Where to Eat in Ghent: The Complete Food Guide
Wondering where to eat in Ghent? You've come to the right place. Ghent is a city that knows how to eat well. Packed into just 60 square miles, this medieval gem boasts Michelin-starred dining, homestyle Flemish cuisine, crispy fry stands, and chocolate shops seemingly on every corner. And don't even get me started on the brunch scene.
Where to eat in Ghent depends entirely on your mood, your budget, and how hungry you are. Whether you're here for a quick day trip from Brussels or a leisurely weekend away, rest assured that this city's food scene has something to satisfy every appetite.
Want to explore more? Check out my two-day Ghent itinerary.
The Good Stuff
- Flemish Classics: Traditional Food in Ghent
- Fine-Dining and Michelin-Starred Restaurants in Ghent
- Brunch in Ghent: The Best Spots to Start Your Day
- Street Food and Snacks: Fries, Waffles, and Chocolate
- Vegetarian and Vegan Eating in Ghent
- Eating in Ghent by Neighborhood
- Practical Tips: Eating in Ghent on a Budget
Flemish Classics: Traditional Food in Ghent
Thanks to Ghent’s central location and legacy as a trading epicenter, the city’s food scene pulls influences from its neighbors while also staying true to its roots. Hearty, stick-to-your-ribs fare, often cooked in brown beer, is balanced by North Sea seafood and highly seasonal produce, all more than likely served with a side of fries.
Waterzooi
Think chicken pot pie without the puff pastry. Originally made with fish (and still sometimes available with seafood), this chicken stew, packed with leeks, carrots, and potatoes in a rich creamy broth, is a Ghent signature and a must-try.
Where to try it: Most traditional Flemish restaurants serve a solid version. For a reliable bowl, try Du Progres on the main drag next to St. Nicholas. If you want the original fish waterzooi — harder to find and worth seeking out — head a few streets from the pedestrian area to Takes Thyme. It's a special, only available when fresh catch comes in. If it's on the menu, order it.
Stoverij (Flemish Stew)
This is the dish that lives rent-free in my head. Hunks of beef or pork are stewed in brown beer and mustard until fork-tender and luscious. A restaurant would get run out of town for serving crappy stoverij. One thing to know: while beef is traditional, pork versions are equally common. Worth asking before you order if it matters to you.
Where to try it: The place to try stoverij with pork (varkensstoofvlees) in Ghent is Mémé Gusta, a homestyle restaurant serving modern twists on traditional dishes. For the beef version, grab an outdoor table at De Rechters and enjoy the views of St. Bavo’s with your meal.
Gentse Neuzen (Cuberdon)
Belgium at large may be known for chocolate, but Ghent has its own signature sweet. Gentse Neuzen (little noses) are so named for their distinct conical shape and are nothing more than candies with a hard, sugary crust and a thick, gooey, raspberry-flavored syrup center.
Where to try it: Most sweet shops will offer some form of gentse neuzen, but the best way to try them is from a street vendor. Look for the green-topped De Echte Gentse Neuzen cart making the rounds in the pedestrian center (usually in the evenings), offering a veritable rainbow of these colorful candies.
Fine-Dining and Michelin-Starred Restaurants in Ghent
For a city of just 260,000 residents, Ghent’s fine-dining scene is surprisingly strong. The concentration of serious, ambitious restaurants is genuinely impressive, and compared to Brussels or Bruges, you're far less likely to feel like you're sharing a dining room with a tour group.
What to expect
Flemish fine dining leans into the region's larder — seasonal produce, North Sea fish, aged beef, game in winter — elevated through French technique and, increasingly, a more contemporary Nordic-influenced approach.
Tasting menus are common, portion sizes are not shy, and the wine lists tend to be serious without being aggressively priced. Service is warm rather than formal. You won't feel underdressed in smart casual, though you probably shouldn't show up in hiking boots.
Booking
Book ahead. This is not optional advice. Ghent's best restaurants are small, and the good ones fill up fast, particularly on weekends. Two weeks out is a reasonable lead time for most places; for the very top tables, a month is safer. Most restaurants now take reservations online, which makes the process painless even if your Dutch is nonexistent.
When to go
Lunch is your friend here. If a tasting menu at full price feels like a stretch, check the lunch offering first. Many fine dining restaurants offer a condensed lunch menu at a fraction of the cost. It's the same kitchen, the same ingredients, and the same quality, just compressed into fewer courses.
A note on value
By the standards of comparable restaurants in London, Paris, or Amsterdam, Ghent's fine dining scene is solid value. A Michelin-starred tasting menu that would cost you £200 a head in London will often come in at €90–120 here, wine pairing included.
