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A fair contender for the best meal in Ghent, Oak more than deserves the Michelin star it bagged in 2018. Chef Marcelo Ballardin worked previously in the lauded Vrijmoed before setting up on his own, and demand is high: with just 24 seats, it's wise to book far in advance. Inside, it's pretty intimate, with Ballardin himself often coming out to greet diners. Dinner is a seven-course menu that changes with the seasons. Small portions come exquisitely prepared, with every trick in the gastronomic cookbook used, and its surprisingly simple dishes are huge in flavor, from sumptuous dry-aged beef to halibut drizzled in Champagne sauce. A true delight.
Hoogstraat 167, Ghent, Flanders, 9000, Belgium
Known For
- Exquisitely prepared food in an intimate setting
- Simple food with massive flavors
- A good-value lunch menu
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sat.--Mon.
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Dishes at this Michelin-starred bistro from established Ghent chef Olly Ceulenaere are intricately prepared with a depth of flavor that belies their often simple ingredients. A small, ever-changing set menu invariably delivers. It's a bit of a walk from the city center, but that hasn't kept the crowds away. Booking is essential, and as you leave, a sign above the door reads "Bugger off quietly."
Ham 39, Ghent, Flanders, 9000, Belgium
Known For
- Exquisitely prepared bistro food
- Boundless culinary creativity
- Great value considering the quality of the cooking
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon., Reservations essential
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This dinky but stylish offering is found deep amid the winding old back alleys of Patershol. Inside it is all rather minimalist and homely—bare wood, stark tiles, cutlery is found in the table drawers—leaving ample room to soak up the creativity of chef Kim Devisschere. Lunch (€28) and dinner (€55) set menus make the most of his ability to turn simple meat, fish, and some of the lesser seen Flemish vegetables into culinary spectacles. There's only 20 settings, so booking is essential.
Vrouwebroersstraat 5, 9000, Unknown
Known For
- Incredibly fresh and delicious vegetables, which dominate each dish
- Wonderful presentation and a friendly atmosphere
- Well-hidden setting in the back alleys of Patershol
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed weekends
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A seasoned performer. This classy restaurant, run by owners Marniek and Christine, has been dishing up imaginative takes on classic bistro dishes since 1999. A back-garden terrace makes for a quiet escape, while the understated interior sets a refined mood for some sophisticated cooking.
Gasthuisstraat 20, Geraardsbergen, Flanders, 9500, Belgium
Known For
- A quiet little oasis within the town
- Good cooking and a friendly welcome
- Modern takes on classic dishes
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues. No dinner Sun. No lunch Sat.
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An enticing café-bar with a long history and, many say, the best setting on the Leie. It lies next to the old sas (a drawbridge over the lock), and this was where the bridge controller once lived. The café even contains a small museum of maritime paintings and relics of a time when these waters were among the busiest in Belgium. Now it's just a great spot to rest up when strolling the riverbank between Ooidonk and Deinze. Try the pate, which has been flavored with the house Schobiak beer.
Hellestraat 20, Deinze, Flanders, 9800, Belgium
Known For
- A welcome rest stop while walking the Leie
- House-brewed beers
- A blissful setting by the water's edge
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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This now ubiquitous "fast food" meatball joint has found plenty of love across Belgium but it all started here in Ghent in 2012 with a simple pop-up. The idea is simple: pick from a choice of large meatballs (as well as a veggie option), served with either stoempe (Belgian-style mash and vegetables) or salad. Communal tables and bowls brimming with apples tick the right boxes, while the meatballs themselves have an array of fillings, from a mushroom and truffle to the classic liégeoise style. It just works!
Jakobijnenstraat 6, Ghent, Flanders, 9000, Belgium
Known For
- Darn fine meatballs
- Bowls of free fruit on tables
- Free jugs of water---a rarity in the parched restaurants of Belgium
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
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Sometimes you're just in the mood for a solid bar-brasserie meal, and this well-loved spot on the corner of the Vlasmarkt is as good an option as any in the city. Inside, its publike interior has been decked out in hip but cozy sofas and long tables. To the rear sits a neat terrace that sometimes has music. The menu is replete with brasserie standards: steaks, pastas, ham and mustard, eel in green sauce. It's like a haven to all things comfortable.
Vlasmarkt 45, Dendermonde, Flanders, 9200, Belgium
Known For
- A nice spot to sit outside in the sun
- The menu is as comfortable as an old sweater
- The choice of drinks is vast
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues. and Wed.
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This charming redbrick eatery on the corner of Collegestraat rings all the right bells. There is nothing too adventurous here; French and Flemish crowd-pleasers are the order of the day, from cordon bleu and stoofvlees to fillet of Mechelse koekoek (a local breed of chicken from Mechelen). But the result is pleasing and the quality consistent.
Wijngaardstraat 38, Geraardsbergen, Flanders, 9500, Belgium
Known For
- Classic Belgian cooking
- A friendly local welcome
- Gigantic portions
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues. and Wed.
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Perched over the road from the river, this waterfront café-restaurant is a popular brunch spot, dishing up warm soups, casseroles, and plenty of breakfast treats, from shakshouka to salmon brioche. Even its coffees are on the indulgent side: latte with honey and stroopwaffel, anyone?
Tussenbruggen 20, Oudenaarde, Flanders, 9700, Belgium
Known For
- Friendly staff
- A good lunch spot with some hearty eating
- Nice views over the river and across to the historical buildings
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon.
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This health-conscious café majors in vegetarian and vegan treats, largely in the form of plate-sized salads, quiches, and soups. It's a charming location, having been sculpted out of an old ice-cream parlor; the Art Deco moldings lend it a distinguished air and there's a quiet courtyard at the rear.
