It took me a very long time, but it’s finally here: an article with the most sustainable and fun hotspots in Enschede, The Netherlands, my hometown. I moved out of Enschede in 2020 and ever since I have lived in other places in The Netherlands. That means that I am not there as often anymore, only when I visit my family. But still, I consider myself a true local that can advise you about the best places to visit in Enschede. Today I am sharing a list of the sustainable and fun hotspots in Enschede. This list is never finished, I will always keep editing it once places (unfortunately) close down or new places open up.
Vegan Food
Here’s the list of the wonderful vegan food in Enschede, in alphabetical order:
Ekoplaza
This first place is not a restaurant or café, but a supermarket. If I had to recommend a supermarket anywhere in The Netherlands, it will always be Odin: a coöperation. However, there’s no Odin in Enschede (yet). And so, if you want to have good organic and vegan food I can recommend Ekoplaza. Albert Heijn is of course always a good option too, for organic food. But for the special organic things they don’t sell at Albert Heijn, this Ekoplaza is great. It’s in the city center, so that’s great. I have to admit, the store is not very pretty. But to me that doesn’t matter. It’s about getting all my groceries organic, and then Ekoplaza is perfect.
Accessibility: there’s no step at the entrance and the isles are very big so I think this place is accessible to people using a wheelchair.
Address: De Heurne 59, 7511GS Enschede.
ETN
ETN has a special place in my heart. Back in the day, when I owned a package-free webshop for groceries, the owner Lotta helped me by showcasing some of my non-food items in a special part of the store and handing out my business cards. But ETN also has made great progress in my opinion. It used to be a great salad bar with great vegan options and a vegan bakery. Back then, the entire place was not vegan. They also served some meat and other animal products. However, they quit with that. It is now 100% vegan and I totally love that. The food is amazing and place itself is very nice. They serve cakes, soups, wraps, sandwiches and much more. They’re open during breakfast and lunch hours. ETN also is on Too Good To Go, preventing food waste.
Accessibility: I don’t think this place is accessible to people using a wheelchair, as it’s very tiny on the inside. I have not seen a menu in braille.
Address: Haverstraatpassage 26, 7511 EW Enschede.
Status: 100% vegan
Het Paradijs
Het Paradijs (translated: The Paradise) is very special: it’s the only vegan restaurant in Enschede. Sure, there’s ETN, but that’s not for dinner. And there’s Rauw and Zoetekauw (see below), but those are inside the food halls. Het Paradijs is a stand-alone vegan restaurant. That alone makes it special in Enschede. But what makes it even more special is the ambiance. It’s almost as if you’re eating inside of a garden at Het Paradijs. There’s ponds, massive plants and special islands. It’s hard to explain, you’d have to experience it yourself. Very nice! And not to forget: the food is great as well! I’ve been here only once and at the time, Het Paradijs was vegetarian. But as I’ve come to find out: they’re 100% vegan now! That is awesome, I hope to visit soon again. The menu changes every three months as they love to cook local and in season. This is the most sustainable food place in Enschede.
Accessibility: it’s been a while since I’ve been there, but I don’t remember this place being accessible to people using a wheelchair. Not did I see menus with braille.
Address: Nicolaas Beetsstraat 48, 7514 CW Enschede.
Status: 100% vegan.
Rauw
This place is hard to find, haha. That’s because it’s not actually a restaurant. Rauw is one out of eight kitchens in the Twentsche Food Halls. It’s at a food hall, meaning that there is a huge bar in the middle of the place, together with all the tables where you can eat. Eight small food stands surround this place. So, when you eat at the Food Halls in Enschede, you can choose from eight kitchens each with their own stand. One of these stands is Rauw. Rauw is junk food heaven for me. I have visited this place over twenty times I think, it might be even more. I’ve tried the entire menu and it’s all amazing. I personally love the cheesy fries, the nachos and the ‘chicken’-wrap! If you have to choose one place to eat in Enschede: choose this one.
Accessibility: the Twentsche Food Halls are accessible to people using a wheelchair. They also have a toilet for people with a disability. The menus can be seen online, so I’d say that’s great for people with any hearing impairment.
Address: Hoge Bothofstraat 39a, 7511 ZA Enschede.
Status: 100% vegan.
Zoetekauw
Zoetekauw is also located in the Twentsche Food Halls and follows the same concept. Where Rauw serves all kind of junk food (burgers, fries, bitterballen, etc.), Zoetekauw serves only deserts. Ice-cream, waffles, cakes, fudge, and the list goes on. I love their milkshakes. It’s honestly the only place in the entire Netherlands where I can find a good vegan milkshake (ever since Deer Mama closed down in Amsterdam). I love the basic milkshakes, banana and strawberry. But they also have more special flavors. It’s always a party. Zoetekauw is owned by the same owner as Rauw and you can sense that: they just make incredibly good food. The fact that they’re 100% vegan is only listed very small at the bottom of the menu. Many friends and family members have loved the deserts from Zoetekauw without even knowing they are vegan.
