James' Bistro & Bar in Wijk 00 Drachten

The food is delicious, but the appetizer tasting is not recommended. Very expensive, and you only get four mini appetizers per person. The main course could also use a few more vegetables or potato dishes. The service and atmosphere are very good, though.

We've eaten here for the third time now, and it was fantastic again! It's a charming location, the service is so friendly, and the food is delicious. We'll definitely be back!

Good food but even better is the bar afterwards. Be prepared to party

The food was good, the carpaccio was amazing, the steak was also good but quite lukewarm; it could have been hotter. The menu is sometimes confusing, especially with the dessert special, which apparently has to be ordered per table or per two people. This wasn't clearly communicated, so the chef's special was charged twice on the bill, even though one person had the chef's special and the others had a different dessert. This was resolved politely upon checkout. Furthermore, it's a cozy, atmospheric, and beautifully decorated restaurant. The price/quality ratio is reasonable, but you have to order side dishes separately, so all in all, it's quite pricey. The service was friendly, but for drinks, we always had to wait a long time and call the waiter.

I had a dinner with family, friends, and colleagues in honor of my retirement. The reactions were positive. Everyone said it was a pleasant evening with a delicious meal and good company.

actually the review says enough, it was a perfect evening, everything was fine.

We celebrated our wedding anniversary with a large group of guests, enjoying a hot and cold lunch buffet. Eric is an excellent host, the staff friendly, and the dining experience was a blast!

We had a delicious meal at James's last night. The only disappointment was the size of the main course. Fries were an extra €6. Vegetables weren't included. (A little food for a lot of money!)

The food was delicious! I just missed the vegetables. It's fine if they're just for decoration, but I personally think 6 Brussels sprouts and 1 strip of cauliflower isn't enough... I'd add a small bowl instead. The fries were delicious! With grated Parmesan cheese. They also don't automatically take drink orders when serving. I think that's a missed opportunity. We took it easy and weren't in a hurry. That was our fault when they "forgot" to take dessert. Otherwise, we had a truly wonderful evening! We'll definitely be back.

Dinner on a Monday evening in Drachten. Luckily, James was open. A table by the window. Nice and warm. A platter with various meats as a starter. Spareribs for me with two pieces of chicken on top. And chicken thighs for my dining partner. For dessert, cheesecake and coffee. Lovely service. Friendly atmosphere. It was very quiet, but that was because it was a Monday evening and certainly not because of the delicious food. Fries with lettuce hearts that had been grilled? BBQ style, and they had a wonderful flavor. Highly recommended! Next time I'll order the extensive tasting menu, but without the starter. Just look at this photo; you'll want to take a piece.

James Bistro & Bar in Drachten truly deserves a big thumbs-up. From the moment you walk in, you sense the atmosphere: warm, stylish, and just right for a night out. The combination of dark colors, gold accents, beautiful lighting, and playful details makes the interior surprisingly luxurious without being aloof. Even the restroom looks like it's been given serious attention. We started with the salmon tempura, and it was an immediate hit. The salmon was still beautifully pink inside, and the tempura was light and crispy. A wonderful start to the dinner. Then came the steak. Perfectly cooked and beautifully presented with roasted vegetables and a creamy sauce. The portions were generous, and the flavors were well-balanced. You can taste the kitchen's commitment to quality. We sat at a table with a full view of the kitchen, which was a delightful experience. And then came the desserts. There was a lava cake with ice cream and whipped cream that was truly delicious—just the right warm chocolate center you crave. The other dessert was a large sundae with ice cream and passion fruit shavings, which provided a fresh, tropical flavor. Both completely different, but both delicious. The cappuccino was also excellent. A lovely way to end a dinner. The waitresses were also attentive and caring. What makes this restaurant so special is that the overall ambiance is perfect. The atmospheric tables, the beautiful bar, the lighting, the plants, and even the outdoor terrace with lamps make it all cozy and inviting. It's the kind of place that makes you immediately think: I want to go back here. In short: James Bistro & Bar is an absolute must-see in Drachten. Delicious food, a great atmosphere, and an interior that clearly has a lot of love in it. We (my neighbor/friend and I) really enjoyed ourselves. We were on our way to the theater, and they even took care of our arrival on time.

