Where to eat in Utrecht

My hometown, Utrecht. A beautiful city I love and lived in for the last 21 years. We’ve been out for dinner so many times here, that a list of places to eat in Utrecht isn’t difficult to make. Just don’t expect it to be short!

Options to eat in Utrecht

Utrecht being a city with a university, science park and several colleges makes for a lively restaurant scene, with inexpensive options to eat. The restaurants on this list vary from cheap eats to more expensive. I’ve divided them up in sections of Utrecht. When exploring the restaurants in Utrecht, combine it with a street art tour in Utrecht.

Lunetten

The neighbourhood I’m calling home since 2004. It feels like living in a village, while still being part of and close to the city. There are several options with good food in Lunetten.

Mister Shi

A wok restaurant with an all you can eat buffet. They also have a snackbar, where you can get take away chinese, fries and snacks.

We like to go to the all you can eat buffet (2,5 hours) from Mister Shi and pick our choice for stir fry. You give the veggies, meat and/or fish and pick a sauce and they stir fry it for you. You can choose from over 30 options for stir fry. Next to that there’s a buffet with lots of options to choose from like babi pangang, foo yong hai, lychees, etc.

Address:

Amerongseberg 89

3524 LN Utrecht

Eethuis Kolintang

Delicious Indonesian and Surinamese food on offer at Kolintang. It’s a small Asian market with a few tables to sit down at. You can order dishes like soto ajam, roti, gado gado amd satay.

We love the food of Kolintang and the owner Frans is friendly and gives a welcome feeling to the place. Further more in the spring and summer they sell Italian icecream.

Address:

Hondsrug 6

3524 BP Utrecht

Aphrodite

Delicious Greek homemade food. Aphrodite has a small seating area and they have take away. Moussaka on Monday. They serve different gyros dishes and other Greek food. They’re relatively new in Lunetten.

Address:

Zevenwouden 216

3524 CX Utrecht

030-2692617

PizzArt

PizzArt makes delicious authentic Italian pizzas. Next to a lot of options in pizzas they can also make them with a glutenfree crust. Further more they sell salads and dessert.

Address:

Zevenwouden 236

3524 CX Utrecht

030-8782483

Sushi & Meer…

In the Summer and Spring Sushi and meer sells Italian icecream. All year round they sell delicious sushi. For take away or to eat in the small seating area.

Address:

Hondsrug 8

3524 BP Utrecht

030-2451875

Lunetwerkcafé

A social place to hang out, meet local people, have breakfast, lunch or coffee. Play board games together or just talk it’s the social meeting ground for the neighbourhood. They guide people to participate in the work place. Lunetwerkcafe has half year trajects.

Address:

Zevenwouden 238

3524 CX Utrecht

+31 6 33615424

Chinese Bistro Lunetten

A standard Chinese restaurant, they have a seating area and take out. We’ve been here so many times, when Yuri was young we went monthly. We simply love Chinese food. We liked the previous owners. Since a few years there are new owners, and they prepare everything themselves.

Address:

Zevenwouden 212

3524 CX Utrecht

Downtown

Downtown there are so many places to eat in Utrecht. The center of Utrecht is dotted with all sorts of restaurants and other places to get food. I’ve divided downtown into different streets. But first a few lose restaurants downtown.

F.A.K.

French Asian Cuisine is the long name for the restaurant, short is F.A.K.. They have bites, which you can order. It works with rounds, the way a sushi restaurants works. The food is a mix of Asian and French cuisine, for example surf & turf sushi or trump gamba’s (gambas with cotton candy). We loved the food and liked the vibe in the modern styled restaurant.

Address:

Drieharingstraat 16

3511 BJ Utrecht

030-231 7503

Mockamore

Wanted to go here already so long, but every time I passed mockamore I didn’t have the time or had just eaten. But in January a friend and I finally sat down and we loved it. So much that it’s now one my favorite coffee shops in the world.

They serve delicious pastries and breakfast/lunch. On the menu is a mix of healthy dishes and comfort food. Coffee, tea and hot choco specials, freakshakes, juices, smoothies, breakfast bowls, pancakes cakes, salads, bagels and grilled cheese sandwiches. We loved their Midnight chai and the New York cheesecake.

Address:

Steenweg 37

3511 JZ Utrecht

Lewis Book Cafe

Lewis Book Cafe is a quiet place to sit down for some tea, a high tea, lunch or breakfast. We like the ambiance with armchairs and regular tables to sit at.

Quirky little detail is that an ebook is being played on the toilet. Makes for a fun toilet experience.

