Lokaal is a belgian vegetarian bistro restaurant in Binnenstad, Ghent.
Lokaal built its reputation on a menu that is 80 per cent vegetarian but never feels restricted. The daily changing board of seasonal Belgian small plates.
Must order: Seasonal small plates board: three or four dishes from the list, chosen to share, changes weekly.
Tip: One of the few kitchens in Ghent with a serious gluten-free breakfast; check the board when you arrive.
Address: Brabantdam 100, 9000 Gent, Ghent
Karoot keeps a short seasonal menu of Belgian farm-to-table dishes in a low-key neighbourhood room. The lunch formula is a two-course set with soup and main.
Order: Soup of the day: always made from what the kitchen has just unpacked from the weekly farm delivery.
Tip: One of the better lunch bargains in the city centre; the two-course format runs until 14:00.
Soul Kitchen is the standard-bearer for vegan fine-casual cooking in Ghent, running a changing tasting menu entirely from plants. The kitchen treats root.
Order: Four-course plant tasting menu: the most complete argument for serious vegan cooking in the city.
Tip: Book two weeks ahead for a weekend table; this is Ghent's best vegan kitchen and demand is consistent.
Pakhuis fills a converted 19th-century warehouse behind a central alley. The cavernous glass-roofed interior keeps a menu of daily-fresh oysters, moules.
Order: Moules frites: the mussels arrive in a deep cast-iron pot and the frites alongside are fried to order.
Tip: Book ahead for weekend dinner; the warehouse vibe is worth it for a big-group celebration.
Amadeus is Ghent's most committed rib restaurant, piling all-you-can-eat spareribs onto wooden boards for tables that stretch across its belfry-square.
Order: All-you-can-eat spareribs with the house sauce: the price is fixed, the refills are real.
Tip: Book for Sunday lunch; the all-you-can-eat format fills the room and walk-ins are turned away most evenings.
Memee Gusta runs a grandmother-recipe kitchen in a cosy vintage room near the castle. The signature pork cheek stew is cooked low and slow in a deep brown.
Order: Pork cheek stew: buttery and intense, with frites and salad included.
Tip: Closed Sundays; lunch service is Tuesday to Saturday only. Book a day ahead for dinner.
Karoot keeps a short seasonal menu of Belgian farm-to-table dishes in a low-key neighbourhood room. The lunch formula is a two-course set with soup and main.
Order: Soup of the day: always made from what the kitchen has just unpacked from the weekly farm delivery.
Tip: One of the better lunch bargains in the city centre; the two-course format runs until 14:00.
Soul Kitchen is the standard-bearer for vegan fine-casual cooking in Ghent, running a changing tasting menu entirely from plants. The kitchen treats root.
Order: Four-course plant tasting menu: the most complete argument for serious vegan cooking in the city.
Tip: Book two weeks ahead for a weekend table; this is Ghent's best vegan kitchen and demand is consistent.
Bado Bado fuses Indonesian and Belgian flavours: rendang with local beef, satay with Belgian sourced pork, and a nasi goreng that uses Ghent's own pickled.
Order: Rendang of the day: a slow-cooked Belgian beef or lamb in an Indonesian spice paste, served with steamed rice.
Tip: Reservations are advised: the room is small and the word-of-mouth following keeps it full on weekends.
Pakhuis fills a converted 19th-century warehouse behind a central alley. The cavernous glass-roofed interior keeps a menu of daily-fresh oysters, moules.
Order: Moules frites: the mussels arrive in a deep cast-iron pot and the frites alongside are fried to order.
Tip: Book ahead for weekend dinner; the warehouse vibe is worth it for a big-group celebration.
Amadeus is Ghent's most committed rib restaurant, piling all-you-can-eat spareribs onto wooden boards for tables that stretch across its belfry-square.
Order: All-you-can-eat spareribs with the house sauce: the price is fixed, the refills are real.
Tip: Book for Sunday lunch; the all-you-can-eat format fills the room and walk-ins are turned away most evenings.
Memee Gusta runs a grandmother-recipe kitchen in a cosy vintage room near the castle. The signature pork cheek stew is cooked low and slow in a deep brown.
Order: Pork cheek stew: buttery and intense, with frites and salad included.
Tip: Closed Sundays; lunch service is Tuesday to Saturday only. Book a day ahead for dinner.
