23 Best Restaurants in Antwerp and the Northeast, Belgium

This hip Scandinavian-style fish joint is the place to try seasonal, organic, and sustainable seafood---arguably the best in the city---served simply as a fruits de mer platter, grilled with hand-cut fries on the side, or as an always-excellent bouillabaisse. If the weather cooperates, opt for a seat on their spacious terrace instead of the rather cramped dining room, all the better for prime Het Zuid people-watching---it's always packed, but walk-ins can grab a high stool if you arrive early and forgot to book.

Deep in the heart of old Antwerp, there is something likably stubborn about the defiantly traditional t' Fornuis, a place where stock Flemish surroundings with heavy oak chairs and beamed ceilings are the setting for some of the best (and priciest) food in the city. Charismatic Michelin-starred chef-owner Johan Segers changes his French-accented menu regularly; however, roasted sweetbreads with a wild-truffle sauce are a permanent fixture and worth trying. He also tends to stop by for a quick chat with just about every diner, if only to explain what it is you're eating. While you're waiting for your visit, take a chance to look at the restaurant's wonderful collection of miniature stoves.

You probably think beer when you think Belgium, but this tiny French-influenced restaurant is all about the wine; each month focuses on a different wine region. Early 20th-century decor, vibrant jewel-tone colors, and jazzy music set the scene for an ambitious but small menu with a strong focus on fresh fish and well-aged beef. For the best deal, try the three-course menu, offered at both lunch (€43) and dinner (from €69)—although be sure to splurge on the sommelier's suggested wine pairings. If all that food makes you sleepy, stay in one of the three adjoining Glorious Fashion Inn Suites after a nightcap of homemade jenever (Dutch gin).

Following the closure of his Pomphuis restaurant, Christophe De Koninckx has reinvented himself at a new waterside location inside a stunning repurposed warehouse. Wonderfully presented Belgian bistro dishes are given a modern international makeover, prepared in an open kitchen with no place to hide.

Along a quiet street just off the Grote Markt, this chic restaurant creates a relaxing vibe with its rustic, bare brick interior walls, and a secluded rear terrace. The modern Belgian cuisine is served as a four-course set menu that changes every two months—each course consists of two separate dishes that are designed for sharing.

In an old yellow-painted brick farmhouse east of the center, the leafy front terrace and rustic interior provide a charming setting for enjoying this small restaurant's generously portioned and innovative takes on Belgian and European classics. The beer list is short but outstanding, as is the wine list—unsurprising as the same family also runs the wine store next door.

Commanding a prime spot on the main square, the White Fox serves good portions of pan-European food at fair prices, with a menu that juggles Italian pasta, Belgian and French favorites, and—in the fall season—a range of game dishes. Choose a spot on the front terrace for fine views of the cathedral and the city hall, or simply for people-watching.

Architecture and food aficionados will appreciate both the food and somber decor in this splendid Art Nouveau building in the upscale Zurenborg neighborhood---this former teahouse, sewing school, and police office maintains its original floor mosaic, and the whitewashed walls and dome-shape roof parallel its haute cuisine. Michelin-starred head chef Frédéric Chabbert learned his trade working in Hong Kong, and brings touches of his international experiences into the classic-inspired dishes of his French homeland.

With a name that means 11th Commandment, and an interior crammed with more than 600 plaster saints and angels salvaged from old churches, this café enjoys a prime location, tucked into a tiny street between the Grote Markt and the cathedral. The food and drink are straightforward but hearty, with a lunch menu focused on club sandwiches and croques (pricier full meals are served in the evenings), and you can sit on the terrace in the shadow of the cathedral.

For those who love fancy dining in epic surrounds, this restaurant occupies a former trading hall of the neo-Gothic stock exchange building, which dates from 1872. In contrast to the historic setting, the pan-global dishes are ultramodern works of art on a plate---prepared in the open kitchen on one side of the hall, their names derive from their geographical inspiration: a riff on a ceviche, for example, might be called "Lima," while a pasta-based dish might be titled "Florence."

