Restaurant Basaal

Finally -- a Bib Gourmand that actually deserves it in Den Haag! Basaal -- wow. Just wow. This place is, in my humble opinion, the only restaurant in The Hague that truly earns its Bib Gourmand nod from the Michelin Guide. After trying several other spots in town, this one finally hit the mark. The dining room was bright and inviting, with large windows letting in lots of natural light. The decor was simple but charming -- wooden furnishings, shelves filled with cookbooks and chef bios, giving it that cozy, "chef's home library" vibe. I also took it as a good sign that a big table of Japanese tourists were there, clearly enjoying themselves with plenty of wine -- because let's be honest, they usually do their food research well! Now onto the food -- which was spectacular. Here's what we had: Olives Grilled potato bread with olive oil Pommes darphin Beef tartare with Jerusalem artichoke Pork cheek with parsley root Trompette de la Mort Mussels with creamy miso & cider sauce And for dessert -- chocolate ganache with crunchy oats and salted honey caramel. Every single dish was thoughtfully prepared and beautifully balanced. The beef tartare? One of the best I've ever had. The crispy artichoke bits mixed in with the creamy mayo base underneath -- heavenly. The pommes darphin was perfectly crispy on the outside and just melt-in-your-mouth inside. Even the bread, which we had to order separately, was fantastic -- soft, flavorful, and paired with top-quality olive oil. The restaurant is impressively run by just three people -- two in the kitchen and one handling the entire front of house -- yet everything was smooth and efficient. You can tell they've got their rhythm down. The bill came to around $160 USD, and honestly? Worth every penny. Exceptional food, intimate atmosphere, and service that makes you feel well cared for. If you're in The Hague and want a meal that truly lives up to Michelin's reputation -- this is the one.

Always outstanding. Incredible value for money considering how high quality the food is. Every time we have someone visiting us in The Hague we bring them here because it never disappoints. Fantastic emphasis on local and seasonal ingredients. The dishes are well thought out with incredibly flavourful sauces. Wine list is really great with lots of good options. Service is excellent.

The atmosphere looks nice because next to a canal. Dinner is a shared dinning concept, so the dishes are small. The names of some main courses are hard to imagine what it would be. What we got is out of our expectations. The low point however is because potato bread and fries are way too salty and our main course flavour is just not impressive. Feel the street more suitable for just sitting outside for drinks.

We made a day trip to The Hague just to eat at Basaal and it was totally worth it. We arrived early so we had to wait for a while when the staff got ready. I didn’t mind it at all to spend a breezy late afternoon near the canal. The restaurant got me at hello. The space is cozy, with wood furniture and big windows that let in loads of natural light. We kicked things off with coppa, their signature pommes darphin (crispy, golden perfection!), and wood-fired potato bread. All simple, all delicious. For mains, we had the mussels from Zeeland—briny and fresh with a miso-cider twist—and the ex-dairy cow, which was surprisingly tender and sauce was a little on the heavier side. The vibe was slow and chill, and the food was thoughtful.

Food was excellent. The menu was a bit difficult to decipher but the servers explained everything and gave recommendations. The atmosphere was so warm and inviting with great music level and playlist!

Beautiful food. The mussels were the highlight of the meal. Lovely meal. Every dish we ordered was excellent.

Lovely bib gourmand based on plates to share. Great kind service and a beautiful restaurant The dessert wasn’t on the level of the rest of the menu in my opinion

Nice and cozy restaurant, with a small regional menu, and sustainable ingredients. The service is very kind, prepared, and not invasive, highly appreciated! The atmosphere is really nice, but the room was very noisy - maybe a table less would have been perfect. The menu is small, but everything is really delicious! I can recommend everything we ordered. Also the wines are pretty genuine.

I am struggling between 4 and 5 stars here. Cava and pate openers were excellent. The mussels were phenomenal. Everyone's meal was so good, especially the steak (I had a taste). But my seafood stew wasn't very good. I'm not a cheesecake guy, but theirs was incredible. Atmosphere was a little formal (a little bright / white table cloths). Service was friendly and helpful, especially as they nicely accomodated a very large group.

We had a large group (19) but the staff handled it like we were a small table. The food was some of the best I've had in The Netherlands, and the wine they paired with it worked extremely well. Our waitress was the politest and hardest working lady I've met, and is a credit to the restaurant. This is a fine establishment with food of the highest quality. If you are in The Hague, you should find the time to dine here, you will not be disappointed.

Well prepared, creative, innovative dishes from excellent ingredients. Great selection of wines by the glass. Professional waitress/sommelier.

My friend who works in the Hague, a.k.a. Den Haag, took me here during my first trip to den Haag in March. The food is great and the service is equally exceptional. The menu is seasonal and when I went there, headcheese of beef cheeks was on the menu (yum!). I had pork chops for entree and shared a few desserts amongst my friends - the chocolate soufflé and a tartin of berries were really good. The staffs are attentive and very knowledgeable on the wine pairing for our dinner. Overall, the meal was one of the best I had during my visit to one of Netherlands' more underrated cities. :)

Very, very good. In Den Haag, it's hard to justify anything other than Indonesian or herring, but this place does it. Some say it's Dutch food, I think it's more broadly continental European. I had the most tender, wonderful fish with potatoes dauphie. Others had a stew. The wine (recommended by the chef) was great. It's a small place, but we did not feel cramped. The chef participated in the service and was a truly gracious host, This was really a very solid restaurant, and I would go back in a heartbeat.

Two friends and visited Den Haag on a weekend break. Hunting for a good quality & reasonably priced dinner we settled on Basaal. Great choice. The food was fresh, delicious, nicely prepared & presented. I had the chicken livers appetizer & lamb. One friend had the fish, the other a beef dish. All were well pleased. Staff is. Erg friendly and attentive. I'd return.

Great food, definitely worth the slightly high price. From what the waiter explained, I got the idea they cared about the ingredients, and you can definitely taste that. The interior is nicely decorated with a retro touch (apart from the bathroom upstairs which is painted in a horribly brown colour). The waiter was very attentive and served the dishes at the exact right moment. He was slightly too pretentious though, for example by pronouncing all the exotic ingredients in a slightly too fast and unarticulated way. I didn't dare to ask him to speak slower. All in all, good food, worth the price, even if the service is slightly snobbish.