— Our story
Hot Pepper was born from a suitcase and a spice rack. Martín and Leila arrived in Den Haag in 2011 — he from Oaxaca, she from Antwerp — and found Bilderdijkstraat: a quiet street that reminded them of neither home, and somehow both.
They opened a small window kitchen in 2016. The neighbours complained about the smoke on Thursdays. Now those same neighbours queue for the weekend special. The menu changes with the season; the fire never goes out.
Everything here is cooked to order, seasoned with intention. Den Haag is not known for heat — we are fixing that, one table at a time.