Bruges has some very good chefs and the highly competitive restaurant scene, frequented by locals, keeps prices competitive (although relatively expensive by British standards; expect €50-€60/£45-£55 per head to pay, or more, for a high-quality three-course meal with wine). The cuisine is mainly French or French-Belgian in style, but often with ingenious twists and a touch of fusion. You need to eat well in Bruges – if your budget is tight, check out the set lunch menus in the best restaurants. And avoid the tourist restaurants on and around the Markt and on ‘t Zand.
For more Bruges inspiration, check out our guides to the island’s best hotels, nightlife and activities.
Bonte B
Chef Bernard Bonte creates haute cuisine dishes with disarmingly simple titles: asparagus and Zeebrugge shrimps, truffle linguine with beech mushrooms, molten chocolate cake with yoghurt sorbet and caramel – names that say little about their inspired flavor combinations and artistic presentation. The restaurant, in a grand old mansion, is stylish and spacious, with an elegant, simple Swedish design and wooden floors – the perfect complement to the subtle complexity of the dishes served.
Contact: restaurantbonteb.be
Prices: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Bistro Bruut
This restaurant is small (only 22 seats) and only open from Monday to Friday, but offers an exceptional, surprising gastronomic experience. Chef Bruno Timperman is passionate about creative food, and it’s thrillingly good, so book ahead. The name refers to the use of raw, natural ingredients – fresh, seasonal and ethically sourced – and the set menus of four or five courses (changing every month) feature inventive combinations, flavors and textures: expect scallops, langoustine, pheasant with wild berries, radicchio, kumquats, bergamot and violets. The decor is retro, rural-industrial in an old canal house.
Contact: bistrobruut.be
Prices: ££
Reservations: Essential
BistroChristophe
This is a great bistro with a swagger and style that has made it popular with locals. It fills two relaxing, spacious rooms with candlelight, retro-style wooden chairs and tables and white walls with mirrors and contemporary art. Under Christophe Verheyen at the helm, the open kitchen produces robust French-Belgian cuisine of good quality: North Sea fish soup with toast and rouille, home-made shrimp croquettes (always a taste of good Belgian cuisine), stud (beef stew) made with Leffe beer, steaks and home-smoked salmon. The fried sweetbreads are particularly good. If you’re not sensitive to the relatively high prices (starters from €17/£16, mains from €22/£20), it’s a lovely place to eat.
Contact: christophe-brugge.be
Prices: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Local
Chef Jürgen Aerts ran the renowned restaurant Kok au Vin in this building for many years. It still has its attractive Scandinavian decor, but now he has entered into a partnership with fellow chef Hendrik Dequeker and renamed Locàle, specializing in small plates or “snacks and bites to share”. With dishes such as shrimp croquettes, quail, beetroot ceviche, scallops with chicons and celeriac and wild mushrooms with salsify, the focus is on local, seasonal and organic products – sprinkled with a masterful touch that will make you stand out.
Contact: locale.be
Prices: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Den Heerd
Here, at the back of Hotel Montanus, in an attractive modern pavilion with glass walls, a ceiling with several globe lamps, sleek gray-orange chairs and fresh linen, you will find culinary perfection. It’s even better in summer, when the tables are set up under parasols on the paved terrace in a large garden. Chef and owner Jo Dezutter works from his open kitchen and creates beautiful things with seasonal dishes and surprising combinations: think of gravadlax with asparagus sorbet or pigeon fillet with winter vegetables. Even if you are not staying at the hotel, you can have a delicious breakfast here.
Contact: denheerd.be
Prices: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Best table: In the summer on the garden terrace
Assist Blanche
The name says it all, and it’s sure to leave you with a clean white plate, scraping up every last morsel of chef Stefaan Timmerman’s finely judged, seasonally sensitive dishes. They are essentially French-Belgian with outside influences including sea bass sashimi, North Sea shrimp, pork cheeks and Angus beef – but it’s the subtle differences that make the experience. Food is served in a stylish, lounge-style dining room with comfortable sofas and modern upholstered chairs, surrounded by wood paneling and poster-sized photo portraits of cinema stars – a sophisticated and relaxed setting for elegant dining.
Contact: assistanteblanche.be
Prices: ££
Reservations: Recommended
The Belgian Pigeon House
This small restaurant is crammed into the ground floor and 13th century brick vaulted cellar of an old crow-stepped mansion, all beautifully restored with a pleasant mix of antique, retro and modern furnishings. It specializes in grilled meats and steaks, including the house specialty: grilled pigeons. But there is much more on the menu, such as duck rillettes, North Sea shrimps and rabbit stewed in Bruges beer. This is uncomplicated and honest cooking, with a touch of inventiveness, such as the addition of delicate Chinese artichokes to the tapas dish with cheese and cold cuts.
Contact: belgianpigeonhouse.com
Prices: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Refer
De Karmeliet was an acclaimed three-star Michelin restaurant in Bruges that unfortunately closed in 2016. This is the bistro’s offshoot, operated under the same management, and it brings all the high standards, attention to detail and quality of service of its illustrious sister at very reasonable prices (especially the weekday lunch menu). It’s a relaxed, modern setting in two rooms overlooking a courtyard garden, both packed quite tightly with stylish furnishings. The cooking is French, albeit with inspiration from other places, as evidenced by the roasted langoustines with a curry of sweet potato, chorizo and coriander.
Contact: bistrorefector.be
Prices: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Visbar den Gouden Karpel
Den Gouden Karpel is a large family business, with a fish shop and caterer that, appropriately enough, overlooks the 19th-century Fish Market, and a respected fish restaurant on the other side, on Huidevettersplein. The Fishbar is a small, simple and attractive café-style setup where you can eat as light or as full as you want. While you taste oysters, mussels, seafood salads and fish of the day, customers walk in and out of the store for their fresh fish. It’s the perfect place for a delicious lunch of high-quality seafood and a glass or two of white wine.
Contact: dengoudenkarpel.be
Prices: £
Reservations: Walk-ins only
Lion Belge
Walk into Langestraat for a truly Belgian gastronomic experience. Lion Belge is built like a traditional bistro café, with simple wooden tables and chairs and a long bar (you can eat on bar stools overlooking the busy open kitchen). The price is Belgian through and through, with plenty of robust dishes, such as beef stew (beef stew), meatloaf (meatloaf) and white and black sausage with puree and applesauce. But you are also very welcome just for a snack of soup, a croque monsieur or spaghetti bolognese (a classic Belgian café dish).
Contact: +32 496 21 02 44; facebook.com/p/Lion-Belge
Prices: £
Reservations: Recommended
