Bistro Bord'o

On the historic Apothekerskade, owner-chef Oscar Zitman serves French-inspired cuisine. Bistro Bord'o offers a cozy living room setting for this, where we enjoy a selection of very carefully prepared à la carte dishes...

Owners Oscar and Maike Zitman have been running this restaurant for quite a few years, housed in a charming old building on Leiden’s historic Apothekersdijk. The name Bord'O hints at their love for what lands on the 'plate', as well as their deep appreciation for French wines. Alongside the dining room, they run a wine shop called De Wijnkelder, stocking their own imported selections. Oscar cooks in a French style and offers a multi-course menu that can be extended with à la carte dishes if desired. We enjoy the amuse-bitterbal served with crayfish risotto, perfectly crispy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside. It is paired with a glass of crisp Anadigna Albariño Rías Baixas. The sardine starter falls slightly short, as the fish still contain quite a few bones. The partially eaten dish is promptly and without prompting replaced by the house’s vegetarian starter. The turbot fillet serves as the main course, available in various portions. It is served with forest mushroom risotto, porcini bread, and verjus blanc. The dessert is a pleasant surprise, centered around English blue Shropshire cheese, accompanied by yellow beet, pumpkin, and quatre épices. Coffee is served alongside delightful treats like madeleines, caramel, and butter cake. The chef steps in to help with service, which is necessary since the waitstaff are still a bit unsure. The value for money here is excellent.

Situated along one of Leiden’s beautiful canals is Bistro Bord´o, the cozy home restaurant of Maike and Oscar Zitman for many years. Chef Oscar prepares a pure cuisine firmly rooted in classical French tradition. We are soon served an amuse-bouche of delicious beetroot salad with sesame foam. The menu is limited to a three- to six-course tasting menu and a few à la carte dishes that can be added. Delicious dark, coarse sourdough bread appears at the table with olive oil and excellent farm butter from Lindehof. Thinly sliced, lightly peppered scallops on quinoa, with sweet-and-sour spring turnips, miso, and sesame. An elegant start. Then begins the long wait, as it takes well over three-quarters of an hour before the next dish is served. Fortunately, this proves worthwhile as perfectly cooked ray wing arrives with a fresh, tangy Grenobloise sauce, capers, and black olive tapenade. The service also seems unable to fully control the pace; our glasses remain empty for far too long. The wine pairing, incidentally, plays it safe. The Domaine La Provenquière ‘Achilleus’ 2019 rosé served with the main course—a generous portion of dry-aged Gasconne entrecôte with polenta and veal jus—is a safe but not particularly exciting choice. The dessert, featuring mandarin pickled in ginger, vanilla panna cotta, and white chocolate, is heavenly.

A cozy, home-style restaurant located on the historic Apothekersdijk in the center of Leiden. A favorite stop for regulars, passersby, and tourists who enjoy sitting out on the terraces in front of the entrance and along the waterfront during good weather. They come, not least of all, for the uncomplicated, ingredient-driven cuisine prepared by owner-chef Oscar Zitman, drawing inspiration from French classics. The eye-catching features in the compact yet cozy interior are the wall sconces artfully wrapped in impregnated sheer linen fabric. We start with a Château Vignol 2022 Blanc aperitif, fresh and ripe with notes of exotic fruit. The menu is straightforward, offering a tasting selection available in portions of three to six courses. It also highlights house specialties such as fresh oysters, steak tartare, œuf cocotte à la truffe, and côte de bœuf. For the starter, we have beef tartare with smoked beetroot, redcurrants, and a slice of raw ham. The tartare is slightly on the dry side. The sea bass fillet, poached to a beautiful rosé hue and served with pink shrimp, fresh green herbs, and a creamy beurre blanc, fares much better. The centerpiece features perfectly grilled turbot accompanied by crisp-tender grilled asparagus, Burgerveen eel, garden peas, and orange. My dining companion savors slices of rosé-roasted veal loin, slow-braised veal cheek, blanched leek, kalamansi, and a rich veal jus—a dish so good you could literally lick your fingers. Combined with genuine hospitality, a relaxed pace, and reasonable prices, Bistro Bord'o is undoubtedly a place we will definitely keep returning to.

For ten years now, Maike and Oscar Zitman, respectively hostess and head chef, have made their restaurant on the corner of Apothekersdijk a magnet for tourists, students, and passersby. This draws visitors not only for the pleasant cuisine, reasonable prices, and thoughtfully curated wine list, but also for the terraces right outside the door and those directly across at the waterfront. The space has clearly been freshly painted and polished, we observe, as hostess Wendy pours full glasses of Clos Saint Yves (Baumard, 2018) from the Loire Valley. Following two tasty welcome bites, bread and butter are served, followed shortly by the starter: turbot fillet, cooked to perfection and presented with a soy-based sauce, shiitake mushrooms, bok choy, and quinoa. Delicious! On the other plate rests a classic: œuf cocotte. An aromatic medley of egg, duck liver, truffle, and Parmesan that proves to be a true flavor bomb. It pairs exquisitely with that fine Savennières made from Chenin Blanc grapes. Next comes Black Angus bavette, sliced tenderly and served with shredded cabbage and a broad bean mousseline, while the chef tableside spoons a tarragon-infused veal jus over it. Beautiful flavor accents. The second main course is a Canadian lobster, cooked to a perfect doneness, served with the same sides as the bavette, but accompanied by a small pitcher of lemon-butter sauce. To conclude, a dessert of mango, passion fruit, white chocolate, and meringue is offered alongside a selection of domestic and international cheeses. A thoroughly pleasant establishment.

