Bruges and the Coast Restaurants

We’ve compiled the best of the best in Bruges and the Coast - browse our top choices for Restaurants during your stay.

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  • 1. Gruuthuse Hof

    $$

    Dining here is almost a prerequisite for visiting Bruges, and while it's well known to tourists, don't let that put you off. A menu of solid Belgian favorites (with a particularly good seafood selection) is served at this third-generation family-run restaurant, and each dish is prepared with consummate skill. This is among the city's oldest restaurants, having occupied the same spot since 1751. The old wood-beamed ceiling is the only indication of its past, as attempts have been made to add a whisper of modernity to its setting. Luckily, it still retains its formal dining area and a strong dose of old-world charm.

    Mariastraat 36, Bruges, Flanders, B8000, Belgium
    050-330--614

    Known For

    • Around since the mid-1700s
    • A charmingly formal setting and a solid selection of Flemish classics
    • Easily located for some big sights

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Wed., Thurs., and Fri.
  • 2. Teasers by Rock-Fort

    $$$

    Teasers is the ice cube down the back of Bruges's "traditional" dining scene; it's brash and modern, serving a relentlessly inventive menu of French-inspired sharing tapas dishes slanted heavily towards seafood. The growing Rock-Fort empire also encompasses the Glocal shop and take-home service next door, and---above that---the more upmarket Orange District restaurant, which serves fixed-price fine-dining menus.

    Langestraat 15, Bruges, Flanders, 8000, Belgium
    050-960--617

    Known For

    • Inventive, sumptuous flavors with a seafood bias
    • One of the better wine menus in the city
    • Eye-catching cocktails

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed weekends. No lunch Wed., Reservations essential
  • 3. A L'Envers

    $$$

    A L'Envers is French for "inverted," and the name reflects this modern restaurant's simple but effective concept: to present dishes with edgy new flavor combinations, and old-school traditional fare, all on the same menu. The house specialties include beef carpaccio, and scampi cooked half a dozen ways, the latter served both as a starter and as a main, but it is on the three-course "surprise" menu that the chef really lets his imagination run wild.

    Patersstraat 2, Ypres, Flanders, 8900, Belgium
    0489-026–081

    Known For

    • Unusual but always delicious flavors
    • Experimental cuisine
    • Traditional classics like vispannetje (fish stew)

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Tues. and Wed. No lunch Mon.–Sat.
  • 4. Alexandra

    $$$

    This smart modern restaurant takes its inspiration primarily from the nearby North Sea, with fishy and seafood stars ranging from the familiar mussels, to rarer menu treats like skate wing, or more indulgent lobster. The adjacent "Bar a Vina" wine bar (open evenings only), under the same ownership, offers tapas-style sharing dishes prepared in the same kitchen, but designed to be enjoyed in slightly less formal surrounds.

    Van Bunnenplein 17, Knokke-Heist, Flanders, 8300, Belgium
    050-606–344

    Known For

    • Fine dining at a price that won't (quite) break the bank
    • Excellent seafood
    • Great wine list

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Thurs. and Fri.
  • 5. Belgian Pigeon House

    $$$

    This fine bistro-style restaurant is a glorious celebration of the simpler things in life---the stars of the show are the less starry meats on offer: the rabbit stew and pigeon fillets justify their slightly inflated prices owing to the quality of the cooking, backed up by a decent wine menu. Space is at a premium, with most tables downstairs in the cozy bunker of a basement (lined with various pigeon knickknacks) and a terrace during summer.

    Sint-Jansplein 12, Bruges, Flanders, 8000, Belgium
    050-661–690

    Known For

    • Pigeon dishes that surprise you
    • Rustic Belgian cooking
    • Cozy upstairs bar---in case you just want a drink

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Tues. and Wed. No lunch Mon. and Thurs.
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  • 6. Bistro Villa Julia

    $$$

    The food at this intimate bistro in a half-timbered villa is French-influenced modern European, but with a few nods to Flemish traditions thrown in to suit the old-fashioned surrounds, such as rabbit cooked "grandma's way" in Trappist beer. You can order most dishes as a starter or as a larger main, but if you want to try several at once, ask for the smaller "tapas" portions.

