In preparation for our move to NL, I have been checking out some restaurants' web sites. Coming from small town USA, I have been floored at the restaurant's high prices ( I knew this from prior European visits).

Nevertheless we are a family of 5 who eats out regularly four to six times a week here in the US.

Since the cost to eat out in NL makes doing so prohibited, are there alternatives where one can buy reasonably priced fully cooked, fresh, tasty food for take out?

In many countries there are stores (ie supermarkets, or other small food stores) that sell pre-made foods at reasonable prices. Are these type of businesses available in NL?

We will be living in the Arnhem/ Nijmegen area. Your suggestions and advise will be appreciated.

I'm afraid PRECOOKED FRESH TASTY FOOD AT REASONABLE PRICES is virtually non existent in The Netherlands. Of course there are a few Chinese, Indonesian and Indian takeaway restaurants offering reasonably priced and still tasty food but you will have to try them out one by one because most of them are terrible, I mean, adapted to the taste of the Dutch.
My personal experience is that tasty food in this country is always very expensive.
One possibility worth exploring when you will be here and live in or near a university city (like Nijmegen for example), is having dinner once in a while with your kids in one of the many "eettafels" (student restaurants). Some of them accept non-students ( at least in the city in which I live) and their grub is not bad at all. Do not expect miracles though !

http://www.tokorinus.nl/Afhaalgerechten.html



Toko Rinus
Steenbokstraat 18-20
6531 TG Nijmegen


http://www.bofrost.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.en...torefront-Start

and then you have stuff from Iglo: http://www.iglo.nl/ available in most supermarkets.

http://www.chinees-restaurant.info/restaur...earl-river.html

http://www.dominos.nl/web/dominos/home

I used to eat out all the time in the States, but here in NL just maybe once a month. It's not just the prices, but the lack of customer service, value for money and cramped spaces. I just don't enjoy it as much.

I won't even try a new place now unless it's recommended to me because of too many bad experiences. On the plus side, i've learned to cook a lot more, so can make things just like I like them!! :-)

As Emilio said, the selection of precooked food is rather dire! Being near Arnhem, however, you can make some quick trips across the border to Germany and have a much better selection of that kind of stuff. Also, if you can snag yourself a Makro or Hanos membership (a bit like Costco but without much discount), they have quite a lot more selection than normal Dutch supermarkets.

Here's a site to check out:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/tv_and_radio/takeaway_index.shtml

Take on the Takeaway was a BBC series where a chef competed with a local takeaway. A couple would place an order and wait, while the chef would shop for the ingredients, cook the ingredients, then blindfold the contestants so they could compare the two dishes for taste.

The conclusion in many cases is that doing it yourself was faster and cheaper. In most cases, it tasted better too.

I've tried the Lamb Curry, Thai-Style Chicken and Chicken Balti. Awesome and so much less greasy than restaurant food. It's turned me on to cooking too...

No surprise here! It is obvious (at least to me) that food prepared by yourself will, in The Netherlands, almost always be much tastier than food from a takeaway or preprepared from a supermarket or other caterer.

I'm afraid CHAMO is not exactly looking for the kind of "food factories" mentioned above...although I have to admit that I didn't visit a single one of those. However, I'm positive that Domino is 100% negative because I tried it once in my city... And when I see the pictures of Tokorinus I already start vomiting. That's exactly what I mean with the word "terrible" in my earlier post!

quote: In many countries there are stores (ie supermarkets, or other small food stores) that sell pre-made foods at reasonable prices. Are these type of businesses available in NL?

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They do have a few pre-made meals in the supermarkets but they are usually completely tasteless. When Iay completely tasteless I'm not joking. My husband has brought some chicken dishes in the supermarketin the past and taken one mouthful and given the rest to the dog as he said it was discusting and too salty and he's not a fussy eater.

If you want to eat well here you really will have to cook I'm afraid.

Some of Albert Heijn's Dutch 'Standard' microwave meals, i.e. Stampot, Zourkool, etc. ain't too bad for a 5-minute Winter Warmer. Avoid there steam menus like the plague however ... bland and extremely tasteless.

Toko Rinus sells proper Balinese food. Don't slag off something until you have tried it.


I have the same opinion about AH steam meals. In fact I won't even feed it to my dogs. And Albert Heijn has the cheek to promote it as healthy food.

Actually, thinking about this a wee bit more, and eschewing the temptation to suggest you change your allegiances from McDonalds and KFC US, to McDonalds and KFC NL to meet your lifestyle, wouldn't a small investment in cookbooks be a more intelligent option? JUST a question.

I think I read somewhere else that both the husband and wife take chlorestral-lowering meds...I think that's really sound advice because you never REALLY know what goes into take-out foods...

Very true; most take outs are high sodium, preservatives and too much fat. But when the two of us work 120+ hours per week combined, there's just no much desire left for cooking. Here in the US we stay away from McD's and its like. Americans do it out a lot and MacDonalds, KFC, BK aren't our only options.

We are looking for the elusive "Healthy and Tasty" pre-made meals.

Guess more cooking will be in our future. Ouch! Reads just like a message from a fortune cookie.

Thanks to all who took time to respond.

We are huge fans of Asian (Thai more than Chinese), and Latin America dishes specially those with tons of Vegies, and low fat

Are you two being transferred by your current companies? The first thing you may discover is that the Netherlands,like much of Europe, isn't as much into 120+ work weeks. And that includes grocery stores and takeaways, btw...This is not a 24-hour culture...

That being said, you also are allowed to go home at a decent hour without being considered lazy or uncommitted by coworkers. You're "allowed" to be sick here. And the additional vacation (a minimum of 24?) days are lovely.

Personally, I think it's a healthier attitude: work to life rather than live to work. I don't think I could return to a North American work culture...

So hopefully you will have a bit more time on your hands to cook among other things!

Indeed! Work is very relaxed here, a 40 hour week is a 40 hour week.

I don't know if you got my PM but I would be able to cook and deliver food to you once a week. If not, there's always Foodlife on Steenstraat (mostly lasagnas and quiches) and most butchershops offer a variety of stamppot and one or two kinds of pasta .

You deliver to Nijmegen?

Anyone knows of a good Indian restuarant in Nijmegen?

Chamo, Vietnamese restuarant should be up your street. Lots of greens... wonder if there is one in Arnhem ...

Salathai Thais Specialiteiten Restaurant

Rijnkade 65 6811HC Arnhem

Hehe I will deliver if you order a significant amount

Don't know of any good Indian restaurants in Nijmegen. Koh I Noor in Arnhem is OK but nothing like what I'm used to. Seriously, what's with all the chicken breasts in the Asian food food here?!

There's another Thai takeaway place in Arnhem (I THINK it's called Ban Thai) but in general, Thai food here always lacks that extra oomph. It's been dumbed down to suit local tastebuds. I miss the complicity and the strong ,deep flavours (esp Gai Pad Grapow mmmm)

No argue; it's healthier to not overwork and have a balance lifestyle.

Keep in mind that if you're are a US employee who's transfered abroad for a few years and your bosses are in the US, you will be expected to continue acting like a US employee. Unless of course you don't want a job when you get back to the states.

I can assure you that US Companies do not send people abroad that work only 40 hours per week.

Point taken. But you will be affected by the Dutch work culture. You can't avoid it.

I work for the EU head office of an American company...The top dogs work hard, but they still have a life...

Trust me...It will be different!