restaurant recs in Antwerp?

Posted by heathereme on 07/30/23 05:44 AM

Still slowly fitting together the details of our trip to France and Belgium this fall. I searched for "restaurant Antwerp" here, but most of the posts were fairly old, almost all pre-pandemic, and I know the landscape has changed greatly since.

I was hoping people might be willing to share their favorite restaurants in Antwerp? Where have you had a memorable meal or a favorite dish? Traditional Belgian food recommendations would be great, but we have broad palates, so almost anything goes. Doesn't have to be fancy, but we'd welcome suggestions at different price points, as we'll have dinner in Antwerp 5 nights, and lunches at least twice. Variety is the spice of life! :)

Thanks!

Posted by garyd

West Chester, PA

07/30/23 11:57 AM

12 posts

We were there in 2022 and had an excellent dinner at De Bomma in the Old Town section. The food and service were excellent and it is a very nice setting near the water. If you have the 3rd edition of RSE Belgium book, the restaurant is listed there, but the address is incorrect. They moved to a better location near the river. Try the cinnamon ice cream!

Posted by jaimeelsabio

Mid-Atlantic area

07/30/23 12:53 PM

6546 posts

We too ate at De Bomma and enjoyed it. My wife had the mussels. It was pre Covid and before it changed locations, so no idea what it’s like now.

Posted by Mary

SE US

07/30/23 12:59 PM

2353 posts

Last year we had a nice dinner at De Pottekijker.

Posted by Christine

California

07/31/23 03:36 PM

745 posts

We enjoyed dinner at Dansing Chocola in their lovely outdoor setting. Also, delicious and fun Indonesian food at Kartini. I think they are both in Rick's Belgium guidebook.

Posted by Tim

Wyckoff, NJ, USA

07/31/23 04:06 PM

7310 posts

Pre pandemic, Antwerp was a great place to wander around and look at places to eat. One Antwerp paragraph in this link:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/belgium/brussels-birthday-dinner-ideas-beer-tours

Posted by Golden Girl

07/31/23 04:28 PM

501 posts

Here are some places I found for fun/cheap/quick/tasty lunches/early evening casual food, if that interests you at all (with the proviso that my tastes run to slightly hipster).

For decent cheap Indian food, Aahaar in the Diamond District does a vegetarian curry buffet that was the place that I saw the most locals! You basically eat in a kind of lean-to on the back of the restaurant, serving yourself from a wide selection of vegetarian food and snacks.

There’s a really good fish & chip place run by a couple of Irish guys. Yes, this Brit went to Antwerp and ate fish & chips. But it is right on the alleyway that runs between the cathedral and the Grote Markt, surrounded by a bunch of touristy-looking places, and the food was really good: https://www.biamara.com/

And then I found a really good pizza mini-chain called Otomat - they also have a branch in Bruges. https://otomat.be/en Some really unusual pizza combinations and a beer selection that made me wish that I still drank alcohol. It’s right near the MAS museum, which is worth visiting for the building and rooftop terrace alone.

Posted by Lane

Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico

07/31/23 04:52 PM

1745 posts

Hoffy's (https://hoffys.be/) is a fabulous Kosher restaurant. I don't keep Kosher, but wow, this place was amazing. Everything is in refrigerator cases; you can point to what looks good, or do what I did and just asked them to select a few items for me.

The other great meal I had in Antwerp was at Rode 7. (Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/rode7antwerpen/). If the weather is good you can sit outside. I had a great lasagna there. (It's not an Italian restaurant, but it was still excellent.)