Day-by-day eating plans for Antwerp. weekend classics, family routes, vegan plans, on-a-budget editions.

Day-by-day plans

Antwerp coffee and bakery day ★ 4.5

Coffee and pastry enthusiast, one day1 day

Antwerp built a serious specialty coffee scene around Caffènation and Normo and a parallel modern-bakery scene around Bakkerij Funk and Goossens. This single-day plan strings five stops together for the city's clearest reading of how its third-wave coffee and sourdough cultures grew up alongside one another.

  1. Day 1: Day 1: roasters, bakeries, lunch and a late espresso

    Morning
    Open at Caffènation on Mechelsesteenweg 16 from 08:30 for a competition-level filter and a chat with the bar about the current Ethiopia lot. Walk fifteen minutes to Bakkerij Funk on Volkstraat for a sourdough pastry and a second flat white.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Butchers Coffee on Florastraat for the brunch board and a Caffènation pour-over. Walk Het Zuid in the early afternoon. Stop at Normo on Minderbroedersrui 30 for the third roaster of the day; the in-house Probat shows the bean profile that runs the room.
    Evening
    Late espresso at Cuperus Koffie on Sint-Jansvliet, then wind down with a glass at Tannin Wine Bar on Vlaamsekaai for the natural-wine list and small plates.

Antwerp vegetarian and plant-led day ★ 4.4

Vegetarian and plant-curious traveller, one day1 day

Antwerp has built a quietly strong plant-based scene around De Broers van Julienne, the nom eat vegan kitchen and Bakkerij Funk's sourdough programme. This single-day plan covers a vegan brunch, a vegetarian lunch and a plant-only dinner without compromising on technique or ingredient sourcing.

  1. Day 1: Day 1: vegan brunch, vegetarian lunch, plant dinner

    Morning
    Open at Bakkerij Funk on Volkstraat from 09:00 for the vegan sourdough brunch board with a flat white. The kitchen's plant-only baking has run since 2018; the cardamom morning bun is the order.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at De Broers van Julienne on Kasteelpleinstraat 45 from 12:00. The all-vegetarian kitchen is one of Antwerp's longest-running plant rooms and the daily lunch plate is the most consistent. Walk Sint-Andries afterwards.
    Evening
    Dinner at Bistro Estelle on Mechelsesteenweg, the kitchen runs a vegetarian tasting menu on Wednesdays. The wine pairing leans on natural skin-contact whites; book three weeks out.

Antwerp weekend: classics, beer and frites ★ 4.6

First-time visitor, two days2 days

A weekend built around the dishes Antwerp claims as its own: stoofvlees and frites at the Groenplaats fryer, an Antwerpse handje from Korte Gasthuisstraat, a Bolleke at De Koninck, and one fine-dining night to mark the trip.

  1. Day 1: Saturday: handjes, Grote Markt, harbour lunch

    Morning
    Start at Philip's Biscuits on Korte Gasthuisstraat 39 for fresh Antwerpse handjes. Walk five minutes to the cathedral, then Grote Markt with a glass of Bolleke at Den Engel on Grote Markt 3.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Bocadero on Rijnkaai 150, an Eilandje waterfront brasserie a short walk from the MAS. The harbour terrace runs Mediterranean plates and beach-bar bowls; the indoor side takes reservations.
    Evening
    Cocktails at Bar Burbure on Vlaamsekaai 41 (Tue-Sat only), then dinner at Le Pristine on Lange Gasthuisstraat 13. Sergio Herman's modern Belgian-Italian room runs crudo, wood-grilled fish and pasta.

  2. Day 2: Sunday: market, brewery, frites

    Morning
    Coffee at Caffènation on Mechelsesteenweg 16 from 09:00, then the Vogelenmarkt on Theaterplein. Stalls cover produce, prepared food and antiques from 08:00 until 13:00.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Marolus on Hendrik Conscienceplein 14 for a Belgian dish of the day. Then walk to De Koninck Antwerp City Brewery on Mechelsesteenweg 291 for the tour; ends with a freshly poured Bolleke.
    Evening
    Frites at Fritkot Max on Groenplaats 12, then late Belgian beers at Paeters Vaetje on Blauwmoezelstraat 1 in the cathedral shadow.

