Catch by Simonis

Harbour-Front Seafood in The Hague's Competitive Mid-Tier

The stretch of water along Scheveningen's Dr. Lelykade sets a particular kind of expectation. You arrive with the smell of salt air and the low industrial hum of a working harbour, and the restaurants that line this edge have to earn their place against that backdrop rather than simply borrow atmosphere from it. Catch by Simonis, positioned at number 43, is a seafood and sushi restaurant in The Hague.

The Hague's restaurant scene divides broadly between the formal creative cooking found in places like Calla's (€€€€ · Creative French), which holds a Michelin star, and a looser mid-tier of neighbourhood-focused rooms in the €€ bracket, represented by addresses like Basaal (€€ · Seasonal Cuisine) and De Basiliek (€€ · Modern Cuisine). At €€€, Catch by Simonis occupies the tier between those poles. That positioning is coherent for a harbour-side address where the sourcing story is immediate and the clientele ranges from local regulars to visitors arriving specifically for the waterfront.

The Whole-Catch Approach to Coastal Cooking

Dutch seafood cooking at its leading has always operated on a principle of full utilisation, not as a culinary trend borrowed from land-based nose-to-tail philosophy, but as a practical inheritance from fishing communities where waste was not an option. The North Sea catch is specific: herring, plaice, turbot, sole, eel, and shellfish from the Wadden coast all feature in the regional canon. A kitchen that takes this seriously works with the whole fish, uses the less glamorous cuts alongside the fillets, and builds stocks, sauces, and secondary preparations from what a purely fillet-focused operation would discard.

This approach also demands a different relationship with suppliers. When you commit to using the full catch, frames for bisques, livers and roes for garnishes, collars for specials, you need consistent access to whole fish rather than pre-portioned product. The harbour proximity at Scheveningen makes that kind of supply relationship practical in a way it simply isn't for an inland kitchen. Consistent execution has helped it hold critical attention. Restaurants like De Librije in Zwolle, Aan de Poel in Amstelveen, and Ciel Bleu in Amsterdam represent the country's upper register; Catch by Simonis operates a level below that ceiling, but with a specificity of focus, seafood, harbour sourcing, coastal tradition, that most of those rooms do not share.

Where Catch by Simonis Sits Among Dutch Seafood Addresses

The dedicated seafood restaurant at the €€€ tier is a relatively narrow category in the Netherlands. Within that category, the coastal addresses carry obvious geographic authority. 't Pakhuus in Oudeschild on Texel operates from a direct island-harbour position; Zeezout in Rotterdam brings similar harbour logic to a larger port city.

That review volume matters as a trust signal. A high average across more than four thousand data points reflects a consistent experience across a wide range of diners over time. Among the broader €€€ dining options in The Hague, venues like 6&24 (€€€ · Modern Cuisine) and Bøg (€€€ · Creative) compete in the same price tier with different culinary orientations. The restaurant's differentiation is its singular focus: the menu does not wander into land-based territory for the sake of broadening appeal.

't Nonnetje in Harderwijk, De Bokkedoorns in Overveen, and Brut172 in Reijmerstok each represent different regional expressions of serious cooking in the Netherlands, and together they map a scene where quality is distributed well outside Amsterdam. The restaurant adds a specifically coastal, harbour-anchored coordinate to that map.

Planning Your Visit

The address at Dr. Lelykade 43 sits on the Scheveningen harbour front. Advance booking is recommended.

At €€€, the spend per head aligns with the mid-tier of The Hague's serious dining options.