Address:

Achter Clarenburg 39

3511 JH Utrecht

030-3072200

Dapp Frietwinkel

They started with a bike, selling organic fries on the Friday market. In 2014 Dapp started a shop selling organic fries. Next to the homemade fries they also sell vegan ‘kroket’, ‘frikandel’ and other organic snacks and drinks.

Address:

Vinkenburgstraat 10

3512 AB Utrecht

06-20729612

Tapasbar El Mundo

Delicious tapas in the middle of Utrecht. El Mundo is a lively restaurant, where you can order all different sorts of tapas, like albóndigas or tortilla de patatas, and eat until your;re stuffed.  

Address:

Voorstraat 18

3512 AN Utrecht

030-2364543

Mr. Jack’s

A Greek-Italian restaurant with cheap eats. We used to go here as students. We liked to order the Mr. Jack’s gyrospizza. Or we would order a 5 euro pizza and one drink and have a cheap dinner.

Mr. Jack’s has next to pizzas also Greek plates, filettos, pasta and desserts. Don’t expect high quality here. It’s cheap, so that’s in line with the quality.

Address:

Voorstraat 61

3512 AK Utrecht

030-2328533

Firma Pickles Burgers & Wines

Firma Pickles has a variety of burgers on the menu. Next to that they’re also a wine bar. Your burger can be served with a good glass of wine. They not only sell standard burgers, but exquisite ones and you can add more toppings if you want to.

Address:

Drieharingstraat 1-3

3511 BH Utrecht

030-2317971

La Fontana

La Fontana has been serving delicious pizzas since 1979. They’re an Italian restaurant, which not only serves pizzas, but also pasta, salads, antipasti, desserts and meat and fish specialities.

Address:

Lange Viestraat 1

3511 BK Utrecht

030-2311310

Bistrot Utrecht Centraal

There are lot’s of options for a quick bite at the train station. Bistrot is one where you can take a little bit more time.

In the restaurant you order at the cash register and then find yourself a seat. It’s a self-service restaurant.

Address:

Stationshal 305

3511 CE Utrecht

06-15831055

Belgisch Biercafe Olivier

A Belgian beer pub in an old church building from 1860. They’ve tried to hold on to as many features of the church as possible.

Olivier serves next to lots of different beer also a mix of Belgian and Dutch food for lunch, dinner or fingerfood. The pub is usually crowded, since it’s a popular place.

Address:

Achter Clarenburg 6A

3511 JJ Utrecht

030-2367876

Neude

A lively square with restaurants and some shops all around. In Summer the pubs have terraces on the square, and there are several festivals each year on the square. Lot’s of students to be found on the terraces here.

Yoghurt Barn Neude

The first time I went to a Yoghurt Barn was here in Utrecht, later on I went to others. But I’ve been tot his one several times and loved it every time.

We’ve had the high tea here, breakfast on New Year’s Day and we’ve just sat down for some delicious yogurt special.

Address:

Vinkenburgstraat 15

3512 AA Utrecht

Le Journal

Le Journal is on the Neude since 1993. Their name references to the news and in the middle of the establishment is a reading table with Dutch and foreign magazines and newspapers. They don’t play music so you can read well or have a good conversation with a friend.

Le Journal serves breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks. They serve regular Dutch pub food.

Address:

Neude 32-34

3512 AG Utrecht

030-236 48 39

Mykonos

A family restaurant, in 1985 Kostas and Anna Banoutsos started restaurant Mykonos, serving Greek cuisine. Stavros, Angelos and Giorgos have taken over a few years back.

Mykonos serves traditional Greek dishes like gyros, moussaka, suflaki and kalamari. Almost always crowded and lively. We like their food and have been several times since we moved to Utrecht.

Address:

Drakenburgstraat 3

3512 AC Utrecht

030-234 0960

Hoog Catharijne

A mall from the seventies which is being completely renewed. There are lots of shops, but also restaurants, especially in the new part. Here’s a mix of new and old restaurants in Hoog Catharijne.

Mado

A Turkish restaurant for breakfast, lunch and coffee with cake. All over the world the chain has over 250 venues. Mado stands for maras dondurma, a kind of sticky icecream.

Until 2 pm you can have an all you can eat breakfast or lunch buffet. We liked the buffet with Turkish dishes and Turkish tea.

Address:

Catharijne Esplanade 7

3511 WP Utrecht

Leon

Leon serves naturally fast food, mediterranean style. Their filosofy is that they want to serve food that both tastes good and does you good. They started the chain of fastfood restaurants in London.

Love their apple pork chilli, wraps and chicken burger.

