The vegetable market square anchoring the historic centre, where Tierenteyn mustard has been sold from barrels since 1790. The street-level mix of traditional shops and frituurs makes it the busiest food square in the city.
Order The oysters: the kitchen sources them daily and the quality is the most consistent in the city.
Pakhuis occupies a converted warehouse behind a historic alley in central Ghent. The soaring glass-ceiling interior holds a kitchen that has stayed focused.
Order The fish main, which shows the kitchen's French training most cleanly.
Steendam 66, also known as Chez Bolle, is a cosy bistro with a strong French accent housed in a historic building near Sint-Jakobs church, where the kitchen.
Order The seasonal set lunch, which gives the kitchen's quality at its best accessible price.
Volta occupies a converted turbine hall on Nieuwewandeling, serving confident Belgian brasserie cooking with a well-annotated wine list and a canal-side.
Order The full sharing menu, timed in waves so the table never feels overcrowded with plates.
Soul Kitchen opposite the Bijloke park serves plant-based fine dining in a sharing format: seasonal, organic, locally sourced produce treated with the same.
Order The daily bean-based special, which gives the kitchen its identity and sits at the core of every menu.
BOON is a vegetarian lunch bar across the street from the Castle of the Counts with a bean-forward menu that takes vegetable cooking seriously. The casual.
Order Whatever the week's organic delivery has inspired; the kitchen announces the menu via their social channels.
Lokaal is a vegetarian tea room and restaurant on Brabantdam with owners Arno, Jelmer and Bliki sourcing from nearby organic farms and rotating the menu.
Order The farmer's breakfast, which is the most direct expression of the sourcing ethos and the most requested dish.
Gust is a trendy breakfast and lunch bar with ingredients sourced directly from local farmers: the freshness shows in everything from bread to eggs.
Order Frites with vegan curry sauce: the most-ordered option and clearest expression of this plant-based frituur.
De Frietketel won Best Fast Food at the Belgian Vegan Awards in 2019: a fully plant-based frituur with a wider snack range than any competitor.
Order The seasonal carrot-based signature plate, rotating monthly to show the kitchen's vegetable-forward vision.
Karoot on Phoenixstraat builds hearty vegetarian and vegan comfort food around the carrot, running a friendly low-key dining room in the centre.
Order The Purs vegetarian tasting menu, seven courses built around single seasonal vegetables.
Two Michelin stars in central Ghent: chef Michaël Vrijmoed pushes Belgian produce through fermentation and global technique, with a dedicated Purs vegetarian.
Order The five-course dinner menu, where the vegetable-led cooking is most focused.
One Michelin star in a loft-style bistro on Ham street: Olly Ceulenaere champions lesser-known Belgian vegetables and local produce at every turn.
Order The six-course menu on a Wednesday or Thursday, when the kitchen is at full concentration.
Inside the Pillows Grand Boutique Hotel Reylof on Hoogstraat, chef Paul de Groote runs a five or six-course tasting menu rooted in classical French technique.
Also on this listVoltaSoul KitchenSteendam 6650 fifty
Order All-you-can-eat spareribs with the house sauce: the price is fixed, the refills are real.
Amadeus is Ghent's most committed rib restaurant, piling all-you-can-eat spareribs onto wooden boards for tables that stretch across its belfry-square.
Order Pork cheek stew: buttery and intense, with frites and salad included.
Memee Gusta runs a grandmother-recipe kitchen in a cosy vintage room near the castle. The signature pork cheek stew is cooked low and slow in a deep brown.
Order The Otomat house pizza: Duvel yeast dough with seasonal toppings and a crisp edge.
Otomat makes pizza dough with Duvel beer yeast, giving the base a bready depth. Around 20 Belgian beers on tap and original toppings make it unmissable.
Order Meatball of the day on stoemp: whatever the chef has stuffed into the ball changes weekly.
Chef Wim Ballieu built a restaurant around the meatball, stuffing oversized balls with seasonal fillings and serving them on stoemp or a simple salad.