Geldmunt 6, Ghent, Flanders, 9000, Belgium
Known For
- Healthy eating in a nice café setting
- The veggie-dumpling soups are particularly good
- Great coffees
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
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Here, you'll find the kind of food typical of a Flemish table, with plenty of steaks and classic stews accompanied by less local dishes, just in case, with an array of pastas. Staff are friendly and will happily translate the Dutch menu, but bring an appetite because portions are huge. It can get quite busy, though, especially at noon, since the restaurant's size makes it popular with tour groups.
Vrijdagmarkt 47, Ghent, Flanders, 9000, Belgium
Known For
- Hearty Flemish food and a friendly face
- Good for large groups
- A pretty good beer selection
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon., Reservations essential
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Hidden away among the museum streets of Deurle, this brasserie is best known for its "grandma cooking." Expect veal kidneys lashed with sharp Ghentish Tierenteyn mustard, a hearty stoofvlees of stewed pork cheeks with a side of rough-cut apple sauce, and beef from the Basque Country.
Philippe de Denterghemlaan 31, Deurle, Flanders, 9831, Belgium
Known For
- Its quiet location
- An interesting sharing-plates menu
- A covered terrace that escapes the rather echoey interior
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon.
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An old favorite among locals. Its village-center location, spilling onto the cobbles beneath the church, sets a convivial scene. Inside, the "The Old Farm," as it's known, is nothing of the sort; it was originally built some 300 years ago as a rectory, then repurposed as a school before settling as the town inn. Opt for either a sharing menu (all oysters, chicken wings, and mussels) or the usual brasserie favorites, with big steaks, beery stews, and the addition of the lesser-seen "lobster Belle Vue" (a more costly take on a prawn cocktail) catching the eye.
Dorpsstraat 48, Deurle, Flanders, 9831, Belgium
Known For
- Charming village location
- The terrace makes for a pleasant escape in warm weather
- A good standard of cooking
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This place is well hidden from the street, as you enter what is seemingly a mall. But that quickly gives way to a whimsical open-air terrace and a rather cozily lit bar-restaurant. The food decidedly leans towards Italian, though the menu is flecked with the odd Flemish specialty and heaving piles of mussels. A small but polished selection of local beers accompanies big portions and a good atmosphere.
Leiestraat 22, Kortrijk, Flanders, 8500, Belgium
Known For
- Wonderfully discreet location
- Good Italian and Flemish comfort food
- Surprisingly excellent value, with most dishes less than €20
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed weekends
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A beautiful old mansion house is the home of this charming organic bakery and café. Its courtyard terrace is a pleasant spot on a sunny day, though the menu is typically geared towards cold weather: think heavy pastas and Flemish staples alongside a few salads. Its stoempe (veggie mash) and sausage is hearty in all the right ways.
Plein 12, Kortrijk, Flanders, 8500, Belgium
Known For
- The terrace is delightful
- Interesting daily specials
- Sweet treats like pain d'epice
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Wed.
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North Sea sole is the specialty here, fried and served with frites or grilled with a side of dijonnaise. It might not sound like the most sophisticated of dishes, but it is cherished among locals. The rest of the menu veers towards fine steaks, game, and the more rustic cuts often found in fine French cooking, including veal kidneys and crispy sweetbreads with wild mushrooms. The setting is charming, whittled into an old farmstead, and the garden makes for a pleasant retreat during the warmer weather.
Lijnstraat 2, Flanders, 9831, Belgium
Known For
- A "luxury" afternoon menu that changes with the seasons
- Great service
- The quality of its sole
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Wed. and Thurs. No dinner Tues. and Fri.
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The hot new restaurant in town comes fresh from the success of its former pop-up (Heems) and has now settled on Brusselsestraat. It's a small, intimate joint with a great secluded terrace at the rear. Its set menus can be matched with wines or beers, and the cooking is simply inspired, using local produce and unexpected combinations of simple ingredients to often dazzling effect. A future star.
Brusselsestraat 72, Dendermonde, Flanders, 9200, Belgium
Known For
- A likeable terrace at the rear will be nice in summer
- Beer pairing is a brilliant alternative to the usual wine
- Talented chefs using their full imagination
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
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The setting is everything here. The beautiful terrace, on the doorstep of Ooidonk Castle, makes for a delightful retreat for the walkers, cyclists, and day-trippers that make up the clientele. Its menu is a solid mix of brasserie standards with a few twists, including an Ostend-style fish stew, truffle-flavored croque monsieur, and a game ragout. Be warned though: it stops serving dinner at 6:30 pm, so it's one for early birds.
Ooidonkdreef 28, Deinze, Flanders, 9800, Belgium
Known For
- There are plenty of walking trails nearby to work off the food
- It's a great spot for when you're visiting the castle
- Brasserie-style comfort food in a countryside setting
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Wed. and Thurs.
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This lovely family-run café is nestled in the corner of the Vlasmarkt. There's a good choice of teas, coffees, and great hunks of homemade cakes to tide you over.
Vlasmarkt 33/7, Dendermonde, Flanders, 9200, Belgium
Known For
- Nice little terrace off the main street
- Good choice (and portion size) of cakes
- Well-made coffees
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon.
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This distinguished restaurant is a local favorite for French and classic Belgian dishes, particularly seafood and seasonal specialties. Its tasting menus are on the steep side, but the service is uniformly excellent and the presentation borders on the inspired. Sip your aperitif on the terrace overlooking the garden, which also supplies the herbs used in the kitchen. After 23 years, it might have finally lost its Michelin star in 2019, but the menu has lost none of its vigor.
Koning Leopold II Laan 43, Ghent, Flanders, 9000, Belgium
Known For
- Gallic gastronomy with no little flair—and a fine garden
- An elegant setting in a traditional old town house
- Good service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon. No lunch Sat., Reservations essential, Jacket and tie
