The oldest residential quarter of Ghent, a tangle of cobblestone lanes between the castle and the canal. Restaurants are packed so tightly here that choosing one means turning down twenty others.
't Klokhuys is an authentic Patershol brasserie with mirror-and-blackboard interiors, serving stoverij, waterzooi and zurkelplets without compromise.
Signature: Gentse stoverij, Waterzooi, Zurkelplets
Order: The Gentse stoverij, a dark-beer beef braise that defines the dish better than most kitchens in the city.
Tip: Groups of 15 or more can book Monday evening rates; for smaller parties, any other weekday works well.
Amadeus in Patershol built its reputation on all-you-can-eat spareribs served in warm candlelit rooms since it opened in the city's oldest quarter.
Signature: All-you-can-eat spareribs, Irish Coffee
Order: The all-you-can-eat spareribs format, which is the reason most tables are booked before the week starts.
Tip: Sunday lunch from noon is the most relaxed service; evening bookings go weeks ahead in high summer.
Le Baan Thai has anchored Thai cooking in the Patershol since 1988 and earned the 2026 Michelin Bib Gourmand for a short menu run by a kitchen that makes its curry pastes in-house.
Signature: Green curry, Tom kha gai, Pad kra pao
Order: Green curry with chicken: the in-house paste, fresh kaffir lime and Thai basil set this version apart from the city's standard takeaway versions.
Tip: Closed Monday and Tuesday; the dining room seats fewer than thirty so book by phone two or three days ahead for Friday and Saturday.
Roots is a Michelin-listed gastro-bistro in Patershol where chef Kim Devisschere's West Flemish heritage drives menus that change with the seasons.
Signature: Seasonal set menus based on West Flemish produce
Order: Six-course dinner menu with wine pairing: West Flemish seasonal sourcing at its fullest expression.
Tip: Book at minimum three weeks ahead; this is one of the most consistently difficult tables to secure in Ghent.
Epiphany's Kitchen serves 100% gluten-free vegan cooking on Burgstraat with optional meat or fish add-ons for mixed-preference groups to share.
Signature: 100% gluten-free vegan plates, Creative plant protein dishes
Order: The full set menu, which shows the kitchen's texture and flavour-contrast discipline across multiple courses.
Tip: Closed Tuesday and Wednesday; Monday lunch has the most relaxed pace of the week.
Bado Bado brings a touch of authentic Indonesia to the oldest neighbourhood of Ghent, with the kitchen mastered by the owner's wife Siska. The rice table.
Signature: Indonesian rice table, Satay, Nasi goreng
Order: The rice table, which gives the widest cross-section of the kitchen's authentic Indonesian range in one.
Tip: Reservations are advised; the room is small and the word-of-mouth following keeps it full on weekends.
One Michelin star and 24 seats in a Ghent medieval lane: Marcelo Ballardin fuses Italian-Brazilian roots with North Sea ingredients and Asian technique.
Order: The dinner seven-course menu, where the international combinations are given fullest expression.
Tip: Lunch Tuesday to Friday offers a four-course format at a gentler price, and the room is equally relaxed.
Michelin Guide-listed bistronomic gem in Patershol: Kim Devisschere applies rigorous seasonal sourcing and West Flemish heritage to five-course menus.
Order: The six-course dinner menu with wine pairing, where the produce quality is given room to speak at length.
Tip: Book at least three weeks ahead; this is one of the hardest tables in Ghent to secure.
Dedicated vegan restaurant in central Ghent with a kitchen that goes beyond bean patties: creative preparations of plant proteins and seasonal vegetables.
Order: The full set menu if available, where the kitchen's commitment to texture and flavour contrast shows most.
Tip: Check their social media for the current week's menu before booking; it changes more often than the printed card suggests.
Casa de las Tapas has been feeding the Patershol cobblestones with Spanish-style small plates for years. The menu runs from jambon iberico to patatas bravas.
Order: Patatas bravas with the house aioli: crunchy outside, fluffy inside, sauce perfectly balanced.
Tip: Closed Wednesdays; kitchen closes at 21:30 so this is an earlier dinner spot than most Patershol restaurants.
't Klokhuys runs out of a narrow Patershol house and is one of the most cited places in the city for Gentse waterzooi. The room seats fewer than 30 people.
Order: Gentse waterzooi with chicken: the stock is rich, the vegetables are cooked right through.
Tip: Book at least two days ahead; the room is tiny and fills weeks ahead in summer.
Le Baan Thai has been the Patershol reference for Thai cuisine for 37 years and holds a 2026 Michelin Bib Gourmand, with green and red curries on a short, exacting menu.
Order: Green curry with chicken: the kitchen makes its own paste daily, and the basil and kaffir lime balance is the dish reviewers come back for.
Tip: Closed Monday and Tuesday; Sunday lunch service is the quietest slot. Tables are small so reserve a few days ahead.
Bado Bado fuses Indonesian and Belgian flavours: rendang with local beef, satay with Belgian sourced pork, and a nasi goreng that uses Ghent's own pickled.
