A Taste of Venlo
The first thing Cyrille Berger noticed when she moved back to Venlo five years ago? There are so many fun and diverse restaurants! Sushi? Miso Oriental. Hip & trendy? Grenswerk Café! 1-2-3 Pizza? Nena! But what about the Venlo cuisine? Does it (still) exist? Absolutely! In this blog, she takes you through the typical Venlo cuisine – with dishes you absolutely must try!
Ever heard of a "friet-ei"? Or of zoorvleis? These are true classics you don't want to miss if you're spending a day in Venlo. Are you from here? Then take a trip down memory lane with these delicious nostalgic meals. Fan of meat? Then this list is for you! Do you prefer vegan? I've got something nice for you too. I'll give you my vegan twist on the real classics, so you can make the tastiest typical Venlo dishes at home - vegan style!
'Zoorvleis'
Hash, stew, boeuf bourguignon... When I tasted these variants in other cities and countries, it was clear; Venlo's zoorvleis truly has its own authentic flavor - you want to taste it when you're here! This classic with its distinctive sweet and sour taste is an indispensable part of Venlo's cuisine. This might even be one of the oldest dishes in Venlo (and the Netherlands)! When the Romans came to our region, they brought meat in jars with wine and vinegar for preservation. Since then, this dish has been further developed with the basic ingredients of beef, vinegar, bay leaf, apple syrup, gingerbread, and beer/wine. Of course, every chef adds their own twist to it.
Annie's Black Chicken
I'm not the only one who loves soy sauce... It's clear that we in Venlo are fond of Indonesian cuisine. You will continue to find Indonesian dishes on the menu, such as satay, soto, and spekkoek. We also have several Indonesian restaurants, such as Tante Toer and Into Indo. An Indonesian flavor also seeps through in this authentic Venlo dish – zwarte kiep. The soy sauce gives the chicken a black color and makes the meat deliciously tender and sweet.
Where to taste? Naturally, my tip is Eetcafé de Brasserie, where this dish originates. Annie’s Zwarte Kiep - served with a peach, fries, and mayo - is a staple in Venlo. Grandson Rene (junior) is now in the kitchen and, in addition to his grandmother Annie's traditional dishes, such as sour meat and piri piri chicken, he also prepares changing (seasonal) dishes. More chicken? At Grand Café Bonaparte, they serve many more tasty chicken dishes besides black chicken.
Venlo's pride is undoubtedly this delicious delicacy: the friet-ei! A friet-ei is a boiled egg with vegetarian curry ragout in a crispy coating – a phenomenon in Venlo and its surroundings and can be found in almost every cafeteria. Not to be confused with the Groningen egg ball with meat ragout. This legendary snack is certainly a must-try when you're in Venlo!
You can easily get the original friet-ei, invented by Toon Scheurs, from the wall at his Automatiek Piccadilly. Craving a late-night snack? Search no more! From experience, I know you can score this snack in the late hours with a nice beer at Brouwerplaats.
If there is a party, the 'kalde schóttel' is often on the table! This festive meal salad is a dish from Venlo that has been passed down for generations. You can compare it to the Dutch cold dish or Russian salad. 'Wie de huzare nog in Venlo ware…' is an old Venlo song about hussars, but whether this can be linked to these salads is unknown. What is known is that the Venlo variant with soup meat is more richly filled and not such a finely mashed puree.
At the gastronomic top Restaurant Valuas, you will find not only the most luxurious fried egg but also luxury croquettes and bitterballen! The Valuas Croquette is the croquette you want to eat in Venlo. In 2004, Master Chef Eric Swaghoven developed this luxury croquette in which he used only the very best ingredients - sustainably and environmentally friendly produced.
The Valuas Croquette line includes nearly 40 different flavors and sizes, such as beef and shrimp croquettes, with veggies like asparagus and kale, and even a gluten-free variant! You can order this delicacy at Restaurant Valuas and their ‘Valuas Boutique’.
Boeremoos
Yes, alongside all the meat dishes, these veggies are also typically from Venlo! Boeremoos is Venlo dialect for kale. This vegetable also lends its name to one of the most characteristic Venlo festivals - the Boeremoosbal. This is a festival before carnival, also known as Vastelaovend, which ushers in the most joeksige weeks of the year.
