Pacha Mama is a vegan and vegetarian restaurant in Sint Pieters, Ghent.
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 dishes: Vegan lunch plates, Organic bowls
Must order: The daily lunch special, which is the most direct expression of what the kitchen is doing with today's.
Tip: Busy at peak university hours from 12:30 onward; arrive just before noon for the best selection.
Address: Jan-Baptist Guinardstraat 9, 9000 Gent, Ghent
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.
Bado Bado brings a touch of authentic Indonesia to the oldest neighbourhood of Ghent, with the kitchen mastered by the owner's wife Siska. The rice table.
Signature: Indonesian rice table, Satay, Nasi goreng
Order: The rice table, which gives the widest cross-section of the kitchen's authentic Indonesian range in one.
Tip: Reservations are advised; the room is small and the word-of-mouth following keeps it full on weekends.
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.
