Snackbars in the Netherlands: the ultimate guide

Snackbars are the ultimate Dutch fast-food venues, catering to your needs through the long Dutch nights.

One late night, fueled by alcohol, you’re wandering through the streets when suddenly, a neon light catches your eye. Written with bold letters is the word “snackbar.” Now, you can rest easy in the knowledge that you’ve found a safe space to fill that growling tummy.

Below is a brief history of snackbars and what you can eat in them. 👇

What is a snackbar?

What kind of venue qualifies as a snackbar? Usually, snackbars are small eateries with an assortment of classic Dutch fast food, deep-fried to oblivion. Drinks are also served, including beer and soft drinks.

man-grabbing-food-from-snack-bar-vending-machine-netherlands
A man demonstrates the utility of automated snackbars. Image: Sebastiaan ter Burg/ Wikimedia Commons/CC3.0

Some snackbars with more seating available and higher prices are also referred to as cafeterias. However, this term is also interchangeable for venues where employees can have food during their lunch break.

Another term used is frietkot, which mostly sells fries. Some snackbars contain automated machines (think FEBO), where the food is placed in rows, all warmed up, and easily accessible for those rushing to catch the train.

History of the snackbars

The first-ever modern snackbar opened in Utrecht in 1915. The same city welcomed the first snackbar with automatic machines in 1932.

Snackbars then quickly spread through the country, at their peak reaching 6,000 across the Netherlands. Ever since 1997, that number has decreased, falling to 4,800 snackbars in 2017.

READ MORE | What your favourite Dutch FEBO snack says about you

While there will certainly be a snackbar in your local area, you can pay homage to the province of Limburg to have the ultimate snackbar experience. The region has the highest density of these eateries in the country, with 4.7 snackbars per 10,000 inhabitants — that beats the national average of 2.9 per 10,000 inhabitants.

Utrecht-first-snackbars
The first ever snackbar was born in the beautiful city of Utrecht! Image: Unsplash

Some claim that snackbars are an integral part of Dutch culture. The Dutch Frying Center has even made an application for the snackbar culture to be included in the list of things that count as intangible heritage.

However, since there has been a trend towards healthier eating, it has become harder to find authentic, old-fashioned snackbars. This is a potential explanation for their decrease in numbers.

A deep-fried menu

So what kind of exquisite delicacies can one expect from a snackbar? Well, expect a lot of deep-fried food. It’s not about Haute Cuisine but rather about providing consumers with fast and accessible food on the go.

Arguably, the most classic food to get in a snackbar is fries — also known as patat in Dutch. They are eaten with an assortment of sauces, the go-to option being mayonnaise. There is also the frietsaus, which is a different version of mayonnaise. 🍟

READ MORE | 5 Reasons I Love FEBO (aka that ever-giving wall of fried delicacies)

You can also try the saté sauce, which is originally from Indonesia but nowadays can be used generously over the fries. The curry sauce is popular as well, and in some snackbars, they might even have a combination of all of these different sauces in one. 😜

All the meaty snacks

When in a snackbar, you might notice a large assortment of products displayed on the shelves. It may also be unclear, as an international, what exactly these meat-like products are and what exactly is in them.

READ MORE | These are 7 Dutch foods you need to try before you die

In all honesty, we don’t know what some of them are either. Yet some classics definitely need to be mentioned.

Croquettes

Croquettes, or kroketten, are one of the more popular options. It contains a kind of meat purée, which is then rolled in a cylinder-like shape, covered in breadcrumbs, and (you guessed it) deep-fried. The meat that is in the croquettes is, however, a complete mystery.

warm-deep-fried-kroket-from-dutch-snackbar
A croquette from the train station. Image: Tavallai/Flickr/CC2.0

Bitterballen

Another popular option is bitterballen. They are ball-shaped and contain the same mystery meat filling as the croquettes. Outside of snackbars, you will find them at social events such as parties, where they are eaten with mustard.

