Winkel van Sinkel in Wijk 06 Binnenstad

Beautiful location, too bad it wasn't topped off with a bad experience, especially in the kitchen. I ordered cheese nachos, and they barely had any cheese, just a little on top. The appetizer platter was missing half of what was on the menu. I complained, and they gave me a grumpy look. When the platter came back, some of it had been knocked over. It tasted awful, dry. I reported it, but nothing was done about it. The restrooms were absolutely disgusting. It's a shame for such a beautiful location.

We had a delicious meal, but it took a little while before we got our drinks.

Rose was absolutely amazing i had the best experience with her at the bar love her XOXO

Poor quality food and drinks. I've never had such awful coffee and soup in my entire life!!

If you're a beer lover, you'll be in good hands here with a wide and fine selection. But that's where the positives end. The service was completely disinterested and absent. Our snack platter was a disgrace. Factory-made cheese, factory-made sausage, indifferently presented with a handful of dried lettuce and the cheapest onions, gherkins, and mustard available. Moreover, it took 40 minutes for the platter to arrive. We encountered absolutely no enthusiasm for the craft here from the white and black brigade. It could easily be so much better.

A somewhat mythical place that's unfortunately a bit too crowded and doesn't quite live up to expectations. The service is good, and the food and drinks are also "just" good, but the place is overpriced and far too crowded and noisy (a bit too popular for what it is 😉), and therefore 4 stars 😏

The Winkel van Sinkel building is a striking sight on the Utrecht canal. German merchant Anton Sinkel commissioned this building in the 19th century. For a long time, it served as a department store where virtually everything was for sale, and quickly became a household name in the surrounding area. Today, it houses a café. The building is constructed in the neoclassical style. This is particularly evident in the imposing pillars and the female statues adorning the facade. The overall appearance has a tremendous appeal to me. Every time I'm in the center of Utrecht, I walk past it—consciously or unconsciously—to admire it anew. The café itself is spacious and has a terrace at the back. However, I'm primarily interested in the building itself; therefore, my review focuses primarily on its architecture and appearance. It is precisely this unique appearance that attracts many visitors. This sometimes makes it crowded, and at peak times, people can even have to wait outside to get in. My tip: enjoy this unique building and combine it with a bite to eat or a drink in the café. This way, you'll experience both the atmosphere of the monument and its vibrant modern use.

On Friday or Saturday nights in Utrecht, you can't expect fast service, but here it's incredibly slow. You, the customer, have to ask for genuine attention.

Wanted a quick bite and popped inside as it was reasonably busy. Food / drinks were OK. Service was mediocre, slow, not attentive, forgot my order (twice), wrong table.....

The service was really slow. The food was moderate. And the atmosphere was dreary, but I was facing an outside wall that seriously needed painting.

I love the decor mixing modernism and old vintage....creating a cozy, serene atmosphere 🙌

We ordered nachos and bread with aioli and tapenade. Despite being a lot of "machos," there was almost no cheese or sauce on it. We received a lot of bread, but only a small bowl containing half aioli and half tapenade. Even when the waitress brought our food, she first put it on another table where people had just sat down a minute earlier. When we pointed this out, the waitress was incredibly rude. She told us we'd moved and angrily asked which table we were on. When we tried to help her by moving some things, she angrily grabbed them out of my mother's hands. This was our first time here, but it will also be our last.

I agree, but I'm not going back. We were here because we needed to get information for a city game, but we were so disappointed. We ordered snacks and a cheese board. There were two sets of five small cubes of cheese on it. The server didn't understand us or didn't understand us well. We were really disappointed.

De Winkel van Sinkel is truly a place to be; you simply have to go there. Great atmosphere, friendly service, and if you're lucky enough to be served by Nina, you're in for a treat. She's a fun, spontaneous woman with a beautiful smile.

We had a wonderful drink here, overlooking the Dom Tower. We had a very pleasant conversation with our host, Jasper, who told us a bit about the building's history. We'll definitely be back!

