Het Koetshuis

It remains a pleasure to be seated at the table of maître and sommelier Danny and hostess Anouk Lohr, who together run their beautiful restaurant located in the woods on the outskirts of Bennekom. Here, hospitality is practiced with heart and soul, and the guest is at the center. Chef Jurre Klein Bleumink cooks classic French cuisine with Asian influences. The menu offers a seven-course tasting menu, but all courses can also be ordered à la carte. The wine list offers an extensive selection, though it stands out that the wines by the glass are quite pricey. We sample a generous portion of yellowtail kingfish with an oriental dressing based on ponzu. Surrounded by nori crisps and dollops of cream made from tarragon, green apple, and asparagus. The accompanying sauce based on yogurt, green apple, and tarragon completes the experience. Paired with the chef's signature dish—perfectly cooked langoustine tail on artichoke compote with pistachio cream and citrus jelly—is a glass of Aligoté Anne Boisson 2022 from Domaine Boisson in Meursault. A lovely match. The main course is rose-roasted lamb rack with chive mousse and double-cooked peas. Served alongside is a mini spring roll filled with braised lamb, mint cream, and a green herb crisp. The stewed meat is seasoned with a spicy kick, and the spring roll is nicely fried until crispy. With coffee come delightful petit fours such as a madeleine with light Swiss cream, a coconut macaroon, nougat with almond and cranberry, and a little tartlet with cherries and macaron. We feel completely pampered. It firmly scores 59.

Located on the edge of the Veluwe, this warm and cozy restaurant is a true gem to behold. Beautifully nestled in the greenery with a lovely terrace, it certainly deserves our Terrace of the Year 2026 award this year! Owner Danny Löhr is an excel...

Nestled in Lommerrijk, deep within the Veluwe forests, lies restaurant Het Koetshuis. A few years ago, the interior underwent a complete transformation, and the results speak for themselves. The atmosphere is warm and inviting, with views of a meticulously maintained garden. On sunny days, the spacious terrace is an absolute must. Danny Löhr took over the establishment from his mother in 2020 and, together with his wife Saskia, oversees the daily operations of the dining room. Head chef Tom Lamers, alongside his team, crafts elegant and refined French-international cuisine in the partially open kitchen. Guests can choose from several set menus, alongside à la carte delicacies such as oysters and caviar. We quickly dive into four amuse-bouches, including a taco with farmer's Messeklever cream, all paired with a glass of sparkling Crémant Bourgogne. For the starter, we have a turbot rouleau with artichoke cream, cashew nut garnish, and a spicy horseradish beurre blanc. Danny pours an excellent Hondarribi Zuri, Ieup, Txakoli, Basque Country, Spain, though unfortunately served rather sparingly. Next comes pan-seared red mullet served on ratatouille with razor clams, draped in a foamy vadouvan sauce and garnished with black olives and vadouvan cream. It is a masterful dish where every element harmonizes perfectly. Tom Lamers himself brings out cannelloni stuffed with oxtail, accompanied by celery root cream, puffed onion, porcini sauce, and red wine sauce. The entire dish is generously topped with freshly grated summer truffle. You certainly pay a premium for all of this, but every single bite is worth it. This year, the restaurant drops to number 59 in this guide's Top 100.

A short distance outside Bennekom, nestled in the woods, lies this generously sized restaurant housed in what was once a carriage house. Danny Löhr took over the establishment from his parents a few years ago and continues the tradition of ensuring guests have an absolutely wonderful time. The prices are not cheap, and the wine list certainly commands a premium, but the quality is impeccable. Chef Tom Lamers treats his guests to a series of amuse-bouches. Each one is both visually stunning and incredibly delicious. Two stand out and must be mentioned: a mini tompouce crafted from porcini bread, filled with morel mousse and topped with porcini breadcrumbs, and a razor clam served with tomato beurre blanc, samphire, and yellow sun-dried tomato. Absolutely delicious! The menu offers the choice of dining à la carte or ordering the multi-course 'Experience' menu, which is also available in a vegetarian version. Some main courses can also be ordered as an appetizer portion. With the sole accompanied by Canadian lobster, charred little gem lettuce salad, and a light lobster sauce, however, this does result in a rather modest serving. Still, it is exceptionally tasty. Next comes hamachi wrapped in nori, which beautifully enhances the flavor. It is served alongside a Gillardeau oyster, Dutch asparagus, fennel, and a smoked buttermilk dressing. A crisp, dry, mineral-driven Wagner Stempel Riesling 2021 'Porphyr' from Rheinhessen perfectly complements the dish. Lightly grilled turbot with braised meat follows, featuring lardo di colonnata, a creamy morel sauce, double-peeled broad beans, and petit pois. It simply melts in your mouth. On the other side of the plate, you find pan-seared veal escalope coated in nut crumbs, accompanied by ginger, sweet and sour carrots, and a green curry sauce. The ginger adds a surprising twist to the rich flavor of the veal. Danny pairs it with a Burgundy Passe-Tout-Grains 2020 from Domaine Hudelot-Baillet Chambolle-Musigny. We conclude with a creation of rhubarb and strawberries, where all the flavors beautifully complement each other. The dessert features small rhubarb meringues, rhubarb jelly, elderflower and strawberry ice cream, marinated strawberries, and chunks of white chocolate. A truly fitting finale. Rises to 51.

