In 2025 Leiden will top the list of sustainable venues in The Netherlands
your sustainable choice can make a difference
The hospitality business in the Leiden area is hardly acquainted with renewable energy, fair trade products, organic ingredients, MSC en ASC fish or plant protein. Restaurants and bars still waste a lot of food, energy and drinking water. Food leftovers, wrappings and all other waste are often disposed of in one bin.
They can do so much better! We are independent Leiden volunteers who cannot wait. So we are running projects to help Leiden's restaurants and bars become more sustainable. Proprietors often work long hours and do not get down to sustainable innovations.
The good news is that you can help us raise their awareness on your day or night out. Read on
Not convinced? Look here.
Enjoy your stay in Leiden at these venues
All sustainable frontrunners in the Leiden area.
Bar LokaalHartesteeg 13, Leiden
Bar Lokaal
Hartesteeg 13, Leiden- ample vegetarian options
- organic dairy and eggs
- organic softdrinks, beer and wines
- vegan options
- interior partly recycled
- energysaving kitchen appliances
De ParadijsvogelStationsplein 11, Leiden
De Paradijsvogel
Stationsplein 11, Leiden- Ample choice in vegan and vegetarian
- Small dishes, little waste
- Meat from Dutch outdoor animals
- Seasonal North Sea fish
- Vegan krupuk of Dutch seaweed
- Chutney from rescued fruits
- Homemade leftover veggie pickles
- 100% green energy
- LED lighting
- Most of the interior recycled
De Tuin van de SmidPark Cronesteyn, Leiden
De Tuin van de Smid
Park Cronesteyn, Leiden- certified organic restaurant
- many organic options
- vegan and vegetarian options
- coffee and tea fairtrade
- re-used interior
- waste is sorted
Eetcafé De VoogdHoofdstraat 267b, Sassenheim
Eetcafé De Voogd
Hoofdstraat 267b, Sassenheim- ample choice in vegetarian
- meatless Mondays: veggie dishes reduced price
- organic coffee, tea, icecream and soft drinks
- veggie Dutch snacks (kroketten, bitterballen)
- tapwater self service
- no plastic straws
- serviettes and cutlery bags biodisposable
Het SlachthuisMeelfabriekplein 1, Leiden
Het Slachthuis
Meelfabriekplein 1, Leiden- all-vegan menu
- seasonal produce
- organic coffee and tea
- organic tomato juice
- LED-lighting
- energy-efficient kitchen
- venue well insulated
HoezoVrouwensteeg 7a, Leiden
Hoezo
Vrouwensteeg 7a, Leiden- 100% vegetarian
- ample vegan options
- seasonal ingredients
- free range eggs
- organic drinks
- tap water
- small menu
- renewable energy
- waste is sorted
What you can do
Ask the waiter or proprietor for what you think is important.
Blog
How restaurants and bars in the Leiden area move towards sustainability.
Click here to see all blogs.
Our team
Our volunteers are a super team, but we could do with a native English speaker. Would you like to inform tourists and expats at a local event? Or help us involve English speaking communities in the Leiden area?
Contact us
team
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Roland is preparing a project for us to help reduce restaurant waste in the centre of Leiden. And to have it removed much cleaner and quieter.
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Hiltje is a crack in organizing our events. She sometimes helps us out on other occasions as well.
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Lize is our steady data-researcher and fills our database. She also designs our newsletters.
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Marinthe has just obtained her degree and recently plunged into her first job as a media expert.
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Mieke is our expert treasurer. She not only helps out as a controller, but also advises us about our long term plans and their funding.
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Anne writes blogs, thinks along and even manages to join in other sustainable Leiden projects in her spare time. Such as the foodshop-without-packaging in shopping centre De Kopermolen (Merenwijk).
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Benjamin is assistant professor at CML, the institute of Environmental Sciences of Leiden University.
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At present a master student of law, Emily has been active in environmental protection for years. Recently she was a board member with Studenten voor Morgen, a sustainability network of students in The Netherlands. Emily represents our foundation at public events.
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Anna is a biologist and earth scientist. She is committed to sustainability and environmental awareness in many ways. She sometimes twitters for us and assists us with our crowd communication.
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Marijtje is driven by a strong affinity with nature. Her focus is on food because of its impact on the environment and on life in general. She is active in food transition in various roles. Marijtje, also co-founder of the Leiden community-farm Het Zoete Land, is helping our foundation with a longterm project to get sustainable regional produce on restaurant menus.
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Bas is our digital magician. He builds tools (as he calls it) for the website, and fulfills all of our other digital wishes. He does this because he supports our goals.
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Sustainable living need not be complicated, as long as you know where to start. Sophie, a teacher trainee and a student of Chinese, believes that you can make a difference through small steps in the right direction.
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We could do with a native English speaker. Would you like to inform tourists and expats at a local event, or translate our blogs? Mail us and we will get back to you!
our board
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Minke is an anthropologist and an experienced consultant in international trade. She is also a passionate amateur cook. Sustainablility underlies all of her activities. Within our board she will initially focus on the development of a regional food supply chain for the hospitality and catering business.
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Govert-Jan is co-founder of our organisation, together with Carien. He is always pondering how we can improve the world. How we can make it more sustainable, kinder to all living creatures. So, where to begin? A better world can start on your plate!
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As long as he can remember, Jeroen has wanted to make the world a little greener. At first he chose a political path. More recently he has decided to set up green projects locally, varying from a neighbourhood kitchen garden to a Leiden foodshop-without-packaging.
He gladly accepted an invitation to join our foundation, because our common consumptive patterns can really better the world. -
Carien is co-founder of our organisation, together with Govert-Jan. She loves wine and good food, provided that it doesn’t harm our planetary life. Therefore, she likes stimulating the hospitality sector in her own biotope on its way to sustainable entrepreneurship. A fun job, because people in the hospitality business are só nice. We aim at championship. Hospitality in our Leiden area is to beat all other Dutch areas in sustainability.
Support us
Our Foundation, Stichting Duurzame Horeca Leiden en omstreken, is run by unpaid volunteers. But our projects come at a price.
We need money for promotion, workshops and other projects. Every donation fully benefits our goals. We account for all gifts and expenses in our year reports.
Our Foundation is a recognized Public Benefit Organisation (ANBI in Dutch), meaning that you may deduct your gift to us from your Dutch income tax or corporate income tax.
We will gladly accept your gift at NL50 TRIO 0197 9712 88 Triodosbank.
Partners
Our Foundation has received a donation from Leiden municipality and from the regional Fonds 1818. For sustainably caught fish, we cooperate with Stichting Goede Vis op de Kaart. We have also teamed up with Dunea, our regional provider of tapwater.
What they say about us
Delicious food and sustainability can go hand in hand, as this website shows. Please feel free to use it when you're looking for venues to lunch, dine or have a drink in the Leiden area. And don't hesitate to make use of the suggestions under `how you can help´. These can come in handy on many occasions and will stimulate awareness. Together we go for sustainable hospitality in Leiden!
Paul Dirkse, Leiden's alderman for Education, Sports and Finance
A website full of suggestions for everyone who looks out for a delicious meal in Leiden and also values sustainability and good health. It is great to see that ever more restaurants and bars in Leiden are concerned with these issues. Visitors and expats can now make a choice when eating out in Leiden. I of course hope that everyone will go for the more sustainable options. Wishing you a nice and happy meal in our beautiful town!
Martine Leewis, Leiden's alderman for Sustainability, Mobility and Public space
