The best restaurants Belgium

This café, named after the film starring Catherine Deneuve, focuses on refreshing, inventive bistro cuisine. Never disappointing, with no unnecessary frills, the dishes sublimate beautiful flavors, especially steak, cooked to perfection here on its bed of arugula, as well as fish of course, married with original vegetal flavors. There are also world cuisine specialties, such as pad thai and vegetarian dishes for those looking for light, flexitarian fare. Trendy atmosphere and decor, beautiful day and night.

The Hotel August restaurant offers top-flight gourmet cuisine, created by two-star Dutch chef Nick Bril. Barely open, it has been awarded the Gault & Millau label. Daring combinations combine seasonal and local ingredients with exotic touches. In the historic setting of a former Augustinian convent, tables are set along the corridor that runs alongside the original chapel. For those who want to enjoy a moment of calm in the city, the covered, heated terrace in the garden offers a privileged shelter.

This is one of the favorite addresses of the inhabitants of Malmedy and the surrounding area. We come here for the meat pierrades (several to choose from) and the wood-fired cheese raclettes. We love the tables directly set with glowing charcoal under grates, and the warmth in winter! Nothing could be more natural when you're in a region where it snows more than anywhere else in Belgium. Long walks in the Fagnes are a great way to dig out! A very convivial address with a beautiful garden and terrace.

It's not easy to find a place to eat here, as the address is well known to the locals. What's more, its location, on the edge of the town center and 100 m from the Casino, makes it an ideal stopover, especially on the terrace. The speciality? The fish soup, divine and rich in North Sea fish, the seafood poêlées with lobster sauce are just as famous as the salads, hearty and light in summer, or the croques forestiers, for big eaters, all at low prices. The house's other secret weapon is its fresh crêpes, especially the strawberry crêpes in season, which are bursting at the seams.

Bas and An both have extensive experience in the restaurant business. They have just opened a table in the magnificent cloister of a former clinic. On the plate, while portions are limited, this choice guarantees the freshness and seasonality of the products, which are sublimated in detail. In autumn, for example, you can enjoy marinated mackerel as a starter, rosemary lamb with a legume salad as a main course, finishing with a delicious rhubarb ice cream with yoghurt and honey. The flavors are well-balanced and the dishes elegantly presented.

A gastronomic oasis with an extensive wine cellar, it is one of the undisputed stars of the coast, with two stars in the Michelin guide. First of all, it is the story of a chef, Stefaan Buyens, whose diplomas as Master Sommelier of French Wines (or maître-queux) counts 600 wine references on the wine list! He is also an artist whose plates titillate the eyes as much as the taste buds. The magic words of lobster, caviar or truffle punctuate with force a seasonal cuisine, even market cuisine, tinged here and there with a hint of exoticism.

The trendy, gourmet Belgian pizzeria chain has opened a restaurant in Ghent. The particularity: the dough is made with beer yeast, and the topping combinations are surprising, some of them veggie. The restaurant offers a beer pairing with the menu, or how to choose the best Belgian beer to go with the chosen pizza. Inside, admire the bricks dating back to the inn's ^17th-century construction, and the woodwork and green plants that contrast with the industrial loft look of the walls.

Grégory Laeremans has opened his restaurant, assisted by Maxime in the dining room and as sommelier. The focus is clearly on gastronomy, with a strong organic connotation, particularly for vegetables. Vegetables are adapted to the seasons, as is foie gras, which the chef also likes to work with. From the bread to the garnish, absolutely everything is made in-house. As for the wine list, it boasts some sixty organic or integrated wines. The wines come from France, Italy and Belgium.

In this salon adorned with gilded moldings, a dapper chandelier and other coquetries, you can enjoy Hasselt specialties and dishes that are as excellent as they are hearty. The terrace is very pleasant in fine weather, but it's true that it's indoors that you can play at being a grande dame or a ^19th-century gentleman. However, the establishment doesn't just offer dishes in due form: you can also opt for a snack, a salad or even a coffee break accompanied by your lady speculaas (not speculoos, we repeat!).

When you enter this dark, contemporary restaurant, you expect to find sophisticated dishes. And that's exactly what you'll find at this contemporary restaurant, which does a marvellous job of cooking fish and seafood, as well as meat carpacci. For starters, take a look at the scallops with braised chicory and pata negra, or the beef carpaccio with arugula and parmesan, followed by a filet of grilled sea bass with braised asparagus. You'll be salivating over it and have more appetite than a barracuda, that's for sure.

A nice little spot for lunch: you can sit on school chairs in a room that's always full, or at the counter, like the line of lunchtime diners. In fine weather, there are also pleasant outdoor tables. Here you can eat on the run: a salad, pasta or a light lunch, brimming with fresh, well-sorted and deliciously seasoned vegetables. Affordable, adorable and personable, especially when you see the team busy in the open kitchens.

At the helm of the Blue Lobster... a passionate chef, Gilian Van Loo, who has found Zeebrugge the ideal place to express his talent and inventiveness. Thanks to the proximity of the port, the chef is able to focus on short supply chains, offering quality and freshness. In fact, he only works with fish from the North Sea. His idea is not only to offer the usual species such as sea bass or mackerel, but also to introduce lesser-known species such as common whitefish or silver whiting. Specialties: bouillabaisse and North Sea lobster.

