Where to brunch in Ghent: morning rooms worth the queue.
Where to brunch in Ghent. the morning rooms worth the queue, and the kitchens still doing it right at noon.
Et Alors near the Graslei serves sweet and savoury crepes and bistro plates on weekend mornings: a Parisian-Belgian brunch hybrid that rewards booking ahead.
Order: Weekend brunch menu: the Parisian-Belgian plates at their most confident on a Saturday or Sunday morning.
Tip: Book at least a week ahead for Saturday or Sunday; the reputation has outgrown the walk-in capacity on weekends.
Pain Perdu serves wood-fired sourdough brunch in a large rear garden: tartines, eggs and seasonal toppings on house bread that is the best in the city.
Order: Sourdough tartine with egg and seasonal toppings: the house bread is the reason this kitchen shines at brunch.
Tip: The garden fills fast on sunny weekend mornings; arrive before 10:00 or accept a 15-minute wait for an outdoor seat.
Alice is a light-filled weekend brunch cafe in the Zuid quarter with a following for egg dishes, pancakes and long-table communal seating on lazy mornings.
Order: Eggs Benedict or avocado toast: the two dishes Alice has refined most completely for its loyal weekend crowd.
Tip: Weekend-only opening; arrive at 10:00 when the doors open for a table without a wait on busier Saturdays.
Julie's House is a pastel pastry house on the Kraanlei steps from the Gravensteen, serving a rotating brunch board of artisanal pies, granola bowls and homemade cupcakes.
Order: Brunch board with a slice of the day's pie: the seasonal fruit tarts and lemon meringue are the house signatures.
Tip: Brunch is walk-in only and the room is small; arrive before 11:00 on weekends or the queue overflows onto the Kraanlei.
Haddok at Kompasplein serves easy weekend brunch with locally sourced ingredients, natural wines and a large patio overlooking the Oude Dokken waterfront.
Order: Weekend brunch menu: the kitchen is fully focused and the dock view at Dok Noord is at its finest.
Tip: The terrace tables facing the dock fill first in good weather; phone ahead to request a waterfront spot.
Cafe Labath on Oude Houtlei is Ghent's most established third-wave specialty cafe, with weekend brunch plates and the city's most consistent espresso.
Order: Eggs on sourdough with house espresso: the pairing that made Labath Ghent's specialty brunch standard.
Tip: The corner terrace fills on sunny weekend mornings; arrive by 10:00 for the best outdoor seat at this historic canal-side cafe.
Gust is a spiced brunch bar in Ghent centre using locally sourced farm ingredients: freshness shows from the bread to the eggs on a busy weekend morning.
Order: The farmer's breakfast: the most direct expression of the sourcing ethos and the most-requested dish at Gust.
Tip: Weekend queues form before opening; arrive early or accept a 20-minute wait on a sunny Saturday at the door.
Baba Jacquet is a 30-year-old family bakery reinvented as a brunch bar: the gentse bolus (caramel spiral bun) is the bakery's centrepiece and best eaten warm.
Order: Gentse bolus with coffee: the city's caramel spiral bun in its most authentic form, with the house espresso.
Tip: Closed Tuesdays; open all weekend from 08:00 with a sunny terrace that fills before 10:00 on warm mornings.
Modest is a central Ghent brunch and lunch spot serving extravagant seasonal plates with locally grown ingredients from farms within 20km of the city.
Order: Weekend brunch menu: when the kitchen is at full concentration and the seasonal produce focus is clearest.
Tip: Arrive before noon on Saturday to avoid the peak queue; the weekday lunch service is considerably calmer for those with flexibility.
Barista serves organic-soy espresso and has made its brunch pancake stacks a weekend signature at two central Ghent locations near the Kouter flower market.
Order: The pancake stack: Barista's weekend signature, with seasonal fruit compote and the house organic soy latte.
Tip: The Kouter branch is calmer on Sunday mornings; the Sint-Baaf branch is busier but better positioned for the cathedral walk.
Full Circle is Belgium's first fully plant-based specialty coffee bar: the vegan brunch with in-house donuts, cakes and seasonal plates stands alone in Ghent.
Order: Vegan avocado toast or the house donut: the two items that define Full Circle's plant-based brunch philosophy.
Tip: Open from 08:30 on weekends; the in-house vegan donuts sell out before 11:00, so arrive early to guarantee the full range.