Leeuwarden has a small but lively restaurant scene concentrated on the Eewal, the Nieuwestad, and along the Kelders waterfront. Frisian cooking leans on dairy and the sea: try sûkerbôle (sweet sugar bread), fierljepkoek (almond pastry), dúmkes (clove biscuits), and the smoked paling (eel) from the lakes south of town.
A few places to know: Spinoza on the Eewal for refined seasonal Dutch cooking; Eindeloos for adventurous tasting menus; Proefverlof inside the old Blokhuispoort prison for casual brunch and lunch; and De Koperen Tuin in the Prinsentuin park for an elegant lunch with a view.