Feiertag: A Local's Guide to Utrecht
Welcome to my favorite places in Utrecht. I was born and raised in this beautiful city and I’m lucky to live in a quiet part of the city center. I’ll guide you to the best places around.
Music
Tivoli Vredenburg (Vredenburgkade 11, 3511 WC Utrecht) – Concert hall
Tivoli Vredenburg is the place to be if you want to see the best concerts; big and small. Although they moved to a new ‘cleaner’ and bigger building, they managed to make this place into something really special. Especially when they are organizing ‘indoor festivals’, such as CATCH or LeGuessWho, you can easily walk to different stages and see a variety of acts. It’s all connected to a big square in the center of the building where you can just chill and hang. To be honest, this place is the most fun because you meet the most people 😉
dB’s (CAB-Rondom 100, 3534 BE Utrecht) – Rehearsal Space / bar / club
dB’s might be one of the last ‘rock & roll’ places in Utrecht. Actually, it all started here for me, music-wise. Young bands are able to rehearse here and inspire one another. The atmosphere is so friendly and everybody coming from different musical backgrounds flow together nicely. The bar is amazing and they have some great beers. Plus, the (small) stage is the perfect place to discover new bands. Definitely worth visiting!
Ekko (Bemuurde Weerd Westzijde 3, 3513 BH Utrecht) – Club
Ekko is a small club with both live music and DJs performing. Their kitchen and chill-out playground is great and the place is mostly vegan. I’ve seen a lot of talented underground musicians here, such as the band STUFF.
* tip: visit the 4-day festival “LeGuessWho” during autumn. Ekko is the perfect place to discover upcoming artists *
Plato (Voorstraat 35, 3512 AJ Utrecht) – Record store
Plato is the best place to get your vinyl fix. It’s based in the lovely ‘Voorstraat’. I go to this shop like once a month normally because I get attracted to all those displayed artworks. The people are kind and the atmosphere is very relaxed. Definitely worth visiting.
Bars
Cafe Averechts (Lijsterstraat 49, 3514 TB Utrecht)
I’m not the biggest ‘pub-kind-of-person’, but Cafe Averechts might be my favorite one in Utrecht. Partly, because I was raised on this street, plus my sweet dad worked there as a volunteer. It has a wide variety of ages and all the visitors are always open and kind. All the people who work here are volunteers, which is quite special. Have a drink here!
Cafe Jozef (Mariaplaats 50, 3511 LM Utrecht)
Cafe Jozef is located at the Mariaplaats, close to Central Station. I live around the corner, so it’s easy to cross the street and have a drink here. They have great lunch and the interior feels like someone’s home. It’s the perfect place for children and families as well as it’s quite big.
A tip: they sometimes have some nice jazz sessions on Sundays. Check their website to see their schedule.
Springhaver (Springweg 50, 3511 VS Utrecht)
Some of my friends work here. But other than that it’s just an amazing place to have lunch, dinner or grab a drink. Or even go see a movie as it’s an arthouse cinema as well.
Try the avocado with poached eggs.
Restaurants
Le Clochard (Ridderhofstad 2, 3512 KL Utrecht)
First win: There is a fireplace! Le Clochard is hidden in a nice part of town and it’s the perfect cozy place to eat after a long stroll around town. The atmosphere is great, you got a lot of quality food and it’s affordable. Their specialty? Definitely the frog legs!
Meneer Smakers (Nobelstraat 143, 3512 EM Utrecht)
The best burgers (and fries) in Utrecht, in my opinion. They also have vegan options.
Zinnia (Koeriersterlaan 101, 3526 ZC Utrecht)
For me and some of my closest friends, it’s tradition to grab some good quality sushi at this Asian restaurant.
* At the moment all bars, restaurants, and clubs are closed because of COVID-19 so presently it’s only possible to see some live streams, buy via ‘click & collect’ and most of the restaurants deliver their meals. *