Worth knowing about
Vrijmoed — Michelin-starred and vegetable-forward without being preachy. Chef Johannes Vrijmoed's tasting menu showcases technical prowess, while the dining room stays warm and relaxed. Book well ahead.
Roots — A hip bistronomic spot in the heart of Patershol run by chef Kim Devisschere. His cooking is committed to organic, locally sourced ingredients — think North Sea fish, seasonal produce, and a menu that changes based on what's good that day. Reservations are essential, as seats are scarce.
Beyond these two, Ghent has a strong chef-driven restaurant scene doing interesting things without the fanfare. These are often the most exciting places to eat, and you can usually get a table without planning your entire trip around a reservation.
Brunch in Ghent: The Best Spots to Start Your Day
I’m always blown away by just how good the Belgians are at brunch, and Ghent sets the bar high, with as much emphasis on presentation as flavor. The city's attunement to dietary restrictions means menus will typically note allergens, and most kitchens can readily make adjustments. Whether you're after artfully presented toasts or French-inflected quiches served on floral china, there’s a spot for you.
The best brunch spots in Ghent
While I haven’t tried every single brunch restaurant in Ghent, there are a few I can recommend with certainty.
Luv l’Oeuf - The minimalist dining room belies the complexity that comes out of this kitchen. The pork belly toast is a sensation of sweet and savory flavors that will keep you full well past lunch. The vegan mango yogurt bowl is somehow both rich and light, thanks to an impossibly creamy dairy-free yogurt and a mango-lime compote that cuts the richness. Even the coffee is approved by my ever-picky (and slightly caffeine-addicted) husband.
In Choc Gent - Chocolate lovers, this one’s for you. Regardless of what you order for brunch, you must get a hot chocolate or the ridiculously indulgent mocha — both made with melted Belgian chocolate. Waffles, pancakes, and toasts are all delightful, but the real highlight is the sandwiches made with a light and crumbly Spanish-style baguette. Just trust me.
Tante Paula - If you’re looking for something lighter with your coffee, this family-owned spot just outside the pedestrian zone will do the trick. Sausage rolls (vegan available, too) are light and flaky, waffles come piled high with whipped cream and berries, and the goat cheese quiche is a perfect meal for one.
Weekend vs. weekday availability
As with other restaurants in Ghent, you’ll want to make a reservation if you’re looking to dine on a weekend. Weekend brunch is absolutely a thing here, and the most popular spots tend to fill up fast. On the bright side, weekdays are a breeze. Just walk in, sit down, and enjoy at your leisure.
Street Food and Snacks: Fries, Waffles, and Chocolate
I don’t always (ok, usually) like having to make dinner reservations. When you want to eat on the go, Ghent’s got you covered. This is eat-while-you-walk, no-napkin-required territory, and it is excellent.
Fries
First things first: Belgian fries are not French fries. They're thicker, crispier, cooked twice in beef fat, and served in a paper cone with an enviable sauce selection. Find a fritkot — a proper fry stand, not a restaurant — top them with Analouse sauce, and eat them standing up.
Waffles
You will encounter two types of waffles in Belgium, and it's important to know the difference. The Brussels waffle is light, rectangular, and designed to be loaded with toppings. The Liège waffle is denser, chewier, caramelized at the edges, and eaten plain from a paper bag. The Liège waffle is the street food version. Order it warm from a stand, not a sit-down café, and don't let anyone put whipped cream on it.
Chocolate
Ghent has over 50 chocolate shops, which sounds excessive until you're standing in front of your third display case of the day and still finding things you haven't tried yet. A few worth seeking out:
Sophie's Sweets & Chocolates — Two locations in the Old Town and a more homestyle approach to the whole enterprise. Known for cuberdons (those conical gummy candies) and handcrafted pralines in flavors like speculoos and raspberry dark chocolate. They also do Ghent-specific shapes — the city's dragon crest, the golden lamb from the Ghent Altarpiece — which make for a far better souvenir than a fridge magnet. Vegan and lactose-free options available, too.
Chocolatier Deduytschaever — A relative newcomer, open since 2020, but already making a serious name for itself. Chef Jannes Deduytschaever works exclusively with single-origin cocoa beans sourced from specific farms in Madagascar and Vietnam, which gives the chocolate a depth and specificity you don't get from the bigger names. Grab a single-origin bar to taste it straight, or pick up a few bonbons in flavors like sesame praline or rose-lychee if you're feeling adventurous.
Chocolaterie Vandenbouhede — Part chocolate shop, part gallery. The Vandenbouhede family has been at this for decades, and the attention to craft is evident. Standout flavors include saffron ganache and dark chocolate with beetroot. The shop also does cheekily shaped chocolates (a golden skull, a miniature Virgin Mary splattered in red) that taste as good as they look.
