Stadscafé Van der Werff in Binnenstad-Noord

Great food, great vibe, excellent beer!!

Absolute worse service I’ve experienced in the Netherlands. We were a group of 5 sitting inside. As soon as we sat down we asked to move to a different table as it was too hot near the glass. The restaurant inside was empty so this should not have been a difficult request but already the waitress looked and sounded annoyed. She took over 10 minutes to come to our table and when she did she asked us what we wanted to eat. She did not even bring menus. She brings the menus and tells us the kitchen closes in 10 minutes and we need to hurry. She comes back and completely dismisses our questions. She did not care enough to answer any of them. She just wanted us to order as fast as possible. Extremely rude and unprofessional. Another waitress who was preparing the drinks was grabbing the ice with her bare hands. It seems that they only hire young students who don’t care enough about hospitality here. My burger arrived with an old stale brioche which I did not even eat as it was crumbling. The fried chicken inside was tiny and dry. The fries were amazing though. No one came to ask if we wanted more drinks they just cleared our table as fast as possible. Overall, felt unwanted and would definitely not go back.

Very nice place to enjoy a beer or coffee. They have a beautiful terrace overlooking the water, making it a lovely and relaxing spot.

We had a good dinner with really nice hamburgers and a dessert.

A cozy "eatery", pleasant terrace, friendly staff, and we didn't have to wait long for our lunch. I can recommend the 12 o'clock special to everyone. Absolutely delicious!

What a beautiful restaurant! We enjoyed the drink and nice view here. Will come back for more food.

I had passed by here on the way there and it looked cozy. On the way back, I wanted to grab a sandwich. Although it was far from full, a woman finally came to my table to take my order after well over 5 minutes. Let's just say she wasn't exactly bursting with enthusiasm. Because I wanted a sandwich, she had to get the menu, and I ordered a drink in the meantime. On her way to get the menu (I saw it standing there), she had apparently already forgotten what she was going to do. She went to settle a table, walked back, and settle a table next to me, apparently still not realizing what she was doing when she looked at me (less than 3 minutes had passed!!!). And then she went inside. After almost 5 minutes, she still hadn't returned. I got up and left.

Cozy, relaxed. Fast and friendly service. Simply good.

Nicely situated location near the station and the World Museum. Great espresso macchiato. The Liège waffle was a bit dry.

It was the three of us having dinner on Monday night and we order burger and it was nice in addition to the drinks Service was good as well

I’ve been before and ate a stone in my carpaccio sandwich that cost me a tooth.. I got a bit of a trauma from it. Today, I gave it another chance with a friend anyway (stayed away from the carpaccio sandwich). My friend is vegan and ordered the vegan version of the hamburger; I ordered the same burger but the regular one. With the first bite, blood spurted from his burger down the table.. And the bun was very soggy. Mine, on the other hand, wasn't pink and had some seeds in it.. So in the kitchen, I am 90% sure they just swapped the burgers by accident.. But to me, this shows that they are careless. I really won't be coming back. And the wait staff didn't really know how to resolve it either.. Maybe inexperienced or didn't want to do anything about it 🤷🏻‍♀️

Just grabbing a quick freshener in between before heading home.

A lovely mussel evening in a friendly atmosphere. The mussels were large and flavorful, delicious!

The food is quite expensive and average.

We ordered a rum and coke and they put tequila instead. When we asked abt it, the lady behind the bar told us we dont know what rum should taste like, she also refused to smell or taste the drink she poured us. The mistake wasnt an issue, just the poor and rude way to handle it afterwards.

Nice place by the canal but extremely bad service, had to flag down someone indoors after waiting an hour with no one coming back to check on the table.

very nice standard spot in Leiden

Very nice café with good food and good service. I ordered the crispy chicken burguer, but I found it to be a bit too dry, so that’s why I cannot give 5 stars. The portion was also very big, which is a good thing if you are hungry! The vibe of the cafe is very nice, an is near everything!

Had a drink on the terrace. Fast and attentive service.🫠😉

Had a nice beer and a bite to eat with good friends. The sun was shining too. You don't need anything more👍

Nice, cozy cafe. The food is very tasty and the atmosphere is great!

Perfect place to eat and have a drink in Leiden.

Here you can sit outside at the back of the building, where you have a view of the water with the boats sailing past. Had a nice lunch. Downside: you pay just as much for a glass of tea as for a cappuccino.

Very nice cafe where you can also have a good meal.

Great place at a good location. Between the treinstation and centre nice service and good value food / drinks.

Lovely sunny terrace. Friendly service. It's always fun here!!!

A lovely city café, good service, tasty menu, cozy for two, but also for larger groups.

