10x dining solo

Eating with friends or family is something you’ll do again next time, but tonight you’re eating alone for a change. Not at home, but somewhere in a restaurant, bar or café where that’s perfectly relaxing. That one spot with a lovely reading table, long dining bar or quiet table where you can enjoy your meal undisturbed.

Steve’s Stove

Do you love stews? Then you should eat at one of the three locations of Steve’s Stove in Amsterdam West, Zuid and Oost. There are a few seats, but you can also get takeaway here if, at the last minute, you’d rather eat at home after all.

Te Koop

The Te Koop café on Utrecht’s Biltstraat is a bit like your own living room, so you feel right at home immediately. You can eat a course for less than twenty euros. There’s no menu, so what you’ll be eating is a surprise. It can also be vegetarian.

Orloff

Just below the Dom you’ll find Orloff, a Utrecht institution. This café is open all day, and you can eat a pastrami sandwich there, followed by a pan of mussels or pasta in the evening. At the high tables by the window, you can look outside. When the sun is shining, the terrace is also a lovely place to sit.

De laatste kruimel

When busy, this little spot on Langebrugsteeg in Amsterdam feels like a dollhouse: it’s small, full and cosy. Everything you can eat there is displayed in the window. That doesn’t make choosing any easier. Expect nothing fancy, but good quiches, sandwiches, soups and salads.

Spaghetteria

For a plate of comfort food, Spaghetteria in Amsterdam or Utrecht is the place to go. You eat all the fresh pasta at a large communal table or sit at a high table by the window. FavorFlav has written about this place before, where you can eat for next to nothing.

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Dertien

Sometimes you want to treat yourself, and Dertien, near Westblaak in Rotterdam, is the perfect place to do so. Surprising dishes at a friendly price. A spot at the bar or on the wonderfully large sofa is perfect for an evening solo.

Op Het Dak

For a healthy meal, head to Op het Dak in Rotterdam’s Schieblock. Think a burger made from beetroot or a hearty soup. This location is absolutely fantastic in summer, because then you can look out over Rotterdam from the rooftop garden. You get two bites that are enough for a meal costing a tenner.

Ter Marsch en Co.

According to many, the best burger is made by the men at Ter Marsch en Co. in Rotterdam. The bun is freshly baked, the meat juicy and the sauces homemade. What more could you want?

Fou Fow Ramen

At Fou Fow, you eat Japanese ramen that, according to Hiske Versprille of Het Parool, deserves an 8. Don’t forget to order the gyoza as a side dish, either.

Burgerz

Hamburger cravings? At Burgerz in The Hague, Scheveningen and Delft, you eat big burgers and drink craft beers. Naturally, almost everything is homemade—as it should be.

Text: Nora van den Heuvel
Image:  Ter Marsch en Co. Instagram