Ghent is a city where vegetarianism is developing at a high gastronomic level. This establishment opened in 2017 proves it: during the day, you can have a coffee or a tea, but at noon it is the salads that attract the locals for a vegetarian break. You can try for example the Boon: lettuce - white rice - beans - daikon - pomegranate seeds - tofu - Chinese cabbage - edamame - fried onions - soy sauce. A real pleasure, in a nice warm and trendy setting. The whole at really democratic prices. You can quickly make it your lunchtime canteen.

This family-run hotel-restaurant just a stone's throw from the beach is all about relaxation and a vacation atmosphere. Its best feature is the Aquafit Center, with a large indoor pool, sauna and whirlpool. The rooms are all different. Some have pretty pictures on the wall, while the luxury suites have a terrace and whirlpool bath. The hotel also offers family suites and individual villas for greater privacy and space. To complete a detox stay by the sea, the restaurant offers vegetarian and vegan alternatives.

Gaston Vouzôte (vouzôte being a local expression meaning "you people") is a contemporary luxury brasserie. An institution firmly rooted in its terroir, blending French and Belgian culinary cultures: escargots from Kain (near Tournai), seasonal terrine, blanquette de veau... Alongside this, you'll find a whole selection of Irish or Argentine beef grilled in a Mibrasa oven. Come with your stomach wide open, as the portions are copious. Cheerful service and a full terrace as soon as the sun comes out.

A restaurant and cafeteria in Grand-Hornu, Rizom's menu reflects the melting pot of people who used to work in the coal mines, and draws its inspiration from a variety of roots: Belgian, French, Italian, Spanish, sprinkled with Asian touches. Starters and seasonal dishes are available in veg, fish or meat versions, but the plates are always small masterpieces with lively yet balanced flavors. Also of note are the 3 different accompaniment formulas: Belgian wines, beers and non-alcoholic fermentations. Designer decor.

In the heart of the former beguinage, one of the oldest in Flanders, this brasserie is a real must. It's not a place to nurse the sick, just to satisfy your hunger or craving for a good Limburg dish. A historic and religious setting with a contemporary look and feel. You can order a dish on the go, just a Trappist or a large menu. The terrace invites you to take a breather in the walled courtyard of stones and large cobblestones. A change of scenery guaranteed. Correct service, nicely regulated.

With its pleasant setting, this restaurant is known as the best in the city. Housed in an 18th century mansion, it serves pleasant Franco-Belgian cuisine with Mediterranean influences, accompanied by good wines. Here you can enjoy, for example, a cod fillet in a crust of crusty bread, dijonaise sauce, broccoli, salicornia and mashed potatoes. The menu also offers many small gourmet dishes to share. You can also have breakfast, tea and, in summer, you can eat on the shaded terrace.

This Casanova will charm you in an instant! This gourmet restaurant on the seafront overlooks the beach and the North Sea, where the products are magnified on the plate. Start with prawns (fresh or in croquette form), continue with Ostend-style plaice or North Sea bouillabaisse, and finish with a soft chocolate fondant, all served in a bright, contemporary room lit by sunshine and hints of orange in the decor (I hear this color whets the appetite).

Here's one of the city's best-known restaurants for a good steak, a house specialty served sliced on a grill plate with vegetables and fries, but also a steak tartare minute au couteau and beer specialties like ragoût à la Bertinchamps Brune. The special feature of the meats served is that they are Belgian and, wherever possible, come from the restaurant's own organic farm, as do the vegetables. Vegetarians, on the other hand, beware!

Located in an elegant room (of the Carnac hotel), the lobster specialties have established the reputation of the house, with all the sauces: way beautiful sight, with garlic butter or lemon, with tomato and basil. During our visit, we tasted the homemade fish terrine and the lobster bisque as a starter, and as a main course, a classic of the most efficient, sole meunière, nicely prepared and delicious. As for the meat, the filet with pepper and cream sauce or the crown of lamb with garlic and rosemary stand up well. A tasty cuisine at fair prices.

In the center of Spa, opposite the casino, this discreet little address blends in with the other buildings. But behind its façade lies a simple, welcoming place, with a large, shaded terrace at the back. In terms of cuisine, the restaurant offers a colorful mix of brasserie and gastronomy, with a focus on regional specialties, including langoustine skewers, marinated lamb and beef, as well as fresh pasta dishes (such as the lobster, saffron and vegetable ravioli) that will delight fans of the genre.

It looks like a fisherman's hut, it's tiny and cute. You'll find the widest selection of this North Sea specialty, belegde broodjes, filled breads in short, many made with the catch of the day at rock-bottom prices. There are even hot breads and paninis. A lovely discovery, open only in the morning and at lunchtime. We recommend making an assortment to sample the various specialties, and taking it away for a picnic on the beach.