We came here with five friends. My friend's English menu was excellent. Mees then recommended the prime rib and a Weihstephane beer, and it was delicious. We'll definitely be back!

Very nice cafe with a lovely terrace overlooking the canal. Nice and extensive beer menu!

Nina, we've been coming to Sinkel's shop for a while now, and the way you interact with customers gives us a warm and engaging feeling. You can tell you enjoy your work with your beautiful, broad smile. Fantastic!

Celine is truly fantastic! She served us fantastically; I'll definitely come back just for her!

Celine was truly a ray of sunshine during the stormy weather!

Went there recently for a delicious meal, the waiter was called Tijn and he was very happy and enthusiastic about his work, very tasty and affordable

I had a very nice meal here, the waiter Sven also did his best and made sure we had a nice drink.

The toilets were incredibly filthy, with no toilet paper anywhere, and urine running down the seats. The service and atmosphere were fine, but after a glass of sparkling water, we decided to eat somewhere else.

A long wait for a drink and the pastry fork that fell on the floor was wiped off by hand and immediately put back next to the apple pie.

The brasserie is magnificent. We had dinner there one evening and lunch one afternoon. In the evening we had impeccable service (good meal) and a person, at the service, attentive and attentive, the only place where a menu in French was offered and she offered it to us, it is not the most important because we managed very well without it during our stay, but you have to appreciate when a restaurant offers menus in several languages. I warmly thank this young person because if we had only had the experience of lunch the next day, we would not have appreciated this place much apart from the exceptional building and the location (oh no! I forgot the waffle with coulis, ice cream and fresh strawberries 👍). The service was deplorable that day. I therefore give 4* for this person who is committed to giving value to her establishment and especially to her work. I hope that her employer will appreciate her qualities. I know that tourism is often about "slaughter", but when an effort is made it must be highlighted.

We had lunch. The coffee and tea arrived quickly, but we had to wait a bit longer for our lunch (15 minutes). The lunch was delicious and beautifully presented.

The chicken sandwich was inedible, served cold, and tasted unfresh. It gave me a stomach ache. Small 200ml glasses for high prices. Friendly service, though.

A cozy place where you can sit quietly and enjoy a tasty meal.

Meest slechte hamburger in tijden gegeten. Mayo en ketchup waren vervangen door advocado pasta, 1 droge bende die een dag lang voor misselijkheid heeft gezorgd. Deze tent links laten liggen, er zijn in Utrecht genoeg andere tentjes die lekkerder en goedkoper zijn.

It's a lovely place and a beautiful building with a garden. We went again for lunch today with two children. The price for lunch dishes, especially for children, is really too high. The 9.95 wrap is one wrap with a slice of chicken breast, some vegetables, and yogurt. Really overpriced. The pancakes are three plain pancakes, and you get syrup and powdered sugar on the table. No extras to decorate them, which is so much fun for children. I think charging 9.95 for it is disproportionate. The spicy chicken wasn't spicy at all. The beers on the menu are quite expensive, which makes me feel less inclined to return, even though we loved coming here for lunch.

A beautiful building with a lovely terrace! View of the illuminated cathedral.

They're still harvesting potatoes, it takes forever before you get help...

Bad reviews are somewhat BS. The service is slow everywhere in Utrecht. And in general staff do not know much at any restaurant or bar.. this place is unique and literally huge with a lot of different cool areas to chill. You could do far worse

Drinks were too expensive for that price I got a very small cup shame on me

Historic diner with a great atmosphere.

Highly recommended. Great atmosphere, great service, and great drinks. Thank you.

What a nightmare. A long wait for our order to be taken: decaf iced coffee, oat milk, and a Bavaria 0%. After half an hour, we received a beer that wasn't 0%, which we immediately returned. The waiter then returned: no more Bavaria 0% and no oat milk either. So, we had a beer from Uiltje and an iced coffee with soy milk. The coffee arrived, but it was a glass of milk, no coffee in sight. They took the coffee back and made a new one. It finally arrived just as the beer was already gone. The bill (of course) wasn't correct either. We left quickly.

