Modest is a contemporary belgian brunch and lunch restaurant in Binnenstad, Ghent.
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 dishes: Brunch plates, Seasonal lunch menu
Must 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.
Address: Brabantdam 50, 9000 Gent, Ghent
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.
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.
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.
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 by a kitchen that makes its curry pastes in-house.
Signature: Green curry, Tom kha gai, Pad kra pao
Order: Green curry with chicken: the in-house paste, fresh kaffir lime and Thai basil set this version apart from the city's standard takeaway versions.
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.