    Van Eycklaan 2, De Haan, Flanders, 8420, Belgium
    059-449–342

    Known For

    • Local oysters
    • Small but well-chosen menu
    • Friendly and attentive service

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues.
  • 7. Bistro Zwart Huis

    $$

    This stylish, redbrick bar and restaurant lies above the old Cinema Liberty in a Gothic-style building that dates from 1482—all wooden beams, iron latticework, and stained glass. The fare is bistro-style comfort food at its largest: huge servings of Flemish stews, bloody steaks, and the odd exotic meat (ostrich, kangaroo). Good food, a great choice of beers, and live jazz and blues combine to make this one of the better nights out in the city.

    Kuipersstraat 23, Bruges, Flanders, 8000, Belgium
    050-691–140

    Known For

    • Great atmosphere with a killer sound track
    • Good beer selection to complement its meat-heavy menu
    • Live music

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues.
  • 8. Bistrot de la Mer

    $$

    Although the menu at this simple but cozy family-run place splits itself evenly between seafood and meat-based dishes, its location---directly across from the harbor where the fishing boats land their harvest---means you will seldom go wrong if you opt for the catch of the day. Scallop starters and lobster mains add extra sparkle for those in need of a little indulgence.

    Visserskaai 21, Oostende, Flanders, 8400, Belgium
    059-801–800

    Known For

    • Good beef and tuna carpaccio starters
    • Excellent mussels
    • Friendly service

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues.
  • 9. Brasserie Rubens

    $$$

    The brasserie restaurant beside the coastal promenade in downtown Knokke has a slightly old-fashioned feel, but it serves reliably good, hearty portions of Belgian classics, and some excellent seafood to boot. The latter should come as no real surprise given the location: snag a table on the outside terrace in summer and you enjoy a sea view, and inhale the fresh salty air as you dine.

    Zeedijk-Albertstrand 589, Knokke-Heist, Flanders, 8300, Belgium
    050-603–501

    Known For

    • Friendly, efficient service
    • Kitchen open all day long
    • An extensive wine list with more than 350 choices
  • 10. Breydel–De Coninc

    $$$

    In a plum spot along the route from the Markt to the Burg, this no-frills restaurant is well known among locals---the plain furnishings leave the focus on the fresh seafood for which the establishment is famed. Although eel and steak are available, the restaurant’s biggest draw is mussels—there’s nothing more basically, and deliciously, Belgian than a huge crock heaped high with shiny, blue-black shells.

    Breidelstraat 24, Bruges, Flanders, 8000, Belgium
    050-339–746

    Known For

    • Some of the best seafood in Flanders
    • The lobster is not cheap, but worth it
    • Generous portions

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Wed.
  • 11. Bruut

    $$$$

    Set above a quiet canal, with white swans gliding below, this charming restaurant in a step-gabled town house is purely romantic---for the best views, request a window seat next to the water. And yet, while the surroundings drip with history, the food is anything but old-fashioned: cutting-edge head chef Bruno Timperman uses impeccably fresh seasonal ingredients to create beautifully presented plates of food that paint a spectacular picture, both for the eyes and for the palate.

    Meestraat 9, Bruges, Flanders, 8000, Belgium
    050-695–509

    Known For

    • Art on a plate
    • Unusual ingredients including foraged herbs
    • Always-changing prix-fixe menus

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed weekends
  • 12. Curiosa

    $$

    A Bruges institution for more than three decades, this cross-vaulted, medieval crypt has evolved over the years from a lively tavern with loud music at night, into a more genteel restaurant that provides a quiet spot for conversation over a meal and a glass of wine. The menu covers steaks, and Belgian classics such as vispannetje (fish stew), mussels, or rabbit, all at very reasonable prices.

    Vlamingstraat 22, Bruges, Flanders, 8000, Belgium
    050-342–334

    Known For

    • Three-course set lunch menu is a steal
    • Some of the best-value mussels in Bruges
    • Cozy cellar atmosphere
  • 13. De Huifkar

    $$$

    If the "lobsters in buckets" artwork above the front door doesn't get you thinking, then the large tank of live specimens in the middle of the dining room will leave you in no doubt whatsoever as to where the gastronomic heart of this chic modern restaurant in the center of town lies. Most dishes follow the seasons, though fruits de mer seafood platters are a menu staple, and there are always several steak choices to keep the meat lovers happy.

    Koninklijke Baan 142, Koksijde, Flanders, 8670, Belgium
    058-511–668

    Known For

    • Game dishes served in fall season
    • Attentive service
    • Excellent quality for the price

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Wed. and Thurs. and mid-Jan.–mid-Feb.
  • 14. De Lamme Goedzak

    $$$

    Commanding a fabulous location right on the main square, this charming restaurant occupies a lovely white-painted old house, and boasts interior furnishings, including a large chandelier and plentiful oak beams, that create an atmosphere of timelessness. The food lives up to the decor, with beautifully presented French-Belgian dishes that are not afraid to bring in influences from Asia and elsewhere.