We’re there two times during my stay in the city. Very nice, not intrusive staff. Asparagus soup and fish was very tasty! Can recommend this place!

Super nice staff 🫶 Highly recommended!!

We ate here on the evening of the Singelloop; hats off to the hard-working ladies! Despite the crowds, everything was under control and the service was really great!!

We had dinner here and chose to sit outside, which made for a really lovely setting. The pub offers both indoor and outdoor seating, and we enjoyed a relaxed meal with a few drinks. The service was okay — it was very busy during our visit, so things moved a little slower, but overall it was still a pleasant experience.

Cozy cafe, enjoyed some tea with a treat. Excellent service.

Had a few drinks and some snacks on the terrace. Nice in the sunshine; it's very cozy sitting outside. Inside looked fine too, but we only sat on the terrace.

Nice city café with good service and a pleasant atmosphere.

Great location! Nice, large, and sunny terrace. Plenty of space to host drinks or a party with your own group! They are very helpful and helpful. We didn't eat there, so I can't say much about that.

Lovely to have drinks together, nice atmosphere and friendly service.

The food is okay, nothing special. The service is top-notch! But a minor downside is the loud music.

Food decent, service reasonable. There were gluten-free options for the coeliac member of our party, but the online menu advising on dietary restrictions was in Dutch only, and the online English-language menu did not have dietary restriction information on it, so we had to rely on the server to advise us on what gluten-free options were available.

It was March 31, 2026 today; we had a nice time and enjoyed a delicious meal.

Nice place. Atmospherically decorated inside. Plenty of seating options, in the conservatory or in the central area. Large terrace outside. Service friendly and efficient. Menu with enough variety. Great prices. The Caesar salad and quiche were very tasty.

Had a lovely time having food and drinks. Beautiful location, high-quality pub food, but perfectly fine. Friendly staff.

Review: Avoid if you’re just here for coffee Came for coffee last Sunday and struggled to get a terrace table as staff kept moving “reserved” signs around. Waitresses served food to other tables but completely ignored us. We even placed an online order (#476288) and still had to ask twice to be served. Excellent location, but if you’re only having coffee, expect to be ignored. Unacceptable service. Unfortunately, this is a place we’ll be avoiding.

Really enjoyed having beers here. Great outdoor seating and an exceptional staff.

Sit comfortably on the terrace and enjoy a tasty lunch. Prompt service

My sister and I stayed at this place and we really enjoyed it, but the service was slow and the staff was obviously tired. Overall, it was great, a nice place, good prices.

We had a great lunch at the Stadscafé with our group of 40 people! Cozy and relaxed. Dietary requirements were well taken into account, and there was more than enough food.

Very nice place to eat or drink something with good service

Cozy cafe close to Leiden central station.

We had a great meal here. The music was quite loud and they played a lot of reggae.

Very aggressive waiters, lack of proper communication

We had a wonderful drink at this café. They have several specialty beers on tap and a wide selection of snacks. Reservations are recommended on busy days.

Excellent place in Leiden to grab a beer. I've been here regularly since I started working in Leiden, and it's always good. Friendly staff, great beers, and good appetizer platters. Definitely recommended.

Cozy cafe/restaurant with a view of the mill, park, and canal. Fast and friendly service. We had a delicious lunch there (croquette sandwich and homemade egg salad). Highly recommended, keep up the good work!

The seasonal special with venison steak is highly recommended.

Great service and tasty food for a fair price, the cafe experience you want!

Once again, you've been sent away (Sun-Thurs) at least an hour before the stated closing time (midnight) because of 'closing'. Just adjust this in the opening hours on Google because it's not an isolated incident.

Beautiful location, tasty dishes and a nice glass of wine

Cozy atmosphere, excellent service.

Enjoying a glass of wine on the terrace is a great location, but I would definitely advise against eating dinner here. There were mice everywhere in the restaurant; they're not shy at all, as they'll easily run between your legs... It's absolutely disgusting, so you're guaranteed to get pissed off here, and you don't have to drink 10 beers for it. And the staff doesn't do anything about it; they just watch. It's a shame, because it's otherwise a great place!

A lovely bistro in the center of Leiden. It's a great place for lunch.

Good and pleasant service. The menu was clear and without any surprises or spectacular dishes. The food was good.

Great place for lunch and dinner

Too bad it was full. If you're sitting at the bar with a drink, they're completely oblivious, while you're eager to eat. What a missed opportunity.

It was busy. Only when you're sitting at the bar with a drink, waiting for a place to eat, are you forgotten and no longer paid attention to. Such a shame!

Nice patio. Friendly and quick service.

