Where to Eat in Ghent | 8 Restaurants and Best Waffles in Ghent

The picturesque medieval city of Ghent in Belgium is not only home to castles and canals but also boasts a thriving culinary scene. The perfect place to tantalize your taste buds and explore some unique flavours.

The food ranges from the traditional moules and frites, irresistible chocolates to the famous Belgian waffles sold on almost every street corner – and of course the beers. It’s also a paradise for veggies, being hailed as the vegetarian capital of Europe.

With a huge array of cafés, bars, and restaurants in Ghent, the gastronomic and fusion cuisine on offer will make your mouth water. Being a university city, many of the restaurants also exude a young, hip, and urban vibe.

Keep reading if you want to explore where to eat in Ghent with the 8 best restaurants that we discovered during our family city break. As well as a quick bonus section mentioning the best waffle in Ghent that I ate.

Read Next: Why Ghent Should Be Your Next Family Break

Read Next: Why Ghent Should Be Your Next Family Break

Best Waffles, Ghent

To start off this list, I am giving special mention to one of the most popular Ghent foods – Belgian waffles. It’s accurate to call them Ghent waffles, as this is where they were invented. If you’re looking for the best waffle, Ghent is the place to go.

You can’t visit the birthplace of waffles without trying one. This is the spot to go to.

Food in Ghent ranges from the traditional moules and frites, and irresistible chocolates to the famous Belgian waffles sold on every street corner and of course the beers. It’s also a paradise for veggies, being hailed as the vegetarian capital of Europe.

Max Waffles Ghent: Taste the Best Waffle in Ghent

Max is the place where the waffle was invented. It’s very cool to know you’re eating a bit of history and then to top it off you sample these delicious desserts.

The family has been cooking the best waffles in Ghent Belgium for six generations, evident from the line of hundred-year-old waffle irons lining the wall. All add to the charming art deco interiors.

Today Yves Van Maldeghem the great, great, great, great, grandson of Pierre ‘Max’ Consael runs the iconic establishment.

A real Max waffle, known to us as the Belgian waffle, must be 4 x 5 with twenty squares. The lightest of waffles are almost like air and ever so moorish.

The locals eat them with icing sugar, although a variety of toppings are offered from whipped cream, fruit, maple syrup, and chocolate.

Max | Goudenleeuwplein 3 | 9000 Ghent

Best Restaurants in Ghent

Now that you’ve got dessert out the way, you might actually want to know what to eat in Ghent. Luckily, there are plenty of restaurants to try out with some delicacies that might even outshine the world-class waffles.

While you could find these places on your own, you can book a guided tour to show you all the best places to eat, local attractions, and ways to get around the city. This can really help you get the most out of your time here.

La Botaniste – A Vegetarian’s dream

Ghent is home to a huge number of vegetarian (or vegetarisch in Gent) restaurants compared to the size of the city. The idea behind La Botaniste is food as medicine, where they serve 100% organic plant-based food and natural wines.

On entry, it has a look of an apothecary or age-old pharmacist. Behind a big wooden counter are rows of shelves full of bottles filled with a variety of healthy, tasty food substances.

Starters can be anything from a veggie sushi or fresh spring roll to a mezze or seaweed tartare. The large bowls are their specialties like spicy chili sin carne with mixed beans, turmeric and sour cream served with rice and quinoa.

The Jeff, miso mushroom sauce with cooked potato, raw salad, and aioli dressing. And the Pasta al Mafiosi, perfect for kids with wholewheat pasta with soylognese sauce, green olive oil and gomasio.

Kiddy bowls are also available for all the large bowl options or why not make your own DIY bowl.

If you still need more healthy treats afterwards, desserts like the quinoa peanut butter cookies, omega 3 brownies and chia seed pudding are served.

Otomat – Belgium Pizzeria

In a former 17th-century inn where you’ll find a pizzeria with a twist. Surrounded by the industrial decor, vintage lamps, neon letters and metal mesh, heavenly pizzas will be served.

Made from dough which uses brewer’s yeast, the pizzas feature a surprising combination of toppings. Try the Ritmo De La Nacho, a Mexican fury with black beans, jalapeno, nachos, red onion, cheddar, and coriander and topped with sour cream and guacamole.

Or how about the Tom Selleck, with pickled pineapple, jalapenos, ham on the bone, pickled ginger, and ricotta di bufala.

The Las Vega is a vegan option, with a sauce of legumaise curry, spinach leaf, garlic, mushroom, Zuma paste (homemade chilli paste made from Habanero peppers), coconut flakes and espuma soy yoghurt. Literally a three-course meal on a pizza!