The atmosphere is great. The staff spends a lot of time on their phones. There are also staff members who just look grumpy and aren't exactly friendly to guests. Unfortunately, it doesn't enhance the restaurant or the guest experience.

Delicious food, friendly service, beautiful ambiance. Top restaurant!

Enjoying a few drinks with friends. The atmosphere is nice inside, the music is not too loud, so it's nice to chat. The wine glasses were poured very sparingly, though... They could definitely use a bit more of a generous serving... A little something tasty to go with it is pricey.

We received a very warm welcome. We even got a tour. Very friendly and attentive, they recommended some surprising beers, and the evening's specialty: prime rib was delicious! It was delicious! A lovely evening, we thoroughly enjoyed it.

We had a great time again at the Brewmaster Dinner. Once again, the Master Chef created masterpieces (he's really good!) and the combination with the Grutte Pier beers. The atmosphere and hospitality are always top-notch. It was great that I got to take a picture with the Grutte Pier sword.

Had a lovely evening here, nice atmosphere, good wine, and delicious food. The staff was friendly and helpful! Great!

Great food! Really tasty!! The service was a bit clumsy, and there was always no extra cutlery with the shared dishes, so we had to cut and poke the meat and fish with our own. I found this disgusting (I was with colleagues and had a bit of a sore throat, so I wanted to keep things hygienic), so I asked for extra cutlery for each course. They were a bit taken aback.

Food doesn't apply to us. We found the service very poor; we only came for a drink and a snack platter, but they never came by to ask if we wanted anything else.

Had dinner here tonight with the family. It's a fantastic restaurant with amazing food. Sofia was incredibly helpful, if I'm not mistaken. All the staff are incredibly knowledgeable, and the food is top-notch! The waiters knew everything about the different wines, and the guy with the cheese board was also very knowledgeable about each cheese. Highly recommended!

Delicious food, nice atmosphere, good service, Burgundian enjoyment 🤩

The best restaurant in Drachten! Skilled chefs, delicious food, friendly staff and a cozy environment.

The restaurant is beautiful and has a great atmosphere. Even though I'm Asian, the staff were very patient with me, which was fantastic! 👍 The food was perfect for my taste! 😋 (a steak for 29.50 euros and a strawberry sparkling water for 9 euros). VISA credit cards are accepted.

atmospheric, nice staff and delicious food

A warm welcome upon arrival. Great atmosphere, impressive decor. The staff was attentive and happy to explain things. The food was delicious and plentiful. One minor drawback was the long wait for the food, even though it wasn't busy. I give it an 8.5 and recommend this restaurant to everyone.

We had a high beer. It's a fun concept: you get three different specialty beers. You can specify in advance which beer you don't like, and they'll take that into account. With those three specialty beers, you also got two platters: a cold platter and a hot platter. The cold platter consisted of nuts, cheese, sausage, and Amsterdam onions. The hot platter consisted of meatballs, a chicken skewer, and brown fruit. It was tasty, but for the price, we expected a bit more. All in all, a success; we had a great time and enjoyed tasty beers and snacks, but at €32.50 per person, we think it's a bit pricey.

The spareribs weren't really cooked through; you had to cut the meat off the bone, it didn't fall off the bone, a bit of a shame! No satay or anything like that; I just had a chicken thigh. It was the cheapest dish at €27.95, served with vegetables, 3 cherry tomatoes, and some wild mushrooms. Order fries for €5.00. For that price, you can eat somewhere else with fresh vegetables! The air conditioning was on, so we sat somewhere else; it was quite windy, even though the door to the outside was still open!

I can't give it anything but 5 stars, and it's well deserved. The service was very friendly and attentive. I had the spareribs, and they were delicious. The sea bass was also fantastic. I had a lovely beer with it, and an Irish coffee to finish. The building is beautiful, and everything looks neat. They also brew their own beer. Highly recommended if you're ever in Drachten.

Laatst geborreld hier. Was er vaker geweest en toen was het prima, maar nu viel het echt enorm tegen. We hadden borrelhapjes, brood en nacho’s besteld. Dit was echt niet lekker. Het brood was droog, de nacho’s waren keihard. De borrelhapjes waren niet lekker. Biertjes waren op zich prima, maar wel vrij duur.

