TOP FAVORITES:
- Best Sandwich Shop: Slagerij Leo van Vliet - delicious, cheap (3 euros), easy sandwiches to go. It took us a while to go there because we were slightly intimidated (mainly locals who know exactly what they're doing) but we got the kip (chicken) with chives and sauce and it was BOMB.- Best Gelato: Chocolaterie de Lelie - a chocolate shop that also makes the best gelato I've ever had. Get a double scope and sit along the canal to enjoy!
- Best touristy cafe that's well worth it: Stads Koffyhuis- highly overrated and overprices sandwiches, but their famous pea soup is to DIE for and if you get a seat in the window or on the boat (on a nice day!) you'll have gorgeous views.
- Best coffee shop to spend a cold afternoon: Coffee Company - comfy leather sofas and arm chairs, great tunes, and free wifi. It's a chain in Holland but each shop has it's own vibe so it feels super local. They had great coffee, yummy mint tea and sweet views.
- Favorite Restaurants-
1. De Beierd - hands down our favorite place to go (we may or may not have boughten every guest there and eaten there once or twice (or even three times) a week for a while. We befriended all the waiters (and I had major crushes on them all) and would always chat with them for a while whenever we ate there. They changed the menu daily and had five different types of specials (veggie, chicken, meat, pasta, etc.) that were relatively cheap and they had a delicious beer selection.
2. PeliCaan - Our airbnb host recommended this off-the-beaten-track, cozy (or gezellig :) place when we first moved there, and it quickly became our favorite special occasion place. It's super cozy with only a handful of tables that are usually filled with locals that have a standing reservation on Fridays and Saturdays. Their specials menu is usually to die for and they make a mean charcuterie platter.
3. San Marco - our go-to italian place around the corner from our apartment. It was the perfect, cozy italian place to get delicious pizza and pasta dishes and cozy up in a booth or in the back patio by the fireplace.
4. 't Postkantoor - this was a really interesting place. It had really cool style and decor inside, so going there was always a fun experience, plus they had an awesome outdoor patio for sunny days. The food was okay - they had a special of the day that was always different and was sometimes good (we thought that was their way of testing out meals, and some of them were just weird) but their bread and butter was PHENOMENAL.
- Favorite Bars -
- Best place to drink a beer on a hot day: Anywhere and everywhere. But really.1. Beestenmarkt is a big square with lots of restaurants, shaded areas under the trees and umbrellas, and a communal, friendly vibe. It's definitely my favorite place to go on a nice, warm day to get a Leffe or Duval and bitterballen to cool off. Get a round two at the square outside of LEF, which has tons of tables and areas to hang out (but limited beer options).
Best cozy place to get drink a beer: pretty much every bar in Delft is adorably cozy and perfect for a rainy afternoon, but our favorite go to place was Cafe de Wijnhaven. It has multiple levels, big tall windows and a fun college bar vibe. Het Klooster was another favorite that we discovered late in the year - it's super small so it's usually packed with locals, but if you can find a secret corner in the back, the beer selection is amazing and the vibe is spot on.
Favorite college bar:
1. BOUWPUB! By far, the best college bar was the bar on campus at the architecture building called Bouwpub. It was run by students so you could sign up to bar tend with your friends for the evening (which was SO fun), and beers were only 1-2 euros. You could order a toasty, sit with friends in the sun or inside at a table, and then attempt to bike home after too many 1 euro beers. It was THE BEST.
2.We spent a few evening as Cafe Tango, a fun pub on the corner of an old alleyway an the main canal, and it was a favorite with college students. We chatted up the Rowing Team one evening (they were all about 7 feet tall) and saw quiet a few of the fraternity folks there when riding by on our bikes.
3. Eetcafe de Ruif was also a favorite - it was always great meeting friends for a round of Lefe around the wooden tables, and it often ending in a dance party in their dancing room. It's connected to a barge in the back so on sunny days you can drink out on the canal, and on rainy afternoons it's the perfect cozy ambiance with the melting candles and cozy corners. It's also right next to the Nieuwe Kerk, down a dark alley way on the side, so it feels like its a secret medieval lair, which is pretty cool.
4. Doerak Beircafe was the bomb. Great beers, ample seating, and fun board games to play with friends.
- Cutest Cafes -
1. Boulangerie Michel is an adorable french cafe with delicious sandwiches if Slagerij Leo is too busy and has cute decor and seating in the back.
2. Kek ( Koffee & Kraft) is amazing, but because of that there's always a line out the door. It has DELICIOUS salads (my usual was basically just avocado and bacon), yummy coffee, smoothies, and AWESOME decor. There are tons of fun books and trinkets and awesome furniture for sale and it has a fun, hip vibe perfect for an afternoon of people watching.
- Favorite stores -
My favorite store in Delft was Dille & Kamille (which is a chain, but still felt so cute and adorable), and was the perfect pick me up for yummy candles, kitchen decor, fun gifts, and pretty much any kitchen tool you could ever need.We found the sweetest pottery store run by a little old lady who lived above the shop and mainly just wanted to open a store because she loved pottery. We bought two little mugs from her and they're our favorites.
We didn't shop much when we were there since we were living on a student budget, but here were a few of my favorite places to window shop: Instore Conceptstore, Seven Days, and Bij Marlies. They had great concept and lifestyle stores, which was a new concept for me at the time, and I loved being able to roam these places and envisioning living there and living the life they were selling. Great idea if you ask me :)
Must Do's in Delft:
- Get a fresh stroopwafel on Market Day (Thursdays or Saturdays)- Bike to brunch at cafe Du Midi
- Make friends with the old man that owns the clog shop at the corner Markt & Voldersgracht
- Wait in line for ice cream at De Lilie
- Get a beer and some bitterballen at Beestenmarkt
- Enjoy a night cap at Wijndhaven
- Beers and board games at t'Klooster
- Grab a three euro sandwich from Slagerij Leo van Vliet and ride bikes to the Delftse hout park
- Climb to the top of Old Kerk
Post Comment
Post a Comment