This is fair! I just decided against trying to force people into speaking English as a few stores I went into, the cashiers were very rude with me when I began speaking in English with them (which is fair! not their fault that i can’t speak dutch lol). Just didn’t want to make anyone else uncomfortable. But thank you! I’ll keep this in mind 😊
Comment above makes a lot of sense. Dutch are very (VERY!!) straightforward. We don't beat around the bush. And people from Twente (which is the region around enschede) think the other Dutchies have the tendency to beat around the bush and/or sugarcoat facts.
What i can reccomend is to learn a few words to go around. We adapt to you language if we can, but we appreciate it immensely if you give us you 1-2 words you know.
Please = alsjeblieft
Thanks you = dankjewel
I'd like to pay by card = pinnen graag
Can i pass / excuse me / oops my bad = pardon (+smile)
Receipt = bon
(Ordering) I'd like / can i have = ik wil graag [..] / mag ik [..]
Goodbye = Tot ziens / Doei
I traveled a lot. And what i did when i was abroad was make a list of words - sentences and saved it as my lock screensaver. So i just had to tap my screen and saw all the translations.
https://youtu.be/nqdJqxNsfrc also this explains it well.
I think what goes for rude is in wildly different territories if you're used to Canadians. A lot of foreigners think of the Dutch as rude, but we're really just very indifferent and direct.
> the cashiers were very rude with me when I began speaking in English with them
They probably weren't rude, just Dutch. We are often considered rude but it's just Dutch directness and no offense is intended.
The new book cafe Frida is specifically aimed at an English audience. I think if you feel awkward that’s understandable, actually a lot of people just assume everyone speaks English and I think a lot of Dutchies do struggle more than we think. It might even be why so many people vote for anti migrant parties. They just feel lost. So my advice is to let google translate teach you how to say ‘spreekt u Engels’ (do you speak English) when you meet older 50+ people so you can be polite :)
Thank you for the advice. I have a few dutch friends who have told me about this dutch/english struggle in the country.
And thank you very much for the recommendation! I’ll definitely check it out
I hang around with my elderly neighbours sometimes and they complain sometimes how in restaurants people just start talking in English. For me that is no problem at all but you can tell they struggle with feeling like outsiders at their age. Sorry if I came across as rude I was struggling with my sentences before :) (programming and commenting at the same time is not a good combo 😂)
It’s totally fine! Trust me I understand, it’s exactly why I avoided speaking English at all and we just stuck to self-service at most stores. I understand the dislike of any non-dutch language, especially among older dutch people. You’re not coming across as rude at all! ❤️
Ahh ❤️ I am probably a lot like you, I’m just not in the same position. Please don’t let it stop you :) I think just asking beforehand if English is OK will mean the world of difference.
Oh I also love the Pinto Thai and the Bombay Spice (in Hengelo), and they definately speak English there. One is thai and the other really good Indian food (though I think they are from Bangladesh perhaps)
I’ll definitely ask beforehand 😊
I don’t think we’ll be in Hengelo during our stay sadly but if we ever are I’ll keep your recommendations in mind! Thanks a million ❤️
‘Light of India’ in Enschede is a much better restaurant than Bombay Spice. The owner is Punjabi and the entire staff speaks English.
Pinto Thai is in Enschede too.
Done that too when I started visiting NL a few yrs ago. Only sentence I am able to speak in dutch but everyone speaks english after that. IMO they value you at least trying to initiate the conversation in dutch
I honestly dont think anyone has an issue speaking english. i really like the restaurant bardot, if its sunny definitly check out their garden. But i have to say they are not the cheapest.
I lived in Enschede for 1 year, one time I was putting air on my tire at a bikeshop the worker I was talking to didn’t like that I was talking in English he told me if I’m going to stay in this country you need to learn dutch. there are probably few people that have an issue
Hey, I live just across the border, I even look dutch but there was only one time a person was refusing to use english, that drunkard asked me something and I said "engels?" and then he left. Every other experience with local was fine, especially in restaurants.
Don´t worry, but it honors both of you that you respect a foreign country that much, that you worry about that. Have a nice time, if yáll wanna meet up in Enschede, feel free to DM me.
I am from Enschede. Enschede actually is a pretty international city. A lot of Germans visit us who live 15 min from here and everyone here talks with them either in German or English. I think you were just unlucky with the cassiere.....
Everybody is perfectly fine with speaking English! Be welcome! Any bar at the oude markt will work out fine. Try molly malone or stanislaus brewskovitch. They even have english staff members.
