€€€binnenstad
Steendam 66 runs a wine lounge attached to its Gault and Millau-listed bistro. The by-the-glass selection pairs with the short, seasonal lunch menu.
Wine focus: Creative wine pairings at a fine-dining lounge
Order: Lunch wine pairing: two or three glasses matched to the daily menu, with commentary from the team.
Tip: The lounge bar is easier to access than the dining room without a reservation.
€€binnenstad
Edelrot is a natural wine bar and bottle shop next to the Belfort tower, focusing on low-intervention, natural-process and skin-contact wines by the glass.
Wine focus: Natural wines, wild beers, artisanal non-alcoholic
Order: Ask the bar team to pour a glass from the current natural skin-contact white: the house selections change.
Tip: Open from 15:00 Tuesday to Saturday; the bottle shop inside allows you to buy what you tried. Prices are honest for natural wine.
€€kouter
ONA is a wine bar near the Kouter square with a carefully curated list of authentic European wines from smaller producers. The format is intimate: a few bar.
Wine focus: Artisanal European wines, smaller producers
Order: Ask for a producer flight: three glasses from one region, poured side by side to show terroir differences.
Tip: Open Wednesday to Sunday from 16:00; the Sunday noon opening makes it an unusual afternoon wine destination.
€€binnenstad
Chubby Cheeks is a convivial natural wine bar where interesting small-plate dishes are designed to match unusual bottles. The card runs from funky orange.
Wine focus: Natural wines and small plates
Order: Natural orange wine by the glass with a small cheese plate: the house pours rotate weekly.
Tip: A Gault and Millau HIP pick; the menu changes frequently so the best visit is a return one.
€€groentenmarkt
Bar Terroir sits steps from the vegetable market square, sourcing wines from small estates and pairing them with artisan cheeses and charcuterie plates.
Wine focus: Small-estate grower wines and artisan cheese
Order: Cheese plate with a Loire valley white: the bar curates the pairings and they rarely disappoint.
Tip: The private room with a Ghent towers view seats up to 15; book it for a wine dinner group.
€€graslei-korenlei
Vinogradoff is a wine shop and bar specialising in natural and biodynamic wines from Eastern Europe: Georgia, Bulgaria, Slovenia and Czech Republic alongside.
Wine focus: Eastern European and natural wines
Order: Georgian amber wine in a traditional qvevri style: skin-fermented, oxidative and unlike any European.
Tip: Shop-bar hybrid; most visits start with the staff recommending a region and end with buying a bottle home.