    Kerkstraat 13, Damme, Flanders, 8340, Belgium
    050-692–266

    Known For

    • Secluded courtyard terrace at the rear
    • Good wine list
    • Glorious historical decor

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Wed. and Thurs. No lunch Fri.
  • 15. De Ruyffelaer

    $$

    Lace curtains in the front windows---and an interior that looks unchanged in a century, but which was probably carefully crafted to look that way---set the tone in this traditional restaurant serving hearty portions of no-frills Belgian classics, prepared in a style of which Grandma would have approved. Even French fries and side salads have no place here: all mains are served with cooked vegetables and creamy mashed potato---if you're looking for cutting-edge nouvelle cuisine you may be disappointed, but if you want a homey feast you won't go hungry.

    De Stuersstraat 11, Ypres, Flanders, 8900, Belgium
    0499-415–198

    Known For

    • Old-fashioned but heart-warmingly delicious comfort food
    • Dishes cooked with beer
    • Historic ambience

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon.–Thurs. No lunch Fri. and Sat.
  • 16. Eetcafé Lion Belge

    $$

    A 15-minute walk from the Markt, this informal Belgian café-restaurant attracts a roaring crowd—a legacy of being just a few doors up from one of the city's busier hostels. The menu changes regularly, although the food inevitably veers toward the comfort variety, with some excellent stews (like its simple but winning pot-au-feu) regularly cropping up. In a city where restaurants don't need to try that hard to find business and aren't afraid to charge for the privilege, Lion Belge is inexpensive, consistent, and friendly.

    Langestraat 123, Bruges, Flanders, 8000, Belgium
    0496-210--244

    Known For

    • Keeping it simple, to delicious effect
    • A great beer selection to go with the food
    • Prices that suit every pocket

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues.
  • 17. La Bouffée

    $$$

    This place close to the main square is so unassuming from the outside that, were it not for the simple front terrace, you might think it was simply someone's home, but step through the front door and on the inside you'll find a welcoming and cozy modern bistro. The menu is not long, but usually features well-presented takes on Belgian classics such as paling (eel) and vispannetje (fish stew).

    Kerkstraat 26, Damme, Flanders, 8340, Belgium
    050-680–588

    Known For

    • Belgian classics with a modern makeover
    • Friendly service
    • A quiet rear terrace

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Tues. and Wed.
  • 18. Lobster

    $$$$

    Astute readers may spot the tiny hint in the restaurant's name about what to expect from this centrally located and long-standing seafood-obsessed institution, directly opposite the casino and Kursaal. The excellent fruits de mer platters and lobster mains certainly don't come cheap, but if you are looking for something more affordable that is still a mouthwatering treat, go for the three-course prix-fixe menu.

    Van Iseghemlaan 64, Oostende, Flanders, 8400, Belgium
    059-500–282

    Known For

    • There's a clue in the name
    • Great fruits de mer seafood platters
    • Three decades of good service

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues.
  • 19. Spinola

    $$$

    This canal-house restaurant by the Jan van Eyck statue is a real charmer---from an intimate main dining room, an iron staircase leads to the upper tables; the open kitchen is in back. Here, chef-owners Sam and Vicky Storme cook up rich Burgundian cuisine: fresh game, goose liver, fabulous mussels, pigeon with truffles. Service can be a little on the brusque side, but dinner by candlelight is the ultimate extravagance, with a choice of some 300 wines.

    Spinolarei 1, Bruges, Flanders, 8000, Belgium
    050-341--785

    Known For

    • The city's smallest restaurant---book in advance
    • An adorable setting with a canal-side terrace
    • Well-honed menu of French classics

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon., Reservations essential
  • 20. That's Toast

    $

    There may be a clue in the name, but there's far more to life than basic ham and cheese croques at this lively and simple-but-hip café---the toast-based dishes here come lavishly spread with a list of ingredients ranging from smoked salmon and asparagus, to chicken korma, or sauerkraut with chipotle mayo. Reservations are not possible and it's a local hot spot, so get here early, or be prepared to queue.

    Dweersstraat 4, Bruges, Flanders, 8000, Belgium
    050-688–227

    Known For

    • All-day grilled breakfasts
    • Very popular, don't be late
    • Vegan- and veggie-friendly

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No dinner

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