Order: Rendang of the day: a slow-cooked Belgian beef or lamb in an Indonesian spice paste, served with steamed rice.
Tip: Reservations are advised: the room is small and the word-of-mouth following keeps it full on weekends.
BOON is a vegetarian lunch bar at the foot of the Gravensteen. The daily changing salad compositions, seasonal soups and freshly pressed rhubarb soda have.
Order: Rhubarb soda: the house-made pink fizz that has become a Ghent food signature.
Tip: Kitchen closes in the early evening; this is a daytime spot. The counter fills at lunch so aim for 11:45.
Julie's House overlooks the Leie canal near Patershol and the Gravensteen, making artisanal pies, cupcakes, breakfast pastries and seasonal jams.
Order: Seasonal fruit tart: made with pastry cream and whatever fruit is ripe that week.
Tip: The canal-view terrace in front fills on sunny mornings; the jam and granola are worth taking home.
Marijn Coertjens opened his patisserie at the foot of the Gravensteen in 2016. The pralines are built on unusual flavour combinations; the seasonal pastry.
Order: Seasonal praline gift box: six pieces, flavours announced weekly on Instagram, always unexpected.
Tip: Near the Gravensteen; pair a shop visit with a castle tour and a Patershol dinner.
Win is a compact natural wine bar on Burgstraat near the Gravensteen castle, with a weekend brunch menu and an afternoon coffee service in a renovated room.
Wine focus: Natural wine and brunch cafe
Order: Afternoon glass of the current house natural red with home-made madeleines: the most Ghentian pre-dinner.
Tip: Open Wednesday to Saturday from 10:00; the brunch format on weekends is popular, book ahead.
Roots is a farm-to-table Patershol bistro that treats its natural wine list as seriously as its food. The optional wine pairing for the tasting menu brings.
Wine focus: Natural wine pairing at farm-to-table bistro
Order: Wine pairing with the seasonal menu: four to five small pours matched by the kitchen to each course.
Tip: One of the best-value wine pairings in Ghent; the pairing adds around €25 to a €45 tasting menu.
Jigger's is a subterranean cocktail bar in the Patershol, listed on the World's 50 Best Discovery list. The cellar bar uses seasonal produce and locally.
Order: The house seasonal cocktail: the team rotates the signature list every few months based on what is growing.
Tip: Open from 17:00 Tuesday through Sunday; the back terrace on warm evenings is one of the most atmospheric drinking spots in Ghent.
Rococo is Betty's candlelit bar on the Patershol cobblestones. The single room is lit entirely by candles; the atmosphere is intimate and the conversation.
Order: Whatever is on draught: the focus here is atmosphere, not the beer list.
Tip: Opens after 21:00; arrives late and stay late. Betty runs the bar at her own pace.
Marijn Coertjens' shop near the Gravensteen produces what Gault and Millau considers the best pralines in Ghent. The seasonal praline range changes monthly.
Order: Seasonal praline tasting box of six: ask for the team's current recommendation.
Tip: Buy pralines here and eat them in the Patershol lanes. They travel better than cuberdons.
Authentic Indonesian kitchen in the Patershol with a rice table for two under €25 and individual satay and nasi goreng plates starting at €12 per person.
Order: The rice table for two: the most generous way to experience the full Indonesian range at this kitchen.
Tip: Reservations advised for weekend evenings; the room seats fewer than 30 and the word-of-mouth following fills it consistently.
Julie's House is a pastel pastry house on the Kraanlei steps from the Gravensteen, serving a rotating brunch board of artisanal pies, granola bowls and homemade cupcakes.
Order: Brunch board with a slice of the day's pie: the seasonal fruit tarts and lemon meringue are the house signatures.
Tip: Brunch is walk-in only and the room is small; arrive before 11:00 on weekends or the queue overflows onto the Kraanlei.
Jigger's medieval cellar bar in the Patershol stays open until 03:00 at weekends, serving seasonal cocktails and 500+ spirits in a candlelit setting.
Order: Jigger's seasonal cocktail: specials change monthly with locally foraged ingredients.
Tip: Arrive by 21:00 to guarantee a seat; the bar fills to capacity after 22:00 with no walk-in option on weekends.
Rococo on the cobbles of the Patershol draws an arty, late crowd with the kind of playlist you only find in bars that care deeply about music and atmosphere.
Order: Belgian gin-and-tonic with local Ghent gin: the most popular late-night drink here.
Tip: The bar quietens after 02:00 when the clubs draw the youngest crowd; the later Rococo session is often more interesting than the early one.
Jigger's in the Patershol is Ghent's most serious cocktail destination: a medieval cellar bar with 500+ spirits, seasonal cocktail menu and a hidden-feeling intimacy despite being well-known.
Tip: Arrive by 21:00 to guarantee a seat; the bar fills to capacity on weekends and does not take walk-ins after 22:00.
Rococo in the Patershol cobbles is Ghent's closest thing to a listening bar: dark, candle-lit and playing a carefully chosen vinyl programme to an arty late-evening crowd.
Tip: The bar is at its best on a Tuesday or Wednesday when the Patershol is quiet and the music gets full room attention.