HERENGRACHT 54 · THE HAGUE
Insulinde on the Herengracht
Restaurant Insulinde once stood at Herengracht 54 in The Hague. Its menu offered Chinese dishes, Indonesian rijsttafel and Dutch meals.
An old menu and a sugar packet bring the restaurant back into view. Explore them here, alongside what is known of its history.
Explore the menu · Read the story · Share a memory
This website is about the former restaurant. Table reservations are not available here.
The story of Insulinde
The menu still gives the address clearly: Herengracht 54, The Hague, telephone 113253. The same address and number appear on the sugar packet and in newspaper advertisements. The street was sometimes spelt Heerengracht.
Before 1945 · The earliest traces
Insulinde on the Herengracht appears in a list of Chinese restaurants established before 1945, in B.R. Rijkschroeff’s 1998 doctoral thesis. Its exact opening year remains unknown.
1946 · Chinese food, every day
On 26 October 1946, Insulinde advertised in De nieuwe Nederlander as a Chinese-Indonesian café-restaurant. According to the advertisement, Chinese dishes were served daily from eleven in the morning until nine in the evening.
1950 · Who ran Insulinde?
A report dated 23 June 1950 names the owner of Insulinde at Herengracht 54. The name Tchao Tcho Man is a lead for further research. His life, the spelling of his name and the length of his ownership still need clarification.
1953 · Rijsttafel and Dutch dishes
Just before Christmas, on 23 December 1953, an advertisement appeared in Het Vaderland. Insulinde offered Indonesian rijsttafel and Chinese and Dutch dishes à la carte, giving a glimpse of the breadth of its menu.
1958 · Dinner at home, too
For Easter 1958, Insulinde advertised special dinners. Guests who preferred to eat at home could have their meal delivered, at no extra charge according to the advertisement. The restaurant then described itself as Chinese and Indonesian.
View the advertisement of 3 April 1958
There is more to discover
When did Insulinde close? Who worked in its kitchen and dining room? What did the interior look like? Much remains unknown. Individual advertisements show moments in its history, but not everything that happened between them.
Perhaps you ate there, knew someone who worked there or have an old photograph. Even a small memory is welcome.
The old menu
Explore four photographs of the menu. Click an image to see the details. Its precise printing date is still unknown.
Contact
Memories of Insulinde
Did you eat or work here? Do you recognise the menu? A memory, a name or a photograph can bring another part of the story back.
Photographs of the building or interior, menus, advertisements, bills and letters are welcome, as are sugar packets, matchbooks, tableware and other objects connected with the restaurant. You do not need to sell or give anything away. A story or a photograph of an object is welcome too.
If you can, tell us roughly when it dates from. It is fine if you cannot remember a name or year exactly. Send a message.
Sources for the story
Old advertisements and surviving printed material are the starting point. These sources also show where questions remain.
- B.R. Rijkschroeff, Etnisch ondernemerschap (1998), chapter 3, p. 61, table 3.1. Its list of restaurants established before 1945 refers to Pan Chan (1991, p. 21), a source not independently checked here. The table also lists an Insulinde on Thomsonlaan; a connection with the Herengracht restaurant has not been established.
- De nieuwe Nederlander, 26 October 1946. Insulinde advertisement preserved by the National Library and available through Delpher. The original scan was read.
- Report of 23 June 1950, via Stichting Argus, PDF page 26. A lead concerning the owner and address. The spelling of the name, biography and duration of ownership require confirmation from other sources.
- Het Vaderland, 23 December 1953. Advertisement for rijsttafel and Chinese and Dutch dishes. The original scan was read.
- Het Vaderland, 3 April 1958. Advertisement for Easter dinners and home delivery. The original scan was read.
- LastDodo, Insulinde sugar packet, no. 1551951. The catalogue lists Van Oordt & Co and the period 1951–1962. This classification does not establish an exact printing year.
- The menu shown here records the name, address and telephone number. Its precise date and provenance remain under investigation.
The name, address and telephone number were compared across advertisements, the menu and the sugar packet. These are three types of material, but much of it originated with the restaurant itself. They are therefore not three independent confirmations of its entire history. Opening, closure, changes of ownership and parts of the owners’ histories remain uncertain.
Sources reviewed on 14 September 2026.
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This website is independent of Café Insulinde. The historic address and telephone number are not contact details for this website.