The Apothekersdijk is one of Leiden's prettiest stretches of canal, a curving line of gabled merchant houses reflected in the water with the spire of the Hartebrugkerk behind. Bistro Bord'o sits in the middle of the row, in a narrow 17th-century building with perhaps twenty-five covers across two intimate floors. The restaurant has held a Michelin Bib Gourmand recommendation for several consecutive years, and chef Oscar Zitman runs the kitchen with a precision that is unusual at the bistro price-point.
The cooking is French-leaning bistro classics with occasional international flourishes. Steak tartare prepared tableside; coq au vin braised for six hours and served with potato puree that contains a dangerous quantity of butter; a perfectly executed sole meunière; a daily-changing fish special drawn from whatever was best at the Katwijk fish auction that morning. The portions are generous, the seasoning is correct, and the bread (warm, with proper butter) is among the best in the city.
The room is the room: candlelight, wooden tables close enough to overhear the next conversation but far enough not to feel cramped, a small open kitchen at the back from which Zitman can be seen working. The wine list runs to 120 bins with a strong French focus and an excellent house claret programme. The cocktail list is short but the bartenders know what they are doing — a properly stirred Negroni, a precise Vesper.
For a first date in Leiden — the canal-side setting, the small candle-lit room, the cooking that demonstrates care without trying too hard — Bistro Bord'o is the obvious choice. Walk along the canal afterwards; the Pieterskerk square is two minutes away and is one of the loveliest old-town spaces in the Netherlands.
