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We've compiled the best of the best in Haarlem - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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.
A short walk from the Frans Hals Museum - HOF, the city's favorite ice-cream parlor has been making Italian-style gelato since 1949, in around 50 mouthwatering flavors.
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.
One of Haarlem's best eetlokaals (dining spots), which attracts locals with its long bar, cozy tables, and lovely sun trap of a garden, is also extremely popular—get here early or book ahead to snag a table. The menu offers standards but with a twist: try the Popeye Blues Salad—a wild spinach, blue cheese, and bacon number, with creamy mustard dressing.
A very funky restaurant-bar, XO has a general floral theme running from the wallpapered ceiling to the legion of hanging baskets—an alluring setting. The menu contains a wide array of mouthwatering and exquisitely presented burgers and sandwiches, joined by a few more substantial mains available evenings only.
