WAY Coffee Roasters is a restaurant in Dok Noord, Ghent.
WAY is run by Belgian barista champion Charlene De Buysere at Dok Noord: a championship-level roastery-cafe that the tourist trail rarely discovers.
Why locals love it: Dok Noord requires a deliberate trip from the centre; tourists who make it to the complex usually stop at the brewery and miss WAY entirely.
Tip: Open Tuesday to Saturday 10:00 to 17:00; pair a WAY filter coffee with a pastry from the Himschoot branch in the same building.
Address: Dok-Noord 4E/001, 9000 Gent, Ghent
Stroom Brouwers' Friday evening taproom is one of the most relaxed craft experiences in Ghent: Belgian-American hybrid ales on tap in an unpretentious space.
Why locals love it: Open Fridays and Saturdays only and not on the main Dok Noord visitor circuit; the Forelstraat address is off most tourist routes.
Tip: Tours at weekends by prior arrangement; the Friday evening tap session is the best way to try the full Stroom range.
Jigger's operates in a medieval Patershol cellar, serving seasonal cocktails and over 500 spirits in a candlelit setting few tourists ever find.
Why locals love it: The unmarked street entrance and no signage: you only find Jigger's by knowing it is there or by following someone who does.
Tip: Arrive by 21:00 to guarantee a seat; the bar fills to capacity after 22:00 on Fridays and Saturdays with no walk-in option.
Vinogradoff on the Ajuinlei specialises in natural and biodynamic wines from Eastern Europe: Georgia, Slovenia and Hungary, a rare focus in Belgian wine bars.
Why locals love it: Eastern European wine focus is genuinely unusual for Ghent; the bar-shop format and weekday-only opening hours keep the crowds manageable.
Tip: The wine shop section offers bottles to take away; the staff know each producer personally and can recommend accordingly.
Stroom Brouwers' Friday evening taproom is one of the most relaxed craft experiences in Ghent: Belgian-American hybrid ales on tap in an unpretentious space.
Why locals love it: Open Fridays and Saturdays only and not on the main Dok Noord visitor circuit; the Forelstraat address is off most tourist routes.
Tip: Tours at weekends by prior arrangement; the Friday evening tap session is the best way to try the full Stroom range.
Hotsy Totsy has injected Ghent with blues and jazz since the 1970s: the Claus brothers bar hosts live music most evenings from September to June.
Why locals love it: In a narrow alley off the main tourist route; the lack of promotion is deliberate and the local musician base keeps it a Ghent secret.
Tip: No live music in July and August; the rest of the year, Thursday to Saturday evenings are the most reliably musical.
Hot Club de Gand is a 50-seat jazz bar tucked into a narrow side alley off the Groentenmarkt, programming more than 200 free live performances a year since 2005.
Why locals love it: The bar sits in an unmarked alley off the Groentenmarkt: most visitors walk past the entrance and the room only seats 50, so word of mouth gates the audience.
Tip: Live jazz five nights a week from gypsy swing to free improvisation; arrive by 20:30 to claim a seat before the band starts.
Win on Burgstraat near the Gravensteen serves low-intervention natural wines by the glass in a small bar that feels genuinely off the tourist circuit.
Why locals love it: The Burgstraat location sits a short walk from the castle but the narrow ground-floor unit means tourists rarely notice the wine bar tucked inside.
Tip: The by-the-glass selection changes weekly; the staff can describe each wine from first principles without resorting to received descriptions.
