Restaurant in Hindeloopen, Netherlands
Michelin-recognised regional cooking, small-town setting.
De Hinde holds a Michelin Plate for 2024 and 2025 — consecutive recognition that makes it the most credentialed option for regional cuisine in Hindeloopen at the €€ price tier. It suits couples and small groups who want a calm, considered dinner in a historic IJsselmeer village. Booking is easy outside peak summer weekends.
De Hinde is the right choice if you want a Michelin-recognised regional meal in one of the Netherlands' most quietly compelling small towns. This is a restaurant for couples marking an anniversary, for travellers who have built a day trip around the Zuiderzee Museum and want a proper lunch or dinner to anchor it, and for anyone who finds the idea of a serious kitchen in a village of under 900 people genuinely appealing. If you are looking for a grand-occasion splurge with full tasting-menu theatre, the €€€€ kitchens — [De Librije in Zwolle](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/de-librije-zwolle-restaurant), [Ciel Bleu in Amsterdam](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/ciel-bleu-amsterdam-restaurant), or [Inter Scaldes in Kruiningen](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/inter-scaldes-kruiningen-restaurant) , are better fits. But if the occasion calls for something personal, unhurried, and rooted in place, De Hinde earns its seat at the table.
Hindeloopen is a former VOC trading port on the IJsselmeer shore, a place where painted wooden furniture and a strict canal geometry hint at a past far larger than the present town. De Hinde sits within this context not as a tourist-trap concession but as a working restaurant that has held a Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025 , consecutive recognitions that signal consistent kitchen standards, even if they fall short of star territory. A Michelin Plate means the inspectors consider the food worth eating; two in a row means the kitchen is not coasting.
The cuisine category is regional, and at the €€ price tier that positioning matters. Regional cuisine in the Dutch context typically means honest seasonal produce sourced from the surrounding Frisian landscape and the IJsselmeer itself , think freshwater fish, locally grown vegetables, preparations that follow the calendar rather than a global trend cycle. At €€, you are not paying for ceremony or for a brigade of forty. What you are paying for is cooking that takes the local larder seriously and applies enough technical discipline to hold Michelin's attention for two consecutive years.
With a Google rating of 4.1 across 409 reviews, De Hinde sits in the solid-but-not-rapturous band. That score, combined with the Michelin recognition, suggests a kitchen that delivers reliably without generating the kind of unanimous enthusiasm that pushes scores above 4.5. For a special occasion, that is actually useful information: you can expect a good meal, not a transformative one. Set expectations accordingly and you will leave satisfied.
The atmosphere at De Hinde is worth thinking about before you book. Hindeloopen's scale , the town is tiny, the streets narrow, the pace deliberately slow , carries into the restaurant's mood. This is not a loud room. It is not a place where groups celebrate with theatrical energy. The ambient register is quiet, which makes it a strong pick for a dinner where conversation matters: an anniversary, a first proper date, a business meal where you need to hear each other. If you want energy and noise, this is the wrong choice; if you want calm and focus, it is exactly right.
For the Dutch regional cuisine tradition, the technical question is always whether the kitchen is doing something considered with its ingredients or simply plating comfort food at a modest margin. Two years of Michelin Plate recognition suggests De Hinde clears that bar. The Plate is not awarded to kitchens that are merely inoffensive , it signals that the food has a point of view. At the €€ tier, that combination of awarded cooking and regional focus is genuinely uncommon. Most €€ operations in the Netherlands are casual or chain-adjacent; a regionally anchored kitchen with Michelin attention at this price is a rarer proposition.
For special occasions specifically, De Hinde offers something the €€€€ alternatives do not: intimacy without the financial pressure of a four-figure dinner. A couple celebrating an anniversary does not always want to feel they are auditing a €200-per-head performance. De Hinde allows the occasion to remain the focus rather than the bill. That is a real advantage, and it is worth naming plainly.
