Thalassa
Seven generations of fishing family running the most serious fish kitchen on this coast.
Every beach town has one pavilion that quietly outcooks everyone else, and in Zandvoort it is Thalassa, parked at strandafgang 18 just north of the station. The family behind it has been in fish for seven generations, which explains why the sole arrives in beurre noisette without ceremony and the oysters are split between Irish Mor and Fines de Claire instead of whatever the wholesaler had. The room is warm wood and glass, open year round, with the kind of terrace where a long lunch dissolves into an early dinner. Order the Thalassa board first: haring, tuna, crab, Dutch shrimp and smoked salmon on one plank, basically the North Sea doing introductions. Even the kibbeling here is cut from proper cod and fried to order. Amsterdammers take the train specifically for this, thirty minutes door to door.
Start with the Thalassa board, then ask what the day boat brought before you even look at the menu.
What to order
Full menu- Thalassa board€21.50
Haring, tuna, crab, Dutch shrimp and smoked salmon, the house calling card
- Sliptong€32.50
Small Dover sole in beurre noisette with parsley and lime
- Oyster tasting€27.50
Three Irish Mor plus three Fines de Claire
- Fish soup€15.50
Proper rouille and bread, the large is a meal
More in The Beach
The whole chapter
Berg Vis
Arlan Berg's red-white-blue fish cart, the true first stop of any Zandvoort beach day.
Republiek
Permanent architect-built pavilion where dry-aged beef and wood-oven fish outclass the postcode.
Mel's Pintxos & Winebar
Basque pintxos counter in the village, run by beach veterans who studied in San Sebastian.