Upon entering, the eye is immediately drawn to the grand wooden and metal chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling of the family Löhr’s rural thatched coach house. Guests dine comfortably at tables carefully dressed in linen, surrounded by fine armchairs, spotlessly clean carpets, and enjoy a lovely view of the beautifully maintained garden. Dishes from Chef Tom Lamers’ open kitchen are classically French, with occasional international twists, and make extensive use of locally sourced ingredients. The restaurant offers an 'Experience Menu', available in both regular and vegetarian versions, alongside an à la carte selection and daily specials such as caviar and oysters. It’s also a welcome touch that guests can choose from alcohol-free cocktails alongside the wine pairing. We sample three different preparations of mackerel. One features the skin seared and served with a nori and Samyang (spicy Korean kimchi) broth, accompanied by bean sprouts. Another is a small mackerel tartare paired with a lapsang souchong tea broth and Dutch caviar from Laren’s Steurhoeve. The third is a mini bapao bun filled with mackerel rillettes, served with a nori crisp and wasabi. These are paired with a delightful 2020 Domaine de Bellevue, offering notes of apple, citrus, lime, and a subtle mineral finish. An excellent wine and food pairing. Crispy sweetbreads follow, garnished with truffle, Jerusalem artichoke crisps, and a porcini mushroom foam. Simply outstanding. For the vegetarian main, a Wellington is served featuring Jerusalem artichokes, chicory, and soy sauce. It delivers earthy flavors and is quite hearty. Tip: save some room for the extensive selection of sweets and pastries. We couldn’t resist finishing every last one. The price for this year’s menu is €55.

Grand wooden and metal chandeliers, carefully skirted round tables, comfortable armchairs, velvet-soft carpet, and a view of a stunning, meticulously maintained garden. It is a pleasure to step into Het Koetshuis, nestled in the woods of Bennekom, once a barn where carriages were parked. Danny and Saskia Löhr have been running the establishment for years, and together with head chef Tom Lamers, they turn dining out into a true culinary experience. The venue is bustling with relatively young guests, along with occasional families with children. The menu offers both à la carte selections and set menus, while the wine list features many traditional labels. We sample a trio of langoustines served with a highly flavorful bisque made from the shells, accompanied by cream in a separate small bowl. A clear straw-yellow Italian Roero Arneis from Malvirà, vintage 2017, accompanies the dish. Its fruity character provides a pleasant freshness. This is followed by cod baked in brown butter sauce, served with paper-thin slices of raw field mushrooms, sweet onion and onion broth, plus very finely sliced dry sausage. A sophisticated dish bursting with flavor. The homemade tartelette with custard, pickled rhubarb, strawberry sorbet, and champagne sabayon disappears completely, down to the last crumb. The cooking here is fantastic, the service is excellent, but it certainly comes with a hefty price tag.

Saskia and Danny Löhr began as young proprietors at Het Koetshuis in 1986. Since then, this idyllic restaurant has undergone several thorough renovations and has grown into a beautiful, easily accessible, warm, family-oriented, and welcoming establishment nestled right in the woods of Bennekom. Owner Danny Löhr, who is passionate about motocross and cycling, says: “We tackled the pandemic from day one to completely restyle the restaurant both indoors and outdoors. We carried this out together with our entire staff, which forged an incredible team bond—something we can look back on with great pride. Furthermore, our KoetsThuis menus were created during this time, leading to notable cost reductions that allow us to face the future with positive energy.” The restaurant’s name derives from an old barn where carriages stood in the center and livestock was housed on the sides, with fodder stored above them. Today, guests dine in a stunning ambiance and can enjoy the culinary creations of head chef Tom Lamers, who already cut his first culinary teeth here years ago, alongside sous-chef Erik Timmerman. Guests can choose from various menus rooted in classical French cuisine with a modern touch, featuring delicacies such as oysters and caviar to start. Elegant and refined—that is how we describe the kitchen, where acidity should shine through in each dish and sauces should properly support it. Beautifully complementary wines can be poured from the wine cellar, with assistant sommelier Hidde de Graaf gladly providing expert guidance. The wine list offers a wonderful selection from across the globe. The team’s expertise centers on classic wine regions, as evidenced by the list, which features an exquisite selection of champagnes, Burgundies, and Bordeaux wines. However, countries like Italy, particularly Piedmont, and the New World are also well represented. New maître Tim van der Linde ensures, together with the team, that guests enjoy a truly celebratory evening. On beautiful days, the meticulously maintained terrace awaits invitingly to welcome visitors. For a few years now, weddings have also been held at Het Koetshuis, and we can safely say the setting is perfect for it! The KoetsThuis menu will return later this year, allowing people to enjoy Het Koetshuis from home on special occasions and holidays.

