Tapas plus in Rotterdam

Curious where you can eat truly delicious Spanish tapas? At Destino restaurant on the Zaagmolenkade in Rotterdam-Noord, they serve classic and modern tapas made with seasonal vegetables, fresh fish and quality meat. Delicious in combination with a robust Spanish wine or refreshing gin and tonic.

Classics and surprises</h3
Owners Nelleke Elbert and Niels Koomans love travelling to Spain, often, to find inspiration for their monthly changing menu. It features classics such as embutidos (mixed cured meats), calamares fritos (fried squid rings) and croqueta (a croquette with chicken, Ibérico ham, onion and parsley). But also a daily changing tortilla del dia and creative dishes with fresh fish and vegetables.

Eating with the seasons

All dishes are made with locally sourced fresh produce from the Netherlands and regional products from Spain. Such as artichoke with fennel, romesco sauce (a Catalan sauce with pepper and tomato), breadcrumbs and Marcona almonds (also known as ‘the queen of almonds’, which only grows along the Spanish coast). Or salted anchovies from Cantabria with an escabeche of white onion and carrot. Escab..? This is a preparation technique in which the vegetables (but also fish) are first lightly heated and then continue cooking in vinegar. This allows them to retain their crunchy texture while gaining an intense flavour.

Pintxos: tapas on a skewer

Every Wednesday, you can also order various pintxos alongside the menu. These are delicious Basque bites on a skewer, consisting of a small slice of bread and a tasty topping such as tetilla (smoked cow’s milk cheese), olives, sun-dried tomatoes, jámon serrano (serrano ham) or grilled vegetables. Three pintxos of your choice with a good glass of beer or wine cost €10.

Friendly service and staff

The restaurant is full on an ordinary weekday evening and is therefore just as successful as the nearby lunch spot Bertmans, owned by the same owners. What makes it so enjoyable besides the delicious food? The warmth and service. As soon as you arrive, a carafe of water is placed on the table in no time, along with warm bread, fragrant olive oil and coarse sea salt. The staff are friendly and always offer great suggestions for wine and food pairings.

Destino is open for dinner from Tuesday to Sunday from 17:30. Reservations are not required, but given how busy it is, they are certainly worthwhile.

Destino
Zaagmolenkade 37
Rotterdam

Image: Sophia van den Hoek (Unfolded)