Ghent Food Guide: What to Eat, Where & How Much

Ghent doesn't shout about its food scene. It doesn't need to. This compact Belgian city has quietly built a reputation as one of the most interesting places to eat in Northern Europe — and not just because it's home to the world's largest collection of Flemish Primitives. Ghent feeds you well: Flemish stew bubbling in copper pots, crispy waffles with no apology, and a vegetarian culture so strong it designated Thursday as officially meat-free back in 2009.

Whatever you're after — cheap student eats, Michelin-quality Belgian cuisine, street food at a night market, or the country's best chips — Ghent has it, and it's more affordable than you'd expect from a medieval European city.

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Must-Try Dishes in Ghent

Gentse Waterzooi

This is Ghent's signature dish — a thick, creamy stew that has been served in this city since the Middle Ages. Traditionally made with fish from the Lys and Scheldt rivers (the original recipe), modern versions are usually made with chicken. The broth is enriched with cream and egg yolk, loaded with root vegetables, and served with crusty bread on the side.

Where to try it: Café Den Turk (Goudenleeuwplein), Rechthuis van Moorsel, or Mosquito Coast for a more casual version. Expect to pay €18–24 for a full portion.

Cuberdons (Neuzenkes)

Ghent's other claim to food fame: the cuberdon, a cone-shaped candy with a hard raspberry-flavored shell and a gooey center. They're sold from bright-colored carts near the Vrijdagmarkt and Sint-Baafsplein. The two most famous vendors — Geldhof and Van Hecke — have been feuding over the "best" cuberdon for decades. Try both. €2–4 for a small bag.

Stoverij (Flemish Beef Stew)

A Belgian staple across Flanders, but done particularly well in Ghent's traditional brasseries. Slow-braised beef cooked in dark Belgian ale (usually a Trappist or abbey beer), mustard, and herbs, served with a mountain of frites. This is hearty, cold-weather food at its finest. €16–20 at most traditional spots.

Belgian Frites

Not "french fries." Actual Belgian frites: double-fried in beef fat, thicker cut, served in a paper cone with a choice of 25+ sauces. The best fritkots (fry shops) in Ghent include Frietketel near Gravensteen and the permanent stall at Vrijdagmarkt. A large cone with sauce: €3–4.

Belgian Waffles

Two styles to know: the Brussels waffle (light, rectangular, eaten fresh with toppings) and the Liège waffle (dense, sweet, eaten plain). Ghent serves both, though the street versions tend toward Liège-style. Best eaten fresh from a street stand rather than a café. €2–4 plain, €4–6 with toppings.

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Where to Eat by Neighborhood

Patershol — Best for Traditional Flemish Dining

This cobblestone neighborhood north of Gravensteen Castle is Ghent's restaurant quarter. Narrow lanes packed with low-ceilinged estaminets (traditional Flemish taverns) serving the classics: waterzooi, stoverij, rabbit in kriek beer.

Top picks:

• Brasserie Ha' — classic Flemish kitchen in a 16th-century building, waterzooi to order, mains €18–26
• Eetcafé De Zuiderburen — neighborhood gem with changing seasonal menus, known for great value
• Karel de Stoute — upscale Flemish cuisine with a refined take on local dishes, worth the splurge

Graslei & Korenlei — Waterfront Dining

The canal-side strip is scenic but touristy, which means higher prices and more average food. That said, it's worth sitting at a canal-side terrace for a Belgian beer at sunset even if you eat elsewhere.

Smart picks: Order drinks here, not dinner. Grab a beer at Het Waterhuis aan de Bierkant (100+ Belgian beers on tap) and walk to Patershol for actual food.

Korenmarkt & City Center — Student-Friendly Eats

The central square and surrounding streets have everything from quick bites to sit-down meals. This is where you'll find the best concentration of lunch spots, bakeries, and frites stands.

• Soup'r — quality soups and sandwiches, lunch under €10
• OAK — excellent coffee and breakfast, avocado toast for when you need it
• Panda — vegetarian restaurant dating from the 1980s, a Ghent institution

Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat — The Student Strip

Running through the university area, this is where you eat cheaply and well: kebab shops, pita bars, budget sushi, Vietnamese, falafel. Full meals under €8.

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Ghent's Vegetarian and Vegan Scene

Ghent takes vegetarian food more seriously than almost any other Belgian city. The Thursday Veggie Day (Donderdag Veggiedag), started in 2009, has spread from schools and public cafeterias to influence the wider restaurant culture. Many restaurants offer thoughtful veggie menus, not just token salads.

