De Librije is Zwolle's most famous restaurant and one of the Netherlands' major fine-dining names. It is a destination in itself, not a casual fallback after sightseeing, and booking well ahead is the sensible assumption.
The restaurant sits in a former prison complex, which gives the meal a setting as memorable as the cooking. Even if you never eat here, its presence says something about Zwolle's confidence: this is not a provincial town apologising for itself.