Address:

Catharijne Esplanade 8

3511 WC Utrecht

06-11689946

Hagenouw Eten & Drinken

Hagenouw is a local restaurant with an regular Dutch menu like satay, schnitzel, ‘kroketten’and fried eggs on toast. Loved having lunch here with my son. Good food for a reasonable price.

Address:

Godebaldkwartier 255

3511 DR Utrecht

030-2369511

The Burger Federation

A burger restaurant that serves a variety of burgers, including the ‘Hoge Utrecht’ burger (High Utrecht burger). We loved their burgers.

Address:

Hollandse Toren 2

3511 BN Utrecht

Manneken Pis

Manneken Pis serves Flemmish fries and they’re delicious. You can pick from a lot of sauces to go with your fries. The fries are served in a paper cone available in 3 sizes; Schanulleke, Urbanus and Obelix. Schanulleke is usually large enough for us.

Address:

Stationsplein 6

030-2080638

TGI Fridays

An American chain restaurant in front of Hoog Catharijne, just outside of the trainstation. They serve delicious American burgers, extreme shakes, spare ribs, nachos and much more. We loved the American food, brought back memories of our roadtrips through the States.

Address:

Stationsplein 18

3511 ED Utrecht

030-207 4020

Baskin-Robbins

Another American chain, this time an icecream parlor. The one in Utrecht was the first one in The Netherlands.

Baskin-Robbins sells delicious flavours icecream. I love them. Further more they have cookies, waffles, brownies, crêpes, stacks, churros and croissants on the menu. They can turn the icecream in milkshakes and freakshakes.

Address:

Vredenburgpassage 13

3511 WD Utrecht

088-377 8899

Comptoir Libanais

Another British chain, but this time it’s Libanese food they have on the menu. Love their mezzes. Had a mezze plate for lunch with a friend.

Every restaurant has a shop next to it, where they sell all kinds of Middle Eastern products.

Address: Catharijne Esplanade 49

3511 WK Utrecht

+316 11274543

Mariaplaats

Two lively squares and a street with a lot of restaurants, pubs, some shops and entertainment. A place that’s busy from breakfast till late at night.

Se7en

Inspiration for the menu at Se7en comes from the countries where the seven world wonders are. India, Brasil, Peru, China, Mexico, Italy and Jordan. The menu is a nice variation of dishes.

Fun fact is that you can order half dishes for dinner. You can half one whole dish, or two half dishes and this way try out more from the menu. We always opt for the half dishes and this way have lots of flavors to eat.

Address:

Mariaplaats 7

3511 LH Utrecht

030 231 8084

Bagels & Beans

Bagels & Beans is a Dutch chain that serves bagels. They started in 1996 in Amsterdam when the bagel was really popular in the USA. They sell healthy, sustainable and delicious food and drinks. I love their bagels!

Address:

Mariaplaats 48

3511 LM Utrecht

Broodnodig

An espressobar and Swedish lunchroom that opened in 2004. Broodnodig mostly sells organic products, even their drinks are organic. The bread, cakes and cookies are all made in their own bakery.

Address:

Mariaplaats 49

3511 LM Utrecht

030-231 1531

Lijnmarkt

A small street in downtown Utrecht with lots of restaurants, pastry shops and other shops. I just love strolling through this street and do some window shopping.

Hop & Stork

A pastry shop, specialised in chocolate. I’ve been here twice and love their products. Delicious chocolate and cakes.

The counter of Hop & Stork with its cakes and chocolates is a true feast for the eyes. They also give workshops. A fun place to sit down and have a pastry or lunch in the middle of the city.

Address:

Lijnmarkt 1

3511 KE Utrecht

030 662 8832

Bond en Smolders

Bond en Smolders has a drool worthy  counter and window display. Beautiful cakes and pastries are displayed and you just stop and stare at the window display. The pastries taste as good as they look!

Next to cakes, pastries and chocolates, they also bake loafs of bread. Further more you can sit down for lunch with a grilled cheese or sandwich.

Address:

Lijnmarkt 9

030-231 0913

De Witte Ballons

The Witte Ballons (White baloons) is seated in an historic, listed building. French cuisine with fish, meat and vegetarian choices. A small terrace at the front, but a larger one at the back of the building.

Address:

Lijnmarkt 12

3511 KH Utrecht

030-231 1056

I love cupcakes

Technically I love cupcakes is not on the Lijnmarkt, it’s just around the corner. We had a cupcake here and loved them. But cupcakes isn’t all they sell. They also offer cakes, macarons, cookies and brownies. Next to that they have glutenfree, vegan, lactose free and sugar free products.