An ideal place to eat a Belgian dish and taste a beer from the abbey of Grimbergen. Finally, it has been more than 220 years since the Grimbergen beer is brewed within the walls of the eponymous abbey, demolished in the 18th century by the French revolutionaries. But since 1950 the brewery Alken-Maes uses this name to produce an amber beer. The monks of today can no longer find the original composition after having gone through 35,000 books... But this did not discourage them: a brewery was relaunched within the abbey itself.

It is in the enchanting setting of the former Château van Merris that the restaurant Manoir Ogygia welcomes its guests for a gastronomic and romantic dinner. If you can't afford to stay there, treat yourself to the luxury of a dinner. Depending on your desires and your budget, the chef offers you a bistro menu or a more refined menu per evening, no more. Only with fresh seasonal products, whose menu evolves with the seasons and according to the creativity of the chef at the stove. The service is worthy of the greatest restaurants, the wine list is top-notch.

Situated at the top of the famous chairlift linking Mont Rouge to Mont Noir, this no less renowned establishment offers an exceptional panorama of the Flanders plain through its bay windows. Chef Joris Mylle's gourmet cuisine of the highest standard is served in the large dining room, which combines rustic chic with contemporary touches. The wine list pays homage to the most beautiful regions of France, but here you can also taste wine produced on the nearby vineyard plots.

The institution in the district of Saint-Amandsberg, close to the Saint-Bavon Abbey, has a huge terrace. We linger there to have a drink or eat an extraordinary waterzooi. The house guarantees that all products are fresh of the day! In season, we run there mainly for mussels, the other house specialty. Mussel season? From July to Easter, pretty much! The house is over fifty years old and serves the many local beers as they should be. The right address to taste the local specialities in this area.

The sober, stylish interior exudes a hushed, warm ambience, enhanced by the open fire. Lady chef Christa Cappelle is supported by her husband Rik Van der Meersch in the dining room, who knows how to recommend the best wines. The menu changes with the seasons, of course, but the house specialty is bouillabaisse with lobster. A treat that doesn't overshadow the rest of the carefully simmered menu, where, surprise, you'll sometimes find garlic frogs' legs. Are there any French people in the room?

For many, Tijdok is above all the best fish soup in the region! Chef Marianne Pauwaert prepares it according to her own recipe, which won her the competition for the best Flemish fish soup. She prepares it with common whitefish, red gurnard and common pout... and a good dose of talent! The freshly caught fish is cooked in the traditional way, offering a bouquet of flavors such as fried cod fillet or shrimp cocktail. An address much appreciated by the locals.

Towards the airport, we head for the village. Because yes, Zaventem is also a village, and a charming one at that. And for less than the cost of a round-trip ticket on Alitalia, you can enjoy the local atmosphere, with a menu of must-tries and a few gastronomic surprises, such as swordfish, carpaccio trio or pasta al forno, salmon and vegetables. The pizzas are prepared in the traditional way, the pasta is fresh, the suggestion board is constantly renewed and the wines are particularly well chosen. Terrace.

This restaurant is decorated with Pop'art paintings. For lovers, choose the tables near the open fire. Let's go to the table: the specialities range from the home-made foie gras terrine and its jelly to old port, oven-roasted lobster, lemon butter, green eels, North Sea bouillabaisse and game such as pheasant and venison, and the shellfish risotto which is unanimously appreciated. As for dessert, the Tatin tart and its speculoos ice cream. Remaining at the top of the culinary art is the challenge of Ronny Venus and Ann Hoflack!

This beautiful villa with a cosy and elegant setting is located just opposite the Exhibition Centre. Ideal for the clientele linked to trade shows, but not only... The establishment serves brasserie cuisine with a varied and seasonal menu that will appeal to all generations all year round. The large garden can accommodate about a hundred people. A few games for children prove that the little ones are welcome. A gin trolley and a smoking room show the interest shown in the older children. Clear... and repeated over and over again.

This is a fine address. Not only is the Belle Époque house splendid, typical of the Flemish coast with its corbelled facade and pretty garden terrace, but the food is fabulous, both in terms of aesthetics and original compositions. There are no main courses or starters here, just a list of seasonal dishes to choose from in tapas, starter or main course versions, simplicity itself. Lobster, fish and seafood are just as varied as the meats. As an added bonus, the restaurant's extended opening hours are a rarity in the region.

In a family home, Xavier and Karine have set up shop in the heart of Spa. Their cuisine is halfway between gastronomy and tradition. The tasteful decor is a blend of modern and antique design. With a focus on fresh market produce, the menus offer excellent value for money. Preparations are close to perfection, both visually and in taste. As for the wine selection, it matches the dishes and has no unpleasant surprise effect on the bill.

With its world maps, objects from the four corners of the globe and a stuffed zebra on the wall, the journey begins when you push the door. This exotico-tropical trip can be found on the menu through tapas to share, fusion dishes and original salads (Cajun chicken wrap with guacamole, Mac Marrakech burger with lamb...), but there are also timeless Flemish cuisine with beer. The exotic cocktails are also exotic. In summer, terrace and pretty interior court. We bet here on the eccentric decoration, but the plate is creative and affordable.