7 Best Restaurants in The Randstad, Netherlands

Stepping into "The Laughing Javanese," off an old Haarlem street that hasn't changed in centuries, you are hit with a flash of color and pungent smells. You can sit upstairs at one of the window tables and look out over the sober gabled houses while eating kambing saté (skewers of lamb in soy sauce) and kipkarbonade met sambal djeroek (grilled chicken with a fiery Indonesian sauce), or cobble together a meal of 12 or more small dishes if you want.

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 spacious and high-ceilinged Grand Café Brinkmann offers baguettes, pancakes, and other light snacks. Windows edged with stained glass overlook the Grote Markt and Sint Bavo's church across the square.

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.

A very funky restaurant-bar, XO has chunky silver graphics, purple-and-gray walls, and fun touches like "king" chairs, complete with claw feet and red cushions—an alluring setting for lunch and evening edibles. The menu contains a wide array of mouthwatering and exquisitely presented burgers and sandwiches, joined by a few more substantial mains available evenings only.