Café Samabe

Very cozy atmosphere, welcoming staff. The high chairs are not very comfortable for seating and having meal, but for drinks is fine. The food is good. We got the rice menu, but honestly you don’t get much for what you pay. I found it overpriced.

I went there yesterday for a friend’s birthday and was blown away by how good the vegetarian food was! We ordered the rice table with meat and fish options for the non-vegetarian in our group. The tempeh and curry and bean salad were my top 3 favorites. The wait staff were all wonderful as well!!!

Café Samabe is an Indonesian restaurant situated in the heart of the old parts of Haarlem/NL not far away from the Grote Markt. The restraurant is in the ground flour of an old building with a high ceiling and a lot of flair. We were there for dinner. The young staff made a really good job in service, they were competent, friendly and very professional. The recommendations were very good and always appropriate. The food was excellent. We deciced us for the recommendation of our waitress and took one of the rice tables (no. 3). It was a combination of many different Indonesian dishes with meat, fish and vegetables. In our case we had for example Rendang - braised beef in a coconut sauce -, Ayam Base Bali - chicken thighs in a coconut sauce -, Sambal Goreng Telor - eggs in a spicy sauce -, Nasi Puty - white rice - and Nasi Kuning - yellow rice -. For start we became three different rolls with gambas, meat and vegetable and for dessert Burbur Injin - made of black rice and coconut. The dishes very really fantastic, an aromatic trip through the Indonesian cuisine for all senses. We enjoyed it very much and loved the typical spices, flavors and preparations. They cooks did simply a fantastic job. The restaurant has justifiably a Bib Gourmand of the Guide Michelin. Anytime again!

Good food for a reasonable price. Excellent and very friendly casual service in a cost environment. The 35 euros rijsttafel is a good choice, for more hungry eaters, you can also take the 45 or 55 euros versions. And if you don’t know Haarlem, worth a visit

This was a winner on all fronts. Expectations were high, of course, given the Michelin star. Great atmosphere; attentive, informed service; fabulous flavors across the board. We chose the rice board which was a fun way to sample many delicious dishes. The beef dishes were especially well seasoned. Vegetables and salads might have been a little heavy on green beans, repeating often. Chicken curry could have used a bit more heat. Wines by the glass were good.

I stopped in to have lunch. The sandwhich I ordered was delicious. I enjoyed eating while watching people pass on the street. Great experience overall!

We were excited to eat at Samabe as the restaurant was mentioned in the Michelin Guide. Samur sandwich and Tipat Cantuk salad were delicious... but then things got very busy, people started pouring in due to the rain and we were forgotten. Bummer as we would have loved to have dessert and coffee after our main dishes. Yes, I received an apology which is appreciated but this should have been a 5 star review as the restaurant deserves one.

Very good Indonesian restaurant in a very good spot. It deserves a visit.