Alkmaar is a city of indulgence. Whether sweet, cheesy, hearty meaty, vegetarian or vegan, the restaurants in Alkmaar offer a huge selection of delicious dishes.
Restaurants in Alkmaar – our culinary journey through the city
Discover some of the restaurants in Alkmaar that I visited during my time in the Dutch city.
Victorientje tartlets
The Victorientje pastry from Alkmaar is a traditional Dutch delicacy that originated in the 19th century.
Victorientje is a cultural symbol in Alkmaar, linked to the historic event of the Alkmaars Ontzet in 1573 and marks the city’s successful resistance against the Spanish siege during the Eighty Years’ War. The Victorientje, was created in honor of Victoria, the woman who was instrumental in the defense of the city.
Victorientje cookies are mostly produced in small artisan bakeries that pay attention to quality and authenticity. The taste of Victorientje cookies is characterized by a delicate note and a slight sweetness. The texture is crispy, yet melt-in-the-mouth. If you prick the little mountain with a fork, you can already guess what to expect. The little tart almost melts in your mouth and tasted wonderful.
In Alkmaar, you can buy this delicacy at Patisserie De Boe, for example.
One of the most unusual places for a restaurant can be found in The Fallon Hotel Alkmaar. The hotel building used to be a prison and there were once 26 prison cells where you can now enjoy an excellent meal. In the restaurant today, only the strangely undulating ceiling is a reminder of the location of the individual cells.
The kitchen cooks with seasonal and local produce. We were able to see the quality of the food for ourselves at dinner. The food was not only visually appealing, it also tasted excellent.
My meat was cooked to perfection, wonderfully juicy and had a great taste of its own. For dessert, I enjoyed a cheese platter with a varied selection. I really enjoyed it.
A tip for beer lovers: there is a good and very drinkable beer that was brewed especially for “The Fallon Hotel Alkmaar”. On the label you can read a little story about everyday life in prison.
Just outside Alkmaar in the small village of De Rijp is the Wapen van Munster restaurant. It is one of the restaurants in Alkmaar and the surrounding area that should not be missed.
The dining room is very cozy. Musical instruments hang above the bar area and lovingly selected individual pieces give the room an inimitable charm.
As the weather was fantastic, we sat on the terrace. Not only was the warming sun a pleasure, the food was also excellent. As it was lunchtime, I opted for a small and light dish. The 3 tortillas with a salmon filling were excellent. The flavors of the filling ingredients were well balanced. I could have eaten a lot more of the filling alone.
My tip: visit the restaurant during a bike tour in the surroundings of Alkmaar.
There are several restaurants in Alkmaar located directly on a canal. Including the Turfmarkt restaurant, where we wanted to eat in the evening.
When the weather is nice, you can sit on the outdoor terrace and watch the hustle and bustle of the city. If you prefer to sit inside, there is a fairly large dining room and a conservatory.
When we were there, it was very crowded, so it was good that a large table had been reserved for us. I quickly decided what I wanted to eat. I was very tempted by the burger with bacon and cheddar.
I had a beer to go with it. I hadn’t had Brand Brewery before and was pleasantly surprised. The beer was very full-bodied and was just the right choice for a burger.
Due to the crowds in the restaurant, we had to wait a long, really long time for our food. After almost 2 hours, the food arrived. My appetite was now almost gone, and even the very well-fried burger meat and tangy cheese couldn’t help. It tasted good, but wasn’t quite my meal that day due to the waiting time. Maybe next time when there are fewer groups there.
In culinary terms, Restaurant Neder is one of the most unusual restaurants in Alkmaar that I have come across. For me, it’s the tip for fine dining if you want to experience something different.
The concept of the restaurant is “actually” quite simple – only what grows in the Netherlands is used here. Sounds simple, but it has its pitfalls. For example, who has ever seen olive trees or coffee plants in the Netherlands? Not me and not the people who run Neder either. So it follows logically that there is no coffee and no use of olives, olive oil or anything similar. It is similar with the use of spices and salt. Local herbs are now used for seasoning, and clever fermentation makes it possible, for example, to produce a paste that replaces spices during preparation.
