Brugge restaurants
Beery places with good food
This article recommends a number of places in Brugge where we enjoy eating. Not all the places we recommend also do good beer, but a number of our Guide entries do offer good food as well as good beer. You you can find these places listed here.
Of these, our favourite for food is Cambrinus. The food here is good quality, extremely consistent, and service is fast. It needs to be, given the size of the crowds it often deals with. For this reason, booking ahead is highly recommended. We love their beef steak with mushroom sauce - see photo below.
Just a few doors away, younger sister Cafe Cambrinus also now does a small 'tapas' menu - and again, quality is high. Not in the Guide, but the Cambrinus twins' newer sister pub, Flandrine, does good food - including a highly memorable venison stoofvlees on our first visit, November 2021.
Bij Koen & Mariijke (previously In 't Nieuw Museum) is another old favourite, and if you like big, grilled meats then this is the place for you.
If you like ribs, then try Ribs 'n Beer, on Ezelstraat.
Vlissinghe is another good option for lunch, and Halve Maan is good for food large and small, with its extensive all day menu. 't Terrastje is another good option - serving small 'tapas' style plates - but be sure to check its opening days & hours.
Other Brugge restaurants
Brugge has hundreds of restaurants, many catering very obviously for the tourist market. Here are a few of the other ones:
Lion Belge, Langestraat 123: immediately next door to Guide entry 't Hof van Beroep, this restaurant offers Belgian classics in very generous portions at decent prices. Quality and value has been very high on our visits to date. No reservations, but you can normally get a table even if it means a short wait at the bar.
Bistro de Pompe, Kleine Sint-Amandsstraat 2: classic Flemish dishes executed well in this small, friendly eatery not far from 't Brugs Beertje.
Refter, Molenmeers 2: classy bistro, part of the Karmeliet empire and sister to Michelin starred Zet'Joe. Not cheap but very high quality, great service and atmosphere. Highly recommended.
Diligence, Hoogstraat 5: more classic Flemish dishes done well. Notable for the fact its kitchen stays open late, till midnight - a rarity in Brugge.
Cezar, Jeruzalemstraat 1: expect slightly more upmarket classics at this slightly off the beaten track neighbourhood restaurant.
Cuvee, Philipstockstraat 41: this is a quality wine shop which doubles as a really atmospheric restaurant. Most of the plates are small but qualtiy is high and service fast and efficient. As well as a selection of natural and other wines, there is a small but quality beer list, including bottles of Saison Dupont.
Malesherbes, Stoofstraat 5: the deal here is you mustn't tell anyone else about this hidden gem, tucked away down a little alley near Brouwerij Halve Maan. It's a French restaurant, run by an owner and team with great personality. It's tiny, so definitely book ahead.
Au Petit Grand, Philipstockstraat 18: locals in the know say this is the best restaurant in Brugge. We haven't been to all of them, so we can't be sure, but we do know that the steaks here are incredible - and they're cooked on the grill in the open kitchen area at the front. We've enjoyed a number of visits here and are happy to recommend. See photo above, by Leila Waller.
Bistro Christophe, Garenmarkt 34: this place is a little off the beaten track, south of the Markt. Food has been excellent on the various occasions we've eaten here, and we've been particularly impressed by the stoofvlees (beef stew) - and the frites are very good too.
Poules Moules, Simon Stevinplein 9: this is in a very central location, and you could be forgiven for thinking it would always be overrun by tourists, but we've enjoyed a number of good meals here in relative peace and quiet. Strangely enough, the chicken and the mussels are normally very good.
De Koetse, Oude Burg 31: big steaks on an open grill, just round the corner from Poules Moules, above.
De Schaar, Hooistraat 2: lovely neighbourhood restaurant off the beaten track, about 10 minutes' walk from the Grote Markt, south of Langestraat. Very close to our Guide entry In 't Nieuw Museum. De Schaar's delicious salmon and pasta dish is highly recommended.
De Nisse, Hooistraat 12: between De Schaar and In 't Nieuw Museum, this is a cosy place run by a husband and wife team, one doing the cooking and one front of house. Food and ambience are both lovely.
Going upmarket
If you fancy a splurge or have a special occasion to celebrate, then Brugge has a couple of excellent Michelin starred restaurants, both of which we highly recommend:
Sans Cravate, Langestraat 159: if it's on offer, we recommend one of the multi course tasting menus, with wine. Allow plenty of time, but the quality here is really excellent. The restaurant is at the very end of Langestraat, near the outer canal and windmills. See photo of one of the tasting menu courses below.
Den Gouden Harynck, Groeninge 25: older in style and it's been around a good bit longer, but this restaurant offers high class dining near the centre of town.
Goffin Restaurant, Maalse Steenweg 2: just over the outer canal at the end of Langestraat, this classy restaurant offers some amazing flavour combinations on its innovative tasting menu.
Cheaper eats
Recommended to fit a lower budget:
Casa Patata, Rozenhoedkaai 6: contrary to popular opinion, we don't rate most frites places in town particularly highly. There's nowhere on the same level as Frituur No,1 in Antwerp, for example. But Casa Patata's frites are pretty good, and there's a decent view too.
't Terrastje, Genthof 45: as mentioned above, this is a good option for good value, tasty small plates which won't break the bank.