Food guide: non-stop feasting in Ghent
Heading to Ghent soon? Lucky you, because aside from the fact that the Belgian city is dedicated to the Ghent Festivities from July 19 through July 28 – one of the best city festivals in Europe – Ghent also has an incredible amount of delicious food to offer. This is where you need to be.
Delicious sweets
I wrote about it before: anyone who loves old-fashioned sweets absolutely must go to Temmerman on the Kraanlei. This candy store – or rather: confectionery – has been around since 1904, is still run by the Temmerman family and is completely packed with all kinds of Flemish sweets; from nonnebillen to Ghent noses, you’ll find them all here.
Confiserie Temmerman
Kraanlei 79
Healthy lunch
It has already been proven that eating from a bowl really is more delicious than eating from a plate. But I’d dare bet that the bowls at lunchroom Boon would taste just as good tipped out onto a plate. The name says it all: everything contains some kind of bean. From edamame to coffee beans. Vegans and vegetarians are guaranteed to find something they like here too; a large part of the menu is vegan or can be made vegan.
Boon
Geldmunt 6
Make your own vanilla truffles
If there’s one thing our southern neighbors are good at, it’s chocolate. For classic patisserie, Luc van Hoorebeke is the place to go. Crazy about macarons? Then head to Joost Arijs. But even more fun: learn to make them yourself! Maison 12 offers fantastic workshops. I learned how to make typical Belgian vanilla truffles and poured my own chocolate slabs (which instantly gives you the perfect snack for the journey home). Note: you can only do the workshops with a group and have to request them in advance.
Maison 12
Onderstraat 12
Experimental beers
At Hal 16, an old warehouse by the harbor, you’ll find microbrewery Dok Brewing Company. They brew 1,000 liters of each beer just once. Whether it’s a success or not: when it’s gone, it’s gone, and they don’t make any more. This gives them the flexibility to experiment. And how: beer inspired by Black Forest cherry pie? Check. A beer with kilos of real raspberries and a Berliner Weizen base? Check. The names and labels of the beers are at least as striking. No wonder: once the beer has been brewed, it’s tasted, and the brewers give themselves five minutes to come up with a name. These range from ‘Dikke ma zijt aan de zuid’ – loosely translated: your mother is a whore – to Tjiepmeule, or: crybaby. The label is designed each time by different art students. In short: go!
Dok Brewing Company
Dok-Noord 4B
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- Dok Brewing Company
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- Dok Brewing Company
As good as ever at Jetje
This used to be home to a pink shop called Tierlantijntje. It was not only a cabinet of lace curiosities, but above all a cozy place where everyone was welcome for a chat and a cup of coffee. In the meantime, Grandma Jetje’s premises have been taken over by her granddaughter Pauline, who runs a small but lovely restaurant there with her mother Mieke. You can still go there for a cup of coffee and a chat, by the way. But they’re also very fond of a delicious aperitif here.
Jetje
Kraanlei 33
Fusion 2.0
Mexican-Middle Eastern food? At first, that sounded like a strange mix to me, but if you think about it a little longer, it actually makes perfect sense. Spicy feta brûlée, ceviche with labneh and pomegranate, shakshuka meatballs and ribs marinated in yogurt for 24 hours: at Amigo, they prove that Mexican and Middle Eastern cuisine are the best of friends.
Amigo
Stapelplein 31
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