Rotterdam has a lot to offer when it comes to delicious food. You might discover the hippest newest dinner place through your friends, but we're also here to the rescue! In this article, we will describe our favourite places to go out for food or drinks in the following four categories: (1) Breakfast/Lunch/Brunch, (2) Dinner, (3) Dessert/Snack and (4) Going out/Midnight snacks.
Breakfast/Lunch/Brunch:
Lot&Daan:
At Lot&Daan, you can have delicious breakfast or lunch at any time you want. Did you go out at the Vrienden Live last night, which you don’t really remember anything about? And did you wake up next to a random guy/girl at 13:00, whereafter you had to do the walk of shame back to Blaak to take the metro? Then, Lot&Daan is perfect for you! On your way to the metro station, you can have a casual breakfast-stop at Gelderseplein (Oost-Wijnstraat 24). Apparently, it’s quite difficult to find, but trust us: It’s worth it! You can even get a 25% discount by means of the voucher in the FAECTOR app. At least, you made one good decision that day ;).
Bertmans:
If you are looking for a highly-nutritious breakfast or lunch, you should really check out Bertmans. It has two locations: One is located in the North of Rotterdam (Zaagmolenkade 15), and the other is located in the centre (Karel Doormanstraat 292). You can have brunch until 17:00, whereafter you can stay for dinner ;). A recommendation by Fabrice: The Falafel Bowl. It consists of a red lentils/pumpkin falafel, a quinoa/artichoke salad, beets, olives, lettuce, pastinake, pickles, hummus, za’atar and tahini (yeah, I have no clue either what those last two ingredients are, but Fabrice said that this bowl was good.) Also the breakfast platter is amazing. In general, Bertmans has some great food, and it is very friendly for vegetarians, vegans and those with gluten intolerance!
By Jarmusch:
If you’re a real coffee-addict, you should definitely go to By Jarmusch. They have their own brand of coffee, called A Cup of Joe: The coffee beans are imported from the foothills of Colombia (yeah, if you want to feel like you’re in Who is the Mole, you should definitely check A Cup of Joe out). This coffee is advertised as strong enough for you to wake up, but also smooth enough to order another one. And the best part: you can order unlimited coffee Hence, it must be good, right?! On the side, you can have chicken & waffles, which makes a perfect American breakfast. If you’re not really into a savory breakfast, you can always choose for the safe option and just go with typical American pancakes with your own chosen toppings. Fun fact: You can even have a breakfast cocktail (mimosa’s, let’s go!!!!)
Dinner
Flowerburger:
Want to try burgers with different colors? Flowerburger offers you vegan burgers that have either white, black, yellow, or even a pink bun! Also, this place offers vegan burgers exclusively, which means that your friends cannot come up with any excuses about their diet. Do your vegan friends also happen to be gluten-intolerant? No excuse either, you can order their burgers in “a bowl”, where they leave out the buns.
Old Scuola:
Do you feel like eating the best pizza you will ever have? Go to Old Scuola, where they describe their pizza as “a cloud of dough topped with unique ingredients. Fluffy. Not crispy. Black spots included.” Doesn’t that sound amazing? They offer a wide range of pizza, from the OG-Margherita, to Porchetta (which has toppings of mozzarella from Naples, tomatoes, slow roasted pork belly, apple chutney, fennel and sage), to San Daniele (which has toppings of mozzarella from Naples, prosciutto (=parma ham), rocket salad and truffle pecorino (=cheese from a sheep)). If you’re looking for a pizza with true ingredients from Italy, this is the place to go!
Little V:
If you’re looking more for an Asian dinner, we recommend the Little V! This is a Vietnamese restaurant located in the city centre of Rotterdam, at the Grotekerkplein 109 (next to the Laurenskerk). You can even drop by for lunch, but be aware: the kitchen is closed from 15:30 until 16:30. I guess that after making many rice paper rolls, spring rolls, ravioli and grilled beef lunch dishes, the chef needs to prepare for the cooking of traditional Vietnamese dinner dishes. This includes Bun, which is a one-pot meal with vermicelli, spring rolls, vegetables, herbs, fish sauce, and your own chosen main ingredient (i.e. prawns, vegetables, beef strips or chicken), and Com Phan, which are one-pot meals with either white rice, fried rice or noodles, and of course, your own chosen main ingredient again. You can choose whatever you like, which is great. So make sure to visit when you're looking for something exotic!
