Adorable, handsome unique tower on the water; there is a pier behind the tower to view the…read moreentirety. There is a bar in the first floor that serves "The Heinekenbier" among others, and the restaurant on the 3rd floor descends back to the 2nd and is totally medieval in design, reached by tight winding brick staircase in the monkey tower.

My wife and I visited De Hoofdtoren mainly because of the novelty of eating inside a 1600s gate…read morehouse that used to be on the south sea (now on a lake). Turns out the food is really excellent and the service is friendly. They had just launched a new menu when we paid a visit and the sandwiches for lunch were delicious, though not exactly filling. Probably an appropriate serving size. The view from the small windows isn't too expansive, but the atmosphere is still very nice. We'd definitely skip the street level restaurants to dine here again.

The best cocktails in town if you ask me! They have the biggest cocktail menu and they even have…read morebig bowls and buckets they fill with a specific cocktail to share. You can also ask the waiters to fill a big bowl with a different cocktail. The prices are lower than avarage. The atmosphere inside is very cozy and they usually have good music playing in the background, at night they turn the music a bit louder. Outside they have normal tables and chairs but also lounge couches with heaters. The service could be better though. It's often quite slow!

From the owner: Dineren - Borrelen - 50 Lokale Bieren - 25 Open Wijnen - 200 Cocktailsread more

For the quality of restaurants normally found in Leiden, this one is rather excellent. All the food…read moreis fresh, well-prepared, and full of flavour. The restaurant itself has a nice welcoming atmosphere, even though the waiters and plate settings would indicate that it's rather stiff-upper-lip, the clientelle is relaxed and everyone is welcome. I would only give a few dings for the following things: (1) The service - yes, I know I should not complain of the service in the Netherlands, but I can't help myself. The waitress told us that as per the concept, they recommend ordering one 'small' bite, two 'medium' ones and one 'large' one. Setting aside the fact that this is actually an outrageous amount of food for one person, when our group of 4 proceeded to not follow the 'recommendation' and order haphazard amounts of everything from different parts of the menu, the waitress clearly panicked and started asking us about the order in which things should we served. We told her to essentially figure it out herself and were rewarded with fairly haphazard serving order in return. (2) Odd flavour combinations - while some dishes were absolutely delicious (like the classic Asperges a la flamande), others where they clearly tried to experiment were frighteningly bad. In particular the 'food shot' (served in a shot glass) of diced cervelat salami served with chunks of vodka jelly on top of a bed of sliced onions - this dish was not appealing in any way, shape or form. There were a few other similar clearly failed experiments and I'm not sure why they've chosen to keep them around on the menu. Other than this though, it's definitely an interesting place and worth checking out if in Leiden.

My mom (a very picky eater with a sensitive gastrointestinal track) and I walked in here for a late…read morelunch on the day we arrived in Amsterdam. And despite ALL of our meals in Amsterdam being excellent, this one may have been the best. We wanted to try Dutch food, not totally knowing what to expect and were blown away by the combination of flavors and textures we consumed. We started with the pickled herring which was served with onions and pickles- fresh yet bold! I'm still thinking about those little fishies weeks later. Then we each had the sampler-ish plates (I forget what it was called). Hers was the vegetarian version and mine was with sausage. There were 3 kinds of essentially mashed potatoes with veggies mixed in: 1 with spinach I think, 1 with carrots, and 1 with sauerkraut. Mine came with a delightfully rich gravy and my moms came with some kind of lighter yellow sauce (I think mustard based). We tried these same dishes at other Dutch restaurants during our stay, but nothing beat The Pantry. The service in this quaint and cozy spot was also excellent!

Traditional Dutch foods, served in a charming/cozy dining room - what's not to love? We enjoyed…read moreevery dish that we ordered; even our pickiest (child) member of our party ate well (the meatball and hutspot disappeared from the plate :). Portions are substantial and a very good value in a neighborhood where tourist-markups are the norm. They have a/c, but in order to feel it you'll need to sit closer to the back of the restaurant/near the kitchen, as there is only one wall unit back there, and they leave the front of the restaurant open to the elements (even in 98+ degree heat).

From the owner: Ons huiselijke restaurant ligt aan de mooiste gracht van Leiden, het Rapenburg. Het is gevestigd in…read moreeen historisch pand, waar begin vorige eeuw een drogisterij onderdak vond. De 'Gaper' aan de gevel is nog altijd een markant herkenningspunt. Op het menu staan eigentijdse gerechten, die met veel aandacht voor zowel de ingrediënten als voor de gast worden bereid. En bij alles geldt: alleen kwaliteit telt! Parkeert u op de Haagweg, dan heeft u gratis vervoer naar ons restaurant.

My family and I visited Amsterdam, and this restaurant did not disappoint. Very elegant fine dining…read moreexperience. It is in the lobby hotel, and when you walk into the hotel it's directly to your left. The service was amazing, everyone was very friendly. We had Rose as our server, she was very personable and gave great recommendations about the menu. My family and I got the fish special, the flat iron steak, the mussels, and the crème brûlée. Would highly recommend all of these dishes, they were delicious! Would recommend this place if you are visiting Amsterdam. Great restaurant for family dinners or a date night!

Came here just for breakfast. The interior is spacious and elegant. The breakfast menu is a bit…read morelimited in my opinion, but still good. I got the Croque Madame which was yummy. Service was fine. I have no complaints about this place, but it was nothing mind-blowing.

From the owner: Verrassing van de Chef € 23,50 P.P. Laat je verrassen door…read morede creativiteit van onze chef en geniet van een smaakvol palet van mooie gerechten. Vanaf 2 personen. BBQ op tafel € 19,50 P.P. Met onze tafelbarbecues kun je het hele jaar door binnen gezellig barbecueën op houtskool. Geniet van een combinatie van lamsfilet, eendenborst, filet van Zweeds varken, diamanthaas en kippendij. Met vooraf een proeverijtje van heerlijke hapjes. Vanaf 4 personen.