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.
Must 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.
Address: Kraanlei 13, 9000 Gent, Ghent
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.
