Belgian endive wrapped in cooked ham, baked in béchamel and gratinated under aged Gouda or Vieux Bruges. The canonical Antwerp winter gratin, served October through March at brown cafes and family kitchens citywide.
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
Witloof, the Belgian endive, was developed in 19th-century Brussels and became a winter-vegetable signature across the Low Countries. The gratin pairs it with sliced ham and a thick béchamel under grilled cheese. Every Belgian household has a version; Antwerp kitchens hold to a sharp Gouda or Vieux Bruges for the topping.
Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy
Tip from the editors. Salt the endive cooking water heavily and add lemon; it cuts the bitterness without leaving sourness in the gratin.
Elfde Gebod sits in a 16th-century building beside the cathedral, walls covered in religious statues. Located in Historisch Centrum. Priced at €€.
Signature: Rabbit stew in beer sauce, Mussels in white wine, Flemish carbonade
Order: The rabbit stew in beer sauce or the Flemish carbonade.
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.
Marolus in Antwerp on Hendrik Conscienceplein runs an under-15-euro lunch plate of the day. Located in Historisch Centrum. At Hendrik Conscienceplein 14.
Try: Lunch dish of the day
Tip: Lunch only, no dinner. The square's tree-lined terrace is the better seat in summer.
Mampoko in Antwerp on Amerikalei runs all-day brasserie service that starts with breakfast at 08:30 and rolls through brunch and lunch. Located in Het Zuid.
Order: Mampoko breakfast with eggs and Belgian charcuterie
Tip: The corner terrace opens with the weather. Reserve for Saturday brunch.
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