Best Beer Restaurant of the Netherlands 2014
The Hague, 21 May 2014

New beer and food concept Rootz crowned ‘best beer restaurant 2014 of the Netherlands’ award. Café restaurant Rootz is the winner of the Bier aan Tafel Trofee 2014. The Biergenootschap der Lage Landen awards this prize annually to the restaurant that presents the best beer-food pairings. Roland Meerloo received the Trophy from herald Olav Blancquaert. Previous awards were won by Belgian Beer Café Olivier in Utrecht and Restaurant Lieve in Amsterdam.

The jury report

Rootz offers a beer-focused experience, where the atmosphere, service, beer menu, and food are all in perfect harmony. The beer and food pairings are always spot-on. The menu even offers two different beer suggestions for every dish, one complementary, the other contrasting. Rootz is a contemporary establishment that's completely brilliant – for eating and drinking.

New award-winning concept Rootz

“Rootz Den Haag has been a well-known name in The Hague for over 16 years, and Rootz Harbour in Scheveningen opened its doors just over 2 years ago. After 16 years of being ”Belgian of The Hague“, we have reinvented ourselves over the past year. In times of crisis, you always have to critically assess yourself and, above all, listen to what the market needs,” says proud owner Roland Meerloo. ‘That's why we've expanded our beer selection from 60 to over 190 beers (now over 240 beers). Furthermore, the beers are no longer just from Belgium, but also from the Netherlands. A true ’Low Countries' list which makes us unique in the Netherlands," according to the owner. "What's also great is that people increasingly want to know where their food and drink comes from and they appreciate small-scale production. Big brands are losing market share, and microbreweries are springing up. We offer both, and we give guests the opportunity to do a small tasting to see what suits them," Meerlo explains. The wide selection of beers is also cleverly incorporated into Rootz's new dinner and drinks menu. It has since proven to be a smart move…

Beer & Food

Along with a trainee zythologist and the two managers of Rootz Den Haag and Rootz at the Harbour, Meerlo ‘sacrificed’ himself to taste all the beers and pair them with the dishes on their menu. That only increased the chances of winning the Bier aan Tafel Trophy, as it's not just about the wide selection, but specifically about the combination with the menu.

Brewing Guild of the Low Countries

“One of the objectives of the Beer Society of the Low Countries is to promote beer as an accompaniment to meals,” states organiser Jan Laurijssen. “To this end, a competition for the Bier aan Tafel Trophy has been organised for the sixth time, in which sixteen hospitality businesses participated.” After a semi-final at HANOS in Eindhoven, the jury, led by Henri Reuchlin of Bierburo, visited six finalists. These are, in addition to Rootz, Restaurant Dwars from Amsterdam, Jopenkerk from Haarlem, De Dorpsherberg from Ospel, Degust from Hoogeveen and Eetcafé Den Hoek from Zundert. “We’ve noticed that the quality of beer recommendations is increasing every year,” according to Reuchlin. “Guests also dare to order a suitable beer with their meal more often because they discover that it is simply delicious.”.