Eating classic dishes in Antwerp? Here are the 10 best restaurants

Laatste update 16 april

Antwerp has plenty of places to be when it comes to culinary enjoyment. Young chefs conjure up the most surprising dishes on your plate. The fries from Frituur Falcon are the best in the country. And due to its multicultural character, you can eat dishes from all corners of the world in Antwerp. However, we went in search of the real classics. Where can you eat the best pot of mussels in ‘t Stad? Where do they serve the tastiest meatballs in tomato sauce? And where is the vol-au-vent really top? Here you’ll find my personal favorites: 10x restaurants to eat in Antwerp.

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10 restaurants to satisfy your hunger: classics to eat in Antwerp

De Arme Duivel

Our favorite! The small (there are about 25 seats inside) De Arme Duivel (eng: The Poor Devil) mainly serves you the typical Belgian cuisine. Stew, steak tartare, shrimp croquettes, or a vol-au-vent? Check! Tasty, fresh, and friendly are clearly the keywords in this no-nonsense brasserie – where time stood still – which opens its doors every day at 12 o’clock. Also, take a look at the suggestion menu and do yourself a favor: reserve a spot in advance (online) because this restaurant is almost always full! In summer, there are plenty of extra seats on the terrace.

Arme Duivelstraat 1 | Antwerp

Den Artist

Brasserie Den Artist on ‘t Zuid is a household name in Antwerp, near the Museum of Fine Arts. Here you can enjoy the real classics from the Flemish brasserie kitchen. Think of chicken with applesauce, steak tartare, or tomato shrimp. The decor is wonderfully quaint and charming.

Museumstraat 14 | Antwerp

‘t Elfde Gebod

Also in ‘t Elfde Gebod, you’ll be hit with classics. In the shadow of the cathedral and among the holy Mary statues, you can enjoy, for example, a delicious stew De Koninck, the Antwerp beer. The dishes often get a biblical variant here, such as Adam’s Rib or Heavenly Cow.

Torfbrug 10 | Antwerp

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Billie’s Beer Kafetaria

Billie’s Beer Kafetaria is first and foremost a real local bar where they serve countless beers. The small café in Kammenstraat is an icon among Antwerp residents and tourists. Most of them immediately put their conquests on the beer app Untappd. But not everyone knows that you can also eat really well there. Most dishes are prepared with… right, beer. For example, go for the pig cheeks in Rodenbach Grand Cru. Please note: food is available from 6 p.m.

Kammenstraat 12 | Antwerp

Lung Wah

Odd one out in this list: Lung Wah. Not a real brasserie with Flemish classics, that’s for sure, but one with real Chinese classics. Don’t expect any frills or lots of coziness here, but this restaurant does have the best roasted meat. We have our wild boar, they have their grilled suckling pig. We have our roasted chicken, they have lacquered Peking duck. Everything is prepared here traditionally and to perfection. Lung Wah is located in the middle of Antwerp’s Chinatown, right across from Central Station.

Van Wesenbekestraat 38 | Antwerp

De Bomma

De Bomma (eng: Granny), what’s in a name? They describe their dishes as comfort food. The menu is full of Flemish and simple classics, with a touch of nostalgia. Start your lunch with a cup of tomato soup with meatballs, after which you can continue to enjoy, among other things, ‘blind finches’ with bacon and mustard. Still room left? Then you have the option of, among other things, rice pudding or chocolate mousse. There is a lunch menu with two or three courses under twenty euros every day. And if you have a photo of your grandma, you can immortalize her on the wall.

Suikerrui 16 and Willem Ogierplaats 3 | Antwerp

De Rooden Hoed

De Rooden Hoed is probably Antwerp’s oldest catering establishment and a real institution in the city. If there was something to celebrate, Franske in Lili & Marleen (Flemisch serie) invariably took his Lili to De Rooden Hoed, near the Our Lady Cathedral. One of the specialties: lobster. Admittedly, not really a Flemish classic. Yet there are dozens of traditional must-try dishes on the menu here. Or how about rabbit with prunes, waterzooi, eel in cream, or calf’s liver with pork belly? This grand café is in the slightly higher price range, but is worth every euro.

Oude Koornmarkt 25 | Antwerp

De Zeven Schaken

De Zeven Schaken, right next to Antwerp City Hall, is a local pub, but you can also enjoy tasty typical dishes there, such as blood sausage with applesauce or mashed potatoes with sausage and bacon. The plates are nicely presented, the portions (too) large, and the prices democratic. For dessert, you can cross the street to have a Bolleke in the typical bars Den Engel or (and) Den Bengel. Or you can stay and try if you still have room for a dame blanche or homemade rice pudding.

Braderijstraat 24 | Antwerp

Ciro’s

At Ciro’s on Amerikalei, you’ll find a no-frills kitchen. This brasserie has been around for ages and still serves classic dishes like hare back, calf kidneys, and sole meunière. The service is one of the reasons to visit Ciro’s: with care and etiquette, and silver plates.

Amerikalei 6 | Antwerp

Bourla

In the beautiful interior of restaurant Bourla, there is a fantastic atmosphere. Here you eat classics at a fair price, even though you’re in the heart of Antwerp city center. Don’t expect beautifully decorated artworks on your plate, but tasteful dishes and well-filled portions. The six-rib with salad and fries is to lick your fingers for. The ox tongue in Madeira sauce is tender as butter. In good weather, it is lovely to sit on the terrace at the traffic-free square. Combine dinner at Bourla with an evening of theater.

Graanmarkt 7 | Antwerp

Best brasserie Antwerp practical

🛎️ ACCOMMODATION TIP: For the research of this article, we stayed in a nice hotel near Antwerp Zuid. B&B Hotels, a French hotel group that already has hundreds of modern hotels in more than 10 European countries but is still relatively new in Belgium, opened its first hotel near the Palace of Justice. B&B Hotel Antwerp South has compact but practically furnished rooms, a flat-screen TV where you can watch via Chromecast, and fast -free- wifi. In the morning, you have the opportunity to have a fresh breakfast there.