The story
In the oldest building of Rottevalle, just outside Drachten, De Herberg van Smallingerland has been welcoming guests since 1791. The atmosphere is instantly warm—candlelight, exposed beams, and a sense of timelessness. The kitchen, led by chef Jurmen, describes its cooking as creatief, puur en eigenzinnig—creative, pure, and distinctive—rooted in Dutch culinary tradition but given a Modern French lift. Seasonal ingredients from the region take center stage, with classic flavours reinterpreted with fresh precision. The result is a menu that changes with the year, printed on a card that invites you to choose your own adventure: one course or several, as long as you enjoy.
That approach earned the restaurant a Michelin Recommended distinction for 2026, a recognition of the quiet confidence in the kitchen and the genuine hospitality of the house.
The Herberg proeverijmenu—a tasting menu of four, five, or six courses—is the easiest way to let the kitchen lead. Recent dishes include roasted coquille with cauliflower variations and a cream sauce of shore crab, or crispy sweetbread with pointed cabbage and apple-ginger jus. Main courses might feature classic pork tenderloin with marinated belly and cider jus, or Dutch farm duck with broad bean cream, rhubarb gel, and naked barley. The cheese course brings four cheeses from the Friese Oerboer, made traditionally from raw milk. Every plate reflects the moment: ingredients that are ripe, honest, and handled with skill.
What makes a meal here personal is chef Jurmen’s signatuur—his signature. The kitchen works with the season’s best, giving each dish a twist that surprises without pretence. The Tijd voor elkaar diner (Time for Each Other Dinner) is the purest expression of that. A four-course seasonal menu served at a gentle pace, starting with a sparkling welcome drink and amuses. No hurry, no fuss—just candlelit tables, attentive service, and flavours that let you relax into the evening. The menu adapts to dietary wishes (meat, fish, or vegetarian). It is, as the inn puts it, een avond waarvan je achteraf denkt: dit hadden we even nodig.
For a restaurant that has been a meeting place for more than two centuries, this is the new chapter: Modern French in a historic shell, where the past is present but the cooking is unmistakably now.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
In this old inn from 1791 in the heart of the Frisian village of Rottevalle, father Freddy Bult and son Jurmen serve a cuisine inspired by local products. Such as bavette of Frisian beef with polenta and 'forest beans'...
Location