Order Gentse waterzooi: the chicken version, made to the family recipe with the creamiest stock in the city.
Du Progres has been run by three generations of the De Baets family and remains one of the most honest Belgian brasseries in the city. Waterzooi, stoverij.
Also on this listPakhuisBOONGreenwayLokaalKarootSoul Kitchen
Order Flat white with the seasonal single-origin espresso: well-extracted, properly textured milk.
Cafe Labath is the city's best-known specialty cafe, occupying a corner building steps from Sint-Michielsbrug with floor-to-ceiling windows and a big-city.
Order Cold brew in summer; the house espresso blend is clean and not over-roasted.
Peaberry sits at the foot of Sint-Baafskathedraal: a compact, vegan-friendly coffee bar serving specialty brews, bread rolls and fresh salads daily.
Order Iced latte in summer: the house espresso holds its character over ice.
Koffeine is a warm coffee bar tucked behind Sint-Baafsplein with iced lattes, americanos and a short food menu of banana bread and seasonal pastries.
Order A Trappist beer and a ham-cheese tosti while the washing spins: the whole Wasbar point in one order.
The original Wasbar location mixes coin-op laundry machines with a bar serving Belgian beers, sandwiches and charcuterie. The eclectic clientele of Erasmus.
Order Pick one stall, take a seat at the communal tables.
Den Baudelo is a food hall inside a beautifully restored 17th-century chapel. Around 15 stalls run from Mexican and Indian to Italian and Belgian; the shared.
Order Soup of the day with bread roll and apple: the combination changes daily and is always based on seasonal.
Soup Lounge runs a daily-rotating soup bar where a bowl of fresh soup, a bread roll and an apple costs under nine euros at a central Ghent address.
Also on this listGust
Order Suikerbrood (sugar bread): a sweet enriched loaf studded with pearl sugar, eaten at room temperature.
Himschoot has been baking at the Groentenmarkt since 1880, making it the oldest bakery in Ghent. The original stone-oven recipes produce koeken, sugar bread.
Order Tartine with almond butter and jam: the house bread toasted and spread at the communal table.
Le Pain Quotidien's Ghent location near the Korenmarkt serves organic bread, home-baked croissants and a reliable vegan range throughout the week.
Order Mini lemon tart: sharp pastry cream in a crisp shell, the most popular single item in the case.
Pain and Compagnie bakes French-influenced loaves and sells them alongside croissants, mini tarts and savoury quiches at its Kalandeberg cafe.
Order Vegan scone with raspberry jam: plant-based but properly flaky, one of the better vegan pastries in Ghent.
Peaberry sits at the foot of Sint-Baafskathedraal and combines vegan-friendly pastries with specialty coffee. The bread rolls, scones and salads alongside.
On this list, shown aboveCafe LabathKoffeine
Order Ask the bar team to pour a glass from the current natural skin-contact white: the house selections change.
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.
Order Natural orange wine by the glass with a small cheese plate: the house pours rotate weekly.
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.
Order Cheese plate with a Loire valley white: the bar curates the pairings and they rarely disappoint.
Bar Terroir sits steps from the vegetable market square, sourcing wines from small estates and pairing them with artisan cheeses and charcuterie plates.
Order Ask the sommelier for the glass of the day: the team changes the by-the-glass selection nightly.
Volta's wine list is one of the most ambitious in Ghent, matching modern Belgian cooking with grower wines from across Europe in a converted turbine hall.
Order Lunch wine pairing: two or three glasses matched to the daily menu, with commentary from the team.
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.
Order A flight of three house-made jenevers: ask Pol to choose them. The homemade range is the reason to come.
Pol's tiny jenever bar on the Groentenmarkt serves more than 200 jenevers, including around 50 made in-house. The low-ceilinged brown bar has barely changed.
Order Gruut Amber on draught: the city herb-beer is always on the tap list here.
Waterhuis aan de Bierkant is a canal-side brown pub on the Groentenmarkt with 170 Belgian beers, 14 on draught and a packed waterside terrace.