Best vegetarian spots:

• Greenway — fast-casual vegan, good burgers, around €12
• Komkommertijd — café-style, rotating seasonal veggie meals, lunch €9–12
• De Superette — bakery-meets-restaurant, farm-to-table, sourdough everything, brunch €14–18
• Panda — Ghent's original veggie restaurant, set menus from €15

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Belgian Beer to Pair With Your Meal

Ghent has multiple excellent beer bars that serve as good restaurants for snacks and sharing plates alongside their beer lists.

Bar	Specialty	Must-Order
Het Waterhuis aan de Bierkant	100+ Belgian beers	Local Gentse Strop amber ale
Dulle Griet	500+ beers	Max (1L beer served in a special boot glass)
Gruut Stadsbrouwerij	Ghent's own microbrewery	Gruut Amber or Wit, brewed with herbs instead of hops
The Fallen Angels	Jazz bar + craft beer	Rotating local drafts

Ghent specialty to know: Gruut beer is brewed without hops — instead using a medieval herb mixture called gruut that historically was taxed by the city. You can tour the Gruut Stadsbrouwerij brewery near the Zuidpark for €12 with tastings included.

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Food Markets in Ghent

Vrijdagmarkt (Friday Market)

The large central square hosts a weekly market on Friday mornings and Sunday mornings. Mix of produce, antiques, and street food. Go on Friday for fresh vegetables, local cheese, and the best cuberdons vendors.

Groentenmarkt (Herb and Vegetable Market)

Daily covered market in a 16th-century structure next to the Vrijdagmarkt. Local farmers selling produce alongside cheese, fish, and bread stalls. Best time: 7:00–13:00.

Nachtmarkt (Night Market)

Seasonal event in summer — street food vendors line up along the canals on Friday evenings. International street food, local specialties, and live music. Check Ghent's official tourism site for dates.

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Budget Guide: What Meals Actually Cost

Meal Type	Budget	Mid-Range	Splurge
Breakfast (café)	€5–8	€10–14	€16–22
Street food lunch	€3–6	—	—
Sit-down lunch	€10–14	€15–22	€25–35
Dinner (restaurant)	€15–20	€22–35	€45–80
Beer (café)	€3–4	€4–6	€6–10
Cuberdons (bag)	€2–4	—	—
Belgian waffles (street)	€2–4	€4–6	—

Overall daily food budget estimates:

• Budget traveler (street food + one sit-down meal): €20–30/day
• Mid-range (two proper restaurant meals): €45–65/day
• Splurge (fine dining + craft beer + snacks): €90–130/day

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Best Bakeries and Coffee

Ghent has a serious café culture worth lingering in.

• Temmerman — old-school confectioner near Vrijdagmarkt, selling traditional Ghent sweets since 1839
• Simon Says — serious specialty coffee, multiple locations, reliable espresso drinks
• Mieke Mokka — neighborhood café with rotating single-origin brews
• De Superette — makes the best sourdough in the city, doubles as a breakfast spot

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What NOT to Do

• Avoid chain restaurants on the Korenmarkt waterfront — they're overpriced and impersonal
• Don't pay for hotel breakfast when bakeries and cafés offer better food for less
• Don't skip the cuberdons thinking they're just tourist candy — they're genuinely good
• Avoid buying Belgian chocolates at airport prices — the city's chocolatiers are 40–60% cheaper

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When to Eat in Ghent

Belgian meal times run slightly later than Northern European norms but earlier than Spain:

• Breakfast: 8:00–10:00
• Lunch: 12:00–14:00 (kitchen closes sharp)
• Dinner: 18:30–21:00 (many kitchens close by 21:30)

Most traditional restaurants don't take walk-ins for dinner — book ahead, especially on weekends. Lunch is generally 20–30% cheaper than the same dish at dinner.

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Build Your Ghent Itinerary Around the Food

The best way to explore Ghent's food scene is to plan your days so you naturally move between neighborhoods at meal times — waterfront coffee in the morning, Patershol for dinner, Vrijdagmarkt for Friday market snacks. That kind of logistics-aware planning is exactly what Faroway is built for.

Tell it you're heading to Ghent, your travel dates, and what you're into — food, history, off-the-beaten-path — and it builds a custom day-by-day itinerary that routes you through the city with meals and timing in mind. Free to use, and a lot faster than figuring it out yourself.