Lunch in Antwerp
Antwerp, everyone loves this vibrant city just across the border. You can eat all day long here, because there are an incredible number of restaurants. To help you get started, here are the best lunch spots.
Mampoko
At this restaurant, you don’t come to be hip; you come to enjoy a plate full of hearty, indulgent food. From a killer croque to charolais filet mignon. The daily specials are written on a huge chalkboard that is presented beside your table. Don’t expect a chai latte or lemonade in a jam jar here. Tea is served on an old-fashioned tray, and you’re welcomed with a bowl of bar snacks. Just the way we like it.
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BÚN
Vietnamese street food: I can never get enough of it, which is why I make it my mission in every city to find the best Vietnamese restaurant. This gem in Antwerp satisfies all your cravings. The team prepares classic dishes passed down from generation to generation. But don’t expect an old-fashioned establishment. BÚN is clean, delicious and modern. In short: an essential address for all Asian food lovers.
Texas Coffee
Are you crazy about trends like blue or pink lattes, freakshakes, coffee in a cone and other unicorn-style craziness? Then Texas Coffee is your new hotspot. Absolutely everything and everyone is Instagrammable here. Oh, and importantly, beneath all those sparkles is some very good coffee.
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Tinsel
Tinsel is a household name in the trendy ‘t Zuid district. They serve good coffee and make delicious sandwiches here. Our best description? Something involving houseplants, MacBooks, small tables and white walls. You know what we mean. Nothing wrong with that, though—in fact, Divers, Barchel, Native and Wasbar are more or less the same and therefore just as nice.
Fong Mei
Two large lion statues mark the entrance to Antwerp’s Chinatown. There are an incredible number of places to eat here, but after an extensive testing period, this is truly the winner. For the best dim sum in Antwerp, you have to pull up a chair at Fong Mei. The service is a bit stiff (what’s new), and the interior isn’t impressive (again: what’s new), but the food here is absolutely fantastic. Want to enjoy Chinese food somewhere truly chic? Then you really should visit Bij Lam & Yin; this dinner restaurant has been awarded a Michelin star.
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Black Smoke
Black Smoke is an all-in-one concept featuring a bar, barbecue restaurant and rooftop bar in a single building. In short: the ideal way to spend the day when the weather outside is bleak and grey. We suggest working your way from the bottom to the top. Start with a limited-edition beer experiment at the bar, go for a piece of slow-grilled meat and finish with a cocktail in the sky bar. Naturally, the latter is only open in spring and summer.
Plateau Royal
The Noorderterras is hip and happening, and Plateau Royal is one of the reasons why. As the name suggests, they serve platters here. Fruit de mer platters, to be precise, which are just as grand and imposing as the restaurant itself. This is where you go with friends or family to eat with your hands and drink wine all evening. Want even more fish? Dock’s and Fiskebar are also excellent choices.
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