Restaurant in Haarlem, Netherlands
Michelin star, canal setting, book ahead.
Ratatouille Food & Wine holds a Michelin star (2024) and a Star Wine List White Star, making it the most decorated restaurant in Haarlem's modern cuisine field. At €€€€, it delivers technically precise cooking from an open Molteni kitchen with counter seating worth requesting. Book three to four weeks out minimum; Thursday to Sunday only, with lunch slots easier to secure than Saturday dinner.
At the €€€€ price point, Ratatouille Food & Wine earns its Michelin star (awarded 2024) through technically precise cooking and a room that makes every seat feel considered. If you are deciding between this and the other modern cuisine options in Haarlem, Ratatouille sits clearly above the €€€ tier in both ambition and execution. Book it for a special occasion or a serious food dinner; skip it if you are after something casual or value-led.
The address on the Spaarne puts you in one of Haarlem's most characterful canal-side buildings, and the interior carries that through: a slightly rustic, eclectic fit-out that avoids the clinical minimalism common to starred dining rooms. The centrepiece is an open Molteni kitchen, a serious professional installation that turns the cooking into part of the dining experience rather than something happening behind a closed door.
That open kitchen matters most if you can secure counter seating directly in front of it. At a restaurant operating at this level, watching chef Jozua Jaring and his team work through service is a different proposition from a standard table. The Molteni stove signals the kitchen's intent: this is not a show kitchen bolted on for theatre, it is a working engine around which the room has been designed. If you have been once and sat at a table, request the counter on your return visit. It changes the pacing of the meal and gives you a direct read on the precision Jaring is known for.
The waterside terrace is available in warmer months and needs to be specified at booking. It runs alongside the Spaarne and is the more relaxed of the two seating environments. For a first visit focused on the food, the interior counter is the sharper choice. Save the terrace for summer when the setting earns its keep.
Jaring's approach centres on visual contrast and flavour surprise: vegetable ice cream, Asian citrus accents, classic vegetable jus appearing where you might not expect them. The kitchen has a documented strength with fish and seafood, and the vegetarian options are taken seriously rather than treated as an afterthought. The White Star recognition from Star Wine List (published November 2023) confirms the wine programme is treated with equivalent seriousness, making this a genuine food-and-wine pairing destination rather than a restaurant with a wine list attached.
If you went once and ordered the more direct end of the menu, go back and push further into the more technical dishes. The kitchen's personality is most visible when it is working with contrasting textures and temperatures rather than playing it safe.
Ratatouille is closed Monday and Tuesday, which is standard for a kitchen operating at this intensity. Thursday opens only for dinner (6 PM to 9 PM). Friday, Saturday, and Sunday offer both lunch (noon to 5 PM) and dinner (6:30 PM to 9:30 PM). Lunch is the easier booking and often the better entry point at €€€€ pricing: you get the full kitchen in a slightly less pressured service window, and the lighter hours mean the room feels different from a Saturday dinner. For a first visit or a returning guest wanting a lower-key experience, a Friday or Sunday lunch is the practical call.
For a major occasion — anniversary, significant birthday — Saturday dinner is the natural choice, but expect it to be the hardest table to secure. This is a hard booking by Pearl's assessment; plan three to four weeks ahead at minimum, more for weekend dinner slots.
Against the Haarlem modern cuisine field, Ratatouille has no direct equivalent at the starred level. ML (€€€ · Creative) and Fris (€€€ · Modern Cuisine) are the closest in category but sit one price tier lower and without Michelin recognition. Brasserie BRUIS is a useful fallback for a less formal evening. For a full picture of what the city offers, see our full Haarlem restaurants guide.
If you are benchmarking Ratatouille against starred dining elsewhere in the Netherlands, the relevant comparisons are De Bokkedoorns in Overveen (a short distance from Haarlem), Aan de Poel in Amstelveen, and Ciel Bleu in Amsterdam for a two-star reference point. For wider Netherlands dining at the leading end, De Librije in Zwolle, 't Nonnetje in Harderwijk, Brut172 in Reijmerstok, Inter Scaldes in Kruiningen, and Parkheuvel in Rotterdam give useful calibration. Within Haarlem specifically, if you are building a trip around the food scene, pair Ratatouille with a stop at Café Samabe (€€ · Indonesian) for a much lower-cost but high-quality contrast, or Diga (Italian) for a casual evening around a starred-dinner visit.
For broader Haarlem planning: our full Haarlem hotels guide, our full Haarlem bars guide, our full Haarlem wineries guide, and our full Haarlem experiences guide.
