A quaint and welcoming destination that draws crowds for its European charm and tempting menu, and is located within an industrial hub in Sydney.
Holland House, in Smithfield, west of the city, is a green-gabled house that houses all things Dutch and has a café and supermarket that people drive hours to visit.
The women behind Western Sydney Mumsshared the ‘cute’ spot that opened in 1965 and is a favourite with nostalgic Sydneysiders.
“Can you believe this is located in Western Sydney? From the moment you walk in you feel like you’re in the Netherlands,” the mums said in a video.
The facade features traditional windows and a windmill scene painted on a roller door, and inside you’ll find an “antique paradise” packed with ornaments and furnishings.
And visitors have said spending a few hours browsing the “charming” shop and enjoying the food is like visiting the Netherlands, without the long flight.
The menu includes classic dishes such as sausage rolls, thick slices of apple pie topped with whipped cream, mini pancakes dusted with sugar and strong Dutch coffee.
There is also a hearty smoked sausage and pea soup with buttered bread and, for those looking for something more traditional, herring served with onions.
Holland House in Smithfield is a much-loved cafe, supermarket and shop in Sydney’s western suburbs that makes visitors think they’re in the Netherlands.
The cafe is famous for its pancakes, Chocomel whipped cream, sausages and apple pie.
Fans love the famous Chocomel drink, a milk chocolate concoction served hot or cold under a generous swirl of whipped cream.
And the European-style supermarket has shelves packed with kruiden ketchup (curry tomato sauce), stroopwafel (wafers soaked in syrup), liquorice and chocolates.
Dutch food lovers living in Australia have said it is the only place in the state where you can still get a bag of paprika-flavoured crisps straight from the Netherlands.
Visitors to this “hidden gem” can also browse for furniture, traditional clogs, souvenirs and antiques, and Sydneysiders have said they can’t get enough of Holland House.
“This place brought back so many memories of my life in Rotterdam. I miss my Stroopies and Chocomel so much,” said one.
The ‘amazing’ destination opened its doors in 1965 and still has regular customers who first visited as children.
Sausage in a bun and chocomel topped with whipped cream are favorites at Holland House.
Dutch food lovers living in Australia rave about the wafers dipped in syrup and the chips with paprika.
“It’s like finding a diamond in the rough. We didn’t know about this beautiful place until yesterday. It was an incredible experience,” added another.
“This is an amazing place. My family regularly travels three hours to shop and eat here. I would recommend it to everyone,” added a third.
Others who visited the quirky place, which has been operating for 55 years, said it still hasn’t changed since they were kids and that revisiting it was like taking a walk down memory lane.
“A lot of coffee was enjoyed in the small restaurant,” said one.
A local was shocked to discover the “adorable” spot was just five minutes from her home, yet she never knew it existed.
“Why am I just finding out about this now?” he said.