Around February, you can eat kale stew, or boeremoos, all over the city, such as at Café de Klep, Café de Blauw Trap, and Brasserie Sur Place. My tip, Grand-Café Deckers, here you can enjoy typical boeremoos in a particularly authentic interior. During the day, many German tourists enjoy the Venlo specialties here.
Hela Curry & Venlose Sauces
When people from Venlo order a "frietje speciaal," they want (no, demand!) the one and only Hela Spice Ketchup Curry! The Venlo story of Hela began with Harry Thissen; in 1967, he imported the originally German Gewürz Ketchup Curry Delikat and made this sauce popular throughout the Netherlands from Venlo. The well-known red bottle has now achieved cult status. Hela now even has its own Product Development department in Venlo, where they create incredibly tasty and innovative sauces, such as salad & sandwich dressings or worldly snack sauces with wasabi and jalapeño, among others.
Tip: visit the Hela shop! This store is located near the Museum Quarter at the Parade. Here you can not only buy sauces and dressings but also Hela gadgets and fun gift packages.
Vlaai
In the mood for cake? We have pies! Maybe a bit clichéd. But the Limburgse vlaai also belongs on this list. Cherry pie, apricot pie, rice pie, crumble pie (or in Venlo's Botterflaai)... All Limburg favorites and often found on the dessert menu in Venlo. Looking for a pie with a special character? Then go to Banketbakkerij Lamers! In addition to the above pies, they also have the staekbeere schoém. This is a gooseberry pie with a meringue foam – you must try this combo!
Venlose Köpkes
If you want to give someone a thank you gift in Venlo, I know something more fun than the standard box of Merci... namely: Venlose Vötjes! Vötjes, or little butts, originate from the Venlo saying de kins dich op de kónt klatse. Which means as much as: ‘you are lucky’, ‘you have good fortune’. In the particularly ancient Keizerstraatje you will find a relief with this saying: a naked lady lies with her bare buttocks in a field of four-leaf clovers enjoying herself and can't believe her luck! Hence the Venlose Vötjes as a wish for good fortune!
Speaking of the Keizerstraat, or Flôddergats; in this beautiful hidden street lies one of the most viewed attractions in Venlo: de Köpkes van de Flôddergats. On this dialect fence by artist Ger Janssen, you will find 81 bronze köpkes and 35 other figures depicting expressions and sayings from the Venlo dialect. Some Köpkes you can even eat! Because at Bakery Lamers you can buy the Blieje, the Linkmiechel, Miene Golde, the Prônkmedam, the Bäökmoel, Venlose Vötjes and Paeterkes in a delicious chocolate variant.
Venlo Beers
Attention beer lovers! We have plenty of typical Venlo beers! Like Venloosch Alt; this type of Alt-beer was brewed in the Venlo city center around the 17th century. Back then, you drank beer from a 'klep': a beer mug with a lid. At the namesake Café De Klep, you can find all sorts of Venlo beers like the special Venloos Paeterke Kloosterbieren. This ‘Preuf & Praotlokaal’ is definitely worth a visit, according to Bart’s Boekje it even has one of the finest terraces in the Netherlands! While you're there, you can also check out de Köpkes van de Flôddergats!
Do you love cooking and beers? Then the cookbook ‘Biëstig Lekker 3 - Kaoke met beer’ is just for you! 35 Venlo chefs share their special beer recipes in dialect, such as a ‘Bieramisu' with Paeterke Quadröppel from De Klep. Superbly illustrated with beautiful Venlo stories. Want to buy it? Drop by at Boekwinkel Koops, or order online.
Even more to toast to
Cup of coffee, or even more? If you order a teske koffie in Venlo, you might get a Venlo liqueur with it. With a dollop of whipped cream and a tasty cookie, a Venlo coffee is a true Venlo Temptation, tip: Grand Café Restaurant de Graanbeurs.
- 'aet smakelik'!
About the author
Cyrille Berger
Marketing expert by day, foodie 24/7… Cyrille is a creative and enthusiastic foodie, always on the lookout for inspiration for delicious and surprising dishes. She was away for a while but has found love in and for Venlo. Now she is on a culinary (re)discovery journey in Venlo. On her food blog, Cyrille posts tasty and colorful photos of her favorite recipes, the latest food trends, dining in Venlo, and cooking tips every week.
Feeling hungry yet? Check out her Instagram blog @foodies_x_friends
