The best restaurants Namur

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.

Elegant, welcoming, old-French setting in the former Tanneurs workshops, now the Hôtel des Tanneurs. The chef is Hubert Quairiat, equally at ease with products from both land and sea, and capable of combining creativity, tradition and presentation without false notes. The easiest way to see for yourself is to opt for one of the menus (Espiègle, Balade or Gourmand), a total mastery. There's a reason why this restaurant, which has been one of Namur's top addresses since 1988, attracts so many gourmets.

A good, old-fashioned address, where the ambient red (gingham tablecloths, tables and chairs...) is enhanced by dedications from personalities and artists who have one day tasted this cuisine in the form of a love affair with local produce. Local and international. On the menu, jambonneau au gratin, groin de cochon, entrecôte de boeuf and cassoulet are all firm favourites. You'll also want to come for the warm welcome: boss Dominique Renson is a dry wit who doesn't take any crap! He produces an exclusive and delicious aperitif, the Florange.

Located on the banks of the Meuse, near the marina, this Michelin-starred restaurant offers a unique setting. Contemporary architecture and interior design use aluminum and wood as the main materials. Creative cuisine is served here, with meticulous presentation: chef Julien Wauthier offers pleasure to the palate and the eye. The menu features noble products such as scallops, game and offal such as sweetbreads and veal cheek. The terrace on stilts and the riverside garden are sure to tempt you on sunny days.

Carl Gillain remained at the helm but Agathopède changed its name to a more corporate name. More convivial and with less fuss, the restaurant of the Royal Snail hotel opted for bistronomy. We eat at the bar or on low tables if we wish, we have an unpretentious aperitif before continuing with the plates served à la carte. The ex-second-in-command of Comme Chez Soi opted for a 90-degree turn in the spirit of the times, another emblematic address where he also made his mark. Bosses break codes and we love it!

At the entrance to the city, the tavern offers a variety of menus and daily specials. Pan-fried Irish entrecôte, vol-au-vent, homemade meatballs and old-fashioned knuckle of pork are just a few of the must-tries served at Champs-Élysées. Seafood is also a highlight. In fact, everything is homemade, in keeping with the traditions of an authentic brasserie. The owner is a sommelier by passion, and it's a pleasure to discuss wines with him. The dining room and veranda are spacious, as is the terrace, heated in winter and shaded in summer.

Algerian restaurant, couscous specialities.

A few blocks from the Jambes bridge, the Pain Quot' is in the air of time while keeping the specific DNA of the sign (falsely aged decoration, large table of hosts, counter presenting its tempting suggestions, beautiful luminaries), the clientele of regulars has its marks there. It is good to stop there for a breakfast, a soup, a sandwich, a piece of pie. The specialities are succulent and of quality like the Tuscan plate or the beef basil sandwich. We do not forget the suggestions and superb cakes. Other address: rue du Collège, 5.

You'll be amazed by this terrible liner that appears to be moored against the Jambes lock. In fact, it's a new building complex on the ground floor of which the brasserie has taken up residence. The terraces are crowded with people in fine weather, and the superb dining room, with its tables arranged according to mood, is bustling with people. The menu is rich and varied, featuring classic brasserie dishes that have been (re)visited. A special mention goes to the vol-au-vent and its sweetbreads. The fish is beautifully prepared. The wine bible includes some fine Belgian parishes, and the sommelier has mastered his subject.

Les potes are two young enthusiasts, François and Damien, who embarked on this adventure in February 2020. Their menu offers freshness and seasonality in two starters (mushrooms in 3 ways or roasted scallops), two main courses (Belgian game meat or catch of the day) and as many desserts. The restaurant is highly recommended, both for its contemporary setting overlooking the river and for its contemporary gourmet cuisine. Also noteworthy is the cheerful service: François and Damien come to your table to present their dishes.

This restaurant-brasserie, with its contemporary furnishings, is housed in a perfectly renovated former grain market. The premises are pleasant, bordering the Sambre and overlooking the Citadelle, and popular with tourists in fine weather, especially on the terrace. The menu features regional and local cuisine in a busy atmosphere. A tempting selection: shrimp croquettes, veal bread à la namuroise, braised sweetbreads, salmon au gratin or linguine with scampi. Sauces are plentiful, so ask for them on the side.

Pascal Pirlot prepares top-flight bistronomy dishes. The modern premises exude a certain warmth: the icy chocolate walls contrast subtly with small touches of fiery red. The house owes much of its reputation to its fresh fish and shellfish dishes and its seasonal menus, always precisely directed. From autumn onwards, game plays elbows with sole and Breton lobster. The chef's speciality: an egg cooked at 63°C (in a different version, but never off the menu) and incredible value for money.

In the house once owned by his parents in the Plante district, Charles Jeandrain offers gourmet cuisine based on seasonal produce. The hyper-trendy decor is the opposite of the classic style of yesteryear. On the plate, haute cuisine: lobster rubs shoulders with sweetbreads, Iberian pluma, langoustines, turbot and oxtail. The chef also offers Belgian "ocietra" caviar, served with cauliflower, lemon and bread. Reservations recommended. Take-home store and classes to reproduce.

For ages, the rue du Président has been known for its good lunches. Especially at lunchtime, on the street... well, on the terrace, on the pedestrian street. Taking over from an emblematic address, Mel' has done everything to make you feel at home. The name is just a play on words because you are not asked to bring your napkin ring. Mel offers a short menu of small, reassuring dishes, based on fresh produce: hot goat's cheese toast, mixed salads, sandwiches. Simple dishes that appeal to everyone, including children.

Be Belge is a small, recently relocated restaurant in a leafy corner of Namur, with a short menu that anticipates the seasons. Catherine and Axel do their name proud with dishes that feature local ingredients... but not only. Fish from the North Sea coexist with farmhouse pork with Bister mustard, game in season, and strawberries and chocolate are the special guests for dessert. Axel Devaux is a graduate of the Namur hotel school. His menu is bimonthly and features home-made products.

L'Entité is the kind of address you feel you've always known. Unchanging, with its terrace in front, from which you can watch the passing cars and pedestrians while being seen, you can enjoy a beer, a coffee, a croque or a dish of the day. The clientele? A flock of regulars either leaning against the counter, or always at the same little marble and wrought-iron table. The bulk of the clientele are students and staff from the nearby university. Its ideal location close to the RAVeL and Louise Marie Park attracts many customers.

This little café in the old town of Namur opens its doors to customers in the morning for breakfast. No endless list of lattes or frappiatti, just good coffee from Delahaut, Namur's historic roasting house. At Café Fleuri, everything is homemade: the toast, the pancakes... and you're welcomed like a regular. Take a seat by the window, around a white marble table to watch the onlookers, or in the back, to scrutinize the details of a wallpaper... that's bound to be flowery!

The Peanut's is a resto-bar which emphasizes a good reception rather personalized and smiling. The ideal place for a meal, for an aperitif or for both at the same time! A subdued and relaxed atmosphere, a wooded and warm decoration will accompany the customers throughout their passage in the establishment, until late in the night. The kitchen is open for lunch and dinner and the specialties of the house are the penne scampi tartuffata and the Italian beef steak. For the rest, a nice list of beers from home and abroad.