This week I’m taking you to Antwerp ! You can come to visit the museums, enjoy the urban spaces or discover this capital of the fashion world. But you can also come to eat well. Gastronomy holds the pride of place here and there are several restaurants that are not to be missed. The Flemish metropolis is home to The Jane, one of the most famous restaurants in Belgium. But there are many other restaurants that make Antwerp a true gastronomic capital. While you can indulge yourself with the many chocolatiers, cafes and waffle makers, there are also several very good restaurants. It's all about gourmet restaurants as well as breweries or bistros where you can enjoy the freshest fish and seafood.
Here are five of the best restaurants that make Antwerp a gastronomic city with nothing to envy in its European neighbours.
The Jane stands for excellence at every level. Excellence for dishes inspired by European traditions as well as Asian or South American traditions. Excellence in the preparation of products whose purity of taste is always perfectly preserved. Excellence in the variety of dishes and in the many sweet and savoury creations. Not to mention the excellent service and the wine list. All this makes The Jane renowned in Antwerp but also throughout Belgium and beyond. As for the setting, there are "tattooed" stained glass windows, skeleton neon lights that barely illuminate a room where amazing techno pieces are displayed. Nothing is traditional but everything is delicious, innovative and avant-garde.
The former chapel is completely renovated to welcome one of the best new gastronomic destinations, offering simple yet refined dishes with powerful flavours for a sensational result.
Chef Nick Bril and his team perform miracles impossible to forget once you have tasted them.
The Jane, Paradeplein 1
In 2015, the Graanmarkt 13 restaurant was awarded the Gault & Millau Award for the best vegetable restaurant in Flanders. It is no coincidence!
This restaurant is unusual in many ways. The setting is already amazing since it is a mix of concept store and gallery. But it houses many tables and allows you to enjoy delicious cuisine, right next door to the Rubens House.
The chef, a rising star of the new Flemish cuisine and still under 35 years of age(he is one of the "Flanders Kitchen Rebels") introduces you to a hearty and varied cuisine based on vegetables. The latter are transformed, gain in taste, combine with each other and are particularly appetising. The aromatic herbs come straight from the roof terrace of the Graanmarkt 13, but there is also meat and fish.
In short, this is an address that is not to be missed, whether you like vegetables or not and every time, there’s something new and completely successful to discover. The bistronomic experience is unforgettable as are the vegetarian creations, ultra gourmet and superbly presented.
From the outside, the Fiskebar is far from flashy. However, as soon as we push open the door, the tone is set and there’s nothing to regret. The Scandinavian decoration hides one of the best addresses in Antwerp for savouring fresh fish and seafood. You will find no gourmet menu here but, beneath the disguise of a neighbourhood restaurant, you will discover how it has achieved its reputation. Ultra-fresh seafood tastily prepared and cooked absolutely perfectly. You must try the organic salmon cooked on one side only, come back to enjoy the sole of the day, tuna, king crab, shrimp, scampi, lobster or mussels ... The address is now so well known that you have to book to be sure of having a table, whether at midday or in the evening. And besides, everything that is prepared in Fiskebar comes from sustainable fishing. this is a place where it is good to have lunch in a simple and chic setting with a pleasant service.
Fiskebar, Marnixplaat 12-13
We go to Het Pomphuis for its grandiose setting but there's much more to it than this. The restaurant is located in a huge industrial building in the port of Antwerp, near the MAS. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was a pumping station that drew water from the number 7 dry dock. The setting is really impressive and the dimensions are simply monumental. Woodwork, huge windows and elegant decor create the ideal setting for lunch, dinner or simply enjoying a drink. It is in this amazing setting, reviving the atmosphere of the 1920s, that we come to savour a modern and seasonal cuisine. We can enjoy pheasant, beef tenderloin, turbot and many other ingredients that change with the seasons. Vegetables are equally appetising and the chefs draw on all their creativity to offer you delicious results. It is an ideal place for exclusive dinners or meals with friends.
And when the weather is fine, the terrace overlooking the harbour offers yet another reason to visit the Het Pomphuis.
Het Pomphuis, Siberiastraat
If the old centre of Antwerp is not necessarily famous for its great restaurants, the Brasserie Appelmans is definitely worth a visit. It takes its name from the cathedral which is less than 100 metres away. Pieter Appelmans was indeed one of its architects. In a building dating from 1900, restored at the beginning of our century, this is a truly luxurious brasserie, modern, pleasant and offering high-quality cuisine. The contemporary and warm atmosphere is ideal for enjoying very good Belgian cuisine with a modern twist.
And then, there is also the Absinthbar where you can sip excellent cocktails. It is considered one of the best cocktail bars in Antwerp. On the first floor is the Private Bar, another more intimate venue where you can discover fantastic drinks.
Brasserie Appelmans, Papenstraatje 1