A pleasant culinary retreat at the top of Apothekersdijk in Leiden’s nightlife center. An eatery with an open kitchen, tables without tablecloths, and on sunny days, the delightful pontoon terrace. Booking in advance is highly advisable, as it is consistently packed with predominantly local guests. They sample dishes here that do not immediately blow you away, but win you over with their price and flavor. Owners Maike, hostess, and sommelier and chef Oscar Zitman clearly favor a set-menu format on their list; we choose à la carte instead. Goose liver terrine and rillette, for instance. A rich, succulent portion, served with brioche bread, fig, and port chutney. And sweetbreads. Five pieces, baked until juicy yet crisp, dusted with vadouvan and placed atop cauliflower and almond cream. Extremely flavorful, paired with glasses of ‘Louisiane’ Vignol 2019, a white Bordeaux blend of Muscadelle, Sauvignon, and Sémillon. The finishing touch is a raspberry and champagne crémeux dessert. Followed by coffee and homemade friandises. Excellent. Our only reservation concerns the rather underwhelming start: a postage-stamp-thin slice of butter, a tiny par-baked roll, and salt and pepper in paper sachets are simply outdated.

The kitchen at Bord'o, led by chef Oscar Zitman, is French-inspired and delivers elegant, pure dishes without any frills. Taste is what it's all about here. And that's absolutely true. The plates are elegantly presented when they reach the table, and the dishes are bursting with flavor. This cozy and atmospheric restaurant on the historic Apothekersdijk along the Leiden canals is doing very well. Getting there remains a bit of a hassle due to limited parking, but once inside, you certainly get your money's worth. Hostess and sommelier Maike Zitman is the mastermind behind a beautiful, varied wine list featuring an excellent and sometimes downright quirky selection, plus a rotating range of wines by the glass that are all affordably priced. No wonder it's almost always fully booked and that booking in advance is essential. Also worth noting: just around the corner is now Bistro to go – Oscar and Maike's delicatessen – stocked with wines, cheese and ham from the Green Heart region, French delicacies, and other treats. Perfect for a 'bistro at home' experience.

For nearly five years, owner-chef Oscar Zitman and hostess-sommelier Maike Heezen have been steadily building their reputation. Their concept of a fixed six-course menu from which individual dishes can be chosen has proven highly successful, largely thanks to the excellent and occasionally idiosyncratic wine selection. We take the simple decor for granted and focus on the food. We savor poultry liver with chocolate, followed by an amuse-bouche of hot asparagus soup with carrot, paired with a glass of 2017 white Beaujolais by Jean-Paul Brun. Delightful starters. Just like the preceding course of Burgerveen eel with cucumber, wasabi, and herring roe. Savory, fresh, and flavorful. Maike pours an excellently matching 2014 Saint-Joseph Jacouton alongside it—ripe, mineral, and full-bodied, a mature standout. The second course is scallop, baked with cauliflower, dahl, yellow curry, and coconut. A beautiful combination of flavors. Duck is the pièce de résistance, à l'orange, meaning with orange. The tender meat is served with sweet potato, bok choy, quinoa, and shiitake. We decline the offer of a glass of red and stick with the Saint-Joseph, which also effortlessly accompanies this meat dish. Finally, blackcurrant and thyme with brambles, meringue, and crème catalana. A solid and affordable restaurant in the heart of Leiden.

The welcome is warm at the restaurant run by chef Oscar Zitman and hostess and sommelier Maike Zitman-Heezen. After a delightful surprise amuse-bouche—chicken liver mousse with crispy chicken skin and toast—the menu is presented. It offers both à la carte selections and a multi-course tasting menu. The vegetarian starter, surprisingly excellent, features a tartare of bright, tangy tomatoes with tomato cream, balsamic vinegar, garden peas, fried capers, and paprika krupuk. Bright and full-flavored. The Gillardeau oysters, served with foie gras, Granny Smith apple, herring roe, and Geuze bean sorbet, are equally irresistible. The wine list boasts exquisite bottles at reasonable prices, but we entrust the food-and-wine pairings entirely to Maike’s expert guidance. The poured South African Pinotage Rhekloof from Paarl pairs seamlessly with the slow-cooked veal cheek, delicately infused with lemongrass and lime leaves, alongside crispy veal sweetbreads garnished with cauliflower. My dining companion savors the pan-seared gurnard fillet, cooked to perfection, accompanied by glazed carrots, choron sauce, and fresh morels. The cheese trolley is brought out by a promising young kitchen talent, who provides a thorough and accurate introduction to each selection. Accompanying the coffee is such an abundance of homemade treats that choosing becomes nearly impossible. A restaurant definitely worth keeping an eye on.