What a disappointment. I arrived at 11:55 and ordered drinks. We wanted to have breakfast and asked if they had yogurt. They confirmed, and the staff said they would bring the menu. After 7 minutes, the menu finally arrived with the message: "Sorry, I see it's after 12:00, and we don't serve breakfast anymore, only lunch." They absolutely refused to make an exception. How unfriendly can you be? A big minus.

Centrally located. Great spot for coffee.

Great food, great service and a pretty decent atmosphere.

Delicious food and friendly staff!

Love this little and lovely beer place! They have their own local beers, some bites, and they are very friendly! We visit it often!

Beautiful location in Leiden. Good coffee.

October 2nd, we had a lovely time on the terrace, and the service was quick. We had made a reservation inside. My husband and I ordered hutspot. We eat hutspot at Van der Werff every year, but it's never been this bad. The hutspot was made with mashed potatoes, and the meat was undercooked, tasteless, and tough. Such a shame! The waitress offered coffee to compensate for the poor meat, which was very kind, but it didn't make up for it.

Okay restaurant, food quality reasonable for the price. Unfortunately, some of it was cold.

A lovely location and cozy spot. The price-quality ratio could be better. The main courses really lack some vegetables or salad. For €23.50, you only get salmon and a piece of potato terrine. The staff is quick and friendly, but sometimes a bit chaotic or busy.

Good food,good beer, happy staff

The service could have been better, our waitress was too busy. The snacks are good but when it is about the main course, it was more beautiful than tasty. It was definitely not the beast ribs we had.

Nice, especially the location. The price-quality ratio could be better. Very service-oriented, with efficient and friendly staff!

Friendly staff and good service.

Delicious food and friendly staff. We came with our one-year-old son, and the experience is much more enjoyable when the staff are friendly to your little one. They cheerfully waved and chatted with our son, he got a high chair, and we were able to enjoy a relaxed lunch with him. A truly wonderful, child-friendly place!

Smooth, efficient service and a delicious croque.

Enjoy a wonderful, worry-free gluten-free meal. Much of the menu is or can be gluten-free. And what wonderful, hospitable service! Compliments!!

Nice place and good food. Excellent service.

We were served very nicely and the food was delicious.

We hebben 2x op 1 dag Vd Werf bezocht. We hebben 2x heerlijk buiten gezeten. Eerst voor een hapje eten en later voor een borrel met een snackje. Kwaliteit van het eten was heel goed en tot 2x toe hadden we erg goed en klantgericht personeel.

Nice restaurant for lunch/dinner...but high prices.

Had coffee and tea after dinner elsewhere in the city. Nice terrace and service is reasonably quick.

We were looking for some GF bites, unfortunately they didn’t have that wide options in the snacks menu. We were offered some GF bread with butter (which was absolutely delicious); however the bread was not fully cooked in some parts. Nevertheless we still had a nice time and it was a good quick stop for drinks.

Good place to go. Food was good, not great. Service friendly but perhaps a bit understaffed. Atmosphere lively but relaxed.

We had lunch on a sunny terrace with our children. The service was quick and the food was delicious.

Friendly service, centrally located. Good for a snack between meals.

Good food and excellent drinks menu

Great place to enjoy a delicious beer. Friendly service and a nice spot in the hustle and bustle of Leiden.

Lovely terrace, perfect for relaxing. Lots to see: people walking by and on the large terrace itself. Very attentive staff. The food was disappointing: no vegetables with the main courses and bone-dry farm chicken.

Delicious food, nice atmosphere and staff who know what is being served

Outside eating, reasonable portions of food. Friendly, although not always attentive, service

Popular spot. If you'd like to eat, reservations are recommended. You can easily make them online. In my opinion, the prices were a bit higher than you'd normally expect in a cafe. The food was excellent.

Out here for celebrating with friends. Service was fine but we had a new staff member that didn't know the difference between spicy gin ginger ale cocktail and dark and stormy cocktail. I can't really blame the new staff member. A friend wanted vegan cake but that had to come from the freezer. So be aware when wanting cake. Other than that, the atmosphere is great and the quality of cocktails are great. I had spicy gin ginger ale cocktail and it had a stamper so that you could crush the mint and hot pepper. My friend had a pornstar martini, but she got an empty glass with a spoon with it, instead of having prosecco on the side. It was unclear if it was added to the drink. The atmosphere inside is amazing but not wheelchair friendly. I know this place draws a crowd so be aware that it can be busy and double check if you order something

Service and lunch were fine. Soup at 12 o'clock was very watery, and looked more like a prepared broth than soup.

Food good but small portions. Farm half chicken was more like a chick. Taste is good.

Ja duur voor wat je krijgt een half lege mosselpan met hele kleine mosselen voor 24 euro, maar wel onbeperkt brood j dat vult lekker en kost en niks