Address:

Zadelstraat 4

3511 LT Utrecht

06 4850 4023

Oudegracht

The most famous canal in Utrecht. It’s 2 kilometers long and divides downtown from south to north. When they dug the canal they threw sand on the docks, that’s why the street is so much higher than the canal. They made vaulted cellars which stood in connection with the buildings above on the street. Now these make for nice places for restaurants. Here’s a large list of restaurants in the cellars and above on the street.

PK

We’ve come here since before it was PK, back then it was called King Arthur. We love their club sandwiches, satay or the ‘kroket’ special. Love their terrace on the Oudegracht.

Address:

Oudegracht 101-103

3511 AE Utrecht

030 202 4412

El Borne

El Borne serves Spanish cuisine, from a 3 course dinner to tapas. I love tapas and paella.

Address:

Oudegracht aan de Werf 127

3511 AL Utrecht

030 662 6674

Toastable

Toastable is a new concept in The Netherlands and we love it. They serve a variety of grilled cheese sandwiches, favorites of ours are The Legend and The Unit. For breakfast they have crosti’s, which are grilled cheese croissants. You can get breakfast and lunch at Toastable.

Address:

Oudegracht 122

3511 AW Utrecht

030-2684292

Broodje Mario

Broodje Mario (Mario bun) is legendary in Utrecht. It’s the first thing most students get acquinted with. Broodje Mario is their signature dish, it’s not the only thing they have on offer, but it’s the most popular item.

It’s a large, freshly baked bun layered with cheese, salami, chorizo, raw vegetable salad and a green, not too spicy pepper. The recipe has been the same since 1977.

Address:

Oudegracht 130-132

3511 AX Utrecht

Kartoffel

Kartoffel serves German cuisine, so they have schnitzel, bratwurst, currywurst and schweinshaxe. A friend introduced us here, and we’ve been back a few times.

Address:

Oudegracht aan de Werf 145

3511 AL Utrecht

030 2381338

India Port

India Port already serves authentic Indian cuisine for 25 years. They serve dishes like Rogan Josh, Butter Chicken and Saag Paneer. We simply love their food, and keep coming back.

Address:

Oudegracht aan de Werf 144

3511 AZ Utrecht

030 233 2666

Restaurant Saffraan

Saffraan serves Oriental cuisine. Their dishes come from Northern Africa, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Iran. Dishes like Izgara Köfte, lambtajine, şiş kebab and mezzes. My friend and I liked their food when we had dinner here.

Address:

Oudegracht aan de werf 146

3511 AZ Utrecht

030 231 0114

American Steakhouse Broadway

Broadway has been serving spareribs and steaks for 30 years. Their baby back ribs are legendary and is the thing we always go for. Paul usually eats here at least once a year with his friends from university.

Address:

Oudegracht aan de Werf 139

3511 AL Utrecht

030 2312643

Winkel van Sinkel

Winkel van Sinkel is a legendary restaurant seated in an historic, listed building. They serve cake and pastries from Dudok Patisserie. A good place for lunch, dinner or drinks.

Address:

Oudegracht 158

3511 AZ Utrecht

030 230 3030

Beers & Barrels

Beers & Barrels has tap tables where you can pour your own lager with friends. Further more they serve lunch, dinner and fingerfood. It’s a lively place, with lots of groups of students. They serve dishes like a 1 meter sausage, pulled pork nachos and blue corn tortilla.

Address:

Oudegracht aan de Werf 125

030-636 87 44

Oudaen

Eating out in a real castle in the middle of the city. That’s reality at Oudaen. The city castle was build in 1280. Since 1968 it’s a listed building. Since 1986 the castle is designed for hospitality. It changed hands a number of times. In 2017 the owners of neighbouring PK took over. They transformed it into Oudaen 2.0. Oudaen brews it’s own lager in the cellars. A special place for lunch or dinner.

Address:

Oudegracht 99

3511 AE Utrecht

030 202 0800

De Muntkelder

De Muntkelder serves a variety of pancakes. They serve the traditional Dutch pancakes wit hall sorts of toppings. Apple/raisin pancake, bacon/cheese/onion pancake or pulled pork pancake are some of the options.

Address:

Oudegracht aan de Werf 112

3511 AW Utrecht

030 231 6773

Venezia ijs

Venezia is in business selling Italian icecream since 1928. Guido De Lorenzo opened the first Italian icecream parlor in The Netherlands. His son founded the parlor at Oudegracht in 1971. His daughter took over in 2003 and started the ice truck on the Jansbrug across from the icecream parlor.

They sell 32 different flavors of icecream. It’s delicious.

Address:

Oudegracht 105

3511 AE Utrecht

030 231 9135

Mahanakorn

Mahanakorn is already serving Thai food for 25 years in Utrecht. On the menu are dishes like Tom Kha Kai, Kai Phad Khing and Phad Thai.

