Café Sjiek

We came on Friday night, waiting in front of the door 5 minutes before opening time. I know that some people don't like the idea that you can't book before hand. Especially for an overcrowded place like this one. But it's kinda fun to have an element of luck sometimes. We order the horse zoervleis and rabbit leg out of curiosity, and it was amazingly flavourful! (Honestly didn't expect it, based on your typical Dutch food). It was delicious and the service was still very nice despite the Friday night rush.

Before writing I have been there several times, I recommend if you want to find a place and not wait at the internal table you have to show up there at the opening at 5pm, I have taken several dishes and all have satisfied my palate, the food here is fantastic and top quality with a wine list. The service is fast and very professional, the location is very cozy with many locals and some tourists. I tried the horse stew with exceptional fries, for me one of the best places to eat in Limburg, so far the best.

We heard this was the place to go for local, good quality food and it couldn’t have been more correct! They do offer the famous local zuurvlees dish and it smelt fantastic, but they cook it the true original recipe with horse meat which we are not accustomed to eating. We instead opted for a entrecôte with stroganoff sauce and a confit de canard with lentils, both were divine and the chips - my god were they heavenly! Good prices too. You can’t book this place so it’s best to go soon after it opens (5pm) for an early dinner for your best chance of getting a table. We saw people repeatedly turned away while we dined (we were there from 5:30-7 or so) as the restaurant was full.

A quality, local Dutch restaurant with plenty of indoor/outdoor seating. Their house/special (Sjiek) beer is what I think to be the best beer in the region. Lots of staff available who are hospitable, especially Charlotte! A nice selection of high quality food.

Food here was very good and the service was excellent! My only issue is that since they don’t take reservations, if you are not there as soon and they open, you will be waiting a long long time for a table. We were a bigger group and it took almost 1 hour and a half to get seated. It was a very nice experience but not one I want to repeat soon.

One of the oldest cafe in Maastricht. They serve local south Limburg and Belgian dishes. Starter we had oysters and shrimps. Oysters was fresh considering seafood wasn’t that easy to find in south of Limburg. Main dish we ordered Zoervleis, Boulettes Liegeoise, Quiche & Confit de Canard. Decent taste too but to my perspective abit on the pricey end. Service was top and super attentive. The restaurant do not accept reservation so come earlier. So overall, nice experience!

Dining here is an experience! The atmosphere is cozy, and you do not need to make an appointment before coming. It is on a first-come, first-served basis and depends on the availability. The food here is fantastic! The prices are reasonable as well. I recommend you to come and visit this place.

Visited Café Sjiek during my recent trip to Maastricht and had a delightful experience. The outdoor atmosphere was refreshing and inviting, perfect for a relaxing meal. We indulged in their delicious sardines in oil, which were fresh and flavorful. The local meat cuts paired with Piccadilly were a savory delight, showcasing the region's culinary offerings. And the quiche was divine, with a perfect balance of ingredients. The service was a bit lax (bc the Café was so busy) but friendly, adding to the overall enjoyable dining experience. Would definitely recommend Café Sjiek for a taste of local flavors in Maastricht. It is very busy and a first come, first serve basis, keep that in mind. We waited 15 mins for patio, then another 15 for the outdoor table.

In the categorie "eetcafe" (as the Dutch are calling these kind of places) a must try for people who like to have a sniff of local atmosphere together with tremendous food. If you're in a hurry and visit "Cafe Sjiek" during peak hours, than you're in the wrong place. My girlfriend and I entered this cafe on a Saturday around 18:00 and the space was packed like in the London Underground during peak hour. The staff were friendly and told us that it will take some 1,5 hour before we could have a seat there, but with some drinks and a small dish, we could beat the time. Indeed, with an excellent sweet whine for my lady and a good beer for myself in our hands, the locals there are not afraid to have a conversation with strangers, so the waiting time was quite entertaining. The excellent way on how the personnel delivered the menu's to those who had already ordered and were seated at their table, was a fascinating process to observe as well. It looks chaos, but a careful observation reveals an efficient servicing process. Maybe annoying for an outsider is that frequent customers has an advance above tourists. It happened often that people were asked to take their seat but had arrived later then us. From the interaction between staff and client you could see the latter were frequently customers. In my view a very reasonable policy of the owner, because the chance is higher that they will come back instead of the tourists, who only will spend their time once. The former is of course my own interpretation. My girlfriend ordered a salad with fish and I went for a local dish called "zoervleis", a pot roast of horsemeat accompanied with big fries, applesauce and a small cup of mayonnaise - yummy! My girlfriend told me that the salad leaves were fresh, a tremendous sauce and the fish was very tasty. The owner offered me some extra "zoervleis" and fries as a compensation for the waiting time. Very kind of him. We stepped out of the door with a satisfying feeling and knowing that we will always look back on this special evening.

