Engel & Engel — Restaurant in Harderwijk

Absolutely, Ati! Let’s get this review into English with your style in mind.

We recently visited a little spot in Harderwijk called Engel & Engel, a small bar and gelateria right by the water. We decided to stop there because, surprisingly, most of the places along the waterfront didn’t have much of a seafood selection. This one did—they had kibbeling and other fish dishes—so we figured we’d give it a try.

We were a party of seven, four adults and three kids, and we sat out on the terrace. The waiter was friendly, though he had a bit of trouble understanding my Dutch, which isn’t top-notch anyway. We tried to order a few beers, but they told us they don’t serve alcohol, probably because they don’t have a license. So we ended up with some orange juice, water, and a few other soft drinks.

One thing I really didn’t like was that they only had small bottles of still water. I’m not a fan of places that don’t offer larger bottles or tap water easily. It always feels like they’re just trying to make a bit more money off thirsty customers, which I really don’t appreciate. I prefer places that are generous with water, especially for kids. Anyway, we got just a half-liter bottle for the kids and ordered other drinks for the adults.

As for the food, we ordered kibbeling, some breaded shrimp, a schnitzel, and gratinated mussels. The shrimp were definitely the best part, the schnitzel was okay, and the kibbeling was decent but not the best I’ve had in the Netherlands—just average. The mussels, however, were honestly inedible. They came with melted cheese on top, which might be a local thing, and it really didn’t work for us, but also the mussels were weird and they tasted bad. We couldn’t eat them at all and just left them. I wouldn’t be surprised if they made someone feel a bit queasy later on.

We finished up with three scoops of gelato for the kids, which they enjoyed, and that was it. The total bill came to 87.50 euros. Overall, the place has a nice view and a pleasant terrace. The food and service were just okay. And...

Op 9 mei 2022 hier gegeten. Kibbeling en gebakken vis. Kwaliteit is bagger. Donker gebakken kibbeling, waar één drap van z.g. vis in zit. Smaakt als oververhit en het vet druipt er uit. 3 personen delen dezelfde mening, was niet te eten. Eigenaar erbij geroepen en werd gelijk boos. Erg arrogant, greep de kibbeling van tafel en ging weg, terug naar de zaak. Wij zaten aan de overkant vd straat op zn terras. Nagelopen, maar hij liep naar achteren. De vrouw daar nam het over, maar geen excuus van haar. We hebben betaald..26 euro en komen hier nooit weer. Wat een slechte zaak en dat melden velen hier. Koop hier nooit vis..een ijsje ook gehad, dat is altijd goed en veilig. Of..oude vis, vet niet goed of oud, maar wat ook...vis bakken kan hij niet, je proeft alleen vet. Gore zaak en slechte mensen die niet open staan...

Beautiful location, but the food disappointed. The frying oil isn’t good and everything fried has an unpleasant corn flavour to it. We had Kibbeling from a different vendor the day after and it was...