I don’t recommend eating dessert here - we tried almost all of them: the chocolate taart, pavlova and cheese cake tasted as if they were a few days old. The price in relation to the quality was way too high for such a cake. The restaurant has a very nice interior and staff, that’s why we were very much disappointed by the quality of food.

We had a wonderful evening and a delicious meal. Even gluten-free options were no problem, and they were very helpful in considering what was and wasn't acceptable.

Delicious food and drinks, nothing was too much if you wanted something different, highly recommended!

The price quoted was for just a main course and 1.5 hours to eat. The chef was allowed to use his creativity. The presentation plate was disappointing because it was very sparse and unimaginative for such a steep price. The seating was chilly (too much air conditioning) and uncomfortable because we were sitting in the entrance area. Drinks were quite expensive. After 45 minutes, we were back outside, and I don't expect to eat there again.

Quick service from a young lady. Nice beer menu.

Yesterday for the second time in a short time at James’ and both times excellent food. Atmospheric, tasteful and very hospitable.

What an asset to Friesland! Erik has done it again! Get back up and continue!! Nice atmosphere, friendly staff, delicious food SUPER wine, and price quality nicely balanced! Thanks for a super fun family evening!

Everything was very good! The food was tasty, the service was friendly and the atmosphere was cozy. We live not far from here and we will definitely come back more often!”

Nice place, just good food and friendly service

Delicious food. Nice and cheerful service who do their best to offer you a fun and atmospheric evening. And she succeeds well!

I'm sorry to say, the steak (James' steak) was not good yesterday. Or was it the sauce? One of them was sour. We also had the side dish (beans) as vegetables on our plate, so that was not surprising. The sweet potato fries were delicious. The service was smooth and friendly, otherwise a nice restaurant.

Great restaurant with excellent service and customer friendliness. There are certainly highlights, such as the delicious dips with the bread board (especially the tuna mayo), the excellent smoked eel and the perfect dry aged ribeye. Unfortunately, there are also some lesser points. The Tom Ka Kai soup was too salty, the salad with the spareribs had an overwhelming curry flavor and the mushrooms with the chicken thigh were sour. The service deserves all the praise - the staff is very attentive, the timing of the dishes is perfect and the restaurant looks neat. It's a pity that there were few other guests on Sunday evening, which made the general atmosphere a bit tense. Given the price range of the restaurant, we expected a little more refinement in some dishes. Despite the excellent service and some top dishes, we doubt whether we will come back again.

Ate here a while back. Price and quality are not in proportion. You pay too much for what you get. Atmosphere is fine. Too bad, it is a nice tent.

Lars is a good bartender. Enthusiastic, cheerful, great man!

We hadden hier drie jaar geleden een goede ervaring, maar nu viel het behoorlijk tegen, met name door het vegetarische menu. Slechts twee vegetarische keuzes, kleine hoeveelheid en saai.

Super fun pub quiz! :) Nice atmosphere and nice wine. Unfortunately not many gluten-free and vegetarian snacks such as cheese or something.

Beautiful location where you can enjoy a snack, drink & good company.

Unfortunately very little vegetarian.

Friendly staff, delicious food. In short, a great place for a relaxing meal.

Great. Super food. Super staff. A nice atmosphere.

Very nice and good bistro restaurant in the middle of the entertainment center of Drachten.

Had dinner at James' Bar for the second time and again it was a very nice experience. The staff are so friendly, it was a warm welcome. And the food was delicious! We will definitely come back again!

the service at james was really great. and the food was terrible. I ate there with my girlfriend and it was not tasty. we also came home hungry. so certainly not worth repeating

Very tasty food... we had a tomahawk steak that was matured in their maturing cabinet. Never had such a beautiful and tasty piece of meat! Highly recommended! The service was also fantastic and very friendly! Top!!

We had a delicious meal here on Valentine's Day. We were received very nicely with champagne and a bag of candy hearts. The service was great despite the crowds and we didn't have to wait long for either food or drinks. After dinner we enjoyed a delicious cocktail in the bar of the restaurant. Highly recommended!!

Great welcoming warm environment with delicious food. The host is very friendly and ensures that you are pampered.

Delicious food and friendly service! :-)

Fantastic steak from the grill eaten in an attractive cozy restaurant, where a city brewer will soon brew his beers in the attic

Super cozy atmosphere inside! The staff is good, really fast and everything with a smile. Food was great, really value for money! Not just the standard burger and chicken satay, really nice pieces of meat that are top-prepared. Well, I have no choice but to highly recommend this wonderful business!