Little by little, the operators of Neder are discovering producers throughout Holland who make great products. So that bread, for example, can be served in the Neder, the supplier has now adapted to the requirements and only uses Dutch grain and yeast. Sea salt comes from Oosterschelde, pumpkin seed oil from Gelderland, mustard seeds from Texel, cheese from all over the country and meat from regional farmers.
This trend also continues with drinks. Wine, beer and juice are available from Dutch producers and made from Dutch ingredients. However, home-made drinks are particularly popular. For example, we drank a non-alcoholic “schnapps” made from thyme, spruce and sea oak as a welcome drink. An unusual but very tasty taste.
What is used, however, are products such as mushrooms, tulip bulbs, spruce, fish (which also live there), herbs…. Of course, this also means that you have to work very seasonally. If something doesn’t grow fresh in the forest, you can only use dried, frozen or fermented products, for example, or simply do without them. But this also means that there is always something different on offer.
During our visit, for example, we tried a combination of the common sulphur mushroom, icewort and some “secret” ingredients on a spoon. This was followed by roasted garlic, which was refined with chives and buttermilk and eaten on a piece of bread. I was particularly surprised by the roasted and grilled beet. The consistency was almost like meat and together with the wood marjoram and tulip onion it tasted inimitably good.
The team at Neder takes great care to use as many edible parts of the products as possible. Of course, depending on the dish, something is sometimes left over. Leftover fruit, for example, is used to make drinks or vinegar and protein-containing products are used to make “garum”. Anything that really can’t be used goes into the bokashi bucket and the soil produced in this way goes into the vegetable garden.
If you would like to dine at Restaurant Neder, you must book a table. Dinner starts for all guests at the same time at 7 pm and after a small starter, a 4-course or 6-course (only at weekends) menu is served. Between courses, you can watch the team preparing the food in the open kitchen and are sure to get a tip or two.
We actually wanted to have lunch at Restaurant Jonas. But the cheesecake was just too tempting. Juicy and not too sweet, it really tasted fantastic.
If you’d rather eat something hearty, you’ll find Mediterranean cuisine at Restaurant Jonas. The dining room is cozy, the team super nice and we felt very comfortable. Next time I visit, I really will have lunch there!
Restaurant Soepp – vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free in Alkmaar
The discovery for me in Alkmaar. The small restaurant Soepp is located in the old town of Alkmaar. It offers breakfast, lunch and dinner. There are also apartments in the building that can be rented out.
The dining room is simply stunning. It seems to me as if every chair, every table and every decorative element comes from a different apartment clearance. No two chairs are the same and this even extends to the tableware. Some of the plates reminded me very strongly of my grandparents’ crockery. I immediately felt at home in the Soepp and could imagine sitting there comfortably for hours. If you discover a dress or decorative element here that suits you well, you can even buy it.
I was also very impressed by the food. A highlight of the restaurant is of course the soup. This is prepared fresh every day. My tip: the cheese soup is a hit! I haven’t had such a tasty soup in a long time.
We have decided to try the most popular dishes on the menu. There is also a daily changing menu that is always based on seasonal products.
The food was served in large bowls and on plates, everyone took what they wanted. The selection ranged from salad to saitan and vegetables to rice with a delicious peanut curry. Soepp only serves vegetarian or vegan and gluten-free food. I found the food very good and can only recommend eating there.
Another discovery in Alkmaar that delighted me was Sweets en antiques. When you walk through the door here, you step back in time to a time when people sat together at the table, engrossed in conversation. Sitting between and on antiques in a lovingly designed room, it’s time to enjoy.
Fancy high tea? Fancy a good cup of coffee? How about homemade cake or a waffle? Then Sweets en antiques is the right place for you. I haven’t had such a good cake for a long time. We ordered from the entire menu and my favorite was definitely the brownie.
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