The administrative square east of the Markt, with the Vismarkt fish stalls and a cluster of beer brasseries on Philipstockstraat.
Assiette Blanche near the Burg in Bruges is a classic restaurant under Stefaan Timmerman, running Franco-Belgian dishes and regional grey-shrimp plates.
Signature: Hand-peeled grey shrimp, Franco-Belgian classics
Order: The hand-peeled grey shrimp, the regional speciality this room built its name on over the years.
Tip: Just off the Burg square, so handy between sights. Book ahead at weekends.
Bar Lowie on Eekhoutstraat in Bruges is a coffee bar and brunch room, pouring flat whites and dirty chai alongside smoked-salmon waffles and vegan hummus toast.
Signature drink: Flat whites and specialty coffee
Tip: Open Tuesday to Saturday 9 to 3, plus a Brunchday Sunday twice a month. The savoury waffles are the order.
Coffeebar Adriaan sits in a neoclassical 1832 former bank near the City Theatre in Bruges, serving coffee, breakfast and lunch under high ceilings.
Signature drink: Espresso and breakfast
Tip: Worth a look for the bank interior alone. Near the Burg, an easy mid-morning stop.
Cuvee on Philipstockstraat in Bruges was the centre's first natural wine bar, shop and food bar in one, with sharing plates and a bottle wall of growers.
Signature pour: A grower's wine by the glass from the shop list
Wine focus: Natural wines, Belgian and European growers
Food: Sharing plates and tapas
Tip: Buy a bottle from the shop wall to drink in for a small corkage. The sharing plates pair to the pour.
Wijnbar Est on Braambergstraat in Bruges is a small wine bar pouring an eclectic old and new world list, with live jazz on its Lazy Sunday sessions.
Signature pour: A glass chosen from the eclectic blackboard
Wine focus: Old and new world wines by the glass
Food: Cheese and bar snacks
Tip: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Come for the Sunday jazz; the room is tiny, so arrive early.
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.
The Vismarkt in Bruges has sold North Sea fish under its stone colonnades since 1821, with the catch, grey shrimp included, laid out five mornings a week.
Tip: Come Wednesday to Saturday morning. The colonnade itself, built 1821, is worth the walk even off market hours.
At Choco-Story on Wijnzakstraat in Bruges, a workshop alongside the chocolate museum shows the trick behind shiny filled chocolates, then lets you make and taste your own across the 5,500-year history exhibit.
Yarn on Garenmarkt in Bruges is a trendy breakfast and brunch room near the Burg, running fluffy pancakes, eggs Benedict and French toast with strong coffee in a cosy space.
Order: Fluffy pancakes or eggs Benedict with a flat white.
Tip: Breakfast service is 08:00-11:30; aim early on Saturdays. The back terrace opens in summer.
Bar Lowie on Eekhoutstraat in Bruges is a coffee and brunch room with savoury and sweet waffles, vegan toasts and proper flat whites near the Burg.
Order: A smoked-salmon waffle or vegan hummus toast with a flat white.
Tip: Open Tuesday to Saturday daytime, plus a Brunchday Sunday twice a month worth booking ahead.
Charlie Rockets on Hoogstraat in Bruges is a rock-and-roll bar and hostel with a games room and billiards, open until 4am and the surest late dancing spot east of the Burg.
Tip: Open to 4am daily. The downstairs games room runs as late as the bar; live music lands in winter.
Wijnbar Est on Braambergstraat in Bruges is a wine bar with a jukebox and live jazz on its Lazy Sunday sessions, the closest the city has to a listening bar.
Tip: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Come for the Sunday jazz; the tiny room fills early.
Charlie Rockets on Hoogstraat in Bruges is a rock-and-roll bar and hostel open to 4am, with cheap drinks, a billiard room and the latest hours in the centre.
Tip: Open to 4am daily, the latest in the centre. Billiards downstairs runs as late as the bar.