Accessibility: the Twentsche Food Halls are accessible to people using a wheelchair. They also have a toilet people with a disability. The menus can be seen online, so I’d say that’s great for people with any hearing impairment.
Address: Hoge Bothofstraat 39a, 7511 ZA Enschede.
Status: 100% vegan.
Secondhand clothing
These are my favorite places for secondhand clothing in Enschede, in alphabetical order:
Appel en Ei
I try not to go to Appel and Ei too often, as I always succeed here. Their assortment is simply amazing. On the facade of the store it says: ‘Is this secondhand clothing?’. I think many people ask theirselves this question. The clothing at Appel and Ei is amazing and the store looks like a ‘normal’ store, especially because they follow the trends in clothing and sort by color. Anyone can bring their clothing there and they will try to sell it within a certain amount of weeks and you get a share of the profit (if Appel and Ei likes the clothing, the downside of this high quality of the assortment is the fact that they turn down many items). However, I have to say, the store is quite expensive. For secondhand clothing at least. But especially if you’re a beginner when it comes to secondhand clothing, this store is amazing. It’s made easy for you, as everything looks like a ‘normal store’.
Accessibility: Appel and Ei is accessible to people using a wheelchair.
Address: De Heurne 12, 7511 GX Enschede.
VindIets
This is my favorite store for secondhand clothing in Enschede. It’s not in the city center, that might be a downside for some people, but I like the fact that it’s not too busy and not too expensive either. They work with the same concept as Appel and Ei: anyone can bring their clothing, the owner will then access whether they will sell it or not. If she sells it, you get a share of the profit. I have bought my favorite item of all time here, a beige summer dress. The prices are decent, it’s not extremely cheap but it’s certainly not expensive either. The store is assorted by color, making shopping very easy. Every time I come here, I like something so much that I buy it (that’s why I don’t visit too often haha). You can only find ‘woman’s clothing’ at VindIets.
Accessibility: this store is not very accessible to people using a wheelchair. It’s very small and the racks don’t leave much space left.
Address: Londenstraat 41, 7543 BA Enschede.
Thrift Shops
Here’s a list of thrift shops in Enschede in alphabetical order. I listed thrift shops apart from the secondhand clothing shops, as they sell more than clothing alone:
Het Goed
This is my favorite thrift shop in Enschede. I come here quite often when I’m in Enschede. This thrift shop is very accessible to people who are new to secondhand shopping: all items are sorted by category and it’s all showcased clearly. You never really have to search inside of baskets or closets or whatever. At the same time I think Het Goed has good prices, usually not too expensive. Het Goed is perfect for when I am looking for one specific item (which is usually the case), because they have so many things and all sorted. Het Goed is located in many places in The Netherlands and they give job opportunities to people with poor job prospects, making it a very social business.
Accessibility: if I remember correctly, Het Goed in Enschede has a big step at the entrance, making it fairly inaccessible to people using a wheelchair.
Address: Boddenkampsingel 2, 7514 AR Enschede.
GrannyCool Vintage
I have to admit, I have never bought anything at GrannyCool yet. But I don’t think it exists for that long already (or I have just never noticed it haha). But this place is really cool! It’s for people who truly love vintage, as it has a specificly vintage items. You can find true treasures here. But that comes with a price: all items are quite expensive. GrannyCool is mostly a secondhand clothing store, but it also sells some other things like furniture and crockery.
Accessibility: GrannyCool is not that accessible to people using a wheelchair. The store is really small and there is not much room in the isles.
Address: Haverstraatpassage 28, 7511 EW Enschede (next to ETN!).
Kringloop Enschede
This place is amazing for thrift shopping. But I have to say: I think it’s mostly for advanced thrift shoppers. The store has improved a lot the past few years, so now all items are assorted by category, but you still have to search very well to find the treasures in between all the items haha. Kringloop Enschede accepts basically all items (they also clear entire homes) and so they sell basically anything. Great for when you’re looking for an item you’d think you’d never find at a thrift shop (I’ve bought penns here haha). The prices own up to the (reasonable) mess, they’re extremely low. If you can find what you’re looking here, you can find it very cheap. It just takes a little bit more effort.
Accessibility: this place is fairly accessible to people using a wheelchair, but only the main isles. The sides isles are not and so you’d have to ask for help if you want to grab a specific item.
Yours sincerely,
Romee