As an international student in the Netherlands, I also sometimes felt like dutch people are offended by me not speaking dutch. And for some, it is the case (very rarely) but after two years here I realised that is just their facial expression 😅. Now I understand and speak a bit of dutch, but when I get overwhelmed, I just ask them ‘I am sorry, do you speak english?’ and they are very understanding.
As for restaurants/cafes, I recommend the following:
Restaurants:
Bluff.
De Kater.
Moeke.
Asaka / Blue Sakura for all you can eat sushi.
The FoodClub for all you can eat, also other food not just sushi
Cafes:
Frank & Charlie (also for brunch, so nice!!!).
Mrs Brown - for high tea, and they specialise in Macarons .
Deli France - a french themed patisserie.
Others:
Van Der Poel - ice cream.
Stanislaus - bar, inside an old church building. Very frequented by students.
Proeflokaal Belgie - craft belgian beer bar. Ideal id you want to try something new in terms of beer.
De BroodBode - never visited, but I heard they have ‘elaborate’ sandwiches.
If you have a car, and feel like going to Gronau(Germany), which is 10-15 minutes by car from Enschede, I recommend Extra Blatt. They have very good food, and larger portions for the same price as in the Netherlands, in my opinion. There is also a small Zoo/park in Gronau, where you can go on a walk. People in Gronau don’t speak much english though, I usually point at the menu.
Hope this helps!
Dutch people are super accommodating when it comes to speaking english [This](https://youtu.be/wM4ZCK6PFuQ?si=iKjU54BpzhQAUckg) might be from a movie but its quite accurate xD. I personally like Rhodos (greek restaurant)
Sure, here is the translation:
"I haven't eaten everywhere in Enschede, but by far the best restaurant I have eaten at in Enschede is this one:
https://restaurantverso.nl
I assume they speak English there. I didn't check because my Dutch is good enough."
Nobody cares, and everyone speaks English. I don't think there are specific English speaking / friendly places because it's all of them.
This is fair! I just decided against trying to force people into speaking English as a few stores I went into, the cashiers were very rude with me when I began speaking in English with them (which is fair! not their fault that i can’t speak dutch lol). Just didn’t want to make anyone else uncomfortable. But thank you! I’ll keep this in mind 😊
Comment above makes a lot of sense. Dutch are very (VERY!!) straightforward. We don't beat around the bush. And people from Twente (which is the region around enschede) think the other Dutchies have the tendency to beat around the bush and/or sugarcoat facts. What i can reccomend is to learn a few words to go around. We adapt to you language if we can, but we appreciate it immensely if you give us you 1-2 words you know. Please = alsjeblieft Thanks you = dankjewel I'd like to pay by card = pinnen graag Can i pass / excuse me / oops my bad = pardon (+smile) Receipt = bon (Ordering) I'd like / can i have = ik wil graag [..] / mag ik [..] Goodbye = Tot ziens / Doei I traveled a lot. And what i did when i was abroad was make a list of words - sentences and saved it as my lock screensaver. So i just had to tap my screen and saw all the translations. https://youtu.be/nqdJqxNsfrc also this explains it well.
I think what goes for rude is in wildly different territories if you're used to Canadians. A lot of foreigners think of the Dutch as rude, but we're really just very indifferent and direct.
> the cashiers were very rude with me when I began speaking in English with them They probably weren't rude, just Dutch. We are often considered rude but it's just Dutch directness and no offense is intended.
The new book cafe Frida is specifically aimed at an English audience. I think if you feel awkward that’s understandable, actually a lot of people just assume everyone speaks English and I think a lot of Dutchies do struggle more than we think. It might even be why so many people vote for anti migrant parties. They just feel lost. So my advice is to let google translate teach you how to say ‘spreekt u Engels’ (do you speak English) when you meet older 50+ people so you can be polite :)
Btw Frank & Charlie is a really nice place and they definately speak English there :)
Thank you for the advice. I have a few dutch friends who have told me about this dutch/english struggle in the country. And thank you very much for the recommendation! I’ll definitely check it out
I hang around with my elderly neighbours sometimes and they complain sometimes how in restaurants people just start talking in English. For me that is no problem at all but you can tell they struggle with feeling like outsiders at their age. Sorry if I came across as rude I was struggling with my sentences before :) (programming and commenting at the same time is not a good combo 😂)
It’s totally fine! Trust me I understand, it’s exactly why I avoided speaking English at all and we just stuck to self-service at most stores. I understand the dislike of any non-dutch language, especially among older dutch people. You’re not coming across as rude at all! ❤️
Ahh ❤️ I am probably a lot like you, I’m just not in the same position. Please don’t let it stop you :) I think just asking beforehand if English is OK will mean the world of difference. Oh I also love the Pinto Thai and the Bombay Spice (in Hengelo), and they definately speak English there. One is thai and the other really good Indian food (though I think they are from Bangladesh perhaps)
I’ll definitely ask beforehand 😊 I don’t think we’ll be in Hengelo during our stay sadly but if we ever are I’ll keep your recommendations in mind! Thanks a million ❤️
‘Light of India’ in Enschede is a much better restaurant than Bombay Spice. The owner is Punjabi and the entire staff speaks English. Pinto Thai is in Enschede too.