Order A cold Belgian beer and a seat near the stage on a live jazz night: the room holds fewer than 50 people.
Hotsy Totsy has been injecting Ghent with blues and jazz since the 1970s. The Claus brothers' bar hosts live music most evenings from September to June.
Order A local craft beer at the bar before the live set starts: the sound quality in this room is unusually good.
Missy Sippy opened in 2015 as a contemporary juke joint next to Sint-Niklaaskerk, with vintage New Orleans decor and live blues and roots music nightly.
Order Gruut Inferno: the strongest and most complex of the five house beers, amber with a herbal bitterness.
Gruut is Ghent's city brewery using a medieval herb recipe with no hops: five beers (white, blonde, amber, brown and Inferno) brewed and served on site.
Order A by-the-glass flight from the chalkboard list paired with a cheese-and-charcuterie board.
Wijnbar ONA on the corner of Bagattenstraat and Nederkouter is Ona Van Reybrouck and Arne De Wilde's intimate natural-wine spot, opened in 2015.
Order A wild saison from the Belgium tap list alongside a glass of natural white: the pairing is the Edelrot house.
Edelrot functions as both a natural wine bar and a wild beer bar: the list includes wild-fermented saisons, spontaneous lambics and Belgian farmhouse ales.
Order Belgian natural wine by the glass at the window seat: the light through the giant corner windows is the best.
By day a specialty coffee bar, Cafe Labath transitions to wine and Belgian beer by early evening at its corner near Sint-Michielsbrug in the centre.
Also on this listChubby CheeksBar Terroir
Order Classic frites with andalouse sauce: the house sauce is tangier than most and justifies the queue.
Sergio Herman's upmarket frites counter at the Groentenmarkt has marble counters and stainless sauces pumped from brass-spigot barrels. The frites are fried.
Order Classic raspberry cuberdons: eat them within minutes of buying to get the right texture contrast.
The competing cuberdon stalls at the Groentenmarkt are one of Ghent's most famous food rivalries. De Echte Gentse Neuzen sells the authentic cone-shaped.
Tierenteyn-Verlent has been making mustard at Groentenmarkt 3 since 1790: the barrel-drawn Ghent mustard is the city's most well-known culinary product.
Order Liege waffle with caramelised pearl sugar: the pearl sugar pockets define the authentic Liege style.
Waffles and Beer near the Groentenmarkt serves Belgian Brussels and Liege waffles alongside a selected list of Belgian beers. The waffle-and-beer pairing.
Order Multi-flavour cuberdon selection: try the blackcurrant and violet alongside the classic raspberry.
Bobonne is a vintage-styled cuberdon stall run by Nele in the middle of the historic centre. The stall stocks the classic raspberry and a range of other.
Order Gruut Amber in a plastic cup from the kiosk: outdoor drinking, city beer, Ghent summer.
Gruut's outdoor kiosk at the city brewery dispenses all five house herb beers direct from tank for Gentse Feesten and summer evenings. The hop-free brewing.
Order Stoverij with frites and bread: the trifecta of Ghent food culture in a single bowl.
During Gentse Feesten and weekend markets, temporary stalls around the Groentenmarkt and Vrijdagmarkt sell bowls of Gentse stoverij: the deep amber beef.
Order Vol-au-vent with frites: creamy chicken ragout in puff pastry alongside a cone of double-fried frites.
De Frietschap is a neighbourhood frituur that serves homemade stoverij, meatballs in tomato sauce and vol-au-vent alongside the standard frites range.
Order Fresh warm bolus from the market tray: the caramel coating is still tacky and the dough inside is pillowy.
The Gentse bolus is a sticky caramel-coated spiral bun unique to Ghent. Market bakers sell them warm from trays at the Saturday and Friday markets. The Baba.
Also on this listDe FrietketelSoup Lounge
The Gruut brewery terrace by the Reep canal is one of the most relaxed afternoon beer destinations in Ghent. All five house beers are available; the tasting.
