De Ballentent

De Ballentent is a charming and down-to-earth place right by the water in Rotterdam. One of the highlights is definitely the outdoor seating area — it's spacious, has a great view of the river, and is perfect for enjoying a relaxed meal on a sunny day. Food is simple but good, I recommend the meatballs. The prices are fair and the staff is friendly I recommend.

I don’t want to be unfair to this place (perhaps they were short-staffed that day or dealing with other challenges) but the overall experience felt quite rushed. It had a “get in, get out” vibe that made it hard to relax. Having worked in hospitality in both the UK and Portugal, I fully understand the importance of table turnover, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of making guests feel hurried. That said, the view of the marina is lovely, the staff were courteous, and the decor is tasteful. I give it 4 stars but its not a place I would return to.

A nice spot near het park with a great view of the river. The indoor space is small and cozy, but there's plenty of outdoor seating that's perfect for enjoying the nice weather. Here many people grab a bite or a drink after work, and the atmosphere is fun. We tried the meatballs, and they were absolutely delicious!

A real icon of the Rotterdam culinair world. They serve meatballs which are delicious. A no nonsense restaurant on the shores of the maas river. The staff is friendly and helpful. The serve drinks snacks and food . The atmossphere is really great

So I went to have "the" meatball. I had it: it's a meatball. Is it good? No. It's literally dry meat with pepper and salt. No frills, no surprises. The fries were ok and the peanut sauce quite nice. HOWEVER, the service is kind, fast and efficient. The place is clean and charming with a lovely view over the river. You're surrounded by locals in good spirits. The atmosphere is positive and you can tell the place has history. I won't have the meatball ever again, but I would definitely go back for drinks or maybe to try something else from the menu.

A cozy and inviting spot for lunch. Reservations are recommended during peak hours. The service was friendly, and the Christmas decorations added a lovely festive touch. The food was delicious, with portions surprisingly large compared to the prices. Definitely worth a visit!

Great food but the slowest service ín the Netherlands....

Famous for its meatballs, but also has a good range of other items on the menu should you want to try something else. It is mostly frequented by Rotterdamers and can be particularly busy Fridays and Saturdays. Although it is occasionally discovered by some tourists, mostly in groups of 1 to 4 but sometimes larger groups that appear to be part of a tour. The food is always excellent and there is a good choice of beers and a good range of other drinks. The service is usually very good, but can be a bit slow when the restaurant is very busy, however they always get there in the end.

Extremely unfriendly towards foreigners. As they noticed we weren't native dutch speakers they started to making fun about us behind our back (unfortunately I speak Dutch and noticed). It took over an hour to place an order - only after other guests demanding the waiter to also pick up our order. He was mocking us with bad English even though I kept speaking dutch with him. The food (bacon pancake) was OK, though. WIFI didn't work.

The food was okay, but the staff and owner were very unfriendly and staring at us. When we left we noticed that we were ripped off. Check and double check your bill as they randomly add extra cups of coffee to the total bill. Never again.

This place is the worst. Service and food were awful and they were not accommodating of children.

i thought the waiters were deaf or blind when we were ushered to a corner table and waited for a long while before they came. the food was mediocre:the meatball was salty and rough, the pancake was nothing. then when we intended to have the bill, the waiters seemed like they became alive--fast and shoot to our money, so efficient, maybe they have the best waiters in the waiting field!