Vandekerckhove and Bar is a cafe in Zuidstationstraat, Ghent.
Vandekerckhove has roasted coffee in Ghent since 1854. The fifth-generation family roasts on-site and the bar brews espressos and slow coffees daily.
Must order: Slow coffee on V60: the house blend of Brazilian and Ethiopian beans, brewed with patience.
Tip: Open every day except public holidays from 10:00 to 18:00; the bean shop sells the house blend in 250g bags.
Address: Brabantdam 55, 9000 Gent, Ghent
Madam Bakster is a guilt-free bakery and cafe using only natural sweeteners: oats, nuts and dates replace refined sugar in the cakes. The plant-based bakes.
Order: Granola bowl with plant yoghurt: house-made granola with seasonal fruit, naturally sweet.
Tip: Open Thursday to Sunday only; the weekend brunch fills up, so booking ahead is wise.
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: Espresso macchiato: the extraction is dialled in daily and the ratio is always right.
Tip: Open seven days a week from 08:30 (09:00 weekends); the small counter fills on weekend mornings.
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: Iced latte in summer: the house espresso holds its character over ice.
Tip: The compact room means most visitors take away; the nearby Veldstraat benches are a common perch.
Madam Bakster is a guilt-free bakery and cafe using only natural sweeteners: oats, nuts and dates replace refined sugar in the cakes. The plant-based bakes.
Order: Granola bowl with plant yoghurt: house-made granola with seasonal fruit, naturally sweet.
Tip: Open Thursday to Sunday only; the weekend brunch fills up, so booking ahead is wise.
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.
Order: Pistachio latte: IzyCoffee's most-ordered drink, sweetened lightly and topped with crushed Sicilian pistachios.
Tip: Open seven days a week 08:00 to 18:00, Saturdays to 20:00. The Dok-Noord crowd makes weekend mornings busiest; weekday afternoons are quiet.
Barista has two central Ghent locations, serves organic-soy milk across its espresso range and has made its brunch pancake stack a weekend signature.
Order: Pancake stack with seasonal fruit compote: the batter is light and the fruit sauce is made in-house.
Tip: The Sint-Jacobs location has a sunnier terrace; the Lippensplein branch is more central for museum-hopping.
Mokabon has roasted coffee on Donkersteeg since 1937, when Erminio Mazzaro arrived from Italy. The narrow vintage room still serves espresso to a steady flow of locals.
Order: Single espresso of the house blend with a Belgian speculaas: the unchanged 1937 recipe is the reason regulars still queue at the bar.
Tip: Open Monday to Saturday 09:00 to 18:30, closed Sunday. The standing bar at the front turns over fastest; tables in back take longer.
