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Antwerp cuisine understandably focuses on fish, presented with few frills in even the finest restaurants, often poached or steamed, and reasonably priced. From the chilled whelks and periwinkles (marine snails) picked out of their shells with pins, to piles of tender little grijze garnalen (small shrimp), to the steamy white flesh of the mammoth tarbot (turbot), the scent of salt air is never far from your table. The ubiquitous mosselen (mussels) and paling (eels), showcased in midpriced restaurants throughout the city center, provide a heavier, heartier version of local fish cuisine. Bought live from wholesalers, the seafood is irreproachably fresh.
Antwerp has a high number of restaurants for a city its size. Many of the traditional places, both formal and casual, are clustered in Oude Stad. There are plenty of tourist-focused restaurants on the Grote Markt, but if you look along the smaller streets around the square you'll find some excellent local favorites. Het Zuid, meanwhile, is known for trendier cafés and restaurants. Peak dining hours are generally from noon until 3 and from 8 pm to 11 or midnight. Since the dining scene is quite busy, it's best to make reservations.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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