De Pijp' Restaurant

The Pipe (De Pijp') is one of those places that you have to know someone to find. In a side street of Rotterdam behind a nondescript door, the Pipe is a hole in the wall in every sense of the word. When you walk in, the first thing you notice (well, that I noticed) was the small kitchen in the middle of the restaurant that requires negotiating around servers picking up plates in order to get to your table. The next thing you notice is all the stuff tacked to the walls and ceiling: pictures, souvenirs, and even a collection of neck-ties. It reminds me of a local sports bar with lots of history, which this restaurant has certainly accumulated in its 100 plus year existence. It supposedly served as a meeting place for the resistance during the second World War (others tell me it was where the student union, after it was banned by the Nazis, continued to meet). The Pipe is a good place to enjoy some typical Dutch cuisine (yes, there is such a thing) and even more typical Dutch humor and bluntness. Because the food is very good, and the service is very blunt and humorous. If you have thin skin, don't go here.

And don't ask for Grolsch beer either, because, like many restaurants and bars, they only serve Heineken (the larger of the two major beer manufacturers in Holland). The servings are generous (I had a large helping of liver with well caramelized onions) and piping hot. The desserts, which include chocolate mousse (both white and dark chocolate) and various types of crepes, are excellent. I cannot boast that this is the best restaurant in Rotterdam or that it is the best place for Dutch food, but it is a very good choice for a group that wants to enjoy themselves and experience Dutch hospitality and vittles.