32 editor picks in Antwerp.
Belgian cooking in Antwerp spans the full range, from brown cafes around the Grote Markt to tasting menus on the waterfront. In the historisch-centrum, Den Engel and Elfde Gebod hold the traditional line, while frituurs like Fritkot Max and Frituur No. 1 keep the everyday chip culture alive. At the top end, Zilte on the Eilandje and Hertog Jan at Botanic carry the fine-dining flag, and Le Pristine in the theaterbuurt sets the modern, design-led tone.
32 belgian places in Antwerp we have eaten in, sorted by editor score. All cuisines in Antwerp · Belgian across every city.
Order The crudo course of the day, then a wood-grilled fish plate.
Le Pristine in Antwerp is Sergio Herman's modern Belgian-Italian dining room in a 1960s modernist building.
Order A spread of small plates paired with the natural-wine flight.
Nage relocated from Reyndersstraat to a Congresstraat corner space in the 2060 quarter and now serves casual seasonal cooking with a natural-wine list.
Order The day's fish main, paired off the list with a glass of natural white.
Bar Pêche on Bollandusstraat, just off Britselei, is chef Semmy Roumans's small bistro built around seasonal fish, vegetables and natural wine.
Order Whatever is in season from the North Sea; the chalkboard rotates with the day's catch.
RAS in Antwerp sits on the riverfront on Ernest Van Dijckkaai with a Scheldt terrace listed in the Michelin Guide.
Order The hand-cut steak tartare to start and the dame blanche to finish, both house signatures.
Brewers' Kitchen on Oude Beurs is a small Belgian-French dining room where the chef pairs seasonal plates with craft beers from local breweries.
Order The Belgian dish of the day; the kitchen rotates stoofvlees, a fish plate and a vegetarian option.
Marolus in Antwerp is a lunch restaurant on Hendrik Conscienceplein, a tree-lined square between the cathedral and the Carolus Borromeus church.
Order The mussel pot in season; pair it with a glass of Bolleke on tap.
Mampoko in Antwerp is an all-day brasserie in a restored corner building on Amerikalei.
Order The Lupulus pizza; the kitchen pairs every pie with a specific Belgian brew.
Otomat in Antwerp on Van Schoonbekeplein serves pizzas built on Belgian beer-dough and beer-paired toppings.
Order The four-course seasonal menu with the natural-wine pairing.
Bistrot L'îlot in Antwerp is a 30-seat seasonal bistro on Eilandje.
Order The Belgian dish of the day; the kitchen rotates stoofvlees, a fish plate and a vegetarian option.
Marolus in Antwerp is a lunch restaurant on Hendrik Conscienceplein between the cathedral and Carolus Borromeus church.
Order The mussel pot in season; pair it with a glass of Bolleke on tap.
Mampoko in Antwerp is an all-day brasserie in a restored corner building on Amerikalei.
Order The Lupulus pizza; the kitchen pairs every pie with a specific Belgian brew.
Otomat in Antwerp on Van Schoonbekeplein serves pizzas built on Belgian beer-dough with beer-paired toppings.
Order The rabbit stew in beer sauce or the Flemish carbonade.
Elfde Gebod sits in a 16th-century building beside the cathedral, walls covered in religious statues.
Order The classic frites with stoofvlees on top; the beef-fat fry is the point.
Frites Atelier in Antwerp is the premium Belgian frites concept on Korte Gasthuisstraat.
Order The menu: fish, crustaceans and shellfish form its basis, complemented by terroir products from Zilte's trusted suppliers.
Zilte, Viki Geunes's three-Michelin-star restaurant in Antwerp, builds its menu on fish, crustaceans and shellfish; menus run from €210 to €340.
Order The omakase tasting menu; the kitchen leans on the garden, beehives and greenhouse on the hotel grounds.
Hertog Jan at Botanic in Antwerp is Gert De Mangeleer's two-star room inside the Botanic Sanctuary, opened in 2021 after his three-star Zedelgem chapter.
Order The crudo course of the day, then a wood-grilled fish plate.
Le Pristine in Antwerp is Sergio Herman's modern Belgian-Italian dining room in a 1960s modernist building.
Order Anything off the meat menu; tripe and braised cheek are the chef's signatures.
Bistrot du Nord in Antwerp keeps one Michelin star for hearty classical bistro cooking.
Order The four-course seasonal menu with the natural-wine pairing.
Bistrot L'îlot in Antwerp is Sander De Saegher's seasonal bistro on Eilandje, opened end of 2017 after his Graanmarkt 13 sommelier years.
Try Belgian frites with stoofvleessaus
Fritkot Max in Antwerp keeps the Groenplaats fryer running until 22:00 daily.
Try Brown-cafe nibbles and Belgian beer
Den Engel on Grote Markt 3 stays open until 01:00 weekdays and 03:00 weekends.
Try Tartines and Belgian beer
Witzli-Poetzli in Antwerp's old city stays open until 02:00 most nights.
Try Frites, frikandel, bitterballen
Frituur 't Stad in Antwerp on Melkmarkt fries until 22:00 daily.
Try Bar snacks, Belgian beer
Den Bengel in Antwerp on Grote Markt 5 stays open until 01:00.
Sir Anthony Van Dijck in Antwerp: hidden behind a wooden door in the vlaeykensgang alley, a 1557 dining room with interiors by axel vervoordt.
Try Belgian frites with sauce
Fritkot Max in Antwerp has fried frites on Groenplaats since 1842.
Try Frites, frikandel, bitterballen
Frituur 't Stad in Antwerp on Melkmarkt serves frites, frikandel and bitterballen from a corner counter.
Try Belgian frites
Frituur No.
Try Lunch dish of the day
Marolus in Antwerp on Hendrik Conscienceplein runs an under-15-euro lunch plate of the day.
Try Beer-dough Belgian pizza
Otomat in Antwerp on Van Schoonbekeplein serves beer-dough pizzas under 18 euro.
Order Mampoko breakfast with eggs and Belgian charcuterie
Mampoko in Antwerp on Amerikalei runs all-day brasserie service that starts with breakfast at 08:30 and rolls through brunch and lunch.
