The restaurants worth a reservation in Ghent, from neighbourhood bistros to the new classics.
The restaurants worth the trip in Ghent. bistros, neo-classics, neighbourhood favourites, and the rooms locals book first.
Pakhuis occupies a converted warehouse behind a historic alley in central Ghent. The soaring glass-ceiling interior holds a kitchen that has stayed focused.
Signature: Oysters, Moules frites, Smoked salmon
Order: The oysters: the kitchen sources them daily and the quality is the most consistent in the city.
Tip: Weekday lunch is the most relaxed way in; Saturday evening needs a booking made well in advance.
't Klokhuys is an authentic Patershol brasserie with mirror-and-blackboard interiors, serving stoverij, waterzooi and zurkelplets without compromise.
Signature: Gentse stoverij, Waterzooi, Zurkelplets
Order: The Gentse stoverij, a dark-beer beef braise that defines the dish better than most kitchens in the city.
Tip: Groups of 15 or more can book Monday evening rates; for smaller parties, any other weekday works well.
Amadeus in Patershol built its reputation on all-you-can-eat spareribs served in warm candlelit rooms since it opened in the city's oldest quarter.
Signature: All-you-can-eat spareribs, Irish Coffee
Order: The all-you-can-eat spareribs format, which is the reason most tables are booked before the week starts.
Tip: Sunday lunch from noon is the most relaxed service; evening bookings go weeks ahead in high summer.
Le Baan Thai has anchored Thai cooking in the Patershol since 1988 and earned the 2026 Michelin Bib Gourmand for a short menu run. Priced at €€.
Signature: Green curry, Tom kha gai, Pad kra pao
Order: Green curry with chicken: the in-house paste.
Tip: Closed Monday and Tuesday; the dining room seats fewer than thirty so book by phone two or three days ahead for Friday and Saturday.
Bib Gourmand-rated Bar Bask occupies a converted gas station at the edge of Dok Noord, with a wood-fired Basque asador for txuleta, turbot and lobster.
Signature: Txuleta, Turbot over asador, Lobster
Order: The txuleta from the charcoal asador, available when the kitchen has sourced the right cut, which is most.
Tip: Counter seats facing the open kitchen give the best view of the fire and the kitchen's rhythm.
Bib Gourmand-recognised bistro in Sint-Amandsberg run by two former colleagues who built a seasonal French-Belgian menu around local suppliers.
Signature: Seasonal market menu, Local produce plates
Order: Whatever the kitchen is most excited about that day, usually stated by the staff unprompted at the table.
Tip: A ten-minute tram ride from the centre; the relative distance means bookings are easier to secure than more central peers.
RØK in Hal 16 at Dok Noord builds its menu around fire: slow-cooked meats, charcoal-roasted vegetables and grilled fish come out in sharing formats that suit.
Signature: Slow-cooked ribs, Charcoal-roasted vegetables, Sharing platters
Order: The mixed sharing platter, which gives the widest view of what the kitchen does with smoke and charcoal.
Tip: Pair the meal with beers from Dok Brewing Company next door, which shares the Hal 16 space.
Steendam 66, also known as Chez Bolle, is a cosy bistro with a strong French accent housed in a historic building near Sint-Jakobs church, where the kitchen.
Signature: Seasonal fish main, Seasonal set menu
Order: The fish main, which shows the kitchen's French training most cleanly.
Tip: Closed Sunday; Tuesday to Friday lunch is the most accessible and relaxed format.
Volta occupies a converted turbine hall on Nieuwewandeling, serving confident Belgian brasserie cooking with a well-annotated wine list and a canal-side.
Signature: Seasonal Belgian brasserie classics
Order: The seasonal set lunch, which gives the kitchen's quality at its best accessible price.
Tip: The terrace reservations fill first in summer; book the canal side when available and come before golden hour.
50 fifty runs a bistronomy sharing-plate format on Ottogracht with vegetable-led seasonal plates rated 4.8 out of 5 by local reviewers. Located in Binnenstad.
Signature: Seasonal sharing plates, Vegetable-forward dishes
Order: Two or three sharing plates of whatever the kitchen is most animated about; the staff will tell you honestly.
Tip: Come with four people to try the widest range without over-ordering; the room accommodates groups well.
Roots is a Michelin-listed gastro-bistro in Patershol where chef Kim Devisschere's West Flemish heritage drives menus that change with the seasons.
Signature: Seasonal set menus based on West Flemish produce
Order: Six-course dinner menu with wine pairing: West Flemish seasonal sourcing at its fullest expression.
Tip: Book at minimum three weeks ahead; this is one of the most consistently difficult tables to secure in Ghent.
Epiphany's Kitchen serves 100% gluten-free vegan cooking on Burgstraat with optional meat or fish add-ons for mixed-preference groups to share.