Antwerp Michelin: three stars in three days ★ 4.7

Fine-dining traveller, three days3 days

Three days built around Antwerp's Michelin map: Zilte three stars at the MAS, Hertog Jan two stars at Botanic Sanctuary, and The Jane two stars in its new harbour home. Daytime fills with the bistros and bars between. The three rooms only overlap Thursday through Saturday, so the trip is scheduled across those nights.

  1. Day 1: Thursday: arrival, lunch, three stars

    Morning
    Coffee at Caffènation on Mechelsesteenweg 16. Walk to De Koninck Antwerp City Brewery on Mechelsesteenweg 291 for the morning tour.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at RAS on Ernest Van Dijckkaai 37, the riverfront seafood brasserie listed in the Michelin Guide. The Scheldt-facing terrace is the better seat in warm weather.
    Evening
    Dinner at Zilte on Hanzestedenplaats 5, Viki Geunes's three-Michelin-star room on the ninth floor of the MAS. The tasting menu is the only option; book eight weeks ahead.

  2. Day 2: Friday: bistro lunch, Botanic two stars

    Morning
    The Bakery at De Koninck on Mechelsesteenweg 291 for fresh viennoiserie. Walk Het Zuid and along the Schelde.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Bistrot du Nord on Lange Dijkstraat 36 for one-Michelin-star meat-and-tripe bistro plates. Then walk Eilandje.
    Evening
    Dinner at Hertog Jan on Leopoldstraat 26, the two-Michelin-star room of Gert De Mangeleer at the Botanic Sanctuary. The kitchen only opens two weeks per month, twelve weeks lead time on the table.

  3. Day 3: Saturday: brunch, harbour walk, two stars at The Jane

    Morning
    Brunch at Berlin on Kleine Markt 1. Walk Het Eilandje and the MAS rooftop.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Fine Fleur on Lange Gasthuisstraat 41b, Jacob Jan Boerma's one-Michelin-star room inside Botanic Sanctuary; the Saturday lunch sitting runs 12:00-14:00.
    Evening
    Cocktails or a Belgian beer at Witzli-Poetzli on Blauwmoezelstraat 8, open daily until 02:00. Dinner at The Jane on Limastraat 5, Nick Bril's two-Michelin-star room in its new harbour location. The tasting menu runs around 2.5 hours; the room only operates Wednesday evening through Saturday.

Antwerp beer: three days of Belgian ale ★ 4.5

Beer-focused traveller, three days3 days

Three days across Antwerp's beer map: De Koninck Bolleke, Seef heritage style and the deep beer-cellar list at Billie's Bier Kafétaria. The brown cafes of the old centre fill the evenings.

  1. Day 1: Friday: brewery tour, classic cafe night

    Morning
    Coffee at Cuperus Koffie on Paardenmarkt 28. Walk the cathedral to Grote Markt.
    Afternoon
    Brewery tour at De Koninck on Mechelsesteenweg 291. Ends with a freshly poured Bolleke.
    Evening
    Dinner at Elfde Gebod on Torfbrug 10 in the 16th-century cathedral-side building, then late-night beers at Den Engel on Grote Markt 3 until 01:00.

  2. Day 2: Saturday: heritage brews, Eilandje

    Morning
    Saturday market on Theaterplein, the Exotische Markt for Mediterranean food.
    Afternoon
    Brewery visit at Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie on Indiestraat 13 for Seef bier, the revived 17th-century heritage style. Reserve the Friday or Saturday tour.
    Evening
    Dinner at WOLF Sharing Food Market on Godefriduskaai 30 in Eilandje, then a Belgian beer cellar night at Billie's Bier Kafétaria on Kammenstraat 12.

  3. Day 3: Sunday: brown cafes, frites finale

    Morning
    Coffee at 't Oud Arsenaal on Maria Pijpelincxstraat 4, the 1924 brown cafe open Sundays from 07:30. Walk the cathedral and Grote Markt on the way to lunch.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Marolus on Hendrik Conscienceplein 14, then beer at Billie's Bier Kafétaria on Kammenstraat 12.
    Evening
    Frites at Fritkot Max on Groenplaats 12, then late beer at Paeters Vaetje on Blauwmoezelstraat 1 in the cathedral shadow.
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