We are extremely disappointed, we were here a year ago and it was great then. But yesterday it was really bad. The staff is talking nicely together and they don't see us. After more than 1 hour finally a starter which was not ok. After more than 2 hours the meat arrived, different types which again were not good, everyone had uneven pieces and just not tasty. Also little meat and a lot of fries which was not tasty either. We were there with several people and we all went home very disappointed. We will not come here again despite the compensation that has been made. Very unfortunate.

Cozy place and delicious food. Nice that you can look into the kitchen and that the employees did not feel like they were being watched.

Good restaurant, you wouldn't expect stew and also less appropriate next to duck breast. Atmosphere was very jovial, you have to like it.

Attractive restaurant with a pleasant atmosphere. The food was ok. The waiting staff were not very interested; made friendly.

We ordered a steak medium rare but we got it really raw, then we didn't eat it and mentioned that we didn't like it, the waitress acted very arrogant and pissed off, and we still had to pay for the steak, it was anything but customer friendly

It was very cold in the restaurant, we were seated next to the open kitchen which still provided some warmth. The food was okay, not high quality, just good food. Dessert was very very small for the price we paid

We had a delicious meal, shared dining is highly recommended. More than the icing on the cake was the wonderfully hospitable, pleasant and attentive service. That makes a visit to James a party!

Delicious food, friendly and helpful staff, nice atmosphere! Definitely recommended.

Bad staff. Food came later than expected. We were treated disrespectfully

We had a really delicious meal with our 3 kids, the service was great, and the shared dining concept with our children was a lot of fun. And how nice that they could play in the kids lounge between courses. Nice service too.

Do you want to go out for dinner, or do you want to go out for an evening? The first is often the case, we experienced the second at the end of December. From a sincere, warm welcome upon arrival to delicious food. And extremely friendly employees in between. It all made sense. We had a truly enjoyable evening, for which many thanks.

Always great with James! Smooth service and a good menu. Don't forget the Carmelite of the fun hook

Really nice place to eat! The furnishings look beautiful and attractive, you immediately feel at ease. The food was tasty and well prepared. The portions were fine. The staff are friendly and attentive without it feeling too over the top, which makes the whole experience relaxed. You can sit here and enjoy without feeling rushed. In short, a nice place where you can eat well and where we will definitely come back.

This was our first time staying here. It is a nice restaurant with very friendly staff and super tasty food. We will definitely come back here more often

We are always very satisfied with James! Top quality food with delicious surprising flavors, cozy atmosphere and fast and friendly service!

Christmas Day, great place to stay, good food, disappointment was the James selection for 3 people in this case, small plate, tasty but really not worth 3x 14.50 = € 43.50. Smooth service but had to wait quite a while for various courses, which was admitted and somewhat resolved by a drink from the company..........

Very beautiful and nice restaurant to eat, even with (small) children. I only had to say the word 'lactose intolerant' once and all my dishes were adjusted. Great! Our son also had a delicious meal and then played in the kids room for a long time, so my husband and I could look at each other for a while, haha. The quality of the food, the staff and the atmosphere... As far as I'm concerned, James' is an absolute must!

We had the Christmas menu, thought it was very expensive, had 5 courses, nothing that appealed to our taste... only the 1st appetizer snack.... very unfortunate price and quality not good...

1 year ago James Bistro & Bar was our wedding location, from ceremony to evening party everything was fantastically arranged and what a great team they have there! But the food here is so good! Beautiful open kitchen, own smoking cabinets for the meat. Beautiful restaurant, wonderful ambiance 🤍 100% recommended! Love, Fam Klomp - van der Woerdt

Went here for dinner with friends, very nice and cozy looking place. The staff is not really interested and had to ask for drinks a few times. Empty glasses were collected, but you were not asked if you wanted a new one. Food was placed in front of you a bit awkwardly, nothing further was said. Very little food too. A big bowl of fries, but I can also go to the chip shop for that. Wine was also poured, but you had to get your glass from the other side of the table. I understand that it is not a star restaurant, but I just think this is bad, especially considering the prices. Shame.

