingly hearty BLT sandwich with American style, seasoned curly fries. The bacon was thick, the lettuce was crisp, and the mayo came on the side, without me asking (which was a plus). I wasn't expecting the seasoned french fries, as most everything in The Netherlands comes with pommes, or chips in this case. But, the seasoned fries was a great added touch that turned a good sandwich into a great sandwich. Interior of restaurant is spacious and can accommodate the rugby crowd at the bar, while comfortably seating patrons for meals in the rear of the restaurant. Lesser known fact: buffets can be arranged for large groups. Claim to fame is trivia night on Tuesdays at 8pm. Get there early as it gets crowded very quickly.

This is a great lounge-y place to go with friends to grab a quick bite. They do lunches and dinners…read morea la carte. You pick a couple of small dishes and, voila, you're full. Try their chicken salad with cocktail sauce and pineapple. Great quality for your buck!