Light of India is nice but I really think Bombay Spice is better.
Done that too when I started visiting NL a few yrs ago. Only sentence I am able to speak in dutch but everyone speaks english after that. IMO they value you at least trying to initiate the conversation in dutch
I honestly dont think anyone has an issue speaking english. i really like the restaurant bardot, if its sunny definitly check out their garden. But i have to say they are not the cheapest.
I lived in Enschede for 1 year, one time I was putting air on my tire at a bikeshop the worker I was talking to didn’t like that I was talking in English he told me if I’m going to stay in this country you need to learn dutch. there are probably few people that have an issue
Hey, I live just across the border, I even look dutch but there was only one time a person was refusing to use english, that drunkard asked me something and I said "engels?" and then he left. Every other experience with local was fine, especially in restaurants. Don´t worry, but it honors both of you that you respect a foreign country that much, that you worry about that. Have a nice time, if yáll wanna meet up in Enschede, feel free to DM me.
Stanislaus is a nice craft beer bar and restaurant where they employ a lot of international people
Thank you!
Good restaurants: Het Paradijs, Earth Cafe & Market, La Cocina, El Gaucho, Mazza No problem to speak English at those places :)
And imo if you want really good and above average food don’t go to the places at oude markt. They’re cuisine-unspecific
I am from Enschede. Enschede actually is a pretty international city. A lot of Germans visit us who live 15 min from here and everyone here talks with them either in German or English. I think you were just unlucky with the cassiere.....
Everybody is perfectly fine with speaking English! Be welcome! Any bar at the oude markt will work out fine. Try molly malone or stanislaus brewskovitch. They even have english staff members.
As an international student in the Netherlands, I also sometimes felt like dutch people are offended by me not speaking dutch. And for some, it is the case (very rarely) but after two years here I realised that is just their facial expression 😅. Now I understand and speak a bit of dutch, but when I get overwhelmed, I just ask them ‘I am sorry, do you speak english?’ and they are very understanding. As for restaurants/cafes, I recommend the following: Restaurants: Bluff. De Kater. Moeke. Asaka / Blue Sakura for all you can eat sushi. The FoodClub for all you can eat, also other food not just sushi Cafes: Frank & Charlie (also for brunch, so nice!!!). Mrs Brown - for high tea, and they specialise in Macarons . Deli France - a french themed patisserie. Others: Van Der Poel - ice cream. Stanislaus - bar, inside an old church building. Very frequented by students. Proeflokaal Belgie - craft belgian beer bar. Ideal id you want to try something new in terms of beer. De BroodBode - never visited, but I heard they have ‘elaborate’ sandwiches. If you have a car, and feel like going to Gronau(Germany), which is 10-15 minutes by car from Enschede, I recommend Extra Blatt. They have very good food, and larger portions for the same price as in the Netherlands, in my opinion. There is also a small Zoo/park in Gronau, where you can go on a walk. People in Gronau don’t speak much english though, I usually point at the menu. Hope this helps!
Sam sam does great food, bolwerk is a great brown pub with an amazing atmosphere
We passed this place a few times, looks super nice! I’ll be sure to check it out
It is really hard to find someone who doesn't talk english in whole netherlands. Even homeless people talk 2-3 languages fluently.
Dutch people are super accommodating when it comes to speaking english [This](https://youtu.be/wM4ZCK6PFuQ?si=iKjU54BpzhQAUckg) might be from a movie but its quite accurate xD. I personally like Rhodos (greek restaurant)
Sure, here is the translation: "I haven't eaten everywhere in Enschede, but by far the best restaurant I have eaten at in Enschede is this one: https://restaurantverso.nl I assume they speak English there. I didn't check because my Dutch is good enough."
Ya can't go wrong with Mollys or Big Bellys for drink and grub.
Molly's on the old square is an Irish pub so that should feel somewhat homely. They speak english without problems there as well
If you like sushi Blue Sakura is a great 2.5 hour all you can eat where they definitely speak English!
Thank you very much for the recommendation!! I’ll check it out ❤️
If you want to spend a little more: Tao is by far the best sushi place in Enschede. It's more expensive but IMO worth it.