Héron Petit Restaurant — Restaurant in Utrecht

We were lucky enough to get the last two seats available by the bar, where you can see the food being prepared. Staff were very welcoming and friendly, restaurant is petit as the name suggests and cosy.

Joyce, the co-founder (I presume), was very knowledgeable and informative about the dishes. I liked that there was a strong emphasis on foraging and relationships with the food producers. All of the best elements of fine dining without the pretentiousness and stuffiness that some restaurants have. The chefs were also very friendly and getting to see the food prepared before us and chat to them when they had a minute was fascinating.

The food itself was exquisite, each dish had a unique and carefully thought out flavour profile. The restaurant has dishes to accommodate most dietary requirements. My personal favourite was the pied de conchon (pigs foot presented like a kind of slow cooked sausage). The portions were tasting size as to be expected, but we were both pleasantly full by the end of the night and the mains came with an extra bean dish to fill the gaps. The prices are reasonable for a degustation experience, I think for the price it's much more of an intimate experience than you may get at some of the Michelin starred restaurants.

If you're in Utrect and want an evening of delicious foods, I'd highly recommend checking...

We had a lovely evening here at Hèron Petit Restaurant. Staff is very friendly, we were immediately welcomed warmly, they took our coats and showed us our seats. We chose to eat at the kitchen counter to have a direct view on the dishes being prepared. The chefs were absolutely beautiful to watch: fast, precise, clean and also very friendly with us, they liked to answer our questions and were very fun and nice. We took the 5 courses menu, which has a super convenient price (59 € pp!!) considering the quality of the food, the ideas behind the dishes, and also the fact that even though the portions are not huge, we were very full at the end of the meal. Also, I totally loved the whole concept of sustainability and the regionality that marks every single ingredient served in your plate, and let you experience a variety of new flavors and emotions. Really many compliments to all the staff. For sure there is still some growth that can be done, as sometimes the dishes were very very conceptual but the taste was more "interesting" than "super good", but anyway a great culinary and...

Upfront, this restaurant maybe isn’t for everyone. Not in a “pretentious you wouldn’t get it blah blah” kinda way but because not all the flavour and texture combos are to everyone’s tastes. Preserved, pickled, and fermented flavours and textures are very much a love it and hate it thing to many.

That said, if you want to taste things you’ve never tasted before or even considered being tasty this place is for you. Menu changes per the seasons, ingredients are local, and the knowledge and passion of the people working there is on another level.

If you can’t pick they are happy to pick for you. We picked our own food but left drinks (mix of alcoholic and non-alcoholic) up to the waiter. Pairings were fantastic, and the dishes we had were perfectly portioned and put together. Service is incredibly warm and friendly, and every dish and drink is explained in detail. You’re left to enjoy yourself and take your time, yet you never feel unattended.

A perfect place to celebrate a special occasion or just enjoy something different, and I cannot recommend this...