Address:

Oudegracht aan de Werf 140

3511 Al Utrecht

030 2333545

Den Draeck

We haven’t been to Den Draeck in a long time. We loved their food, but their staff and the food arriving was really slow. They serve satay, a burger and steaks among other things.

Address:

Oudegracht 114

3511 AW Utrecht

030 232 1999

Quignon

Quignon serves food at the Oudegracht since 2002 in a laid back atmosphere. They serve lunch, dinner and drinks. Options on the menu are a grilled black Angus burger, vegan club sandwich and applepie.

Address:

Oudegracht 134

3511 AX Utrecht

030 225 7062

Ledig Erf

An historic street with a cinema and restaurants with lively terraces on it. The street was already in use in the Middle Ages, it was then just outside of the city walls. Close tot he city center right now, reachable after a nice walk down the Oudegracht. In this list some of the restaurants aren’t on Ledig Erf, but in streets adjoining Ledig Erf.

De Beren Utrecht-Centrum

De Beren is a chain in The Netherlands, we’ve been to several and love them. Luckily there’s one now in downtown Utrecht. It’s a kid friendly place. We love their spareribs, berenburger classic, nachos, satay and kidsmeal.

Address:

Ledig Erf 36

3582 EA Utrecht

030-7440592

BROEI

BROEI has food that turns around vegetables. We love the eclectic ambiance they have created and the organic drinks they serve. You can sit down for breakfast, lunch, dinner or just to drink something.

Address:

Oosterkade 24

3582 AV Utrecht

030 7370005

KEEK

They’re an organic eatery and bakery. KEEK is short for ‘Kunst En Eerlijke Koffie’(art and honest coffee). They started in 2008 and produce everything themselves from fresh, organic produce.

The first time I came here was with a friend, who wanted to eat wheat free, for lunch. Since then I’ve returned with Paul for cake and tea.

Address:

Twijnstraat 23

3511 ZG Utrecht

030 233 3299

Meneer Smakers Burgerbar Ledig Erf

The slogan of Meneer Smakers is ‘Best Burgers in Town’. All their burgers have names like aunt Truus, sister Fleur, uncle Huib and so on. They serve a large variety of burgers, including vegan options. Further more they have sandwiches and salads. We liked their burgers.

Address:

Twijnstraat 62

Stach

Stach’s mission is to make it easier for you, they serve everything you need for 24/7, healthy food as well as guilthy pleasures. They have giant macarons! Had to take these home for my 2 men.

Address:

Twijnstraat 1

030 737 0061

Stael

Stael is opened from 8 am till 7 pm for breakfast, lunch and later on. They’re situated on Twijnstraat, the oldest shopping street in Utrecht. An historical building, that used to be the forge. They serve high teas.

Address:

Twijnstraat 9

3511 ZG Utrecht

030 878 0723

Outside downtown

Restaurants are not only in the center of Utrecht, they’re located all over the city. So venter out and sit down at one of these places to eat in Utrecht.

Restaurant Het Oude Tolhuys

A restaurants in the woods. Het Oude Tolhuys has a lovely terrace, which is perfect for tea and reading a book. We had a high tea once for Paul’s Birthday, we’ve been here for Mothers day and just because. We love this restaurant in the forest.

Address:

Weg naar Rhijnauwen 13-15

3584 AD Utrecht

030 251 1215

De Beren Eetcafés Foodspot Utrecht

There’s more than one De Beren in Utrecht. This one isn’t downtown, but almost in Vleuten. It’s in a foodcourt with other restaurants.

Address:

Proostwering 80j

3543 AJ Utrecht

010 243 7191

Anafora

We’ve sat on a the terrace of Anafora a few times, while Yuri played with a friend in the adjoining playground ‘Boschspeeltuin’. It was lovely to sit on the crowded terrace. We love coming here and have a drink and bite and a large playground for Yuri to run around at.

Address:

Uilenboslaan 1

3451 GB Utrecht

030 677 1005

Van Ostade

Van Ostade is a restaurant with delicious food and a fine terrace. We’ve sat here a few times and loved our time here. Top dishes were the Eton Mess and the chicken sandwich.

Address:

Adriaen van Ostadelaan 65

3583 AB Utrecht

030 737 1252

Conclusion

As you can see there are plenty of good choices to eat in Utrecht. For eating meat or the opposite vegetables, cheap or more expensive, it’s all there.

For other cityguides about where to eat in The Netherlands like The Hague, Den Bosch, Haarlem, Tilburg, Scheveningen, Maastricht and Eindhoven.

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