Restaurant Dartel V.O.F.

My husband and I decided, at the last minute, to have a fine dining experience to end our holiday in Leiden this February. I started out by looking for a Michelin star restaurant nearby but I'm so, SO glad they were all booked. Restaurant Dartel happened to be able to accommodate us and it ended up being one of the best (if not THE best) fine dining experience we've had in the world. The presentations were all mind-blowing and the chef is an absolute genius. The way he played with the textures and flavors of each dish kept us guessing the entire night. We were continually surprised and thrilled by everything that was served. The service was amazing, we were so well taken care of, the sommelier was very knowledgeable, the plates were well-paced... I could keep going but you have to experience it for yourself. I know this restaurant will have at least one Michelin star soon; it was an unforgettable experience.

Food was delicious, presentation was nice. The chef explained the menu and the staff were very nice to explain all of the items in english. Good memories.

Exceptional service, beautiful and innovative food and great wine list. The physical space is inviting and authentic.

The food was excellent! Quite experimental but always an ingenious combination of tastes. The service was also stellar, the wines exceptionally chosen and the location in Leiden is amazing. Downside may be the price, but totally worth it for this near perfect restaurant.

Delicious wine, excellent service, and most of the food was quite lovely. But my main dish, on a chef's menu, was duck breast, lightly braised, mostly "rare"- and uncooked poultry is a bit scary. I know I'm being provincial, but I did faint after trying to eat pink duck , so... Really wanted to like this place. Sadly, no.

Had a great lunch outing @Dartel. The staff was super friendly and accommodating to our family of 4 (infant, kid, parents)!! They changed around the set menu for the older one and did not have any issue with our little one (she was having a good day though). Food was excellent and very playful. The lamb, 3-Minute egg and strawberry desert were our favorites. The numerous additional servings in-between courses made the otherwise short 3-course meal so much more memorable. At lunch on a weekday it seems to be more quiet then in the evening; so less need to worry about bothering other guest (as we would have) or fretting over not having reserved a table.

Thoughtful cuisine full of love and care with interesting flavours and flair! Reasonably priced for the amount of effort that goes into this fine food. Lovely ambience, good service and appreciated the chef coming out to explain his menu. Have ate all over the world and this place impressed!

To start positive, the food in general tasted great, that's why I gave a second star. However, the service was very bad to an unacceptable level and not just for a restaurant in this price range. Rushed bad or no explanation of menu and courses, required to ask multiple times for the same thing, over an hour wait between two courses, getting plates and tools off the table and then discover that was not intended and bring the same used dishes minutes later back to the table. We paid over 300 euros for 4 courses for 4 persons, only 2 drinking wine. We are used to this price range, but never had such a bad experience. For us a reason to never go back, how this restaurant got a Michelin recommendation is a complete riddle to us. Don't go here! Changed to one star as this restaurant owner tries to remove my review by lying to the hoster.