History

Belgian beef stew traces to medieval Flanders, where dark abbey ale was used to braise tough cuts. The dish became the standard pub plate across Antwerp and Ghent. The pairing with frites cooked in beef fat is the canonical Antwerp combination, served at brown cafes from Elfde Gebod beside the cathedral to Den Engel on Grote Markt. Fritkot Max on Groenplaats sells the saucy ladle to top a frites cone for under five euros.

Common allergens: Gluten

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4Hands-on 45 minTotal 3 hr 30 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 1kg beef chuck or shin, cut into 4cm cubes
  • 2 large onions, sliced
  • 33cl dark Belgian ale (abbey style)
  • 2 tbsp plain flour
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 2 slices of bread spread with Dijon mustard
  • Salt, black pepper, beef dripping or vegetable oil

Method

  1. Pat the beef dry, season heavily with salt and pepper.
  2. Brown the beef in batches in a heavy pan with beef dripping, about 4 minutes per side.
  3. Remove the beef. Soften the onions in the same pan over 10 minutes.
  4. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes.
  5. Return the beef to the pan with the ale, vinegar, sugar, bay, thyme, and enough water to cover.
  6. Lay the mustard-bread on top, crust-down, to dissolve and thicken the sauce.
  7. Cover and braise at 150C for 2.5 to 3 hours until the beef shreds with a fork.
  8. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and a splash more vinegar if needed.

Tip from the editors. Belgian frites are best double-fried in beef fat: blanch at 140C, rest 30 minutes, then crisp at 180C until golden.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

Where to eat stoofvlees met frieten

Stoofvlees met frieten in Antwerp

Elfde Gebod ★ 4.1

Flemish, beer-led€€historisch-centrum

Elfde Gebod sits in a 16th-century building beside the cathedral, walls covered in religious statues. Belgian classics with beer sauces and a list of more than a hundred brews.

Signature: Rabbit stew in beer sauce, Mussels in white wine, Flemish carbonade

Order: The rabbit stew in beer sauce or the Flemish carbonade, both built around Belgian abbey ales from the bottle list.

Tip: Open daily noon to ten. The Suikerrui sister-room on the Scheldt is the same kitchen with a different view if Torfbrug is full.

Torfbrug 10, 2000 Antwerp Book →

Den Engel ★ 4.2

historisch-centrumUntil Mon-Fri until 01:00, Sat-Sun to 03:00

Den Engel on Grote Markt 3 stays open until 01:00 weekdays and 03:00 weekends. The brown cafe has anchored the corner since 1903 in a 14th-century building.

Try: Brown-cafe nibbles and Belgian beer

Tip: Weekend last orders around 02:30. The terrace fills before the bar.

Grote Markt 3, 2000 Antwerp

Fritkot Max ★ 4.3

historisch-centrumUntil Daily until 22:00

Fritkot Max in Antwerp keeps the Groenplaats fryer running until 22:00 daily. The last cone before the cathedral lights go out is a tradition stretching back to 1842.

Try: Belgian frites with stoofvleessaus

Tip: Order with stoofvleessaus for the canonical late-night Belgian combination.

Groenplaats 12, 2000 Antwerp

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