Cocktail bar€€vrijdagmarktMon-Thu, Sat 11:00-late; Fri 09:00-late; Sun 10:00-late
Vrijdagsgevoel commands the most prominent corner of the Friday market square, with a large terrace watching over the historic market and local life below.
Order: Ghent gin and tonic on the terrace on a Friday afternoon while the market winds down.
Tip: Open seven days a week; the Friday afternoon terrace before 18:00 is the ideal pre-dinner stop.
Cocktail bar€€binnenstadMon-Thu 16:00-00:00; Fri-Sat 15:00-01:00; Sun 15:00-23:00
Edelrot functions as both a natural wine bar and a wild beer bar: the list includes wild-fermented saisons, spontaneous lambics and Belgian farmhouse ales.
Order: A wild saison from the Belgium tap list alongside a glass of natural white: the pairing is the Edelrot house.
Tip: Open from 15:00 Tuesday to Saturday; prices are genuinely fair for the quality of the natural wine selection.
Cocktail bar€€binnenstadWed-Fri 18:00-01:00, Sat 16:00-01:00
Chubby Cheeks is a convivial bar-restaurant where a young team serves unusual natural wines by the glass alongside inventive small plates in a relaxed space.
Order: The by-the-glass rotation: the team changes the pours weekly and always has something unexpected open.
Tip: Walk-ins welcome; Friday and Saturday evenings fill fast and bar seats give the easiest route in without a reservation.
Cocktail bar€€groentenmarktMon 11:30-20:00, Wed 11:30-20:00, Thu-Fri 11:30-23:00, Sat 11:00-23:00, Sun 11:00-21:00
Bar Terroir is a small grower-wine bar on the vegetable market square with cheese platters made from traditionally-produced artisan milk. The team sources.
Order: Glass of Loire chenin blanc with a slice of aged Herve cheese: the bar's most classic pairing.
Tip: Groups up to 15 can reserve the private room with the Ghent towers view.
Cocktail bar€€graslei-korenleiMon-Tue, Fri 15:00-23:00; Sat 12:00-20:00; Wed-Thu, Sun closed
Vinogradoff specialises in natural and biodynamic wines from Eastern Europe, with by-the-glass pours from its bar-shop on the Ajuinlei near the Korenlei.
Order: Georgian amber wine flight: three pours from different qvevri producers that show how dramatically the style.
Tip: An evening that starts at Vinogradoff and continues to Korenlei dinner follows the best natural wine and food arc in Ghent.
Cocktail bar€€binnenstadMon-Fri 08:00-17:30; Sat-Sun 09:00-17:30
By day a specialty coffee bar, Cafe Labath transitions to wine and Belgian beer by early evening at its corner near Sint-Michielsbrug in the centre.
Order: Belgian natural wine by the glass at the window seat: the light through the giant corner windows is the best.
Tip: The bar atmosphere is most relaxed Tuesday evenings; weekends fill from 19:00.