In the past I published an article on where to go in Eindhoven for delicious coffee, a healthy lunch or just a nice terrace. That was well received. But things do change in a continuously developing city like Eindhoven and so unfortunately some place no longer exist, and at the same time new ones have opened. So here’s a new list for 2024. Enjoy and tell me if you’ve visited a place and what were your thoughts! I have not included any chain restaurants or bars here, I’m sure you can find those yourself or already know them.
1. Tea Stories
You can find me at this tea cafe almost every week. I love it: everything breathes quality. From the delicious matcha to the different types of bubble tea and ‘normal’ pots of tea. But they also have an ever-changing lunch and snack menu. It’s a small menu, but everything on it is delicious. From toast with kimchi to a matcha waffle (but now changed to a bun for the summer menu) with cashew-ricotta cream and strawberries. They also have a matcha affogato and handmade mochis. I don’t get paid for this review, haha. This place just makes me happy. Leidingstraat 203 (Strijp-S) open daily between 11 AM and 6 PM, on weekends between 10 AM and 6 PM.
Tea stories <3
2. Intelligentia
The well-known ice cream shop was closed for a while due to bankruptcy but has reopened. Jeffrey took over the business and it is now officially called Intelligentia ICE by Jeffrey. But inside everything is still as you were used to, including the delicious ice cream. Any flavor tips? Go for chocolate sorbet (also called ‘dark chocolate’ I think these days, it’s a sorbet and therefore it’s not creamy, but so delicious, especially if you like things not too sweet) and speculoos flavor, tasting after the spiced cookies. They also have limited edition flavors that are worth trying. Leidingstraat 27 (Strijp-S), opening hours depend on the season, check Google Maps for the current opening hours.
Top: chocolate sorbet, bottom: speculoos, in a charcoal cone that tastes just like a regular one.
3. Cafe Bommel
This is perhaps my favorite cafe to combine a drink with a simple bite. Nice and brown old-skool vibe, small and mainly with the original residents of the neighborhood still visiting, which I love. Nice atmosphere. The staff cooks dinner every day. You have a choice of three meals: meat, fish or vegetarian. In addition to this main course you get a vegetarian soup. Kleine Berg 32, closed on Mondays, kitchen opens from 5:30 PM. Make a reservation if you want to have dinner, it’s popular and places are limited.
4. Giornale
Giornale (newspaper) lives up to its name with interior details. The menu is literally a newspaper. I like that kind of attention to details. Furthermore, the food – Italian dishes with a twist – is delicious. For lunch I always love the tuna piadina. They have dishes that you order for yourself and dishes that you can share. As a side dish, I highly recommend the sweet potato patatas bravas with feta. Stationsplein 12 (Centre), open daily for lunch and dinner. Be sure to make a reservation if you want to go for dinner.
The (in)famous tuna piadina at Giornale…
5. Snack center
Hello crispiest fries in Eindhoven. The quality is simply consistent and every Dutch person should have a favorite fries place. This is mine. And I think quite a few people in my neighborhood agree because it is always busy. In terms of snacks, they also have many tasty homemade products, such as shrimp croquettes. Leenderweg 61 (Stratum), closed Monday and Tuesday.
I can just taste the crisp looking at this pic… <3
6. ‘t Rozenknopje
Despite its size, this large cafe with terrace has something cozy about it. This is also a place full of locals and I like that that is still possible. That not everything has been gentrified yet. Please let it stay this way. Here you can simply order a beer or wine and, for example, a burger or a salad. Sometimes there is live music. On Mondays there is a big table where you can join to share a meal with strangers (‘stamtafeldiner’). On the terrace you can watch life go by. Always pleasantly busy. Hoogstraat 59 (Gestel/Centrum), open daily between 12:00 (noon) and 01:00/02:00 AM.
7. BeanBrothers
If you want to visit BeanBrothers, walk slowly through this street, otherwise you will pass by without noticing. There is a small door that leads you into an alley. Then you come to a kind of garden/courtyard and there is a door to a ‘shed’ where BeanBrothers is located. The coffee grinder is obvious in the room, the chairs are simple. But the coffee is great and the chocolate beans next to it are delicious. Pastries and cakes are also great! Bergstraat 14a (Centre), open Friday to Sunday. Check the current opening hours on Google.
See the brownish sign with ‘stadsbranderij’? Take that door underneath into Coffee Wonderland 😉
8. Cafe 100 Watt / Stadsbrouwerij
If you like specialty beer in a casual atmosphere, this is the place for you. Tip: arrive on time and grab a table outside to have a view of the Dommel and life passing by in front. Always fun to watch. The brewery is immediately behind the cafe. Menu recommendation: the tasting where you get four small specialty beers for a reasonable price. Or the pairings of a dish with a suitable beer the recommend to combine due to flavors that match. Bleekweg 1 (Centrum), open daily, but times vary, check Google maps for the day you want to go.
Terrace of Cafe 100 Watt/Stadsbrouwerij
9. Residency for the people
This place doesn’t stand out at all if you pass by on the street in front, but has a nice atmosphere: a bit dark, small and with candles. I love that kind of cozy, romantic atmosphere. But what I especially love are the dumplings they sometimes have here. You have to be lucky, because the chef changes what he offers regularly and I believe that change happens every week. But I have already had the opportunity to try the dumplings a few times and that made me very happy. Also great for just a drink. Kerkstraat 1 (Centre), open from Wednesday to Saturday from 4:00 PM to 12:00 AM. They don’t take reservations.
THE dumplings… so good!
And the menu of that night to give you an idea.
10. Bali Mesari
I love Indonesian food, it’s so delicious. And given the Dutch history, we have quite a choice in this. But Bali Mesari is very close to me – I can crawl home, hurray – and it is just so good! Enough spice and flavor, but not too extreme if you don’t like it, and it is well indicated on the menu what to expect. Also many lesser-known dishes and plenty of vegetarian options. Small restaurant in a residential area, not a place where you go for the atmosphere but really for the food. Open every day from 5:30 PM to approximately 9:00 PM. Closed on Wednesdays. Sint Bonifaciuslaan 300 (Stratum).
I had some tofu-bean sprout dish, my friend a fish curry if I remember correctly. Yum!