READ MORE | What is borrelen? The Dutch art of going for a drink with co-workers

There are also some fancy versions of bitterballen, where you can actually tell what kind of meat is in them. They are filled with veal, known as kalfskroket, and beef, known as rundvleeskroket.

dutch-bitterballen-with-mustard
Bowl of bitterballen with sauce. Image: Depositphotos

Frikandel: with or without pastry

Continuing the list of mystery meat is the frikandel. Part chicken, pig, and horse, this strange skinless sausage is delicious enough to make you ignore the fact that all the meat mentioned above is waste meat.

READ MORE | What the frick is a frikandel?

Of course, it’s deep-fried. There are two main variants: the frikandelbroodje, which is kind of like a sausage roll with curry sauce, and the frikandel speciaal, which is served with sauce and onions.

dutch-frikandel-speciaal-snackbar-food
French fries with a serving of frikandel speciaal. Image: Herman van de Molen/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain

What about the vegetarians?

One of the few vegetarian options in a snackbar is the Kaassoufflé, which is essentially dough with cheese filling inside. If you’re lucky, you might have actual Gouda in it. Otherwise, it’s made out of fake cheese.

The principle is the same — deep-fry, but eat carefully, as the molten cheese can cause burns.

READ MORE | A FEBO for Vegans? The Health Food Wall has just opened in Amsterdam!

There are many other foods waiting to be deep-fried in a snackbar — ranging from chicken nuggets to fish in various forms. Their origin is probably just as mysterious as the meat in bitterballen.

But if one day you feel curious (and brave), and you’re not vegetarian, feel free to order the unknown dishes on the menu! Otherwise, a safer option would be to order a kapsalon.

What is your favourite snackbar? Tell us in the comments below!

Featured Image: Takeaway/Wikimedia Commons/CC4.0

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in January 2020, and was fully updated in October 2023 for your reading pleasure.

Vlad Moca-Grama
Vlad Moca-Grama
Vlad was born and raised in Brasov, Romania and came to the Hague to study. When he isn't spending time missing mountains or complaining about the lack of urban exploration locations in the Netherlands, you can find him writing at Dutch Review.

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9 COMMENTS

  1. The idea of a Febo-style snackbar can be traced back to the German vending-machine restaurant Quisisana, which opened in Berlin, Germany in 1895. As an American, I know of the Automat (in NYC) which originated there around 1902. Both seriously predate the “dutch” invention.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automat

  2. Thanks for the info! In the article I was referring strictly to their appearance in the Netherlands, not worldwide.

  3. The difference between mayonnaise and frietsaus comes down to the ingredients. Frietsaus is seen as the “healthier” variant of mayonnaise.
    Mayonnaise has to have a certain percentage of fat and egg yolks to be called mayonnaise.
    Frietsaus is free of ingredients and there for has way lower percentage of fat. But to replaced the taste of mayonnaise they add some other ingredients. Like more sugar.
    To find more I suggest that you google it. But the pages will be in Dutch.

  4. Frietkot is more the Belgium name for the snackbar. Although Belgium and the Netherlands have many things in common often the naming convention of these things are sometimes different. The Frietkot and the snackbar are in essence the same there are regional differences in type of snacks and sauces. The chance you will get Frietsaus or satésaus is small.
    The filling of the kroket is also called ragout and can be compared to a beef stue though a bit thicker so it holds its shape better.

  5. JUST A NOT TO THE AUTHOR…..I MAY NOT LIVE IN HOLLAND, BUT HAVE BEEN THERE OFTEN AND “PATAT” IS NOT WHAT IS ON THE MENU IN THE SNACK BAR. IT’S FRIET. YOU CAN GET FRIET MET MAYONAISE OR FRIET SPECIAAL OR JUST PLAIN, BUT NO SNACK BAR I’VE EVER SEEN SHOWS “PATAT” ON THE MENU. JUST SAYING……………

      • ^this.
        Geboren in Den Haag maar opgegroeid in Nijmegen, waar het friet heat.
        Patatje met in de Randstad. Frietje met in het zuiden.
        In other words patat in the west and friet in the south.

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