Where to eat in Ghent: what to order and where
Ghent eats Flemish: waterzooi, a creamy stew of chicken or fish, beef stewed in beer, frites and strong local mustard. The brasseries are family-run and the beer cafes serve it properly. Book dinner in Patershol, and expect a student city's mix of cheap and good.
The short answer
- Best area to eat
- Patershol for dinner, the streets behind the Vrijdagmarkt for beer and lunch.
- Order this
- Gentse waterzooi, then a cuberdon from a sweet shop.
- When to eat
- Lunch from 12:00, dinner from 18:00. Many kitchens stop by 21:30.
- Book or walk in
- Book dinner in Patershol. Beer cafes and shops take walk-ins.
- Tipping
- Service is included. Rounding up is welcome but not expected.
What to eat in Ghent
- Gentse waterzooiChicken or fish stewed with vegetables in a creamy broth, eaten with boiled potatoes. The city's best-known dish.
- StoverijBeef stewed slowly in dark beer, with frites or mash. The Ghent version of Flemish stoofvlees.
- CuberdonsCone-shaped raspberry sweets with a soft center, also called Gentse neuzen, or Ghent noses. Buy them fresh from a shop or stall.
- Ghent mustardA strong, grainy mustard made on the Groentenmarkt since 1840. A jar is the best food souvenir.
- FritesTwice-fried potatoes in a paper cone with mayonnaise. Buy them at a frietkot rather than a restaurant.
- MeatballsBallekes with mash or salad, a quick lunch that Ghent turned into a small local speciality.
- Local beerGhent has its own small breweries and a long list of Belgian beers in the cafes. Ask the bartender to choose.
Where to eat in Ghent, by neighborhood
Patershol
Cobbled lanes behind the castle, with the highest density of restaurants. Book at weekends, and walk the lanes before choosing.
Korenmarkt and Graslei
Terraces facing the water, with brasseries and cafes. Check the menu and price before you sit.
Vrijdagmarkt and Sint-Jacobs
The old beer square and the streets around it, with long-established cafes and the Friday market.
Kraanlei and Groentenmarkt
Sweet shops, the mustard shop and quick lunches along the canal-side lanes.
Places worth a booking or a queue
-
Du Progrès
€€Brasserie · Korenmarkt
OrderGentse waterzooi
A fixture on the Korenmarkt, run by the same family across generations. Honest brasserie cooking without frills, with terrace seating.
- Book
- Book online for dinner; walk-ins accepted
Confirmed open: visit.gent.be
-
De Dulle Griet
€€Beer cafe · Vrijdagmarkt
OrderA Max beer in the boot-shaped glass
A brown cafe on the Vrijdagmarkt with about 500 beers. You leave a shoe as a deposit for the boot glass, a tradition worth trying once.
- Book
- Walk in
Confirmed open: visit.gent.be
-
Tierenteyn-Verlent
€Mustard shop · Groentenmarkt
OrderA jar of Ghent mustard, filled from the barrel
The mustard is still made in wooden vats under the shop, to a recipe from 1840. A small shop, so a small queue at busy times.
- Book
- Walk in
- Closed
- Sunday
Confirmed open: visit.gent.be
-
Confiserie Temmerman
€Sweet shop · Kraanlei
OrderA bag of cuberdons
A confectioner known for cuberdons, which here have little faces on them. Also good for gingerbread and caramel waffles.
- Book
- Walk in
Confirmed open: visit.gent.be
-
Balls & Glory
€Meatball restaurant · Sint-Jacobs
OrderMeatballs with mash
A Ghent-born place that turns the meatball into a quick lunch or dinner, with a vegetarian choice every week. Good value for the old center.
- Book
- Walk in
Confirmed open: visit.gent.be
Food markets in Ghent
- VrijdagmarktFresh food and goods on Ghent's old market square, with stalls selling vegetables, cheese and street food.Friday morningSource: visit.gent.be
- GroentenmarktAn organic vegetable market on Friday and a craft market at weekends, on the square beside the mustard shop and a cuberdon stall.Friday for vegetables, Saturday and Sunday for craftsSource: visit.gent.be
How Ghent eats
- Meal timesLunch is from 12:00 and dinner from 18:00. Many kitchens close between the two.
- TippingService is included in the price. Round up the bill if the service was good.
- ReservationsBook dinner in Patershol, especially at weekends. Beer cafes take walk-ins.
- Vegetarian foodGhent has long promoted meat-free days, and vegetarian restaurants are easy to find.
- BeerEach beer comes in its own glass. Ask the bartender to choose if you cannot pick.
Signs of a place to walk past
A menu with photographs of every dish at the door.
Staff outside calling people in on the Korenmarkt or Graslei.
A waffle and ice cream window piled with toppings, facing the main quays.
Eating in Ghent: questions people ask
What food is Ghent known for?
Gentse waterzooi, a creamy stew of chicken or fish, is the city dish. Cuberdons, the raspberry cone sweets, and Ghent mustard are its best-known products.
Where is the best place to eat in Ghent?
For waterzooi, Du Progrès. For beer, De Dulle Griet. For mustard and sweets, Tierenteyn-Verlent and Confiserie Temmerman. For dinner, walk Patershol.
Do you need to book restaurants in Ghent?
For dinner in Patershol and at weekends, yes. Beer cafes, markets and shops take walk-ins.
How much do you tip in Ghent?
Service is included. Rounding up is welcome but not expected.
Is Ghent cheaper to eat in than Bruges?
Generally a little, because of the student population. Side-street restaurants, lunch menus and frites are the best value, and the Graslei terraces are the dearest.
Which beer should you try in Ghent?
Ask at De Dulle Griet, where the staff will choose from about 500. Order a Belgian beer you do not know, and let them pick.