Service was friendly but lacked interest. We had to ask several times if we could order drinks. Glasses were often empty. Even once that the empty glasses were cleared away but no one was asked for new ones. When the main course was served, we were not told what was on the shelf (shared dining menu) nor were we asked about how we wanted the meat cooked. The main course itself was sparse, little meat and no vegetables or salad. The 2 large bowls of fries were therefore out of proportion. In short, not a good experience and certainly not for that price. A big disappointment!

Delicious food and a very nice evening. Friendly service, cozy atmosphere and the acoustics were pleasant. Too bad we don't live nearby because otherwise we would make it a good habit to dine here.

Nice restaurant with a cozy atmosphere.

A cozy restaurant with delicious dishes and a fantastic home-brewed blond beer with a tasty aftertaste of fine bitters. It's a pity that the service, we think from higher up, was quite pushy, which gave us a strong feeling that we had to hurry. Quite annoying. The food was barely warm. When we noted that it is better to serve them in warm rather than cold plates, we received the answer that the chef was very busy with the winter BBQ. Huh???

Service is very friendly. The recently organized winter BBQ was a success! Nice atmosphere.

Food was perfect. However, the service was less. Waitresses don't look at you, waiting 30 minutes for the starter to be ready. If you order a drink and it is empty, someone will come to you after 20 minutes. (if it had been busy it would be a different story) if the service had been as good as the chefs then everything would have been to your liking. Only come here if you like looking at an empty glass and an empty plate after main course. After 45 minutes of looking at this empty tableware, we decided to pay and have a drink at home. Again, if it had been busy, I would understand this, but it could not have been quieter in the restaurant (think of 5 occupied tables in the restaurant). 2 stars for the atmosphere and service.

Super nice restaurant, delicious food, nice staff, we will come again soon! :)

We ate here and it tasted great. I just find the price shockingly high! 28.50 for a portion of spare ribs and then you have to pay an extra 10 euros for 2 side dishes. This works out at 33.50 per person! Then a baguette for 8 euros and a tonic for 4.20 to 200 ml, a glass of rivella and the 2 cheapest glasses of wine on the menu and then you spend over 90 euros. And then I don't know that James is so nice and so good that this justifies more than 90 euros.

We had another wonderful evening in one of our favorite restaurants. Everything was excellent again!

Had a mocktail... too bad more ice than drinks.

Super tasty food, it was 100 points! We sat in the open kitchen and were able to watch how neatly and cleanly they work. If I'm in the area again I will definitely come back!

you are a bit more picky when you come from the catering industry yourself and with James the picture is just right. Beautiful company with friendly employees who know how to provide guests with a wonderful evening. It's the little things that matter. Things like a very nice nameplate on the table and not to forget... delicious food. We really enjoy coming to James and that is why we give it 5 stars.

Nice large restaurant with a cozy cocktail bar next to it. It was a bit noisy where we were sitting, but it was pleasantly busy. The food was tasty, the service good. There is its own brewery. This theme can be seen in various places in the restaurant.

Beautiful ambiance, very nice atmosphere and the service is top notch, just like the food, prepared with care.

Was fine. Only the steak was impossible to get through...so tough.

Cozy restaurant. Nice staff. We opted for shared dinner. You didn't know what you were getting in advance, but they were the chef's choices. For main and dessert. You try just about everything on the menu and it was delicious. Beef. Chicken and fish with accompanying sauces. It does come with a price tag, but for us the experience was more than worth it.

Great venue, the staff who served us was brilliant, patient and helpful. A difficult task with 7 different languages at my table

Celebrated a friend's birthday here, the girl at the counter was super arrogant and we were ignored 80% of the time.

What a great concept. Swear, staff and food are great. Everything just fits here. And certainly not expensive for a good steak. Highly recommended, even for a trip from the Randstad.

Beautiful chic tent. The service was also attentive and nice. For these 2 reasons they get 3 stars. Got scallop as a starter and the “tender” steak as a main course. The scallop was fine and well seasoned. The tender steak was tough, seemed slightly burnt on the outside and was quite raw on the inside. I ended up leaving this one as well. Just didn't like him. The kitchen staff was busy and had fun together. I now know why. I would definitely come back for a drink, but certainly not for the food.

Nice place, good ambiance & friendly staff.

Unfortunately, we were a little less satisfied this time. Cold steak, lukewarm tuna, well dissolved and tea at the company's expense. Service excellent!