Overview

We aren't vegetarians, though we are trying to cut back on meat consumption. The steakhouse menu at the hotel where we were staying didn't appeal, so we were delighted to find that Hortus, which is the restaurant on the ground floor of a boutique hotel called La Paulowna, was close by. The proprietor, John Hermanie, was most helpful when I contacted him by email with a question about whether the restaurant is wheelchair accessible. We are there on our first evening in Den Haag. We could not have been made more welcome, and the food was so good that we ate there every evening during our stay in the city.

Transport & Parking

Can't comment on the parking. The restaurant is about 15 minutes wheel/walk from the city centre. Use 24 or Bus 28 from the city centre gets you to about 5 minutes wheel/walk from Hortus and the closest stop is called Alexanderplein. Our hotel (Hilton Den Haag) was a similar distance from the restaurant.

Access

Access was easy - a low door sill and a door that opened outwards - not that we ever needed to open it. The staff here are very alert and courteous and were quick to help. The restaurant is spacious so the circulating spaces are very good and there's plenty of room for a wheelchair. we were assigned a very nice table for two in a window, with a view of the square.

Toilets

There is no accessible loo In the building. The proprietor explained in an email that he could make an arrangement with a neighbouring establishment if we needed that, but as we were only a few minutes from our hotel we didn't need to avail ourselves of that. There are non-accessible loos in the basement, but the Accompanist didn't visit them.

Staff

Friendly, very helpful and enthusiastically knowledgeable about the food that they serve. We could not have been made more welcome.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

The food is outstanding - subtle, inventive and beautifully-presented. There is a sensible wine list - not too long but nicely varied, and they serve wine by the glass. Bottled water is provided at no cost, and each meal starts with an amuse bouche. These were different every night. The Accompanist, who is something of a Russian History geek, was delighted to discover that Anna Paulowna, after whom the square and the boutique hotel are named, was one of the daughters of Tsar Paul I and therefore the granddaughter of Catherine the Great. She narrowly avoided becoming Napoleon I's second wife and was married instead to the future King Willem II of the Netherlands. There is a statue of her (The Lady on the Bench) in the square where the restaurant is situated.

Photos