Highly recommended. We arrived around 1800 and it was packed. We waited for a table for a little bit which was no problem since one of our party hadn't arrived yet. The staff ensured we had drinks and chatted with us as we waited. Over the next four plus hours we had an incredible time. The staff was very welcoming, and the food was fantastic. It's not very big but for our party of 4 that wasn't a problem and the seating was comfortable. Hope to go again the next time I'm in Maastricht.

This is a very popular restaurant in a town that settles in to dinner rather early. They don't take reservations so expect a wait for a table, even if you arrive at 6 pm. And be prepared to order your cocktails and possibly your appetizers in the garden, while you wait because the diners here tend to linger over their coffee and dessert. Pay attention to the nightly specials which are carelessly scribbled on a blackboard, along with scratch marks noting how fast they are being consumed, nowhere near the seating area, and which the staff will not bring to your attention.

Good location and wonderful food. They don't take reservations and tables fill quick, so if you don't find a seat you may have to wait over an hour. Service is friendly and attentive and the food came out in a reasonable amount of time. My group of four shared a large table with a local couple. Had the clams which were quite good and others had the quiche and blood sausage. Total price for the group of four including three rounds of drinks was €111.

Great food, drink, environment and... Service, yes service in the Netherlands. We can for dinner on Saturday night and the place was packed. Had a drink but went to another great place for dinner. This place looked so good we went back for lunch in Sunday and loved it. Friendly and the food (stew on a cold afternoon ) was great.

Great food and an even better atmosphere. Multiple locals told us that this was the best restaurant in Maastricht. I have no reason to doubt them after eating there.

Great find by my girlfriend. Friendly staff, had a small wait but we were directed to an island where we started off by sampling some wine and even their horse meat dish (we had never had horse before and were a little bit skeptical, but it was great!) Ended up going with the lamb which was outstanding! A must try if you're in the area.

Excellent meal . Wish I ordered the horse meat stew, a local favorite. The guinea fowl and grilled salmon were very good

Recommended by Rough Guide. Lovely cafe with great food and welcoming staff. Charming proprietor who shared tips on what to see in Maastricht. Split a caesar salad & the kaasplank (cheese plate) -- both were excellent. Not crowded at all during our lunch early on a Thursday afternoon.

Excellent local food. Very crowded all the time and they don't take reservations. If you're lucky there will be a place at the bar to wait. I had a Maastricht specialty(that I can't spell or pronounce) that was a sweet and sour horse meat. It was exotic and delicious. I am told that the sweet comes from cooking down some Indonesian candy. It was served with excellent French fries (as you would expect being so close to Belgium). All in all a real treat. My compatriot had the spaghetti with wild mushrooms which looked delicious but was decidedly not Italian. Several glasses of the local schnapps/digestif, called El, finished the enjoyable meal. With the meal, beer before the meal, wine with the meal, the food, dessert an the El, dinner for two came to 54 euros - a helluva bargain.

This place had delicious local food and great Belgian beer. The horse meat stew sounds awful but is actually very tasty and goes great with lambic beer.

Really good food! I really like the horsemeat dish (which was recommended to be the local dish) and the fish is also really good. Nice ambiance, get's crowded so easily. They don't take reservations so go early for dinner because it gets crowded so fast. Highly recommend!

Cool music and wonderful atmosphere. Great local draft beer. Wonderful late night bar with friends.

I've had the oysters as a starter a couple if times now and they keep amazing me, this place is what got me hooked on quality oysters anyway. Nice and relaxed atmosphere although it's always busy. Friendly staff and amidst the apparently chaotic handling of things all things are spot on, even the bill (which we thought would be impossible with all the little tasters we even had).

The food is unbelievable. The atmosphere is very personable and somewhat lively. People are friendly and again, the food is delicious. I had pumpkin soup and a flat fish in season. Incredibly good. It was a bit crowded, but that is the indication of food quality.

Delicious food, great location! Very family friendly. Brought us a bowl of salad and frites just because. Really pretty spot.

Very cozy restaurant. The staff were very nice. I had the Maastricht specialty and it was tasty.