24 upscale places in Bruges, editor-picked. occasion restaurants in Bruges: destination kitchens for celebrations and visits. All Bruges food.
Bistro Bruut ★ 4.8
markt · Meestraat 9, 8000 Brugge
Bistro Bruut sits on the Meestraat canal in Bruges, cooking modern Flemish food on regional produce. Gault&Millau rates the kitchen 16 points.
Tip: Open Monday to Friday only, lunch and dinner. Ask for a canal-side table when you book.
Bistro Refter ★ 4.7
sint-anna · Molenmeers 2, 8000 Brugge
Bistro Refter in Bruges is Geert Van Hecke's contemporary bistro on Molenmeers, the relaxed counterpart to his fine-dining room. Good food at fair prices.
Tip: Book ahead, the dining room fills fast at lunch. It sits near the Sint-Anna quarter.
Locàle by Kok au Vin ★ 4.6
sint-gillis · Ezelstraat 21, 8000 Brugge
Locàle by Kok au Vin in Bruges is Jürgen Aerts's sharing-plates room on Ezelstraat, successor to his Kok au Vin, leaning on organic local produce.
Tip: It sits in the quieter Sint-Gillis quarter north of the Markt. Book ahead for weekend dinner.
't Brugs Beertje ★ 4.6
markt · Kemelstraat 5, 8000 Brugge
't Brugs Beertje on Kemelstraat is the reference beer cafe of Bruges, pouring around 300 Belgian beers with five on draft in a small brown room.
Tip: Ask the staff to steer you; the list is encyclopedic. The cheese plate soaks up a Trappist.
De Garre ★ 4.6
markt · De Garre 1, 8000 Brugge
De Garre hides down the narrowest alley off Breidelstraat in Bruges, pouring its 11% house Tripel van De Garre brewed by Van Steenberge in a snug brick room.
Tip: The alley is a doorway-wide gap off Breidelstraat; blink and you miss it. Cash and card both work.
Rock-Fort ★ 4.4
langestraat · Langestraat 15, 8000 Brugge
Rock-Fort on Langestraat in Bruges runs a contemporary fish kitchen on short supply chains out of Zeebrugge. The room is tight, the cooking precise.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The bar seats are the spot for a solo lunch.
De Stove ★ 4.4
markt · Kleine Sint-Amandsstraat 4, 8000 Brugge
De Stove in Bruges has cooked fresh Zeebrugge fish since 1998, a few steps off the Markt. The room seats barely twenty, so the kitchen stays personal.
Tip: Tiny room, book ahead. Closed Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday; lunch sittings are short.
Le Trappiste ★ 4.4
markt · Kuipersstraat 33, 8000 Brugge
Le Trappiste pours beer in a vaulted 13th-century cellar on Kuipersstraat in Bruges: 27 taps and around 150 bottles, heavy on Trappist and abbey styles.
Tip: Closed Wednesday. The downstairs cellar is the room to ask for; the taps rotate often.
Bar Ran ★ 4.4
markt · Kuipersstraat 4, 8000 Brugge
Bar Ran on Kuipersstraat in Bruges is the city's serious cocktail room, with a deep spirits back bar and disco on the speakers. Walk-in only, no reservations.
Tip: Walk-in only; arrive early on weekends. The bartenders will build off-menu to taste.
Cuvee ★ 4.4
burg · Philipstockstraat 41, 8000 Brugge
Cuvee on Philipstockstraat in Bruges was the centre's first natural wine bar, shop and food bar in one, with sharing plates and a bottle wall of growers.
Tip: Buy a bottle from the shop wall to drink in for a small corkage. The sharing plates pair to the pour.
Onslow ★ 4.3
sint-anna · Jeruzalemstraat 53, 8000 Brugge
Onslow in Bruges sits in the quiet Sint-Anna district on Jeruzalemstraat, where chef Lieven Vynck cooks a tight, modern seasonal menu in a small room.
Tip: A residential setting tourists rarely reach.
Cantine Copine ★ 4.3
sint-pieters · Steenkaai 34, 8000 Brugge
Cantine Copine on Steenkaai in Bruges is Karen Keygnaert's relaxed gastronomic room, opened after she left a starred format to cook no-nonsense food.