Signature: 100% gluten-free vegan plates, Creative plant protein dishes
Order: The full set menu, which shows the kitchen's texture and flavour-contrast discipline across multiple courses.
Tip: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday; Monday lunch has the most relaxed pace of the week.
Soul Kitchen opposite the Bijloke park serves plant-based fine dining in a sharing format: seasonal, organic, locally sourced produce treated with the same.
Signature: Carrot pizza, Seasonal roasted vegetables, Plant-based sharing plates
Order: The full sharing menu, timed in waves so the table never feels overcrowded with plates.
Tip: Thursday to Saturday evenings for the full menu; Sunday lunch is the shorter but equally well-sourced format.
Lekker Gec has been serving organic vegetarian cooking in central Ghent long enough to qualify as an institution. The daily plates track the season without.
Signature: Organic vegetarian lunch plates, Seasonal soups
Order: The daily lunch plate, which changes with what the organic suppliers have delivered that morning.
Tip: Arrive by noon or the most interesting daily specials go quickly; the kitchen does not replenish to order.
A popular student lunch hotspot in central Ghent serving vegan and vegetarian plates that change daily with the organic supply. The kitchen keeps prices.
Signature: Vegan lunch plates, Organic bowls
Order: The daily lunch special.
Tip: Busy at peak university hours from 12:30 onward; arrive just before noon for the best selection.
Greenway on Nederkouter is one of Ghent's original vegan pioneers, serving a rotating menu of plant-based wraps, bowls and hot plates in a fast-casual format.
Signature: Plant-based burgers, Seasonal vegan plates
Order: The plant-based burger: the kitchen's confidence in a format it has been perfecting since its founding.
Tip: Kitchen closes earlier than most restaurants; aim to arrive before 18:00 for the full hot-food range.
BOON is a vegetarian lunch bar across the street from the Castle of the Counts with a bean-forward menu that takes vegetable cooking seriously. The casual.
Signature: Bean-based vegetarian plates, Daily lunch specials
Order: The daily bean-based special, which gives the kitchen its identity and sits at the core of every menu.
Tip: Grab a terrace table facing the castle if available; the view repays a slightly longer lunch.
Lokaal is a vegetarian tea room and restaurant on Brabantdam with owners Arno, Jelmer and Bliki sourcing from nearby organic farms and rotating the menu.
Signature: Weekly-changing vegetarian plates, Organic tea selection
Order: Whatever the week's organic delivery has inspired; the kitchen announces the menu via their social channels.
Tip: The tea selection here is serious; combine the lunch with an afternoon spent in the nearby SMAK museum.
Gust is a trendy breakfast and lunch bar with ingredients sourced directly from local farmers: the freshness shows in everything from bread to eggs.
Signature: Seasonal farmer's breakfast, Farm produce plates
Order: The farmer's breakfast, which is the most direct expression of the sourcing ethos and the most requested dish.
Tip: Weekend queues form before opening; arrive early or accept a wait of 20 minutes on a Saturday.
Haddok near the Oude Dokken waterfront at Dok Noord serves contemporary Belgian brunch and lunch plates with water views and a convivial mood.
Signature: Weekend brunch plates, Seasonal Belgian dishes
Order: The weekend brunch menu, when the kitchen is fully focused and the water view is at its best.
Tip: The terrace tables facing the dock fill first in good weather; phone ahead to request one.
De Frietketel won Best Fast Food at the Belgian Vegan Awards in 2019: a fully plant-based frituur with a wider snack range than any competitor.
Signature: Vegan frites, Vegetarian snacks
Order: Frites with vegan curry sauce: the most-ordered option and clearest expression of this plant-based frituur.
Tip: Good option for mixed groups where one person is vegan; the fried snacks are convincing even to sceptics.
Modest is a central Ghent brunch spot with a seasonal menu that stays sharply focused on quality and never tries to overcomplicate its offer.
Signature: Brunch plates, Seasonal lunch menu
Order: The brunch menu on weekends, which is when the kitchen is operating at its most concentrated.
Tip: Arrive before noon on Saturday to avoid the peak queue; the weekday lunch service is considerably calmer.
Karoot on Phoenixstraat builds hearty vegetarian and vegan comfort food around the carrot, running a friendly low-key dining room in the centre.
Signature: Carrot-based seasonal dishes, Plant-based comfort plates
Order: The seasonal carrot-based signature plate, rotating monthly to show the kitchen's vegetable-forward vision.
Tip: Portions are filling; the kitchen is sized for sharing and lends itself to two-person lunches over a split plate.
Et Alors near the Graslei brings Parisian bistro energy to Ghent: animated room, seasonal French-Belgian food and a weekend brunch worth booking.
Signature: Weekend brunch, French-inspired lunch plates
Order: The weekend brunch menu, which brings the Parisian concept into the sharpest focus.
Tip: Book at least a week ahead for Saturday or Sunday brunch; the reputation has outgrown the walk-in capacity.