Brighton is not short of a sandwich bar or two, however few pay as much attention to detail as Eten + Drinken, Espresso Bar and Kitchen who offer a touch of old Amsterdam in the heart of Brighton.
In The Netherlands, eten et drinken is a friendly, local café found in most neighbourhoods or towns, where you drink great coffee and taste food made from the finest ingredients.
John Williams has brought a similar ethos to Brighton, opening Eten + Drinken, Espresso Bar and Kitchen with a menu that marries traditional British fayre including sandwiches, salads and breakfasts with some exciting and tasty Dutch specialities.
Dutch Specialities available include:
- Kroketten (beef or chicken satay croquettes)
- Bitterballen (beef croquette bites)
- Frikandellen (savoury sausages)
- Uitsmijter sandwich (ham, gouda, fried egg, rocket on sourdough)
- Dutch Apple Cake (made on the premises)
- Stroopwafels (syrup waffles)
When I was a poor student, living in Amsterdam in the 70s I existed on Kroketten and Bitterballen, which you could, and still can purchase from those food dispensers with glass windows found in most food bars in central Amsterdam. I was addicted to them and even now when I visit Amsterdam, the first thing I do is find a food bar, put my euro in 
At Eten + Drinken two beef or chicken satay croquettes (Kroketten) cost £6.25 or you can try six beef croquettes (Bitterballen) for the same price. They are authentic, delicious and highly recommended.
If you prefer some Dutch sausage in your mouth, I can heartily recommend the savoury sausage sandwich (Broodje Frikandel)/savoury sausage and relish (Frikandel Speciaal) costing £4.25. Spicy sausage and lovely bread.
My personal favourite for breakfast is the ham, fried egg, gouda, rocket and sourdough Uitsmijter Sandwich (£4.25).
If you want something to accompany your cup of coffee or tea, try the delicious Dutch Apple Cake (Met Slagroom with whipped cream) which is freshly baked on the premises and costs just £2.50 a slice. It is great cake and very reasonably priced.
Explaining why he wanted to bring the concept of eten et drinken cafes to Brighton, founder and owner John Williams, said: “I love The Netherlands and have spent quite a lot of time there over the years. Visiting ‘eten et drinken’ cafes inspired me, with their combination of great food and pride in their coffee with a friendly, neighbourhood vibe that is missing from so many of our coffee shops and cafés.
“Ever since we opened in March we’ve had Dutch people coming in and demanding to know when we would be offering the foods from home that they loved so much. I’m delighted we’ve finally been able to source some of these foods in the UK (imported from Holland) and I’m looking forward to introducing them to a British audience as well as to our Dutch ‘kameraaden’ or friends.”
All sandwiches at Eten+Drinken are made from quality ingredients and served on real patisserie white sourdough or chewy brown sourdough. The sandwiches are named after Dutch cities and cost just £4. Great value!
For choice of sandwiches available, click here:
The menu features a selection of breakfast options including Breakfast in a Box, the popular Brunch box (avocado, scrambled egg, tomato, sourdough toast, seeds) and salad boxes, with a selection of three salads served with chicken, salmon or halloumi.
For choice of brunch and salad boxes available, click here:
Great coffee is an important part of what Eten + Drinken offer. Their house blend is a Columbian Premium Dark Bar (dark, rich, intense) and they also offer a guest blend of Ethiopian Moka (smooth and almond-y). All their beans are roasted by an artisan roaster in Kent.
For coffee blends and teas available, click here:
Eten + Drinken also offer a corporate lunch service, as well as a bespoke catering service where they come to your home and cook for you. Cakes in the shop can also be made to order.
Eten + Drinken, is at 9 Church Street, Brighton, on the junction with Jew Street. The café is open Monday-Friday from 8am-4pm and Saturdays from 11am-5pm. Telephone 01273 724 499.
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