Chez van Rijn is one of those establishments that everyone knows from "that square," but that you only take seriously when everything is right: service, pace, cuisine and bar all in the same breath. That's exactly what the reopening is all about. According to Barts Boekje, behind the scenes a clear reset-new management, new team and a thorough renovation-was worked on with the goal of an accessible but well-cared-for place where food, drinks and atmosphere are in balance again.
What is also concrete now: the reopening is being communicated by Chez van Rijn itself as Feb. 20. Not "sometime in late February," but a clear date you can mark if you like to take in places like this during the first few weeks when it's still chilly.
On the menu, they are aiming for recognizable brasserie anchors without complicated theatrics. The official menu description mentions, among other things steak tartare, house-smoked salmon and a signature steak frites for dinner. For drinks occasions, there is an ongoing "bites" line featuring bar classics such as oysters, bitterballs, croquettes and cheese sticks-so you can also drop in for a glass and something to go with it without immediately making a whole evening of it.
This doesn't feel like "new to new," but like a place that has been brought back into sharp focus.
And yes: there is a clear bar ambition underneath. On the site, they position drinks as "all day & late," with cocktails, wine and spirits as the mainstay. That's exactly why Chez van Rijn can beat thirteen other options in the same radius: you can start early and finish late without feeling like you're sticking three locations together.