5x the nicest restaurants with original concepts!
These days if you go out for dinner, it’s not just important to have good food, but to also have an amazing experience. It is incredibly nice if a bar or a restaurant has a nice ambiance. The interior design, the atmosphere and the waiters all contribute to the full picture. Looking for nice places to visit, that offer amazing concepts as well as great food? Check out our list of restaurants that are definitely worth a visit!
1. Speck – the butcher concept (closed)
Speck Bar & Grill on the Ledig Erf is a meat restaurant with organic meat from bio-butcher Gerrit Takke on the Biltstraat. Loving the local collaborations! Dead center in the restaurant you can find dry-aged meat in a drying cupboard, which is quite fascinating.
Apart from the delicious food, the interior design is also worth a peek. The cool interior includes a smidge of industrial design. It looks like you’re walking straight into a butcher with those white tiles on the walls. The waiting staff fits in perfectly with their butchers’ uniforms: white button-ups and brown aprons. Ledig Erf 10
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg0q_z8hF5g/?taken-by=speck_utrecht
2. Beers & Barrels – the burgers and beer barrels concept
Beers & Barrels is a nice burger bar that has two different locations in Utrecht: on the Oudegracht and on the Veilinghaven. When you step into the bar on the Oudegracht, you immediately feel a comfortable atmosphere. There’s big brown couches beer barrels and countless glasses hanging over the bar. Beers & Barrels is the place that is perfect to take your partner for a few beers or sit down with a giant group of friends.
What makes the bar extra special is that you can take a seat on one of the higher tables with your own beer tap. The beer is weighed and you’re charged per kilogram. The menu is an impressive one. It’s filled with different dishes like burgers (of course), taco’s, dry-aged steaks, lobster, fish & chips and all sorts of bar bites. If you can’t finish your well filled plate, you can always take it home in a doggybag. Oudegracht aan de Werf 125 and Veilinghavenkade 177
https://www.instagram.com/p/BK_FL0-B27N/?taken-by=beersbarrels
3. Spaghetteria – the pasta or basta concept
Pasta-lovers will feel right at home at the Spaghetteria Pasta Bar on the Wittevrouwensingel. Spaghetteria serves fresh, home made pasta Italian style. This means not too much noise and a focus on nice soft pasta. The pasta is made with organic flour, imported from Emilia Romagna and is also available gluten free.
Spaghetteria doesn’t have a very extensive menu: six traditional dishes, of which three change daily. There’s at least something delicious at all times. A pasta with fish, meat or lots of vegetables.
The interior design is simple, but stylish. You can take a seat at the giant robust table at the middle of the bar or sit down in the windowsill. The large dinner table that you share with strangers makes it so it’s easy to talk to the other guests.
Extra fact: the Spaghetteria waiting staff are all men. What makes this pasta bar so attractive is that you can get a tasty pasta from only €9 euro. Wittevrouwensingel 44
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiXK-N4HFxt/?taken-by=spaghetteria_pastabar
4. Lucy Lou – het Zuid-Amerikaanse flair concept
South-American streetfood bar Lucy Lou on the Vredenburg offers an array of authentic Mexican tacos and tequila. The menu is very extensive, with different types of tacos filled with organic meat, fish and vegetables. Apart from that you can also find quesadillas, tortillas and nachos.
Apart from the tasty food, the bar is also very important. Lucy Lou serves over fifty kinds of tequila and mescal! Combine tasty dining with a shot of tequila or a cocktail.
The interior design of the restaurant was designed by Tubbs Design from Utrecht. Support your locals! The design consists of many colors, neon lamps and wood. Neon lovers really need to take a look at the bathrooms. The neon sign that says girls, girls, girls is a true eyecatcher. The interior design is one that a lot of thought has been put into. If you love South American food and are looking for a colorful place that spontaneously makes you smile? Than you need to go to Lucy Lou! Vredenburg 30
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiZkrBDHK2t/?taken-by=lucylou_utrecht
5. Don Dining Kounosuke – the traditional Japanese concept
A Japanese restaurant couldn’t be missing from this list. What makes Don Dining Kounosuke on the Westerkade so special is that they mostly serve Don (no surprises there). This is a very popular Japanese dish. A bowl of rice topped with different toppings like meat, fish or vegetables. The don is served on a wooden tray with lots of small bowls containing toppings like wasabi, dashi, ginger and so much more! These toppings add an intense flavor and you can add as much of them as you like.
The restaurant has a clean interior. The wooden tables and blue chairs create a traditional Japanese basic look. From the window you can look out over the water of the Westerkade. IN the restaurant you can also find a bar where you can drink Japanese whisky or sake. What makes the restaurant so authentic is the chefs in the kitchen and the hostess, who are all of Japanese descent.
It’s almost a must to go there if you’re someone that loves Japanese cuisine and are looking for a quiet but homely atmosphere. Westerkade 27
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bgdn2RmD7V8/?taken-by=don_kounosuke
Header image – Michaela – The new life beginning
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