If you are building a broader itinerary around Hindeloopen, the town has more to offer than most visitors expect. The [Zuiderzee Museum](https://www.joinpearl.co/experiences/hindeloopen) context, the waterfront, and the town's distinctive painted-craft tradition make it worth a full day. Pair the restaurant visit with an afternoon exploring the town and you have a complete, coherent trip rather than a single meal bolted onto a drive-through. Check our [full Hindeloopen restaurants guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/hindeloopen) if you want to compare what else is available locally, and our [Hindeloopen hotels guide](https://www.joinpearl.co/hotels/hindeloopen) if you are considering staying overnight.
| Detail | De Hinde | La Mère Anne (Oudendijk) | Hofstede de Blaak (Tilburg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price tier | €€ | €€ | €€ |
| Cuisine | Regional | Regional | Regional |
| Michelin recognition | Plate 2024 & 2025 | Check Pearl | Check Pearl |
| Booking difficulty | Easy | Easy | Easy |
| Setting | Historic village, IJsselmeer | Rural Noord-Holland | Urban fringe, Tilburg |
| Leading for | Special occasions, couples | Casual regional dining | Local weekday dining |
For broader regional context at the €€ price tier, [La Mère Anne in Oudendijk](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/la-mre-anne-oudendijk-restaurant) and [Hofstede de Blaak in Tilburg](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/hofstede-de-blaak-tilburg-restaurant) offer comparable price positioning. Neither carries De Hinde's Michelin recognition, which is a meaningful differentiator at this tier.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| De Hinde | €€ · Regional Cuisine | Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | Easy | — |
| De Librije | €€€€ · Modern Cuisine | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Aan de Poel | €€€€ · Creative | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| De Nieuwe Winkel | €€€€ · Organic | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| Fred | €€€€ · Creative French | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| De Lindehof | Contemporary Dutch, Creative | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
A quick look at how De Hinde measures up.
The venue data doesn't confirm a bar-seating arrangement at De Hinde. Given its €€ price point and Michelin Plate status in a small Frisian town, this reads as a traditional dining room rather than a counter-service setup. check the venue's official channels at Het Oost 4, Hindeloopen to confirm seating options before visiting.
Book at least two to three weeks out, more if you're planning around a weekend or summer visit to Hindeloopen, which draws significant tourist traffic given the town's VOC heritage and IJsselmeer waterfront. A Michelin Plate two years running means capacity fills faster than a comparable unrecognised local restaurant at €€ pricing.
At €€, De Hinde offers Michelin Plate-recognised regional cooking at a price point well below what comparable award-acknowledged restaurants charge in Amsterdam or Rotterdam. If you're already in Hindeloopen or making a day trip to the IJsselmeer coast, the value case is strong. As a standalone destination dinner from a major city, factor in the journey time.
No specific dietary policy is documented for De Hinde. For a €€ regional restaurant with Michelin recognition, the kitchen is likely accustomed to reasonable requests, but confirm directly before booking, particularly for strict requirements like allergies or plant-based diets where regional menus can be limiting.
Yes, with caveats. The Michelin Plate recognition and regional focus give it occasion-dinner credibility without the formality or price of a full Michelin star venue. It suits couples or small groups who want something considered rather than celebratory in scale. For a landmark anniversary dinner with full tasting menu theatre, a starred venue would serve better.
No tasting menu details are confirmed in the available data, so a direct verdict on format or value isn't possible here. What is confirmed: two consecutive Michelin Plates at €€ pricing suggests the kitchen delivers consistent quality relative to its category. Ask the restaurant about current menu formats when booking.
Hindeloopen is a small town with limited dining options, so realistic alternatives require broadening to the Frisian region or the IJsselmeer coast. For higher ambition in the Netherlands, De Librije in Zwolle (three Michelin stars) or De Lindehof in Nuenen are significant upgrades in formal dining. For regional cooking at a comparable scale, De Hinde holds its own within its geography.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
