Home Sweet Home: Maastricht, Netherlands

We have come to my specialty within travel. If you were to ask my wife what my greatest skill that I bring to the table when it comes to travel, I would undoubtedly bet that she would say it would be my innate ability to find the best places to eat in a city. Not only can I find you the best places to eat, they often are the cheapest as well. Maastricht has multiple Michelin starred restaurants within its gorgeous city walls. As of 2020, there was one, 2-star Michelin restaurant, and eight, 1-star Michelin restaurants. Not bad for a quaint city you probably have never heard of.

While Michelin starred restaurants are quite delicious, at least so I hear; they’re not quite my kind of restaurants, the best part of exploring a new city is finding the places the locals and the students eat. Across almost every city in America, you will find your Chili’s, Applebee’s, Chipotle, etc., but in most cities in Europe, chain restaurants are actually quite rare. Most of the restaurants you find on city squares and through narrow alleyways, outside of the KFC, McDonalds, and Burger King that most European cities tend to have, are local and family owned. With that being said, the following establishments come highly recommended, and are places that are frequented by yours truly.

• Pizzeria Piano B ($): Best pizza in Maastricht. Run by four men from San Salvo, Italy. Wood fired, and delicious. You won’t find a better place, or better prices.
• Eetcafe de Preuverij ($): Tiny, local café. The burgers are the best I have had in the city, and the vegetarian lasagna is also great. It is also a great place to grab a beer or glass of wine.
• Eetcafe Ceramique ($$-$$$): A delicious organic, and mostly vegetarian restaurant. They consider themselves “the greenest restaurant in Maastricht, and the surrounding area.”
• The Lab ($): A popular restaurant amongst students. They offer a good variety of food and cocktails for a great price.
• Livin Room ($): We didn’t often get breakfast in Maastricht, but this place had the best breakfast that we found in the city. The ingredients were fresh, and the menu had a large amount of vegetarian options.
• BABs Burritos ($): This was my personal favorite burrito place in the city. They had a great house BBQ sauce, and offered unique protein choices like pulled chicken, pulled pork, and pulled beef. They also receive bonus points for delivering!
• With Love Burrito With Love Burrito ($): This was Katie’s personal favorite burrito place. They have a wonderful sweet potato burrito, and one of the best breakfast burritos I have ever had. If you’re into spicy Mexican food, then this is your place.
• FAB ($$): Consider this our version of Applebee’s. Whenever we had a hankering for some “American” food, this was our go-to place. It rarely disappointed.
• Patty 'n Bun ($-$$): A really good burger place in the city center. You can customize your burger to your liking with a wide variety of toppings. For dessert you can get what they call a “Freak Shake,” and yes, they are as amazing as they sound. Oh, and cheese fries!
• De Gouverneur ($$): Their beer menu is at least 10 pages long, and I am not exaggerating. It is right off the Markt square and has outdoor seating that is great for relaxing and people watching. They also have a delicious menu card that offers a delightful selection of Belgian specialties.
• Piece of Cake ($): A really good dessert bakery in the city. They have delicious cupcakes and an assortment of other delectable baked goods.
• Marks ($): Katie and I always joked that they are closed every time we want to go there, but they have the best waffles and ice cream in the city. It is not even close; they win both of those categories by a landslide.
• Cinq ($$-$$$): One of the best places to get a drink on the river. The food is a little expensive, but it is quite good.
• Peter’s Irish Pub ($): If you’re looking for a pub in Maastricht, this is the place to go. Peter is a very nice guy, and there is a good selection of beer and food for cheap prices.
• Gio’s Cucina Casalinga ($$-$$$): Our next-door neighbor! Gio’s has a wonderful view of the Vrijthof Square and is most certainly the best restaurant on the square. The ingredients were always fresh (I watched them unload their van every morning around 6am), and I would consider it the best Italian food in Maastricht. (Toscanella Apuana is a close second!)
• Stadsbrouwerij De Maastrichter Maltezer ($$-$$$): A great place to grab a beer on the river. I only had lunch there, but it was quite good. It is a brewery, so they have a large selection of fantastic beers to choose from.
• Chalet Bergrust Chalet Bergrust ($-$$): This is another great lunch spot, or a place to grab a drink. It is located about a 15-20 minute walk from the Vrijthof, by Fort St. Pieter. The views from this place are absolutely beautiful, I’d maybe even say the best in the city. It is also located right next to the dog park, so you can see all the happy pups while you enjoy your drinks.

Considering the fact that I lived in Maastricht, I never had to seek out any accommodation. I will offer a few places that come highly recommended, but mostly I will offer advice on what part of the city to stay in. With Maastricht being such a tiny city, you really can’t go wrong as far as where to stay. Having lived right on the Vrijthof for 3 years, I can tell you for a fact that that is where the action is. If something is going on in the city it is either happening on the Vrijthof, or on the Markt square. The Wyck side is a little more modern and has a lot of shops and boutiques to fill an entire day’s worth of shopping. Both sides of the river are beautiful, so it would be best to choose which side suits you best on your own.