A creamy Flemish stew of chicken or fish poached with leek, carrot and celery in a broth enriched with cream and egg yolk. A gentle, comforting plate from the Ghent and Bruges hinterland.
Where to eat it: 7 restaurants across 2 cities.
Waterzooi began in Ghent as a fish stew built on the rivers' catch, the name from an old Flemish phrase for boiling water. As the rivers silted and polluted during industrialisation, fish grew scarce and the cheaper chicken version took over, which is now the more common form. The dish spread across Flanders, including the Bruges countryside, as a creamy, vegetable-rich comfort stew. It appears on classic Flemish menus in Bruges and is a signature day-trip dish in nearby Ghent.
Common allergens: Dairy, Egg, Celery
Tip from the editors. Keep the pot below a simmer once the egg and cream go in, or the broth will split into curds.
Den Amand is a small family bistro off the Markt in Bruges, on car-free Sint-Amandsstraat, where Ann Vissers cooks seasonal vegetable, fish and meat dishes.
Signature: Seasonal vegetable plates, Fish and meat of the day
Order: Whatever the monthly menu is built around; vegetables get a generous hand here.
Tip: Closed Wednesday and Sunday. The room is tiny, so reserve, especially in summer.
Pieter Pourbus in Bruges fills a 1561 house once home to the Flemish Primitive painter, cooking traditional Flemish food strong on grilled and braised meats.
Signature: Flemish meat dishes, Traditional plates
Order: A Flemish meat plate; the kitchen leans classical.
Tip: Dinner Friday to Tuesday plus Sunday lunch; closed Wednesday and Thursday. The historic house is the draw.
Cambrinus on Philipstockstraat near the Burg in Bruges is a beer brasserie with a 400-strong list and a full Flemish kitchen of beer-braised classics.
Signature drink: 400 beers, Flemish plates
Food: Flemish brasserie kitchen
Order: A stoofvlees cooked in dark Belgian ale, with a matching abbey beer from the list.
Tip: Open daily, kitchen and bar both. The list is bound like a book; take your time with it.
Aux Armes de Bruxelles in Brussels keeps the kitchen open until 22:30 every night. At Rue des Bouchers 13. Booking recommended. Reservations advised.
Try: Waterzooi and croquettes
Chez Leon in Brussels has run on Rue des Bouchers since 1893 and keeps the kitchen open until 23:00 every night. The mussels arrive in a black pot.
Try: Moules-frites
Brasserie Ploegmans in Brussels' Marolles is the wood-panelled local that runs Belgian standards: meatballs, shrimp croquettes, choucroute garnie.
Signature: Carbonnade flamande, Shrimp croquettes
Order: Carbonnade flamande with frites, and a Westvleteren 12 if it is on the board.
Tip: Closed Monday. Book ahead for Sunday lunch when the Jeu de Balle flea market is in full swing.
Volle Gas in Brussels' Ixelles is a 1924 Art Deco brasserie on Place Fernand Cocq. Kitchen leans belgian brasserie. At Place Fernand Cocq 21.
Signature: Mussels, Carbonnade flamande
Order: Whichever mussel preparation looks new on the chalkboard, with frites and a Tripel Karmeliet.
Tip: Open seven days, kitchen runs late. The Art Deco interior is the seat; book the corner banquette.
More cities are in research. Want waterzooi covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.