Coffee shops, bakeries with seats and the places Ghent lingers in over a cortado.
20 places
Order Flat white with the seasonal single-origin espresso: well-extracted, properly textured milk.
Cafe Labath is the city's best-known specialty cafe, occupying a corner building steps from Sint-Michielsbrug with floor-to-ceiling windows and a big-city.
Order Filter coffee of the day: WAY rotates single-origins every few weeks with precise tasting notes.
WAY is run by Belgian barista champion Charlene De Buysere in a converted warehouse at Dok Noord, rotating single-origin filters every few weeks in Ghent.
Order Avocado sourdough tartine with poached egg: the bread is the reason to come.
Pain Perdu bakes wood-fired sourdough and runs a sunny rear garden that has made this Walpoortstraat cafe one of Ghent's most loved brunch destinations.
Order Oat flat white with the seasonal espresso blend: the non-dairy execution here is among the best in the city.
Full Circle was one of Belgium's first fully plant-based specialty coffee bars, with oat or rice milk for all drinks and vegan pastries throughout.
Order Cold brew in summer; the house espresso blend is clean and not over-roasted.
Peaberry sits at the foot of Sint-Baafskathedraal: a compact, vegan-friendly coffee bar serving specialty brews, bread rolls and fresh salads daily.
Order Slow coffee on V60: the house blend of Brazilian and Ethiopian beans, brewed with patience.
Vandekerckhove has roasted coffee in Ghent since 1854. The fifth-generation family roasts on-site and the bar brews espressos and slow coffees daily.
Order Espresso macchiato: the extraction is dialled in daily and the ratio is always right.
Take Five is a compact espressobar with a jazz soundtrack and a loyal following of specialty-coffee drinkers in the city centre. The baristas pull clean.
Order Iced latte in summer: the house espresso holds its character over ice.
Koffeine is a warm coffee bar tucked behind Sint-Baafsplein with iced lattes, americanos and a short food menu of banana bread and seasonal pastries.
Order Granola bowl with plant yoghurt: house-made granola with seasonal fruit, naturally sweet.
Madam Bakster is a guilt-free bakery and cafe using only natural sweeteners: oats, nuts and dates replace refined sugar in the cakes. Priced at €€.
Order Pistachio latte: IzyCoffee's most-ordered drink.
IzyCoffee took over the Dok-Noord 7 warehouse unit when OR Coffee vacated, building a 100% arabica menu plus signature pistachio latte and pandan iced coffee.
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Treck Hostel
With a stay at Treck Hostel in Ghent (Brugse Poort), you'll be within a 15-minute walk of Dr. Guislain Muse...
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When you stay at Hotel Campanile Gent in Ghent, you'll be in the business district, within a 15-minute walk...
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Order Single espresso of the house blend with a Belgian speculaas.
Mokabon has roasted coffee on Donkersteeg since 1937, when Erminio Mazzaro arrived from Italy. Located in City Centre. Reservations advised.
Order A Trappist beer and a ham-cheese tosti while the washing spins: the whole Wasbar point in one order.
The original Wasbar location mixes coin-op laundry machines with a bar serving Belgian beers, sandwiches and charcuterie. The eclectic clientele of Erasmus.
Order Rhubarb soda: the house-made pink fizz that has become a Ghent food signature.
BOON is a vegetarian lunch bar at the foot of the Gravensteen. Located in Patershol. Order the rhubarb soda. Specialty: vegetarian lunch and seasonal salads.
Order Pick one stall, take a seat at the communal tables.
Den Baudelo is a food hall inside a beautifully restored 17th-century chapel. Around 15 stalls run from Mexican and Indian to Italian and Belgian; the shared.
Order Aeropress with the house Colombian: a clean, sweet cup that travels from bean to cup in under five minutes.
OR Coffee's Sint-Pieters lab is the original Ghent location, serving slow brews and breakfast sandwiches in a bright room near the university campus.
Order Cappuccino on the terrace with a view of the medieval guild houses: the most postcard-worthy coffee in Ghent.
Korenlei Twee occupies a prime guild-house building on the Korenlei with direct views of the Graslei across the Leie. Coffee, brunch and light brasserie.
Order Soup of the day with bread roll and apple: the combination changes daily and is always based on seasonal.
Soup Lounge runs a daily-rotating soup bar where a bowl of fresh soup, a bread roll and an apple costs under nine euros at a central Ghent address.
Order Shakshuka: eggs baked in a North African spiced tomato sauce with fresh herbs and crusty bread.
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 The farmer's breakfast: the most direct expression of the sourcing ethos and the most-requested dish at Gust.
Gust is a spiced brunch and lunch bar on Papegaaistraat using ingredients from local farms: the freshness shows in everything from the bread to the eggs.
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