Visit still disappointing after decades Decades ago, I went to Winkel van Sinkel a few times for drinks. Back then, I was already bothered by the exceptionally slow service, so I decided not to return. Today, after all these years, I decided to give it another try and sat down on the terrace. The cappuccino was thankfully served quite quickly, but the BLT sandwich I ordered still hadn't arrived after 25 minutes. When I inquired, the waiter said they would contact the kitchen. After another 15 minutes, there was still no sandwich. I asked again—this time it turned out the waitress had indeed passed on my request, but she still didn't know when the sandwich would be ready. Finally, I asked for the bill and indicated that we only wanted to pay for the drinks. Fortunately, that was accepted without discussion. Apparently, making a BLT sandwich at Winkel van Sinkel is a complicated process. Surprisingly, guests at other tables, who arrived later than us, did receive their sandwiches quickly. Maybe I'll try again in ten years... but then I'll bring something to eat.

Enjoyed the view on a beautiful late summer evening with good company. Great location and lovely terrace for meeting up.

The sandwiches weren't tasty, with cheap ingredients and the wrong ratio of ingredients to toppings. Service was slow.

We didn't get what we ordered, and our notification went unanswered. The service overall was poor, the food was quite expensive, and the quality was okay, but not exceptional. The location is nice, but there are many better options in Utrecht.

I understand that many students earn some extra money in the hospitality industry, but wow... they were truly uninterested. I ordered a white sandwich instead of a brown one and got a brown one instead. The glass was dirty, and I got a straw instead of a clean glass. The price-quality ratio wasn't great either. The only positive thing I can think of this place is the location.

Dramatisch. We zijn met 15 man. Coquilles als voorgerecht, een halve coquille, maar aangevuld met 3 garnalen. Hoofdgerecht Coq au Vin. Ieniemienie potje, vooral veel wortel en uitjes, met ongeveer 50 gram kip. Slechter eten voor die prijs kan niet.

Ik heb de Coq au vin besteld. Kreeg een bord met een klein pannetje met heel veel wortel maar de kip was heel ver te zoeken. Zeker geen aanrader!

Sat on the terrace, service was poor and slow. I ordered coffee using a QR code because no one came outside to take my order. By the time the coffee arrived, it was completely cold. Not a place I'd return to. However, the building is beautiful, and the facilities are extremely spacious and comfortable.

We received exceptionally good, talented service with excellent explanations about the wine. We didn't need this, but it was surprisingly enjoyable.

Excellent service and delicious wine

Dinner: coq du vin. Good, but just a few pieces of chicken and a few vegetables. You can just stuff it in your tooth. No fries or salad. They didn't ask about it because the waitress didn't speak Dutch. I had dessert... it was a thin strip of mousse with a little cocoa. With two glasses of ice cream, I spent over €40. A waste of money. I'm not a big eater, but this took the cake. I ended up going to McDonald's later.

What a wonderful place to relax! On a warm day, we enjoyed a drink in the shade on the cozy terrace. The location is unique: a beautiful, historic building with a fascinating story. When I stepped inside, I was surprised by the atmosphere, and there's also a charming courtyard with a garden full of cozy seating. The dinner menu also looked very appealing, so one thing is for sure: we will definitely be back. Highly recommended for anyone who appreciates ambiance, history, and hospitality!

What an expensive place, and what poor quality and service. The latte macchiato was absolutely awful. It tasted more like a latte with a thin layer of foam, served in a tea glass without a cookie. Later, I ordered an apple juice. I could have specified online whether I wanted a straw or no ice. I didn't do either because I just wanted a glass and ice. Then I was handed a bottle with a hole punched in the lid, with a straw stuck through it... I find this unhygienic because of the metal particles and not as I had requested. When I asked for a glass, the "waiter" wasn't happy and later brought me a warm glass without ice. We were actually planning to have lunch here, but due to the bad experience and the exorbitant prices, we decided against it. The location and the building are beautiful, but that's about it.