Oh and the classic margarita can still be found on the menu to appease those taste buds just after the usual.

Wash the slices down with homemade lemonade squeezed from interesting flavours like dark caramel sea salt and lemon & rose or with a choice of 20 different specialty beers.

It’s the perfect place to chat, relax, and share your pizzas with friends and family. And let’s be honest, an Italian restaurant is always a winner when travelling with kids.

Otomat | Kleine Vismarkt 3 | 9000 Gent | Website

De Superette – bakery and Restaurant

Slightly off the beaten track, but still within walking distance of the centre is De Superette. In a former corner grocery store called Superette Edwin, acclaimed chef Kobe Desramaults has opened this hip bakery and restaurant in Ghent. Shared dining plates and unique flavours are the order of the day with a fresh loaf of sourdough.

The relaxed homey atmosphere is the perfect place for a lazy morning or afternoon reading your newspaper. The loft-like space has rough brick walls, vintage furniture, and a wood-burning bread oven.

We brunched on tasty cheese and mustard toasties with the most incredible tasting bread and poached eggs, doused in chilli oil yoghurt, topped with croutons. In the evenings the bread oven is used to make pizzas.

De Superette | Guldenspoorstraat 29 |9000 Gent | Website

Wasbar – Launderette Meets Designer Cafe

This quirky eating joint is a cross between a designer cafe and a launderette. Yes, you can enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner, relax with a cold beer or fresh coffee, and reply to a few emails all whilst washing your undies!

The most efficient form of time management seen and a massive hit with the student population.

Upstairs washing machines line one end of the café full of vintage-inspired furniture and a pastel slash bright coloured palette.

The bagel burgers are the main draw. The Curry Kentucky is a local favourite – a grilled chicken and curry sauce burger. The Lucien Le Parisien with Serrano ham, goats cheese, and sundried tomato can also hit the spot.

We lunched on the Jacky Seratki, delicious marinated halloumi, red pepper, basil dressing, and spinach, and the Trying Nemo with steamed salmon, tartare and red cheddar. All are served with potato waffles and a lashing of mouthwatering truffle mayonnaise. What’s not to like here?!

Wasbar | Korenmarkt 37 | 9000 Gent | Website 

In Choc Gent – Daskalides

This chocolate coffee bar in Ghent is the perfect place to stop after a visit to Gravesteen. Conveniently located practically opposite the Castle of the Counts, you can indulge in sweet treats, coffee, hot chocolates, and their well-known crazy shakes.

There are choices like chocolate marshmallow clouds, oreo vanilla cookie monster, bubblicious, or unicorn. Kids will be in seventh heaven with a severe sugar high – as will the adults.

In Choc Gent | Sint-Veerleplein 13 | 9000 Gent | Website

Frites Atelier – Vegan Friendly Frites

Belgium is known for its frites and a Ghent food guide is not complete without the addition of a friterie. The quest to try the Belgium delicacy is harder than you think for a veggie, as most of the frites sold are fried in animal fat.

Frites Atelier uses plant-based oil and I love how the skins are left on for an extra earthy taste and a dash of vitamin C. The inventive toppings are guaranteed to lead to indecision from Flemish Stew and Indo Super Hero to the Kimchi Special.

The additional freshly made sauces are delicious too – free from preservatives and other nasties, with a choice of deep truffle, the famous classic, french bernaise, lovely andalouse and the chef’s ketchup offering a vegan option. Who cares if the company is originally from Amsterdam, NL. Frites are frites, right?

Frites Atelier | Groentenmarkt 20 | 9000 Gent

Holy Food Market – Eat in a Chapel

The 16th-century Baudelo Chapel has seen many guises from church, and library to now Ghent’s hottest dining spot. Essentially a food court, it houses a mix of gourmet outlets from 16 local food entrepreneurs around a swish central bar.

Walking through you can take a food journey through many different cuisines like Japanese, Thai, Italian or Russian. Enjoy it all surrounded by the buzzy atmosphere of the chapel where a young Mozart played some of his first concerts – truly one of the most unique places to eat in Ghent.

Holy Food Market | Beverhoutplein 15 | 9000 Gent

Finding What to Eat in Ghent

While you can find out more information about Ghent on the Visit Flanders website, at least now you won’t go hungry. With so many delicious Ghent restaurants to choose from, you’re going to struggle to enjoy them all.

Whether you opt for one of the delicious Ghent waffles or some of the freshly fried frites, you will not leave here disappointed with the culinary experience.

Where’s the coolest place you’ve eaten on your travels? Let me know in the comments box below.

Disclaimer: We were guests of Visit Flanders, however, all views, opinions and photos are my own and remain a copyright of the Curious Pixie.

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