Grand Café Noordkade in Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht: convivial, generous portions and a waterside terrace
Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht has a new hotspot: Grand Café Noordkade. The grand café officially opened its doors last May, and the message is clear: back to the basics of hospitality, familiar dishes and a place where everyone feels welcome. No trendy frills or complicated trends, but satay, steak tartare, croque monsieur and a good glass of wine in a warm setting.
Accessible elegance on the Noordkade
Grand Café Noordkade is the latest concept from hospitality entrepreneur Bjorn van Dijl, together with Maikel Terlouw and Wilco Zwier. Van Dijl is a familiar name in the region: he is also at the helm of Grand Café Willaerts in Papendrecht and several establishments under the Willaerts Group, including Le Barrage, Grand Café Willaerts, Restaurant Kita and Il Mercato; the latter two are just around the corner from Grand Café Noordkade.
No trends, just familiar flavours
With Noordkade, he is deliberately choosing an accessible and familiar direction. “At our other establishments, we sometimes let ourselves be guided too much by trends,” says Van Dijl. “But here we are going back to what hospitality means to me: hospitality, familiar flavours and a place where everyone feels at home.”
The menu: classics without the fuss
When you sit down at Grand Café Noordkade in Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, you know what to expect: classics that always taste good. Think satay with peanut sauce, a fried-eggs-and-ham breakfast or croque monsieur for lunch, and French bistro favourites such as escargots, steak tartare and homemade vol-au-vent for dinner.
Everything is freshly prepared, with care and love for the craft. No frills, no complicated constructions; simply dishes you recognise immediately and feel like eating. A shrimp cocktail, for example, or toast with fresh fish from Schmidt Zeevis. When you see that name, you know it is good. Fresh trout, smoked salmon and shrimp—delicious!
Dishes you can definitely order at the Grand Café
- Satay with peanut sauce: the ultimate grand café classic. In this case: a generous portion of chicken with a mountain of peanut sauce and two types of prawn crackers.
- Steak tartare: French and always delicious (especially with a glass of red wine).
- Croque monsieur: a seriously substantial toasted sandwich—in other words, lunch as lunch was meant to be.
- Vol-au-vent: homemade and the ultimate comfort food.
- Creekstone entrecôte: available in various weights and delicious with pepper sauce (served in an old-fashioned gravy boat), bacon-wrapped haricots verts and piped mashed potatoes. Feel free to order another generous portion of fries, with or without truffle mayo and Parmesan.
Warm interior
The interior exudes luxury while remaining inviting. The restaurant is a large, warm and elegant space with wooden walls, marble details and copper accents. With 150 indoor seats and another 150 chairs on the spacious terrace, there is room for everyone—from an intimate dinner to drinks with friends or a large family celebration. Anything is possible here.
Wonderful waterside terrace
The terrace at Grand Café Noordkade is a real asset: spacious, sunny and directly on the water. An added bonus: the Waterbus stops right outside (Noordkade stop, Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht). Guests literally arrive via the quay and walk past the historic blue harbour crane, which has been fully restored and now serves as the imposing gateway for passengers.
Water artwork
And as if that were not spectacular enough, the café is right next to the Water Artwork: a 70-metre-long and 3-metre-wide fountain spectacle with 30 water jets that are beautifully illuminated in the evening. It is not called the most ambitious maritime sensation in Western Europe for nothing.
Open seven days a week
Grand Café Noordkade is open every day, from morning coffee to dinner in the evening. This makes the café a meeting place for everyone from Ambacht (and the surrounding area). Whether you come for a business lunch, drinks with friends or an extensive dinner, the doors are always open.
Accessible prices
The pricing has deliberately been kept accessible. We love that, because quality does not have to be unaffordable. This makes Grand Café Noordkade the place in Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht you will return to often—not only for special occasions, but also for that glass of wine on that lovely terrace.
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