Ghent and the Leie Restaurants
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Ghent and the Leie - browse our top choices for Restaurants during your stay.
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We’ve compiled the best of the best in Ghent and the Leie - browse our top choices for Restaurants during your stay.
The reputation of D'Oude Schuur often sees Ghentians make a weekend of their visit just to indulge here. As its name (The Old Barn) suggests,...
The reputation of D'Oude Schuur often sees Ghentians make a weekend of their visit just to indulge here. As its name (The Old Barn) suggests, it was once part of a farm, though there’s little rustic about its neat, spare interior. The menu does make the most of the country setting, however, dishing up partridge and pheasant alongside the fussier asides of French cooking. Much of the restaurant's reputation lies in its well-stocked cellar, for which the selection of Burgundy wines is especially celebrated.
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...
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.
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....
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."
The only downside to Rebelle is that it's not exactly convenient. It lies a few miles outside the city center, in the small village of...
The only downside to Rebelle is that it's not exactly convenient. It lies a few miles outside the city center, in the small village of Marke, but it's more than worth the effort to get there. A minimalist makeover of the interior makes room for its inventive three-, six- and seven-course menus, which bring all the color. Save room for the pandan rice pudding.
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,...
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.
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...
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.
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...
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.
You'll find an absolute sea of bakeries selling mattentaarts, the iconic local curd pastry that errs decidedly on the sweet and dry side. Everyone has...
You'll find an absolute sea of bakeries selling mattentaarts, the iconic local curd pastry that errs decidedly on the sweet and dry side. Everyone has their favorite bakery, though the more mean-spirited might argue there's little difference in quality. Nevertheless, this artisanal bakers high up on Vestin is well-loved by locals, and makes a fine pick-me-up when walking the Muur.
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...
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!
This café-bar on the market square is popular among cyclists, as any glance at its walls—festooned in photos, jerseys, and memorabilia from the Tour of...
This café-bar on the market square is popular among cyclists, as any glance at its walls—festooned in photos, jerseys, and memorabilia from the Tour of Flanders—will tell you. Owned by a former professional rider, Frederik Penne, it's a good spot to grab a coffee, a beer, or a few ideas for places to pedal in the area.
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...
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.
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...
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.
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,...
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?
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...
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.
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...
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.
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...
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.
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...
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.
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...
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.
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...
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.
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...
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.
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