A creamy Flemish stew of chicken or fish poached with leek, carrot and celery in a broth enriched with cream and egg yolk. A gentle, comforting plate from the Ghent and Bruges hinterland.
Waterzooi began in Ghent as a fish stew built on the rivers' catch, the name from an old Flemish phrase for boiling water. As the rivers silted and polluted during industrialisation, fish grew scarce and the cheaper chicken version took over, which is now the more common form. The dish spread across Flanders, including the Bruges countryside, as a creamy, vegetable-rich comfort stew. It appears on classic Flemish menus in Bruges and is a signature day-trip dish in nearby Ghent.
3 editor picks for Waterzooi in Bruges, ranked by editorial score. All Bruges signature dishes · Waterzooi across every city.
Den Amand ★ 4.3
markt · Sint-Amandsstraat 4, 8000 Brugge
Den Amand is a small family bistro off the Markt in Bruges, on car-free Sint-Amandsstraat, where Ann Vissers cooks seasonal vegetable, fish and meat dishes.
Cambrinus ★ 4.2
burg · Philipstockstraat 19, 8000 Brugge
Cambrinus on Philipstockstraat near the Burg in Bruges is a beer brasserie with a 400-strong list and a full Flemish kitchen of beer-braised classics.
Pieter Pourbus ★ 3.9
markt · Pieter Pourbusstraat 1, 8000 Brugge
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.