Bado Bado is an indonesian budget eat in Patershol, Ghent.
Authentic Indonesian kitchen in the Patershol with a rice table for two under €25 and individual satay and nasi goreng plates starting at €12 per person.
Must order: The rice table for two: the most generous way to experience the full Indonesian range at this kitchen.
Tip: Reservations advised for weekend evenings; the room seats fewer than 30 and the word-of-mouth following fills it consistently.
Address: Corduwaniersstraat 12, 9000 Gent, Ghent
Vegetarian lunch bar next to the Castle of the Counts with a bean-forward menu, seasonal specials under €10 and a castle-view terrace in the old town.
Order: Daily bean special: the most filling option at the most central budget address in Ghent.
Tip: Arrive before 12:30 to get the daily special; the kitchen does not replenish when the first batch sells out.
Frituur Tartaar is a city-centre friterie between the monuments and shopping streets, serving Ghent stoverij stew on hand-cut frites with a homemade tartar sauce.
Order: Frites with stoverij and the house tartar sauce: under €6 for a full cone that doubles as a meal.
Tip: The vegetarian and vegan snacks are signposted on the menu, which is unusual for a friterie. Lunch queues are heaviest 12:30 to 13:30.
Ghent's central vegan fast-casual kitchen on Nederkouter with a rotating menu of wraps, bowls and hot plates made entirely from plants and priced under €12.
Order: The plant-based burger: Ghent's best vegan budget burger, assembled fresh and served in a paper wrapper.
Tip: Closes earlier than most restaurants; aim to arrive before 18:00 to avoid missing the kitchen's full range of hot options.
Soup Lounge's daily-rotating bowl of fresh soup, a bread roll and an apple costs under nine euros at a central Ghent address near the Friday market square.
Order: Daily soup with bread roll and apple: the fixed-price combination that made this a Ghent workers staple.
Tip: The soup changes daily and is announced on a chalkboard outside; the portions are filling enough for a full lunch.
Long-standing organic vegetarian institution near Sint-Pieters station: a buffet-style lunch with soup, salad bar and daily hot dish under €10.
Order: Seasonal organic lunch plate: the most honest expression of this kitchen's farm-to-table approach.
Tip: Arrive by noon or the most interesting daily specials go quickly; the kitchen does not replenish to order.
Student vegan and vegetarian lunch spot near Sint-Pieters station with organic daily specials under €10 and a loyal following from the university.
Order: The daily lunch special: a changing plant-based plate built on whatever the organic supplier delivered.
Tip: Busy at peak university hours from 12:30; arrive just before noon for the best selection before the students arrive.
