After a long day spent at Keukenhof Gardens, we were all ready for dinner. We turned the reigns over to Steve to find us somewhere interesting and delicious within a less than half an hour drive, and boy did he deliver! This is one reason we love traveling with Steve, he either knows the best stuff or is able to find it quickly on Google! We drove for less than twenty minutes and ended up at a beachside location - something I did not expect! It was windy but otherwise, the weather was perfect.
We found a nice parking area and then it was an easy walk down a paved road to get to the restaurant. There were a few sand drifts we had to help my mom navigate, but otherwise it was very accessible. The restaurant is named BEACH Noordvijk.
What I didn’t realize until just now as I started writing this blog post is that the BEACH actually stands for something! Best Escape Anyone Can Have. It certainly is a beautiful place to escape to! (And looking back I can see this sign has the punctuation to show it stands for something - I didn’t catch it at the time.)
The inside of the restaurant was really well decorated with a very beach-y vibe and lots of greenery.
My favorite bit was the open fire place with the wood sitting in sand. Sort of like a bonfire on the beach - just inside!
While we waited for our food to arrive, one of the waitstaff kindly took a group picture of us. (I had to steal this from Steve as we only got it on his phone.) The service at this place was impeccable - even when we asked for things like extra ice (because, American.)
The English language menu didn’t have perfect translations (I wish I had taken a picture of some of the oddities!) but it was enough for us to place an order. I started with a pumpkin soup that was delicious - plus it had bits of perfectly fried bacon on top which makes anything better. Steve ordered a Thai green curry soup and he let us try some - it was also amazing although I didn’t get a picture.
We also ordered some bitterballen for the table, although by this point I was pretty sure I didn’t like the stuff. I decided to give it one more go and lo and behold…I still don’t like it. I can see why others do, but it’s just not for me! (Interestingly, one of my oldest friends used to come to the Netherlands for work and she is obsessed with bitterballen. But she doesn’t like bacon! I am definitely the opposite.) Ah well, more for everyone else to share!
For my entree, I went with a spring risotto that came with roasted tomato, asparagus, and lots of freshly shaved parmesan cheese on top. Carbs with cheese and my absolute favorite vegetable of all time? I knew this would be a winner and it absolutely was. 10/10 would eat it again.
Joel (and almost everyone else at the table) went for the fish that came with rice and more roasted tomatoes. I want to say it was some kind of sea bass? I don’t recall and again, should have taken a picture of the menu. The important part is everyone said it was delicious!
When we were all done eating, Steve and I decided to brave the gale-force winds in order to check out the beachside aspect of the restaurant. The outdoor seating area was so adorable, I would love to be able to come back on a day when the wind isn’t trying to kill you and just enjoy the views.
The wind was good for some people though - there were plenty of people out windsurfing!
I really wanted to enjoy a sunset walk along the beach but the wind was just not having it. I seriously had to bend forward to make my way through it, and it was very unpleasant trying to constantly shield my eyes, ears and everything else from being coated in sand. Check out the trees in the background of this photo to see how bent they are - that’s how bad the wind was!
Despite the wind, this was the perfect way to end our day out in the Netherlands. The food was fantastic, the staff friendly, and the view was everything you could ask for from a beach restaurant. If we are ever back in the area I would definitely go again!
XOXO, Bethany