If chocolate is your primary reason for visiting (no judgment, it's a valid travel motivation), I've put together a full self-guided chocolate tour of Ghent with a suggested route and map. It pairs well with a sightseeing loop of the Old Town, since most of the best shops sit within easy walking distance of the main landmarks.
Vegetarian and Vegan Eating in Ghent
Ghent has a well-earned reputation as one of Europe's most vegetarian-friendly cities, and it didn't happen by accident. Back in 2009, the city introduced a weekly vegetarian day — Donderdag Veggiedag, or "Thursday Veggie Day" — and the ethos stuck. Today, plant-based eating is woven into the city's food culture in a way that feels natural rather than performative. You won't be scanning menus desperately for the one sad pasta option here.
Top Vegetarian Restaurants in Ghent
Le Botaniste — A 100% plant-based, 99% organic restaurant with a bowl-based menu built around whole ingredients like seasonal vegetables, legumes, fermented things, and good grains. The Tibetan mama bowl with brown rice, curry and coconut sauce, steamed vegetables, and kimchi is hearty and worth ordering. Natural wines and kombucha are available, open daily, and reasonably priced for the quality.
Lokaal — A low-key spot near Gent Zuid running a weekly changing menu built entirely around fresh produce from nearby organic farms. Book ahead; it fills up despite the low profile.
Eating in Ghent by Neighborhood
Ghent is a walkable city, which means no neighborhood is ever really out of reach. That said, each area has its own personality, and knowing where to head based on your mood will save you from accidentally wandering into a tourist trap.
Patershol
This is the one. A medieval quarter of cobblestone lanes just north of the Gravensteen castle, Patershol is where Ghent's serious restaurant culture lives. It's dense with traditional Flemish restaurants that have been doing the same thing well for decades. Reservations are a must, especially on weekends, but you can also show up early and take your chances. Either way, it's worth the effort.
Graslei and Korenlei
The waterfront stretch along the Leie river is undeniably beautiful and, predictably, has attracted its share of tourist-facing restaurants. That doesn't mean you should avoid it; you just need to be selective. The views are unbeatable, especially in summer when the terraces fill up, and there are good meals to be had here if you look past the laminated menus. Best approached as a spot for a long lunch or a beer rather than a destination dinner.
Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat and the university quarter
This is where you’ll find the trendy locals. The street and surrounding area are anchored by the university, which means younger crowds, cheaper prices, and a more experimental food scene. You'll find everything from no-frills Vietnamese and Middle Eastern spots to natural wine bars and third-wave coffee shops. If Patershol is Ghent's greatest hits, this is the deep cuts.
Prinsenhof
Quieter and less trafficked than the other neighborhoods on this list, Prinsenhof rewards the curious. It's a residential quarter with a handful of excellent restaurants that survive entirely on local trade, which is usually a good sign. No views, no foot traffic, no reason to end up here unless you're looking for one.
A note on the city center
The pedestrian area around Veldstraat and the main shopping streets has plenty of places to eat — chains, sandwich shops, the occasional decent café — but this is not where Ghent's food identity lives. Fine for a coffee or a quick bite, less fine if you're trying to eat well.
Practical Tips: Eating in Ghent on a Budget
Ghent isn't a cheap city by Belgian standards, but it's far from punishing. With a little know-how, you can eat extremely well without hemorrhaging money at every meal.
Order the dagschotel
Every traditional Flemish restaurant worth its salt offers a dagschotel, or dish of the day, usually a generous portion of whatever the kitchen feels like making that morning. It's almost always good, almost always includes a drink, and almost always comes in under €15. It's also your best shot at eating something home-cooked rather than tourist-menu adjacent. Ask for it at lunch; by dinner, it's usually gone.
Eat your big meal at lunch
This is the single most effective budget move in Belgium. Many restaurants that would cost you €50 a head at dinner offer a condensed lunch menu for half that — same kitchen, same quality, smaller bill. If there's a restaurant on your list that feels out of reach, check if they offer lunch service before writing it off.
Embrace the fritkot
A cone of fries from a proper friture will cost you €3–4 and will absolutely hold you over between meals. Do as the locals do and load it up with andalouse or samurai sauce and don't apologize for it.
Shop the markets
The Vrijdagmarkt and the Groentenmarkt are your friends. Fresh produce, local cheeses, bread, and enough charcuterie to build a very respectable picnic along any of the city’s scenic waterways. Ghent's market culture is strong, and grazing your way through one is both cheaper than a sit-down meal and arguably more fun.
Save fine dining for one splurge
If your budget is tight, don't spread it thin across several mediocre meals trying to sample everything. Pick one restaurant that excites you, do it properly, and eat cheaply the rest of the time. The gap between a €12 lunch and a €90 tasting menu is enormous, but so is the gap between a €90 tasting menu and a forgettable €40 dinner somewhere in between.
