Antwerp Restaurants and Dining

(Antwerp, Antwerpen, Flanders, Belgium)

Seafood dominates much of the dining scene in this busy port city and many restaurants in Antwerp serve sumptuous main courses containing freshly caught fish. There is no doubt that Antwerp has grown to become one of Belgium's most notable food cities.

Both locals and visitors enjoy the whole dining out experience, and as a direct result of its popularity, Antwerp is home to a huge and ever-increasing selection of restaurants, many of which specialise in traditional Flemish cuisine.

What to Eat

When dining out in Antwerp, you should definitely try to sample some of the local specialities. Many restaurants and eateries often serve the following:

• Belegde broodjes (filled sandwiches)
• Boerenworst (sausage)
• Boterhammen (slices of bread with various different toppings)
• Smos / Smoskes (layered, garnished bread)
• Spiegelei (fried egg)
• Stoemp (mashed potatoes and vegetables),
• Suikebrood (sugarbread)

Where to Eat

The Old City Centre contains perhaps the highest number of restaurants in Antwerp. Take the time to explore the streets and you find that away from the crowds, some of the most unassuming dining venues are often the best.

Highly regarded restaurants can be found on Oude Beurs, Reyndersstraat, Wiegstraat, Zirkstraat and Oude Koornmarkt, where stuffed pitta breads are perfect for a quick snack.

Many eateries are also close to the Groenplaats, the Handschoenmarkt and Antwerp's cathedral (kathedraal), on stretches such as Jan Blomstraat and Pelgrimstraat. For fast food, look around the Central Station Quarter, where pitta places, burger bars and chip shops (frituurs) dominate the Statiestrasst.

Countless trendy eateries are spread around the 't Zuid area of Antwerp and although most of these restaurants fall into the mid-range category, a series of cheap pizza joints are also to be found here. The L'Entrepot du Congo on Vlaamsekaai was one of the first bistro-style restaurants to appear in this part of Antwerp and its warehouse setting is still appealing today.

For coffee, cakes and salads, the cafeterias within the Old Dock Quarter of Antwerp are hard to beat, although the popular Melloney's tearoom on the famous street of Zurenborg holds its own.