With the iconic Markthal building on its doorstep and a metro just minutes away, few hotels offer a better location than CitizenM. Rooms are compact, but thanks to their smart layouts (and access to a cosy communal living-room-slash-coworking-space on the first floor) the size is more than sufficient. All rooms come equipped with rain showers, free films and a handy iPad to control mood lights, temperature and blinds. Other perks include free iMacs (available upon request) and free bicycle rental – a perfect way to explore the city.

Named after the Wes we all know and love, this cosy neighbourhood deli in the up-and-coming Oude Noorden channels the Tenenbaum’s living room – including Scalamandre zebra prints and tennis trophies – with touches of The Darjeeling Limited (Indian deity posters, wooden train seats) thrown in for good measure. Its menu is eccentric enough to fit an Anderson film, too: “Jewish-Persian” cuisine consisting of multicultural sharing platters loaded with falafel, shakshuka and mezze.

Rotterdam isn’t short on burger joints, but few can match the inventive variations Burgertrut dishes up. With a focus on vegetarian burgers (or organic beef for purists), they stuff their buns with tofu, risotto or chickpea patties that easily match the real deal. Get your fingers greasy with their kapsalon, a vegan riff on Rotterdam’s most beloved late-night snack; a poutine-like dish with seitan “shoarma”, potato fries, vegan cheese, garlic sauce and plenty of vegetables.

Perched atop the Schieblok building, a creative community right next to the Central Station, Op Het Dak (Dutch for “on the roof”) offers a quiet refuge from the downtown buzz. The open kitchen is helmed by Valerie Kuster, a culinary creative who turned her global travel experiences into a modern eclectic menu featuring (mostly) sustainably sourced produce. Dishes change with the seasons, but you can be sure of a great selection of feel-good food – think hearty soups, flower-flecked salads and roasted vegetables.

Soon after opening in early 2018, Heroine became Rotterdam’s fine-dining darling. For good reason: its glamorous 1970s design (courtesy of Rotterdam-based Modiste studio), surprising kitchen creations and excellent wine pairings quickly proved to be hitting the right spot with the city’s creative who’s who. There is no a-la-carte menu – instead, guests choose from a four-, five- or seven-course tasting experience and let chef Michael Schook decide what they’ll be eating. Dishes change weekly, and combine cuisines from all over the world; expect everything from intricately plated beetroot with seaweed, red cabbage, sheeps’ cheese and sea lavender, to perfect sole with shio koji, fish roe, black chanterelle and smoked soy.

Burgers, bahn mi or baos? At the Foodhallen, you can have it all. After its success in Amsterdam, this modern food-court concept branched out to Rotterdam’s Kop Van Zuid district late 2018 and has been perennially packed ever since. Favourites among the dozen or so stands include Restaurant Indonesia for Dutch-Indonesian classics like rijsttafel, Txosta for tapas by an ex-El Bulli chef and the panko-crusted bitterballen (a typically Dutch snack) at Bavette.