A great weekend in Rotterdam by Wim de Jong (map included!)

Rotterdam, Rotterdam! Even international newspapers and magazines agree: it is the best city in the Netherlands, maybe even in Europe. We can’t deny it, Rotterdam is indeed a great city, but since we live abroad we don’t visit it as often as we used to. So we asked Dutch journalist Wim de Jong, an old friend of Petra’s and an in-law of Tal’s, these two simple questions: “Where do we have to go for dinner when we’re in Rotterdam? And is the recently opened food market ‘Markthal’ really that special?”He responded rapidly and shared with us his favorite addresses in town. Actually, we like to make these kind of lists on Berlin and DC ourselves, even for Wim’s great culinary website De Buik Van Rotterdam (‘The Belly of Rotterdam’, in Dutch only) now that we have joined as his foreign ‘correspondents’. Thanks Wim, we can’t wait to come to Rotterdam!

RESTAURANTS

Lux
WdJ – “Except for Restaurant De Jong (my son Jim’s restaurant), one of my favorites in town is Lux. Chef Milan Gataric is inspired by the cuisine of the Roman neighborhood of Testaccio. He uses lots of organ meats, but also prepares very special pasta’s. The pranzo della domenica, or the Sunday lunch, is my second favorite hobby during weekends.”

Lux, ’s Gravendijkwal 133, 3021 EK ROTTERDAM, http://www.restaurantlux.nl

Restaurant De Jong
P&T – We call for a little less modesty, Wim! Wim’s son Jim is the owner of the very successful Restaurant De Jong, where he serves two different menus each day: one with only vegetables and edible flowers, the other non-vegetarian. He once had a restaurant in another part of the city, which we do know was very good. Just sneakpeaking at the restaurant’s Facebook pages makes us very hungry!

Restaurant De Jong, Raampoortstraat 38, 3032 AH ROTTERDAM
http://www.restaurantdejong.nl

BIRD
WdJ – “Restaurant Lux has existed for 25 years, and over these years a lot of good chefs were trained there. One of them is D.J. Wooldrik, who now has his own place in the Hofbogen (close to the Central Station and Hofplein). I love to eat here, because Wooldrik gets a lot of inspiration from the Cucina Italiana.”

Bird, Raampoortstraat 26, 3032 AH ROTTERDAM, www. bird-rotterdam.nl/restaurant

FG Food Labs / FG Restaurant
WdJ – “FG Food Labs is owned by François Geurds, one of the most promising chefs in the Netherlands right now. He just might be the best chef of Rotterdam: he owns three Michelin-stars. Food Labs (*) is a little bit more affordable than his FG Restaurant (**) but still quite an experience!”

FG Food Labs, Katshoek 41, 3032 AE ROTTERDAM, http://fgfoodlabs.nl
FG Restaurant, Lloydstraat 204, 3024 EA ROTTERDAM, http://fgrestaurant.nl

BasQ Kitchen
WdJ – “BasQ Kitchen is one of the restaurants in the Markthal and the first restaurant in the Netherlands to specialize in Basque food. Here you can order the famous pintxos and raciones at the bar or at your own table. It truly feels like being in San Sebastián or Bilbao.”

BasQ Kitchen, Grote Markt 188, 3011 PA ROTTERDAM,
http://www.basqkitchen.nl

FOOD SHOPPING

Markthal
WdJ – “Of course, the best food shopping can be experienced at the recently opened Markthal, the one and only Rotterdam ‘Mercado’.”
P&T – In the summer of 2014, the Markthal opened in Rotterdam. It is one of the largest roofed markets in Europe and has a stunning architecture. The large building resembles a horseshoe with apartments and a larger than life mural of the cornucopia. It houses over 100 market stands, 15 shops and 8 restaurants. It’s very high on our bucket list! You’ll find the Markthal close to Blaak Station, and it is open every day of the week.

Markthal, Ds. Jan Scharpstraat 298, 3011 GZ ROTTERDAM, http://www.markthal.nl

Rotterdamse Oogst
WdJ – “The second best market is the monthly market Rotterdamse Oogst (‘Rotterdam Harvest’). This market can be found at the Noordplein, and focuses on local producers and organic products.”
P&T – All products come from within the Rotterdam region, that is to say: no further away than 30 miles from the city center. It’s a good spot to buy local cheeses as well! The market is held every first Saturday of the month.

Rotterdamse Oogst, Noordplein, 3035 EC ROTTERDAM http://www.rotterdamseoogst.nl

Kookpunt
WdJ – “The most beautiful and the biggest cooking equipment store in Europe is located on the very same Noordplein. A store where you can browse for hours, even if you’re not really looking for something. Do take care though: you can easily spend a lot of money here!”
P&T – What can we say? We are very happy NOT to live anywhere near anymore, since when we did, we bought way too many things here!

Kookpunt, Noordplein 29-41, 3035 EC ROTTERDAM, http://www.kookpunt.nl

SLEEP

P&T – Last week, we found out that we both own the same Hotel New York teapot that we once bought as a souvenir after a great overnight stay at the hotel. Never noticed that before! We still think the hotel is one of the best in town, so when in Rotterdam do book a room there.

Hotel New York, Koninginnenhoofd 1, 3072 AD ROTTERDAM, http://www.hotelnewyork.nl

Want to win a 100% city guide (Dutch only!) on Rotterdam? Go to the end of the Dutch version of this post! Good luck!

Photo credits: Lux © De Buik Van; Jim de Jong © Hofbogen.nl; Bird © Bird; FG Food Labs © De Buik Van; Basq © Basq Kitchen; Markthal (2x) © Ossip van Duivenbode; Rotterdamse Oogst © Rotterdamse Oogst FB; Kookpunt © Kookpunt FB

For your convenience we added a map. Click on the numbers or scroll down. Enjoy eating, shopping and sleeping in Rotterdam!