Tip: It sits north-west of the centre near the canal, a short ride out. Closed Sunday and Monday.
't Poatersgat ★ 4.3
vlamingstraat · Vlamingstraat 82, 8000 Brugge
't Poatersgat on Vlamingstraat in Bruges hides down a small gate into a candle-lit medieval cellar, with a long Belgian beer list and a warm vaulted room.
Tip: Look down for the gate or you walk straight past it. Quieter on weeknights than the Markt bars.
Groot Vlaenderen ★ 4.3
vlamingstraat · Vlamingstraat 94, 8000 Brugge
Groot Vlaenderen on Vlamingstraat in Bruges is an elegant cocktail bar in a grand room, with a winter fireplace and a quiet courtyard out back.
Tip: The courtyard out back is the warm-weather seat. Closed early in the week; check before you go.
Wijnbar Est ★ 4.3
burg · Braambergstraat 7, 8000 Brugge
Wijnbar Est on Braambergstraat in Bruges is a small wine bar pouring an eclectic old and new world list, with live jazz on its Lazy Sunday sessions.
Tip: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Come for the Sunday jazz; the room is tiny, so arrive early.
L'Aperovino ★ 4.3
jan-van-eyckplein · Academiestraat 2, 8000 Brugge
L'Aperovino on Academiestraat in Bruges is a two-storey wine bar and restaurant, with sommelier Julie De Mey pouring over 100 references upstairs.
Tip: The upstairs bar runs from 18:00 to midnight Tuesday to Saturday. Book the downstairs restaurant for a full sit-down dinner.
L.E.S.S. Eatery ★ 4.2
t-zand · 't Zand 21, 8000 Brugge
L.E.S.S. Eatery on 't Zand in Bruges is chef Ruige Vermeire's sharing-plates room, running seasonal Belgian small plates with a terrace facing the square.
Tip: The terrace on 't Zand is the spot in summer. Book for weekend evenings.
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.
Tip: Open daily, kitchen and bar both. The list is bound like a book; take your time with it.
Tanuki ★ 4.1
minnewater · Oude Gentweg 1, 8000 Brugge
Tanuki in Bruges has cooked Japanese food on Oude Gentweg near the Minnewater for decades, turning out sushi, sashimi and multi-course menus in a serene room.
Tip: Near the Lake of Love at the south edge of the centre. Book for the sushi counter.
l'Estaminet ★ 4.1
sint-anna · Park 5, 8000 Brugge
l'Estaminet by the Astridpark in Bruges is a local brown cafe with an old wooden interior, carefully pulled beers and a famous plate of spaghetti.
Tip: The park terrace is the spot in summer. Cash works fastest; the spaghetti is the order.
Lucy ★ 4.1
sint-gillis · Ezelstraat 4, 8000 Brugge
Lucy on Ezelstraat near the Ezelbrug in Bruges is a wine bar and shop in one, with a selected list and small plates. Outdoor seating in the warmer months.
Tip: It doubles as a bottle shop, so take a recommendation home. North of the centre toward Sint-Gillis.
Bar Bulles ★ 4.1
minnewater · Oostmeers, 8000 Brugge
Bar Bulles at Hotel Le Foulage on Oostmeers in Bruges pours selected wines, cocktails and a strong champagne range, with small Bulles Bites plates to share.
Tip: The champagne list is the reason to come. Open every evening from 17:00, last orders 23:15.
Breydel-De Coninck ★ 4.0
markt · Breidelstraat 24, 8000 Brugge
Breydel-De Coninck on Breidelstraat in Bruges is the mussel and eel house with the strongest reputation in town. Seven mussel preparations, all with frites.
Tip: On the busy Breidelstraat tourist run, but locals rate the mussels. Cash and card both fine.
2be Beer Wall ★ 3.8
markt · Wollestraat 53, 8000 Brugge
2be on Wollestraat in Bruges fills a 15th-century townhouse with a wall of hundreds of Belgian beers and a canal-side terrace worth the tourist prices.
Tip: The canal terrace is the whole point; prices reflect the view. Buy bottles in the shop to take home.