Eating and drinking in Ghent

We went to several very nice bars for Belgian beers in Ghent.

Dulle Griet has a staggering selection of beer, plus a half dozen of their house beers.

Ghent still brews a unique beer, a Gruut, at Gruut Brewery, or Stadsbrouwerij Gruut. The beer style dates from before hops were used, so a mix of herbs and other flavorings are used. If you are interested in beer, it is well worth a stop.

Waterhuis aan de Bierkant is a nice old bar, located right along the river, excellent selection.

For atmosphere, the Trollekelder is neat, takes off on a troll theme, but also very good beer.

There are also a couple craft breweries, and honestly bar after old bar, that you could easily stumble on a gem.

Thanks that’s really useful. Exactly our sort of places. They all look excellent on Google maps and Dulle Griet is 3 minutes from our apartment.

Not so far from Dulle Griet is Keizershof for many decades a well known restaurant in Ghent. 't Dreupelkot close to Het Bierhuis aan de Waterkant, is the place to go for strong drinks and 't Galgenhuis the tiniest café by far in Ghent. Galg is btw the Dutch name for gallow, cheers!

Besides visiting the named places Ghent is ideal for popping in somewhere like Paul already notes, there is much to explore and to discover, just try! Ghent is beautifully illuminated after sunset, so strolling around and enjoying the atmosphere is part of the fun.

Thanks. These are also exactly the kind of places we were looking for. I’m sure we’ll find others but it’s really useful to have a few starting suggestions as we find our feet.

Thanks again.

Restaurants: Souplounge for lunch and Brasserie Bridge for dinner. Both were recommended on this forum and were excellent choices for me.

Favorite beer garden: Yo's Place. They had a huge selection of beers and were very friendly and helpful in my efforts to learn about different types and figure out what I wanted to try. It is located on Oudburg, a street filled with restaurants including many ethnic/international ones.

Darn you for asking the question, in going through my notes and recommending the above, as well as input by others, I now realize I miss Ghent. Luckily I have an upcoming trip at the end of March, with 3 nights available between Frankfurt and Schiphol Airport.

At least one of those nights will be in Ghent I have decided.

CD - thanks. They look good and soup for lunch sounds nice.

Paul. - apologies and you’re welcome!

I can personally vouch for each bar/cafe that Paul recommended. Dulle Griet is the best of the best IMO. Their beer list is as large as a phone book. If you stick around long enough, you will witness patrons shoes being pulled up to the ceiling with the ringing of a bell. To help ensure the drinker doesn’t run off with the large, valuable glass of their house ale, you must give up one of your shoes.

Also, please do not ignore Will’s brief mention of t Dreupelkot. The locals will often refer to this small venue as Pol’s Place, who is the cigar smoking older gentleman who is often pouring you their take on Jenever (think fruity and dessert like shots that will not knock you out). Earlier versions of Pol’s place were recommended by RS in his guides.

A couple more recommendations:

Hot Club Ghent: Down an alley near Pol’s place sits a nice bar/cafe which features a nice blend of hipsters and gray haired folks who want to listen to some music and have beer and drinks. If not interested in the music, their beer garden is the best in town.

Balls & Glory: Stand in line with the locals and order savory meat balls and potatoes (or veggie balls). Take a seat and enjoy.

't Galgenhuis: Cool old interior with large variety of beer.

Enjoy. I haven’t been to Ghent since Covid. I, too, am missing this city.

More excellent suggestions. Many thanks. The business with the shoes sounds really wacky!

We’ve got a week so should be able to sample most, if not all, of our growing list. Given the enthusiasm of people here I’m beginning to think we will end up returning once we’ve got the bug.

I'm taking note of these suggestions. We'll be there in April. Cheers!