Tom's Diner is a belgian bistro restaurant in Sint Gillis, Bruges.
Tom's Diner sits on West Gistelhof in the residential Sint-Gillis quarter of Bruges, away from the tourist run, cooking honest Belgian bistro plates.
Signature dishes: Daily bistro plates, Belgian comfort cooking
Must order: The blackboard daily; the kitchen keeps it short and comforting.
Tip: A local room in a quiet quarter north of the centre. Book ahead, the dining room is small.
Address: West Gistelhof 23, 8000 Brugge, Bruges
De Republiek on Sint-Jakobsstraat in Bruges is a grand cafe with a courtyard terrace, attached to the arthouse cinema. All-day food, drinks and a young crowd.
Signature: All-day cafe plates, Belgian classics
Order: Whatever the kitchen is running that day; the draw is the terrace and the room as much as the plate.
Tip: The courtyard fills on warm evenings. It runs late for Bruges and pulls a local crowd.
't Nieuw Walnutje on Walplein in Bruges, by the De Halve Maan brewery, has run since 2017 under siblings Glenn and Lynn Vanden Broucke, serving Flemish tapas.
Signature: Flemish tapas, Classic recipes worked modern
Order: A spread of the Flemish tapas; affordable and built for sharing.
Tip: On the Walplein square steps from the brewery, so an easy pairing with a Halve Maan visit.
Pieter Pourbus in Bruges fills a 1561 house once home to the Flemish Primitive painter, cooking traditional Flemish food strong on grilled and braised meats.
Signature: Flemish meat dishes, Traditional plates
Order: A Flemish meat plate; the kitchen leans classical.
Tip: Dinner Friday to Tuesday plus Sunday lunch; closed Wednesday and Thursday. The historic house is the draw.
Freddy's by Kok au Vin opened in 2025 in the historic De Bottelier building on Sint-Jakobsstraat in Bruges, an honest Belgian-French bistro from the Kok au Vin team using local meat and fish.
Signature: Flemish meat dishes, Refined fish plates, Honest bistro classics
Order: A Flemish meat plate; the kitchen leans on traditional preparations from Bruges-area farmers.
Tip: Open Tuesday to Saturday. The retro 1960s-70s dining room is the draw; book ahead.
Gran Kaffee De Passage on Dweersstraat in Bruges is a candle-lit Belgian brasserie by a hostel, with cheap, generous stoofvlees and beer-braised classics.
Signature: Stoofvlees, Belgian classics, Beer-braised dishes
Order: The stoofvlees with frites; it is the everyday Flemish plate done well and cheap.
Tip: Candle-lit and busy; the value is hard to beat near 't Zand. Walk-ins usually fine on weeknights.
Tou.Gou on Smedenstraat in Bruges is a Bib Gourmand lunch room with a countryside theme: classic French plates like partridge, snails and tripe.
Signature: Partridge, Snails, Tripe
Order: The chef's daily suggestion; the card is short and changes with what is in season.
Tip: Lunch is the main service. The Smedenstraat shopping street sits west of the Markt toward 't Zand.
