Europe > Netherlands > Rotterdam > De Pannenkoekenboot

The Pancake Boat

De Pannenkoekenboot

De Pannenkoeken Boat

ABOVE: The Pancake Boat at its pier in Rotterdam's Parkhaven. INSET BELOW: Another view of De Pannenkoekenboot, and a Dutch dessert pancake with apple slices, applesauce, brown sugar, and chocolate shavings.

By Durant Imboden

De Pannenkoeken Boat in Parkhaven De Pannenkoekenboot, a.k.a. The Pancake Boat, is one of Rotterdam's best dining and sightseeing values. For a modest price, you get an all-you-can-eat pancake meal plus a 75-minute harbor excursion. Kids from 3 to 12 pay a children's rate, and toddlers eat free.

The vintage boat has two decks with large windows, wood paneling, four- to six-person tables, and an outdoor area where you can enjoy fresh air after you've stuffed yourself with dinner pancakes, dessert pancakes, and optional ice cream. If our experience is any guide, nearly all of your fellow passengers will be Dutch--mostly parents, grandparents, and children.

Dutch dessert pancake Check the The Pannenkoekenboot's English-language Rotterdam Web page to plan your excursion.

Days of operation and departure times vary by season. The company also offers package deals that include a pancake cruise and other activities in Rotterdam.

How to enjoy the Pancake Boat:

Reserve ahead, if possible, by phoning the Pannenkoekenboot Rotterdam at +31 (0)10-436-7295 or --better yet--by using the Pannenkoekenboot Web site's online booking form.
Arrive on the pier 10 to 15 minutes before departure. The boat is in Parkhaven, directly across the street from the Euromast and next to a large floating Chinese restaurant.
Get your table assignment as you board the boat.
A waiter or waitress will take your drink orders. (Most of the staff speak at least some English.)
When dinner service begins, stay put until your table number is called. You can then go to the kitchen area, collect a plate with a plain, apple, or bacon pancake, and pile it high with sweet or savory toppings at the buffet counter.
After all tables have been served, you can return as often as you wish for more pancakes.
Later, the staff will open a sundae bar. (On standard one-hour cruises, ice-cream desserts cost extra.)
Toward the end of the trip, give your table number to a server and settle your bill before the boat arrives back at the pier.

Tips:

De Pannenkoekenboot also operates boats in Amsterdam (near the NSDM ferry from Amsterdam Centraal Station) and in Nijmegen, an historic Dutch river city near the German border.

More photos:

Rotterdam Parkhaven and Euromast

De Pannenkoekenboot's pier is behind the red-roofed floating Chinese restaurant above, directly across from the Euromast.

The harbor is called Parkhaven, and you can reach it on foot or via ttram from central Rotterdam.

De Pannenkoeken Boot mermaid

The interior of De Pannenkoekenboot includes a sculpture of a mermaid whose motto could be "Pancakes or bust."

De Pannenkoeken Boot kitchen

The pancake kitchen is on the main or lower deck. When your table number is called, you go to the kitchen to collect your first pancake.

Dutch pancake with bacon

A server will hand you a plate with the type of pancake you want: plain, or with apple slices or bacon baked in (as in the photo above).

Dutch pancakes on plates

Cooks constantly load new plates of pancakes onto a rack between the kitchen and the dining area. (The plates can be hot, so you may want to use a napkin as a potholder.)

Dutch pancake toppings

A wooden table has pans of sweet and savory toppings--everything from ham, cheese, and sliced eggs to fruit, marshmallows, and candy sprinkles. (We suggest starting off with a dinner pancake and returning for dessert.)

After you've shoveled toppings onto your pancake, you can head back to your table for dinner.

De Pannenkoeken Boot menu

A menu at your table lists alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, which are charged separately and delivered by a server.

Another optional add-on is the sundae bar, which opens for business after passengers have had their fill of pancakes.

The Pancake Boat Rotterdam

This photo shows a family dining on the lower or main deck. (We took it from the upper deck, which has more tables, toilets, and an open sightseeing deck at the stern.)

This dessert pancake has slices of apple, banana, and peach, with brown sugar and chocolate shavings for an added nutritional boost.

Plastic balls on De Pannenkoeken Boot

After the meal, smaller children head for a hatch on the lower deck that, when opened, reveals a hold filled with plastic balls.

Wilhelmina peppermint

At the end of the voyage, you'll be offered a Wilhelmina peppermint as you leave the boat.

The traditional Dutch mints bear a portrait of the late Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, whose reign lasted 58 years (from 1890 to 1948).

About the author:

Durant Imboden photo. Durant Imboden is a professional travel writer, book author, and editor who focuses on European cities and transportation.

After 4-1/2 years of covering European travel topics for About.com, Durant and Cheryl Imboden co-founded Europe for Visitors in 2001. The site has earned "Best of the Web" honors from Forbes and The Washington Post.

For more information, see About Europe for Visitors, press clippings, and reader testimonials.

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