I arrived at Winkel van Sinkel with good expectations because I heard it was a very good place to eat in Utrecht. The first impression was good. We got a table outside at the back and the space was very nice and clean. However it was a bit downhill from here. After being sat down by the staff the waiting time was a recurrent problem. First was the wait between the time we got seated and the time we were given the menus and cutlery. We had to give out the classic "Excuse me" when a waiter walked by. After that came the wait to get our drinks and food order. Another "Excuse me" had to be played in order to get the attention of the staff. During the process of ordering a lot of confusion was made. Luckily, the final readout was correct, but not after 2 or 3 attempts. The drinks came, all good. Four different dishes were ordered and the time, again, to get them served was too much. The food came roughly 45 minutes after the order. All seemed correct... Then we noticed that that the steak tartare came solo when it had salad and fries on the menu stated. We waited a little bit to see if both came after but.. nothing. We had to fire another "Excuse me" and ask for the sides. The waiter was surprised that the tartare was missing the sides and had to confirm with the menu if it actually the sides were included. Again, the time for the sides to arrive was too much. Luckily the tartare is not an hot dish, otherwise it would have been cold when the fries and salad came to the table. In terms of the quality of the food I have nothing to add. All of the dishes were very good and the quality was on point. This was what saved this review. We went to Winkel van Sinkel with high expectations, ultimately because it was recommended by a good friend. However it didn't match those expectations. Food was great, tasty and with a lot of quality but the rest was near a disgrace. Waiting time in every step of the experience was over the roof, the staff was clearly undertrained and the whole experience fell short. Will hardly return and also hardly recommend. Despite all this I believe that the opinion can't be final with just one visit.

Le cadre est sympa, la qualité du service un peu moins. La nourriture pour ce que nous avions pris (buiter boilen et Hamburger) était bonne et la terrasse bien agréable. Le prix n’était pas excessif !

I had a carpaccio sandwich and two beers for €22.50, which was delicious. I'll definitely go back.

cozy brasserie. excellent for company drinks

Bad. Ordering takes way too long, staff inadequate. Never again.

Absolutely not recommended. Ordered one cappuccino with soy milk (this was the only alternative option). Got a sour coffee and the milk was not properly frothed. Indicated to the service that the coffee had a strange taste, this was due to the soy milk... Still asked for another one. Second coffee again not properly frothed. We went elsewhere for coffee. Toilets stank terribly. The building on the other hand is beautiful.

Beautiful monumental building, especially the interior is beautiful. You can sit comfortably in the courtyard.

Mooi pand maar bediening laat veel te wensen over. Bestelling wordt niet opgenomen dan maar iemand zoeken. Uiteindelijk met lange tussenpozen krijgt iedereen z’n drankje ( ook nog het verkeerde) Niet voor herhaling vatbaar.

Nice place but what a bad service! Waiting, waiting ... finally ordered, waiting again and we got our drinks but everyone in turn and there was another 10 minutes in between. 1 of us got the wrong drink and had to go inside himself to get the right one and instead of the right drink he also got an argument that he didn't have the right one. Back to the terrace empty-handed again and waiting again ... The intention was to have a birthday drink and toast with each other but one had finished it and the other still had to get it. My advice: Hire good staff instead of uninterested slow guests who get defensive and don't know what providing service entails. Once but never again!

Nice place for an evening drink. Nice view of the Dom

Was excited to eat here because of photos I had seen and the beautiful facade. Had reservations. Asked to sit in courtyard. Interior was impressive but seemed to be a bit tired and in need of some attention. Bathrooms were smelly. Once we were seated we waited quite a bit for service. Only a beer menu on table. Asked a server for food menus. Had to get her attention again to order. All this would have been fine, but she continually seemed annoyed by us. Brought us our water and one of the glasses had lipstick marks all over it. Food was very good, though. Would probably not return despite the decent meal because was too disorganized and impersonal to offer a welcoming ambiance. Our only disappointing dining experience on our trip in the Netherlands.

