An einem regnerischen Tag schlenderten wir ganz entspannt durch Haarlem, als auf einmal unsere Mägen sich meldeten und nach Essen verlangten. Und was gibt es da besseres in Holland als Fritten? Gesagt, getan: unwissend trafen wir auf diese kleine, belgische Frittenschmiede. Nur das dezente Schild, welches auf eine Erwähnung in einem Reiseführer der NYT hinwies, ließ uns erahnen, dass uns hier etwas besonderes geboten werden würde. Als uns die Pommesflaschen überreicht wurden, hatte der Laden direkt schon meine Sympathie: endlich mal eine große Portion, die den Namen auch verdiente. Gefühlt ein Kilo Pommes warteten nun auf mich. Und diese Pommes waren großartig. Außen knusprig gebacken, aber innen noch schön weich — so müssen diese Kartoffelstangen, für die der gewöhnliche Name«Fritten» nicht ausreicht(Goldstangen würde es eher treffen) sein! Für jeden Besucher von Haarlem ist dieser Laden absolute Pflicht! Hier bekommt man belgisch Fritten, die diesen Namen auch verdient haben!
Clarissa M.
Place rating: 5 Edinburgh, United Kingdom
UNF! You know what they say about being in Rome and all. Well, when in Haarlem the saying is, «When in Haarlem, eat delicious Flemish fries.» All right, maybe I made that up. But it’s still true! I came to the Netherlands having been instructed by my Dutch friend to try some fries with«special sauce.» I had no idea what a «special sauce» was, but suspected it had something to do with mayonnaise(I was wrong!). Regardless, when I spotted this wee chip shop in town with a steady stream of customers, as well as a cute location close to the grote markt, I added it to my must-visit list! By the time we actually got round to visiting after a long cycle, we arrived to find quite the line of like-minded individuals. Despite the queue we had placed our order in no time to the friendly guys behind the counter: one order of the most gargantuan fry cone I’ve ever clapped eyes on + special sauce. With fry cone in hand, we ambled off to savor our prize. And let me tell ya. This five-star review was well deserved. Those were some GOOD fries. The special sauce turns out to be some kind of tomato-based sauce with onions, and that coupled with the most perfectly crispy-soft fries made for the perfect snack.(Really, more of a meal for us, considering the size of the cone!) I wish that I could transport this fry shop to my current homebase, because I think I could easily sample every other sauce/fry combo they had on a daily basis. I’m particularly intrigued by the«Amerikain» sauce on offer. I don’t know what that is, but it probably tastes like freedom. A must-visit when in the lovely city of Haarlem, hands-down!(Not necessary but also quite fun: standing in the gigantic wooden clogs just next door to take a cringe-worthy tourist photo while holding your prize. Not that we did that. No way!)
Zachary S.
Place rating: 5 Amsterdam, The Netherlands
My mother in law was visiting us in Amsterdam and I was showing her around the Netherlands and she couldn’t get enough Fries with mayo, so while in Haarlem we stopped here. This place is my second favorite place in the Netherlands for fries. Crispy outside, soft inside. Sauces are decent. Stop here for fries, and see if you can find a bench in the main square.
Ana C.
Place rating: 4 Amsterdam, The Netherlands
While walking through the Bloemencourso in Haarlem, I noticed the huge line in front of this belgian fries stand and knew I had to try some! The line setup is a bit confusing, you order on the left and then wait on the right for your fries(right in front of the sauce sign… making it difficult for other people to see it). They have your usual selection of sauces which they usually pump onto your fries, but for the samurai, andalouse and americaine, it is self-service. The fries were slightly crispy on the outside and really soft on the inside. It is different than the ones from Vleminckx in Amsterdam; those are crispier overall. If you prefer your fries soft on the inside with a bit of crunch, this is your place. If you prefer really crunchy fries, I recommend Vleminckx.
Nick F.
Place rating: 5 Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Hands down the best place in Haarlem to go when you want some Belgian fries. They are oh so good! Perfectly golden brown every time. They sauces are also very good as well. The homemade sambal sauce with mayo is really nice as is the joppie sauce. I would go as far to say that these are the best Belgium fires that I’ve had in NL. Pretty damn close to the real thing in Belgium if not just as good. You will always see a line at this place because everyone knows how good it is, the prices are reasonable and the wait time is not that long.
