Dijkers Eten & Drinken — Restaurant in Haarlem

TL;DR: Djikers made a salad so good it almost made me cry.

After a long two weeks of traveling through Germany and Belgium I was craving something light and refreshing rather than carb heavy and beige. Upon arriving in Amsterdam I was l overwhelmed by the hustle & bustle of the city and immediately decided to skip town for Haarlem. I happened across Dijkers while meandering through town on a quiet Tuesday evening. I ordered the Caesar salad expecting it to be solid, but I kid you not (and I cannot believe I’m writing this), but this salad was so incredibly, perfectly and lovingly assembled that it brought me to the brink of tears. Yes, I almost cried in public over a dang salad. Hear me out: perfectly grilled, tender, flavorful & savory chicken thighs counterbalanced with just the right amount of anchovies, a scattering of crumbled pancetta and roasted whole cherry tomatoes, topped with shaved pecorino and some house made croutons, a few sprigs of watercress and just the right touch of dressing. This life changing salad, the intimate and impeccably vibey ambience and the excellent service were exactly the salve my exhausted and overstimulated soul needed after weeks of stressful travel fueled by too many potatoes, meats and beer. 6/5 stars for a salad I’ll undoubtedly remember for the rest of my life.

I’ll have to write a separate 6/5 star review as an ode to the gorgeous raspberry tartlette. While my salad was so delicious it made me cry, the dessert was so delightful it made me giggle. Every time the server came by he caught me cackling like a maniac between bites.

Full range of emotions from such a simple but phenomenally executed...

This was a really nice restaurant. One of three we enjoyed on this street, all pretty much side by side. Casual but fine dining. Dijkers menu offers something for most tastes. Including veg options. I imagine it might change from time to time. We both had fish for mains that evening and a soup to start . Halibut was a special that evening. The other was Mackerel on gnocchi. Very good. We ordered glasses of wine instead of a bottle and both wines were fine. The glass selection was limited, but the bottle selection was varied and interesting. As a dessert we selected a few chocolates from a box presented to us at tableside. Probably locally made? Super dining...

Nice restaurant. One minor point was that the door of the restaurant kept opening. We were sitting right next to it on a chilly night. Either customers didn't close it properly or sometimes it would just open by itself. I had to close it at least 20 times during our meal which was very annoying. If management is reading this: Please fix it. (I find it hard to believe that I’m the first one to notice this 🤔). At the very least put a sign up for inconsiderate customers walking in and out to close the...