The best seafood restaurants Belgium

Restaurant, scaling bench and caterer specialising in seafood... so far, nothing very original even in Wavre, 150 km from the coast. But the owner of the place had a good idea: to enlarge her restaurant by attaching a barge to it. We are transported on the waves! To perfect the impression of sailing, the crew dressed as trawler captains at lunchtime. The cook offers monthly suggestions where freshness and seasonality are paramount. A beautiful terrace and small garden for the river-sick monkeys.

Jean-Luc Collin's beautiful brasserie was born in the 1900s and was then called Café de l'Espérance. It honours the winegrowers with a hundred or so wines on the menu, including quite a few natural or biodynamic wines. Inside, there is a restaurant area, a brasserie area and an open kitchen where you can keep an eye on the brasserie or local dishes, good cuts of meat or offal such as brains and marrow bones. Non-stop scaling and take-away seafood, suggestions and excellent lunch. Pleasant and professional service.

Thierry Van Damme, who collects fine breweries like others collect classic cars, launched this one with his partner Michel Grenier. A brasserie overlooking the Meuse at the foot of the Luxembourg Bridge, it boasts a shellfish bench (oysters, mussels, clams, langoustines, North Sea shrimps...). The menu features regional classics: croquettes crevettes, entrecôte, américain, sole meunière, vol au vent... Afternoon drinks service only. In fine weather, superb outdoor terrace.

Giant clock, suspended passageways, old drawer cabinets and above all this lively brewery atmosphere. A magnificent setting for a kitchen where oysters, fish, seafood and regional recipes are put in the spotlight. The menu changes twice a year and plays transparency with the traceability of the products. Like those from their own farm for Bresse chicken and other meats. Some biodynamic wines complete the menu. La Quinc' has an induction kitchen allowing low temperature cooking and minute preparations.

The name says it all: here, the specialty is lobster. This noble animal is served on a 750 g plate in plain, grilled, thermidor, Armoricaine or waterzooi (a typical Ghent stew) versions. Other house specialties include shellfish platters (oysters, various shellfish, langoustine, crab, razor clams, gambas, shrimp, lobster, etc.), bouillabaisse (which can be garnished with crab or lobster), à la carte fish of the day (sole meunière, swimming halibut, etc.), and traditional Belgian mussels and French fries. The dining room is rather small, so book ahead.

Taken over at the end of 2023, this institution of Liège's gastronomic landscape has benefited from a refreshment while retaining the unique style of the place. The traditional Art Deco brasserie is unique in the region. The kitchen offers a variety of lobster dishes. The menu evolves with the seasons. The seafood platter features oysters, clams, mussels, langoustines, half clams, shrimps and periwinkles. You'll also appreciate the shrimp croquettes, considered the best in the city, as well as the genuine Liège coffee.

ABC Mateos mixes Brussels and Spanish tradition by offering delicious tapas (in a very popular Street Bar formula) directly linked to the daily arrivals of fish and shellfish. Sea snails, shrimp croquettes, fish soups, grilled sardines, fried smelts, paella, oysters, all accompanied by a glass of white wine... Small selection of Spanish wines to take away. You can lick your fingers and keep them clean to start a seafood platter, if ordered. In short, this is much more than a fishmonger's, welcome to Max's!

Welcome to the Cardinal de la mer specialist! Joost Nollet and his wife Françoise have been delighting their many loyal customers for over 35 years. The restaurant seats just 30 diners, inviting you to enjoy the intimacy. Lobster is Ostend's undisputed expert when it comes to sublimating seafood platters and lobster. Situated opposite the Kursaal, the pleasant restaurant is an invitation to indulge: lobster à l'armoricaine, or with green pepper, saffron or tarragon, lobster stew with asparagus, etc. A real treat!

Crab isn't the only thing on offer at the Crab Club, a small canteen-style establishment near Porte de Hal! Other seafood (crustaceans, shellfish, fish) and a few meats are lovingly handled by Yoth Ondara, a Nîmes chef of Thai origin. What characterizes the menu? Asian touches (sea bream with pak choi, duck with Chinese cabbage) and interesting land-sea combinations (glazed pork with octopus, mussels with sausage). A real treat at a fair price. In early 2022, the restaurant underwent a facelift, providing an opportunity to (re)discover it.

It's the little brother of Fiskebar, which only opens in summer in the Eilandje district. With a name like that, you'll have guessed that it serves fish and seafood, as well as vegetarian dishes. Everything is organic and local, with fish on the menu according to the day's arrivals. Raw, cooked or grilled, the aim is to maintain the purity of the product, like these just-grilled sardines accompanied by a vegetable pickle and sprouted lentils. Enjoy them on the huge terrace overlooking the basins, or inside a glass box that resembles a greenhouse.