Little V
Desserts
Baker’s Dough:
Why bake cookies when you can just eat the dough instead? At Baker’s Dough, located at the Pannekoekstraat, you can choose from a variety of different cookie dough flavours, including the “Original,” as well as “Grandma’s Cake Batter,” and “Monthly Specials.” They even have a vegan option! If cookie dough is not enough for you, you can also add in some ice cream and many different toppings. Ice cream options include salted caramel, lemon-mint (vegan) and strawberry-lychee(vegan). When it comes to toppings, the list is endless, including brownies, chocolate drops and even Nutella. They also have a beautiful food truck, right at the door. This is the perfect place for your cheatday ;)
Baker's Dough
Ijssalon
De Ijssalon is an ice cream staple in Rotterdam, located at Meent. No wonder why it is the top ice cream spot in the city on Trip Advisor. All ice cream is handmade in the store, and the vast variety of flavours range from the most common to the most exotic. This list includes many different types of chocolate, different fruits, and even cheesecake. De Ijssalon also has a coffee bar that serves lattes, cappuccinos and doppios at a decent price. If you ever find yourself around there, make sure to pay a visit!
Koekela:
Koekela, located at Nieuwe Binnenweg, takes pride in only baking with “real” ingredients. According to its website, “real” means homemade baked goods, with no artificial flavourings or colours, no additives, and fresh ingredients. At their coffee shop, you can enjoy a variety of cakes, cookies, bars and muffins paired with a good cup of coffee. You can also enjoy the special, which is the ever-changing cake of the month. If you are too busy to go there and sit down but still fancy a treat, you can also order some goodies online on their website, or take them home!
Koekela: The cake of the month of March - Mocha Latte
Midnight Snacks
McDonald's:
Who does not crave some chicken nuggets after a night out? A student staple all across the globe, Mcdonald’s offers cheap tasty food, even in the middle of the night. After a very busy night out, you can enjoy some fries, a burger, chicken nuggets or ice cream. The location at Coolsingel is open 24 hours, so you can indulge no matter what time it is, to make sure your hangover of tomorrow hits less hard.
Jaffa Witte:
Jaffa Witte, at the Witte de Withstraat, is nicely located, and open every day from 12 pm to 6 am. Some consider it the best kapsalon in town. The portions are quite big (and served on a plate) and the surroundings cosy. Do note that it can get very busy at times, especially on Friday nights. It is still the perfect place to enjoy good food after a great night out. Make sure to try this one out at least one, because after all Rotterdam is the birthplace of the famous kapsalon!
Has:
Has Doner, located at the Oostplein (or many more location in Rotterdam), is open every day from 12 pm to 2 am, and Fridays and Saturdays from 12 pm to 6 am. Make sure to peep inside after going out, because odds are you will find a friend inside munching on a kapsalon with extra garlic sauce. It offers good food, as we all already know, so do pay a visit to suit your late night cravings.
Going out
Avenue Concordia:
As all econometricians probably know, every first Thurday of the block, FAECTOR hosts the After Exam Drink where all drinks are 50 cents each! After the drink people head to various bars and clubs around the city. This is the perfect day to start off the block with a blast and forget about your stress from last block!
Wunderbar:
Wunderbar describes themselves as “the strangest, most out-there pub at the Witte de Withstraat.” They welcome you to enjoy international drinks, such as Club Mate, Fritz-Kola or witbier. They are open every day from 5 pm to 1 am, and Fridays and Saturdays from 5 pm to 2 am. They truly are an alternative bar with alternative music (or "avantgardistic" as they like to call themselves), so if you're looking for something funky bring some friends to this symbol or Rotterdam.
The Doctor:
The Doctor is a secret bar located around the Erasmus bridge. To go there, you first need to make an “appointment” on their website, where you can find the list of house rules. After making the appointment you will get the address of the bar before going there. Doctors, or bartenders, dispense “free psychological advice along with a broad range of tasty medications.” If you’re looking for something exclusive, this is definitely the place. These doctors might solve all your problems ;)
Annabel and Biergarten:
Right behind Weena near Central Station, is a lovely square with Annabel and also Biergarten. When the sun is shining and you're looking for a great place to enjoy some beers after a long day of studying, Biergarten will solve your problems. The atmosphere is lively and everybody is enjoying themselves. Get a beer and a hamburger, and enjoy the sun, those ECTS are a problem for later. When the sun has set, Annabel will open its doors and you can dance the night away. Often they have great themed nights with great DJ's, or they have famous artists appearing on stage. Make sure to keep an eye on their agenda for some good music!