Also on this listGruut StadsbrouwerijHet Waterhuis aan de Bierkant
The historic vegetable market square near the castle has been the city's primary produce hub for centuries, with stalls selling fresh vegetables and herbs.
Sint-Jacobs is Ghent's major antique and flea market, held three mornings a week near the Dominican church, with food and artisan produce stalls on Sundays.
Tierenteyn-Verlent has been making mustard at Groentenmarkt 3 since 1790: the barrel-drawn Ghent mustard is the city's most well-known culinary product.
Ghent's Vismarkt is the weekly fish and seafood market near the Graslei canal, selling fresh North Sea catch twice a week in the historic fish market square.
The competing cuberdon vendors near the Groentenmarkt are a Ghent institution: the pointed purple sugar-and-gum cones are the city's most identifiable sweet.
Ghent's Christmas market spreads across Korenmarkt and Sint-Baafsplein from late November, with food stalls, warm drinks, waffles and winter snacks.
Discover Belgium runs scheduled food-tour programmes in Ghent at four tiers: Silver, Gold, Diamond, Deluxe. The route covers three restaurants for appetiser, main and dessert with matched drinks and a guide.
Charlie Tours runs a beer-and-bites walking tour of central Ghent, visiting De Dulle Griet, Waterhuis aan de Bierkant and Dok Noord for craft tastings.
Discover Belgium runs a deeper culinary and cultural tour of Ghent combining food history, medieval market squares and guided tastings at up to six stops.
The Saturday brewery tour at Gruut covers the medieval herb-beer recipe, fermentation tanks and includes tasting all five house beers in the on-site taproom.
Ghent's ten-day city festival in July fills every square and alley with open-air food stalls, pop-up bars and street food from Belgian and world cuisines.
Ghent's Veggie Thursday runs every week: restaurants add vegetarian menus, markets add veggie stalls and the city embraces plant-based eating.
The Gentse Winterfeesten run 3 December 2026 to 3 January 2027 with more than 150 wooden huts from Sint-Baafsplein to Korenmarkt, selling snacks, mulled wine and crafts.
Film Fest Gent is Ghent's international film festival, in its 53rd edition from 7 to 18 October 2026, with screenings at Sphinx Cinema, Kinepolis and other city venues; it has no food programme.
Waffles and Beer teaches both the Liege and Brussels waffle recipes in a central Ghent workshop, pairing each style with a matched Belgian beer selection.
Gruut's brewing workshop demonstrates the medieval gruit herb-mix recipe and fermentation process, culminating in a guided tasting of all five house beers.
Tierenteyn-Verlent offers occasional mustard-making demonstrations in the historic shop, covering the 1790 recipe, herb additions and barrel-draw technique.
Order Suikerbrood (sugar bread): the pearl-sugar enriched loaf, warmest and cheapest near the Gravensteen walls.
Ghent's oldest bakery since 1880: suikerbrood, koeken and morning buns for under €3 each, eaten standing in the Groentenmarkt near the Gravensteen.
Also on this listBOONGreenwaySoup LoungePeaberry CoffeebarCuberdon Stalls at GroentenmarktDe FrietketelLokaalKaroot
On this list, shown aboveCafe LabathGustModest
Order Belgian beer from the rotating tap selection: priced for the format, the most social late bar.
Wasbar on the Korenmarkt is Ghent's laundry-and-bar concept: leave your washing in the machines, order a Belgian beer at the bar and stay until closing.
Also on this listHet Waterhuis aan de BierkantMissy Sippy Blues and Roots Club't Dreupelkot
Charlatan on the Vlasmarkt is the most central late-night bar and small venue in Ghent: cheap beer, loud music and a student crowd through to 05:00 on weekends.
Het Oud Canten Huis on the Kammerstraat is Ghent's long-running LGBTQ+ bar near the centre, with a friendly mixed crowd, drag nights and a late license through the weekend.
Also on this listMissy Sippy Blues and Roots ClubHotsy Totsy't Dreupelkot
