GOUD — Restaurant in Rotterdam

We visited Restaurant Goud on a warm Wednesday evening in summer to celebrate a special occasion. The atmosphere was relaxed and not overly busy, which made the experience feel even more personal. We had made our reservation about a week and a half in advance without any issues.

From the moment we arrived, the service stood out—friendly and attentive. We were warmly welcomed at the entrance and guided to a beautiful table with a panoramic view across the restaurant. The interior is striking and memorable, with a distinctive golden theme throughout.

On the way to our table, we passed the open kitchen and were kindly greeted by the staff and chef Herman den Blijker himself, which added a special touch to the evening.

We opted for the five-course tasting menu, which turned out to be an excellent choice. Each course was well-paced and beautifully presented, and the waitstaff checked in after every dish to ensure everything was to our liking. Service was both prompt and thoughtful.

The highlight for me was the main course—sucade with cauliflower, almond, and aceto balsamico—as well as the salmon with kohlrabi, seaweed, and beurre blanc with fennel and dill. We also enjoyed their non-alcoholic cocktails (mocktails), and it was great to see that dietary preferences and allergies were asked about in advance.

Time flew by—we spent about two hours enjoying the meal, but it never felt rushed. Overall, Restaurant Goud delivered a memorable dining experience, perfect for celebrating special moments like a birthday.

A nice bonus: they also participate in the American Express “Dining for...

Beautiful place with a kind staff. Best part? The fine cocktails. I accompanied my 5-course menu with 5 different cocktails suggested by the bartender, everything was delicious.

To improve: They sell the place as a “fancy” place with a nice gastronomy, but actually the food was not what I expected, it was expensive compared to the quality of food they offer.

5-course menu: 1st dish - Tuna carpaccio: This dish had small pieces of strawberry and as the strawberry flavor was so strong,  it overshadowed the flavor of the tuna, so I couldn't really taste the tuna. I didn't like this dish.

2nd and 3rd dish - fish & pork: They were DELICIOUS!

4th dish - meat: The meat was perfectly cooked and accompanied by some delicious garnishes, BUT, the meat was salty.

5th dish - dessert: DISAPPOINTED! I didn’t get the point of this dessert, strawberry with a kind of cereal, really? Maybe the sauce they used was expired, because it didn't taste good at all.

I’ve paid less in restaurants that have one Michelin star, so I don't think I would return...

I took my girlfriend here for a Birthday meal and I couldn't of picked a better place! We were looked after in every way possible. When we first walked in we were sat at the bar to have pre drinks before the meal. We met the head barman Ernest (from Dr. Rotterdam) who made our experience very pleasurable by providing us with a great and comfortable experience. Someone who clearly loves there job and knew everything there was to know about drinks as well as the food. We ended up sitting there for an hour before we even sat at our table. Then when we finally sat down for our meal we were looked after by all the staff, they were all very friendly and helpful. Ernest even came over after a little while to make sure we were happy with everything and he was busy at this point. The food was spot on! One of the best meals we have had and just overall really enjoyed the evening. We would definitely go back and would recommend this place to anyone who visits...