A beautiful place, great view when sitting outside in front of the door, very beautiful historic interiors, small fine garden, delicious drinks and good food, plenty of space

2nd visit June 2025: There has been no improvement in the management of the service. We waited more than 15 minutes to "not get our order of beers". One bar person making drinks orders taken by 10 or more wait staff for 100 plus customers is ridiculous. We still love the building and the atmosphere.. but will not return. 1st visit October 2023: The positives: a beautiful building, with nice acoustics, that reminded us of somewhere great from our past. The not so positive: poor service. A lot of staff, mostly standing around and/or having no clue what they should be doing. Very poor management of resources, in our opinion.

Dirty glass with "mineral water based lemonade" contained just tap water and piece of lemon. Appeltaart came from ordinary bakery at duplicate price. Coffee too expensive with over-sweet slagroom... And finally a waiter stands near the table and expects a tip.

Building and staff save the day today. But seriously how mediocre is the food ... tomato soup spicy ok but making some kind of hot chili sauce is not ok. Taste 1 portion size 2 bread a 4 price ratio n 3 also the rest of the table was unanimous about their dishes ... lukewarm, little of the money, and all in terms of taste a big meh ... shame about the beautiful location and the friendly staff

Great place just the service was to me kind of strange we ordered two ice coffee and a tea but when the waiter came she accidentally spilled some coffee on the table…. Now you would think she gets something would comeback to clean it real quick but no we had to do it ourselves. Was good we had baby whipes with us but otherwise was a bit disappointed….. the food itself was OK would rather advice to go here for drinks rather than to eat.

You have to wait 20 minutes for the beer and the food is really an outrage for the price

Could earn at least 4x as much if they had a more attentive operation. Almost nobody inside (only staff) and yet I have seen at least 6 people leave the terrace because they had to wait too long for service. A little less disinterested and a little more looking around you would already help

Was very nice and tasty food before but seems to stand still in time. Little choice, I had scallop quite difficult to bake well. It also turned out to be overcooked. We also had steak tartare, which had nothing with it except capers through it. Wilted lettuce with the steak. Beautiful building but the food was very disappointing

Had a delicious lunch, quick and friendly service!

We had the luxury plate of all starters for 2 people. This alone was 43 euros. Then you have a piece of tartare, shrimp and bread. If this is luxury then doubts about the entire menu. Apologies were that this is just a new menu. Ridiculously expensive. I will not come here again

I recently had a fantastic visit to Winkel van Sinkel in Utrecht. The imposing neoclassical building with the iconic cast iron caryatids on the facade is truly a sight to behold. Inside, the grand café exudes a cozy, historical atmosphere, thanks in part to the high skylight and the elegant gallery. The service was friendly and attentive and the wide range of dishes, wines and specialty beers makes it perfect for both a relaxing lunch and a cozy drink or evening out. The atmospheric courtyard is also a nice place to enjoy some peace and quiet with a drink. In short, a special location where you can feel history and modern hospitality in one experience!

Very cozy, good view and super good and friendly staff

Nice building in a good location. Nice to have a drink but I wouldn't eat there again. Quality and quantity of the food is really not good. Sparerib looked more like a cremated Mexicano, Pork tenderloin very dry and everything is quite expensive (6,- for a box of fries). Extensive beer menu, unfortunately many types not available or not cold at the moment. Service slow.

A bit of faded glory. Many things no longer available. We were told that part of the main courses we ordered were no longer there when the rest was already on the table. We only got the last side dish when all plates had been cleared. The staff doesn't know what to do.

Too bad. Faded glory and completely inexperienced, not very attentive staff! 2 things we ordered were no longer there while they were advertised.

Just for a cup of coffee, the location is really nice. The sun was great. Nice coffee and cup of tea. We sat outside, which was a bit cramped. The waiter stood on my toes twice. Let's just say we didn't have the most practical spot. The two tables for the dirty dishes, is not a nice view. And throwing the dishes, takes you out of the nice atmosphere. The chairs are not comfortable.

They repeatedly got the products and quantities we ordered wrong and served incorrect items. The service is extremely slow. If you don’t want to wait 1.5 hours after ordering your food, do not come here. We also ordered duck, and it was undercooked inside. The oysters came gritty and uncleaned. I absolutely do not recommend this place—don’t come. We were very dissatisfied.