This restaurant is thriving. Owners Saskia and Danny Löhr have now put their own modern twist on it. And besides offering gastronomic pleasure, it has also been possible to hold weddings here since last year: a fantastic setting for it, nestled in the woods of Bennekom. From the kitchen of head chef Niels Dooijeweert come the most exquisite creations, and vegetarian dishes are also very well catered for. We begin our menu with a paprika bavarois with feta, accompanied by a crispy paprika element, Granny Smith apple, lettuce sauce, and an oregano cream. A beautiful red color palette on a matching red plate. Also beautifully balanced with the Malvira 2017, Roero Arneis, an organic wine from Italy. As an intermezzo, duck follows, seared on the skin and paired with popcorn and baby corn, plus tuiles of kaki fruit and a duck leg confit served in circular shapes on the plate. Sommelier Tim Westerling serves a Chambolle-Musigny (Domaine Hudelot-Baillet, 2017) alongside it, a robust Pinot Noir (blended with Gamay) that pairs excellently with the duck. For the main course comes a delicious tournedos Rossini with creamy goose liver and summer truffle, accompanied by a mushroom sauce and creams of eryngii mushrooms (king oyster mushroom) and morels. Beautifully balanced with the Regent barrique from 2016, a red organic wine grown on Dutch soil. We conclude the evening with a classic tropical fruit dessert, Ile Perdu Tropical, and drink an Austrian Spätlese from 2017 (Tschida-Angerhof) with it. A wonderful noble-sweet wine, with a lovely balance between sweetness and acidity. A top-notch evening. Despite this, Het Koetshuis slips one place down to number 47 in the Lekker Top-100.

We're lucky: it's a warm evening and the tables on the terrace of this restaurant, nestled in the woods, are festively set. Moreover, it's cozily bustling, so we decide to take a seat. The professional hosts Danny Löhr and Tim Westerling serve drinks and food, and the atmosphere is pleasant. With a glass of spumante, we taste the first amuse-bouches from head chef Niels van Dooijeweert. Mousse of goat and nettle cheese; a piece of grilled belly bacon with chili; preparations of salmon with cucumber dressing and herbs. Followed by pâté with chutney made of pickles and silver onions. Lovely! Vitello tonnato is the starter, but 'deconstructed': seared tuna, veal roulade, and anchovy and tomato cream. Surprisingly delicious. Danny Löhr pours an Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup 2015 from the Languedoc to accompany it. Crisp and pleasant. Braised oxtail follows, served with green and white asparagus, dashi, and morels. Neat portions, a beautiful composition of flavors. We are truly impressed by the piece of Dutch lamb. Cooked to perfection and served with fresh peas, zucchini, and mint sauce. In the glass: an Australian Shiraz (Tim Adams, Clare Valley, 2013). A beautiful full-bodied wine, deep red, pairing excellently with the pink-roasted tender lamb meat. And how delicious those young peas taste. For dessert: poached rhubarb with a rhubarb sorbet, crispy rhubarb, and green tea. Alongside a slightly warm waffle with strawberries and Romanoff strawberry ice cream. Compliments to the kitchen. Scores a solid 46.

Following the passing of owner-chef Wicher Löhr last year, the family has wonderfully carried on the business. His wife Saskia, son Danny, and brother-in-law Niels van Dooijeweert now serve as hostess, head sommelier, and executive chef, respectively. We visit the atmospheric woodland restaurant, and fortunately, very little has changed. A chicken roulade speckled with white and black sesame seeds, served in a curry with pomegranate seeds and chervil, is finished at the table with shaved kaffir lime (North African lime) zest. For the salmon, accompanied by a salad featuring fennel and apple crafted by chef Niels van Dooijeweert, along with a red pepper gazpacho, Danny Löhr pours a light-bodied Chardonnay Le Renard (Domaine Devillard, 2014). The main course features braised sweetbreads with white asparagus and a creamy sauce made from fresh morels. It pairs beautifully with a glass of Valpolicella Superiore from Verona (Veneto, 2014). For dessert, we enjoy a delightful dish of banana and chocolate with lemongrass and popped rice. Another course offers pan-seared duck liver with grilled pineapple. A beautiful marriage of earthy and sweet-and-sour notes. Served with macadamia nuts and yogurt, the dish is drizzled at the table with a pineapple and fenugreek sauce. In the glass: a South African Creative Block (Spier, 2016), a Sauvignon Blanc blended with a touch of Semillon. This is followed by exceptionally tender Anjou squab with confited legs, black garlic, spring turnips, wild carrots, and a star anise sauce. Accompanied by a fantastic glass of deep crimson Roccardo (Langhe 2015), made from Nebbiolo grapes. A posthumous tribute to the late Wicher Löhr: his restaurant, Koetshuis, drops just one spot in the Top 100, landing at number 46.