Quick reference: Michelin 1 Star (2024) · Star Wine List White Star (2023) · €€€€ · Google 4.6/5 (692 reviews) · Thu dinner only; Fri–Sun lunch and dinner · Closed Mon–Tue · Terrace available (request at booking) · Hard booking.
For starred-level modern cuisine, there is no direct equivalent in Haarlem. The closest options one tier down are ML (€€€ · Creative) and Fris (€€€ · Modern Cuisine) , both serious kitchens at a lower price point and easier to book. If you want modern cuisine without the €€€€ commitment, Moustique (€€) or Brasserie BRUIS are reasonable alternatives for a relaxed evening. For something entirely different in flavour profile, Café Samabe (€€ · Indonesian) delivers quality at a fraction of the price.
The venue has an open Molteni kitchen that functions as the room's centrepiece, and counter seating in front of it is available. This is the seat to request if you want the most engaged experience , you are watching the kitchen work through service in real time, which adds a layer to the meal that a standard table does not offer. Specify your preference when booking; counter seats are limited and in demand.
The kitchen has a documented track record with vegetarian cooking, treating it as a serious strand of the menu rather than a concession. For other dietary requirements, contact the restaurant directly before booking , at the €€€€ level and with a Michelin star, kitchens at this standard typically accommodate needs given advance notice, but confirm specifics before you arrive. No phone or booking platform is listed in our current data, so check the restaurant's own website or reservation system for contact details.
Lunch is the better entry point for most diners. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday lunch runs from noon to 5 PM, the booking is easier to secure, and at €€€€ pricing the midday slot offers the same kitchen at less pressure and often a lighter atmosphere. Saturday dinner is the occasion choice , but it is the hardest slot to book and the most expensive way to experience the restaurant. If you have been before and want the full evening format, Thursday dinner (6 PM to 9 PM) is worth considering as a slightly quieter mid-week option.
No formal dress code is published, but a Michelin-starred €€€€ restaurant in the Netherlands at this level expects smart casual as a baseline. Jeans are generally fine if the rest of the outfit is considered; trainers and casual sportswear are a misjudgement at this price point. Treat it the way you would any serious European starred room: dressed, not formal.
Yes, and it is one of the cleaner cases for it in Haarlem. The Michelin star (2024), the open kitchen theatre, the waterside terrace option, and a wine programme serious enough to earn a Star Wine List White Star make this a complete occasion package. The €€€€ pricing means it lands as a genuine spend, which tends to make the occasion feel proportionate rather than ordinary. For a significant anniversary or birthday dinner in Haarlem, this is the obvious booking. Request the terrace in summer or the counter seats for a more engaged format.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ratatouille Food & Wine | €€€€ | Hard | — |
| Café Samabe | €€ | Unknown | — |
| MANO Restaurant | €€€ | Unknown | — |
| ML | €€€ | Unknown | — |
| Diga | €€ | Unknown | — |
| Moustique | €€ | Unknown | — |
Comparing your options in Haarlem for this tier.
At the starred level, Ratatouille has no direct rival in Haarlem. ML and Fris both operate at €€€ with modern cuisine formats, making them the closest alternatives if the €€€€ price point is a barrier. For something more casual with wine focus, Moustique is worth considering, though it operates at a different register entirely.
The venue includes an open Molteni kitchen as a centrepiece, but whether counter or bar seating is available for walk-in dining is not confirmed in the venue record. check the venue's official channels to ask about bar access before assuming it is an option.
Chef Jozua Jaring's cooking already spans seafood, fish, and vegetarian dishes, with the vegetarian side treated as seriously as the protein courses. That range suggests the kitchen is equipped to adapt, but specific dietary requirements should be flagged at the time of booking rather than on arrival.
Lunch runs Friday through Sunday (12 PM to 5 PM), which is the easier booking to land at this price point and gives you the waterside terrace as a real option in good weather. Dinner (Thursday to Sunday, with slightly later Friday and Saturday service starting at 6:30 PM) suits the fuller tasting-menu experience. If budget is a consideration, lunch may offer better value at a Michelin-starred kitchen.
The room is described as rustic and eclectic rather than formally grand, so rigid dress codes are unlikely. That said, at €€€€ with a 2024 Michelin star, arriving dressed for a serious dinner is the right call. Smart dress is appropriate; anything you would wear to a casual lunch elsewhere will feel out of place here.
Yes, and it is one of the cleaner cases for it in Haarlem. A 2024 Michelin star, a canal-side building on the Spaarne, a terrace (request at booking), and cooking built around visual impact and surprise all make it a defensible choice for a birthday or anniversary. Book the terrace specifically if the occasion warrants it and the weather allows.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
