Lunch in Gouda: the best spots in the city centre

A good lunch in Gouda starts with a choice you often make before you are even hungry: where to sit. The city centre is small enough to cross in a quarter of an hour, so distance is rarely the problem. The difference lies in atmosphere, pace and view.

Below I walk you through the four areas where you can have lunch in Gouda, with an honest note on when an area is the right choice and when it is not.

1. The Markt: the view you come for

The Markt is the largest market square in the Netherlands and the beating heart of the city. In the middle of the square stands the Gothic town hall from 1450, the oldest free-standing town hall in the country. The terraces line the square.

Lunch on the Markt is the choice for anyone who wants to make a moment of it. You sit with a view of the town hall, on Thursday mornings in July and August you look out over the historic cheese market, and St John's Church (Sint-Janskerk) is just around the corner. It is busy on Saturdays and on market days, that is part of it, but do expect a table by the window to be in demand.

Less suitable if: you are after a quick, quiet working lunch on a Saturday afternoon in July.

2. Lange Groenendaal and Achter de Kerk: the narrow streets

Behind St John's lies the network of narrow shopping streets where Gouda is at its most Gouda: artisan bakers, small shops, now and then a lunchroom with four tables. This is where you pick up a sandwich and a coffee, not where you have a long lunch with wine.

Good for: a short break while shopping, or if there are two of you and you have no booking.

3. Towards the water: Oosthaven and the Museum Harbour

Walk from the Markt towards Museum Gouda on the Oosthaven and you reach the quietest part of the city centre. The water, the canal houses, little through traffic. If you want to combine a walk with lunch, this is the most beautiful route.

Note: the choice here is more limited and more spread out. On Mondays some places are closed.

4. Around the station

Gouda Centraal is a few minutes' walk from the Markt. If you arrive by train, the temptation to stay close to the station is strong, but that is a shame: in seven minutes you walk via the Kleiweg to the centre and then you are in the middle of the historic city instead of next to it.

Lunch at Gouds Glas on the Markt

We are at Markt 40, directly opposite St John's and right next to the town hall. We serve coffee and pastries from opening time, and the lunch menu opens daily at 11:30.

What comes to the table changes with the seasons. Staples are our homemade soups, flammkuchen, generous salads and luxury sandwiches on fresh sourdough. We work with seasonal produce from local suppliers and make as much as possible ourselves. Fancy a glass with it: house wine is served from €5.50, local beers from the region from €4.50.

Lunch with a group

With more than a handful of people, lunch in a small place quickly becomes difficult. For parties of ten or more we put together a group lunch: fresh sourdough, carpaccio, luxury sandwiches and soup, served so that everyone eats at the same time. Handy for a family gathering, a team outing or a party that has visited St John's in the morning.

If you are putting together a programme for a larger group, lunch can also be the first part of a day with a tasting or a high tea afterwards.

Lunch with children

Gouda is a good city for a day out with children: everything is within walking distance, the cheese market is a spectacle and the town hall fires the imagination. Children are welcome at our table and we are happy to think along about smaller portions. Just ask when you book.

Practical: times, parking, booking

• Lunch at Gouds Glas: daily from 11:30, coffee and pastries from opening
• Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 00:00, closed on Sunday
• Parking: De Baan car park by the station and the P+R on the Nieuwe Australiëweg; from both you walk into the centre
• By train: Gouda Centraal is a seven-minute walk from the Markt
• Market days: expect crowds on Thursday mornings and Saturdays