24 Best Restaurants in Bruges and the Coast, Belgium

This working brewery—the only one in Bruges—not only has a rather pleasant courtyard but produces the Brugse Zot and Straffe Hendrik brands that you'll see in many bars around town. If you want to see the brewery in action, daily 45-minute tours (hourly 11–4, with an extra tour at 5 pm on Saturday) cost €9 and include a glass of the house blond beer in its unfiltered form. You'll also find out how a 3-km (2-mile) length of pipeline was laid under the city's medieval streets to allow for enough beer to fill 12,000 bottles an hour in a plant outside the city limits and still keep their brewing operation within Bruges.

True beer lovers should aim for the extended daily 2 pm tour (€19; 90 minutes), which descends into the cellars for a more in-depth tasting session and hopped-up tales.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A 10-minute walk east of central Bruges, this cozy gastrobar serves up modern takes of classic French dishes, but with a twist. Instead of full main courses, the food is delivered tapas style: pick six savory treats of your choice, and they will be served together on a self-styled grand plateau (a large wooden platter).

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).

Attached to Hotel Heritage, the elegant dining room at Le Mystique dates from 1869, and its high ceilings, chandeliers, and linen tablecloths create a refined atmosphere, perfect for quiet conversation. Here, chef Raoul de Koning creates a blend of modern French/Flemish cuisine using the freshest seasonal and local ingredients, served in fixed-price menus of three or four courses.

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.

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.

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.

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 finest: Flemish stews, bloody steaks, and the odd exotic meat (kangaroo). This is the full package–the food, great choice of wines, and live jazz and blues combine to make this one of the better nights out in the city.