Brussels may be the Belgian city best known for its frites, but that hasn't stopped this high-end Dutch friture from muscling in. Created by three-star Michelin chef Sergio Herman, its Antwerp branch was the first in Belgium (now in Ghent and Brussels), and its elaborate sauces, from "deep truffle" to seasonal specials like "olive and Catalan cream," make it something special. If you're looking for dinner, be aware that this place closes at 7.

The iron framework of the 19th-century Maison du Peuple, a building designed by famed Art Nouveau architect Victor Horta, supports this brasserie. It siphons a hip crowd from trendy Hopland Street and keeps a sunny feel with large mustard-yellow industrial beams and windows all around. The kitchen sends out brasserie favorites like Aberdeen Angus rib steak and frites, as well as tempting contemporary dishes with lighter wraps, bagels, and salad options for lunch.

Aptly named, The New Eelhouse specializes in various preparations of sweet-fleshed eel, along with grilled turbot, sole, scallops, and myriad other crustaceans, including lobster and mussels (in season). Fittingly for an Antwerp landmark, the restaurant has dark wood and a comfortable, deep-rooted air.

This modern café-restaurant with a prime spot on the main square serves pan-European dishes, but with a notable Italian slant that also spills over into the wine list. The long, narrow design of the sleek interior feels a little like dining in a train carriage, but grab a spot on the terrace and you can contemplate the strapping features of Celtic warrior Ambiorix as you eat.

This busy café-bar is found deep in the hipster spawning grounds of Mechelseplein, and while the menu is limited to a half dozen Flemish and French crowd-pleasers (beef carbonnade/stoofvlees, vol-au-vent, and the like) and burgers, it executes them extremely well. High, ornate ceilings, a long bar, and closely packed tables help perpetuate the communal vibe that carries most evenings along. It's a very chill spot, and the beer selection is pretty good.

Simplicity is the buzzword---both in the contemporary Belgian cooking, and in the decor---in this elegant but cozy parquet-floored bistro with minimal decorations on the walls to distract you from the food. Lunch is à la carte, but the three- to five-course prix-fixe dinner menus are also pared down and kept simple, with no more than two or sometimes three choices per course---but simplicity doesn't prevent each dish being a masterpiece.

In fine weather the front terrace of this lively café-restaurant has a to-die-for view of the Zimmertoren, while the bright, modern interior has high ceilings and a mezzanine above to create a sense of space. The extensive international menu of pasta, salads, and steaks in generous portions also finds room for a few Belgian classics, including oven-baked witloof (Belgian endive) in a creamy sauce.

Perched atop a huge glass-and-black-metal construction designed by avant-garde architect bOb (his spelling) Van Reeth, this cozy riverside restaurant---with bistro-style food as modern as the surroundings---resembles a docked cruise ship. You're virtually assured a good view, since large windows stretch around the building---boat traffic bustles on the Schedlt River to one side and, on the other, there's a fine view of the cathedral and the Oude Stad.

This simple café is a great place to grab a drink, or a bagel or a baguette, before taking in the Museum of Fine Arts, located just around the corner. Early birds can also breakfast on American-style pancakes, served until 12:30 pm.

This fine-dining restaurant has long been a fixture on Antwerp's dining scene, dishing up exquisite cooking in the interior courtyard of its elegant dining room since 1975. Longtime chef and local legend Marc Paesbrugghe, who once gave away his two Michelin stars because he was tired of the red tape, has long since hung up his apron, but the torch has been passed on in the kitchen with no drop in standards, and a prix-fixe menu that delicately picks its way through big flavors.

When it comes to picking the more spectacular place to sit, you'll be hard-pressed to choose between the gorgeous high-ceilinged neoclassical dining room and the majestically tranquil garden terrace at the rear. The food, while looking simple on the menu, is equally grand—even the croque monsieur comes in such dimensions that you are unlikely to leave feeling hungry.

It’s worth visiting here for the location alone, in the Vlaeykensgang (the oldest alley in the city), where time seems to have stood still. The cozy dining room has the look and feel of a private home.