7 Best Restaurants in Delft, The Randstad

In a restored 18th-century building, Delft's classiest restaurant actually began as a humble pancake house, but owner and top chef Joris Peters now serves an ever-changing, but always innovative, array of exquisitely refined French-inspired dishes. Set a little outside town, but easily reached by cab, in fine weather it is worth trying to snag a table on the beautiful terrace, overlooking the Schie River.

This Delft staple has loyal regulars, drawn by a mean Indonesian satay, served at one of the many terrace tables on a small square overlooking a narrow canal. There's a smart restaurant on the first floor, but the bar and mezzanine have plenty to offer, with lunch snacks, a reasonable menu for dinner with the latest tracks on the speakers, and great fries and salads.

The ancient brick-and-stone walls of this cavernous former weigh house are adorned with hulking 17th-century balance scales—happily, dishes such as Flemish asparagus with ham and egg, or parelhoen (guinea fowl) in a rich dark broth, are equal to the fabulous setting. Tables on the terrace in front nestle under the town's magnificent, looming clock tower, while a more intimate restaurant area upstairs, open evenings only (closed Sunday), offers a more upmarket menu.

Kleyweg's Stads-Koffyhuis looks out over the oldest and one of the most beautiful canals in Delft. Inside, you'll find a stamtafel, a large table laid out with newspapers and magazines, where anyone may sit and chat, as well as smaller individual tables where you can enjoy good coffee, delicious pancakes, and terrific apple pie.

The tiny, family-run restaurant serves tasty meat-and-potatoes fare as well as good fish dishes such as kabeljauw (cod) with asparagus sauce. The adjoining Café de Oude Jean serves up somewhat cheaper fare.

Chic, modern decor forms a welcoming backdrop in this extensive café, which serves an inventive range of salads, rolls, and burgers, but a bigger draw awaits outside. Sunny skies will have you heading for the tables, set under leafy lime trees out front on the picturesque square.

You might normally be wary of any large establishment on a main tourist crossroads, with a menu in six languages, but what redeems this place, besides its to-die-for view between the Stadhuis and the Nieuwe Kerk, is the wide selection of good-value Dutch and international dishes. Fill up at lunchtime with all the usual Dutch café standards, including omelets, rolls, and salads, or enjoy a juicy steak from the more sophisticated dinner menu.