6 hours in Haarlem - day trip from Utrecht

The Netherlands

11 Aug

Soon after the Utrecht walking tour, I got thinking about the next city I could visit in my new country. It is, after all, a very small country. I decided on Haarlem, having completely forgotten that I’d actually been there earlier this year. You see, we weren’t visiting Haarlem, but rather some friends who lived nearby. It was only until I started looking up restaurants for lunch that I realised I had in fact been there. It was the day we found out our friends were pregnant and they found out we were getting married! It was such a beautiful winter day that everything else was lost on me. So here I was, ready to visit the city in its own right.

As a honeymooning couple whose honeymoon is still a few weeks away 🙈, we made no plans. I looked up some blogs and lists of places to see and bookmarked a few restaurants that we might like on Google maps. We drove up to Haarlem around noon, so lunch was first on our list.

Lunch at DeDakkas

I initially planned to eat at By Lima, but as we pulled into the parking garage our stomachs growling, we could not resist walking up a floor to DeDakkas.

Falafel burger + fries, hot dog, and iced tea

Lunch Menu

I am a huge sucker for beetroot bitterballen and miss the ones from NOOIJ Dutch Deli (Düsseldorf). You’d think that I’d get them often now that I live in The Netherlands, but that is sadly not true. My eyes sparkled when I saw them on the menu here, but snacks are served only from 15:00 and dinner from 17:00 so we had to pick up from the lunch menu. It is a varied menu with many vegetarian options. I was tempted by the pasta but instead went for a falafel burger with fries and iced tea. I am very picky about my burgers. A lot of restaurants have started catering to vegetarian diners and in the spirit of bringing vegetarian options to their menu have totally lost the point. Most restaurants will offer you a vegetarian or vegan patty that is meant to taste like meat. Well, I don’t like the taste of meat. I like veggies. So, I am reduced to asking what the patty is made of every time I order a burger because I have been through some bitter disappointments after paying €20+ for a burger. The falafel burger at DeDakkas was delicious - great taste and perfect crunch.

Farm to table

I love that this vibrant restaurant sits on top of a very, very ugly parking garage. What’s even cooler is that they grow their own food. I walked around for a bit checking out their tomatoes, herbs, and chillies.

In-house vertical gardens were a concept I explored at my previous job and it was fun to see it for real at a restaurant I liked.

The Terrace

The terrace really is lovely. It was quite windy and they had to bring up weights for the umbrellas to prevent them from flying. The terrace seats 70+ diners (I’d guess) but parts of it are not covered by umbrellas. They have chairs for kids and if you sit indoors, but near the doors to the terrace, you can still enjoy the perfect weather we’ve been having lately.

Retail therapy

I wasn’t looking for something specific but I couldn’t resist popping into some of the stores I’d saved to my list. My personal style has changed a fair bit in the last year. I like block colours and the occasional pattern. I haven’t experienced boutiques much and it’s been interesting to discover local brands.

Clothes

Tiesjurt

I loved Tiesjurt! It’s a concept store with clothes, jewellery, and postcards. I resisted the urge to buy a colourful Bobo Choses sweater. I found the jewellery overpriced for what it was. I am in the market for a thin chain with a pendant, but I already know where I am getting it from when the time comes!

S bought a post card with cats on it - he said he will write me a card for my birthday!

Drifter

A mixed retail concept, very Scandinavian. We spotted Samsøe Samsøe, Malin + Goetz, Isabel Marant, and Ølaf.

S picked out a pair of really soft pants from Samsøe Samsøe for me. At 30% off, I accepted the deal! I just need to find a good tailor to take some of the length off.

Friendly staff, nice layout, and a good variety of stock.

Trend Recipe

A concept store on Koningstraat, we almost didn’t walk into Trend Recipe as we were decidedly on our way out of Haarlem. It’s run by two very lovely ladies, one of whom is about to launch her own brand named ULLA this September. They offered me a quick peek at their collection - block colours and boxy cuts - and I loved it!

I tried on a patterned black dress at their insistence and I must say her recommendation was spot on ❤️.

Home & Lifestyle

All the blogs indicated that Haarlem had a very eclectic vibe for clothes and home decor. I was not disappointed! We love popping into home decor shops and imagining what our home could possibly look like.

Kunst Centrum

Our first stop post lunch was Kunst Centrum, Haarlem. From art to decor and jewellery, they’ve got quite the colourful display. I spotted Susan Bijl and Puc.

Colourful wallets, confetti candles, mismatched jewellery, and neon install frames are some of the wares that caught my eye.

Circle of Home

It’s bougie. There, I said it. I bought a rose crystal heart to replace mine from childhood that cracked and a bar of scented soap.

I had another skin-colour stereotype moment here 🙄 I complemented one of their staff on her white blouse with gold design and she replied with “of course you like it” and then followed it up with “you know because of your background..” when I looked confused. I left shaking my head about white people engaging in cultural appropriation but learning nothing about racial sensitivity.

Huijsing Books

Run by some friendly folks, this pre-loved bookstore is going to close its doors after 7 years in business. If you are planning a trip to Haarlem in the next 3 months, be sure to stop by as they have a wonderful collection of Dutch and English books including vintage children’s books.

Studio IF

We found this delightful little studio on Kongingstraat. I was almost tempted to buy one of those small vases (€6 each) for my garden office, but decided to make one in pottery class instead. The more I see round tables, the more I’m convinced I want one. We have saved this studio for later in case we need inspiration for our home.

Sjakies

Sjakies is probably the brand ambassador of eclectic Haarlem. I did not go in, in part because I’d shopped enough and also because I didn’t have any cash on me for €1 entrance fee. If you are intrigued enough to pop in, consider reading the Google reviews before you do!

Coffee & Cake

What’s a summer afternoon without some cake? We stopped for a little indulgence at La Maru on our way to the parking garage. We ordered iced tea, a slice of lime & poppy cake, and Basque cheese cake. The cheese cake was delightfully soft and the poppy cake rather dense, but both wonderfully flavoured, each in their own way. We had a bit of an altercation with their staff when one of their servers brought us a matcha iced tea which we insisted we did not order. After she insisted that we had paid for it, we accepted it, only for another staff member to come by and accuse us of not paying for it. The girl who served us did intervene to correct him and claim her fault, but the attitude of the manager/owner left us really sour. There are so many ways he could’ve played this out - “hey, I think there has been a mistake” or even just checked with his staff instead of us. Maybe we had put in a second order while he was away.. but considering his go-to move was to accuse us of taking food we did not pay for, I cannot in good conscience recommend this establishment to others.

Day trip or stay over?

If you live in The Netherlands, I honestly think a day trip is good enough. But if you are a tourist here for the summer, I recommend an overnight stay. I was trying to compare it to Germany (in vibes, not size as I told my husband). In my eyes Amsterdam is Berlin, Rotterdam is Frankfurt, Utrecht is Düsseldorf, and Haarlem is Köln. My husband insists that Utrecht is nicer (which would be a very Düsseldorf thing to say haha). I generally think The Netherlands has more interesting restaurants and style to offer than my last hometown, so if you pick Haarlem it will not disappoint you.