Restaurant Hudson Leiden — Restaurant in Leiden

We searched for a proper burger place, we got a proper burger place. Hudson screams "burger" and "meat lovers" in every possible way and while they have some good looking vegetarian options, this is mostly what people come for. As we came in at 16.45, we were told we had to wait 15 more minutes before we could order from the menu. There was no option for us to see the menu already and withhold the actual order for just a bit, but it was fine as we could order drinks and bites already.

The fruit juice, strawberry and orange, was really nice as was the freshly made ginger tea. The bbq-sauce that came with the onion rings was a bit strong flavoured for the sweetness of the deepfried onions, some might like it but I found it a bit overpowering. As for the burgers, they were really tasty and cooked to perfection as were the ribs. I didn't touch the fries as I was content with the Tex-Mex styled burger I had ordered, which combined a very fine balance of guacamole, sour cream, cheddar, and salsa while avoiding the concept of soggy bread by having it served with a wrap.

While food and drink are of course extremely important when visiting a place, ambience is an equally important factor. I was not entirely prepared for animal skulls to hang from almost every single nook in the restaurant, although it fits the vibe Hudson is going for. And it was tastefully used. This place makes you think of a flamegrilled style barbecue just by simply looking around. The live band that played the Sunday I visited was playing around the corner of where the group I was with sat, and therefore we listened to it at a very nice volume. We could still talk using normal voices, but also genuinely listen to the lyrics. We didn't see very much of the staff, but that was fine as well. We didn't need anything besides the things we ordered when sitting down. Maybe I'll see more of them when I try Hudson again...

They could not find our reservation in their system so that was not a good start. The rest of the evening was a series of ups and downs.

The staff was generally friendly, attentive, and took drink and food orders quickly. It was nice that they had English-speaking staff. I liked the large selection of menu items.

The Oreo milkshake was a bit watery and tasted mostly like plain milk.

They forgot part of the food order and not everything was delivered together to the table as it should have been.

Luckily, the food itself was generally good/very good, well-prepared, and nicely presented. My only minor gripe here is that the mushrooms were not warm. The steak was perfect and the onion rings and fries were nice and crispy.

Although the portion sizes are good, the bill gets to be a bit pricey since sides are not included.

One of our mixed drinks had to be remade.

The atmosphere is very nice and comfy. The restaurant is nice and spacious and can handle large groups. We were surprised though that they turned away guests even though there were a few tables available.

I felt bad for the elderly gentlemen who could not use the toilet since it was "Buiten Gebruik".

3.5 out of 5 stars. Recommended, but with some hesitation. I do plan to come back and give them a...

Horrible service.

Almost every meal had been overcharged!!! My dish which was for €13.75 had been charged for €15.50. Individually it doesnt make a difference but we were 16 people. Imagine the €1.2 overcharge this would have fetched!!!

The staff refused to let us pay individually and insteas BLAMED us for not informing them in advance that we would like to pay individually instead of collectively!!! First of all, why would anyone even assume that a group would like to pay collectively?!!! Plus, the bill was for €350 and they expected us students to pay it by one card! This is the first time i have ever been told that we have to "INFORM" the staff that we would like to pay individually. My guess is that the staff attending to us did not want to increase their work and just made excuses to avoid it.

On top of this, most of us didn't really enjoy our meal. I ordered a pulled pork burger and it was cold and tasteless. Seemed as though the meat was a couple of days old. Imagine most peope out of a big group not enjoying their individual dishes.

Basically, avoid unless starving and no other...