Very poor service , the food took over an hour to arrive, and the wrong dishes were brought. The waiters were inattentive, the food was tasteless, and overall it was a bad choice. I will never come here again. The place has a nice atmosphere, but don’t let that fool you

Very nice building with history, terrible service... it takes ages for the staff to come to you. Finally I had to ask someone to order. Really bizarre to see that there are enough people to help but that the staff is eating out of their nose.

Food was fine. Staff are not exactly hospitable. Many drinks on the menu are no longer served. A little more attention from the owner would be appropriate.

Went for lunch but what a shame. Amateur service and tasteless food.

Ordered a pot of tea for two people...after 30 minutes it was served...with only 1 half broken biscuit and no basket of tea. When asked where the tea was, the waitress said it was in the pot. She would also get two new biscuits. She came back with the news that the biscuits were gone. Also ordered break bread but we never saw it. Not recommended.

What a beautiful location and delicious food

Staff was clearly new, had to wait a long time for our flames. The prices here are also very high.

Absolutely fantastic. Seated in a beautiful upstairs room where the roof could be opened. Attentive service and delicious dishes, also vegetarian. Finally, the service took a group photo for us.

Charming delights in a historic setting. The café is delighted by its magnificently beautiful, historic ambiance, which immediately invites you to linger. We enjoyed a little break here with coffee, cake, and cold drinks – everything was delicious and lovingly served. The café is generally very busy, which speaks volumes about its popularity. Nevertheless, you feel welcome and well looked after. A visit is definitely worth it – ideal for a stylish break in the heart of Utrecht's charming old town.

I can't review the food as I didn't get any. Don't waste you time waiting! The servers ignored me and after half an hour still hadn't taken my order so I left.

The waitress was slow and my cappuccino was cold. My wife didn't get the wine she ordered. I asked for a napkin and never received one. Ok, the waitress was bad. But the reason I'm giving a one-star review is that there are digital advertisements on every urinal in the men's bathroom. That is unforgivable. Boycott this horrible restaurant!

Today we sat outside on the terrace, nice location in the center, in the sun, top staff, and good menu👌🏻🥳

Slow service, expensive and lukewarm beer. Not worth it

Very nice building, prices inflated

Service was fine, but everything took a long time due to crowds. Lunch was disappointing. They charge 14 euros for a plain bun with a sausage in it and some nachos on the side. Sold as 'special'.

Lovely place foe a relaxing drink,

Food is expensive and mediocre at best...

Not worth repeating. Waiting an hour for 2 (not special) sandwiches, a rock hard cold boiled egg instead of poached, a long wait for coffee, (too) young service that could still learn a thing or two about politeness, asking too often if everything is to your liking (even when we had already waited 45 minutes for our sandwiches and there was still nothing that could be to our liking). The Winkel van Sinkel is done for us.

Not really smooth service, expensive and you have to pay for tap water – seriously?

Nice atmosphere and very busy terrace. Quite expensive in terms of price. 6 EUR for a 0.2l in-house lemonade is really crisp. Service is friendly but busy, which means a longer waiting time.

The location with a view of the cathedral is great. What is less is the staff. A nice boy helped us, that's worth the 3 ⭐️, yes, but no employee speaks Dutch. Serving drinks took quite a long time. My glass was empty during dinner, I indicated this when serving lunch, but it took a while before I had a new drink. Food was good, there are worse places but also much better. Therefore a 4 ⭐️

The restaurant itself is absolutely gorgeous, especially when considering the buildings history. The service, however, was dreadful. The waiters and waitresses were kind but it took half an hour alone for the drinks to arrive and even for this we had to repeatedly ask for them. The food, again, took half an hour to arrive and the drinks we ordered along with the food came after we finished eating. The food itself was good, but not good enough to make up for the dreadful service. There was only a single person working at the bar, even though there were at least 100 people in the restaurant, which meant the bar was completely full of used glassware.