15 Best Restaurants in Bruges and the Coast, Belgium

This working brewery—the only one in Bruges—not only has a rather pleasant courtyard but produces the Brugse Zot and Straffe Hendrik brands that you'll see in many bars around town. If you want to see the brewery in action, daily 45-minute tours (hourly 11–4, with an extra tour at 5 pm on Saturday) cost €9 and include a glass of the house blond beer in its unfiltered form. You'll also find out how a 3-km (2-mile) length of pipeline was laid under the city's medieval streets to allow for enough beer to fill 12,000 bottles an hour in a plant outside the city limits and still keep their brewing operation within Bruges.

True beer lovers should aim for the extended daily 2 pm tour (€19; 90 minutes), which descends into the cellars for a more in-depth tasting session and hopped-up tales.

A L'Envers is French for "inverted," and the name reflects this modern restaurant's simple but effective concept: to present dishes with edgy new flavor combinations, and old-school traditional fare, all on the same menu. The house specialties include beef carpaccio, and scampi cooked half a dozen ways, the latter served both as a starter and as a main, but it is on the three-course "surprise" menu that the chef really lets his imagination run wild.

This fine bistro-style restaurant is a glorious celebration of the simpler things in life---the stars of the show are the less starry meats on offer: the rabbit stew and pigeon fillets justify their slightly inflated prices owing to the quality of the cooking, backed up by a decent wine menu. Space is at a premium, with most tables downstairs in the cozy bunker of a basement (lined with various pigeon knickknacks) and a terrace during summer.

The food at this intimate bistro in a half-timbered villa is French-influenced modern European, but with a few nods to Flemish traditions thrown in to suit the old-fashioned surrounds, such as rabbit cooked "grandma's way" in Trappist beer. You can order most dishes as a starter or as a larger main, but if you want to try several at once, ask for the smaller "tapas" portions.

Although the menu at this simple but cozy family-run place splits itself evenly between seafood and meat-based dishes, its location---directly across from the harbor where the fishing boats land their harvest---means you will seldom go wrong if you opt for the catch of the day. Scallop starters and lobster mains add extra sparkle for those in need of a little indulgence.

The brasserie restaurant beside the coastal promenade in downtown Knokke has a slightly old-fashioned feel, but it serves reliably good, hearty portions of Belgian classics, and some excellent seafood to boot. The latter should come as no real surprise given the location: snag a table on the outside terrace in summer and you enjoy a sea view, and inhale the fresh salty air as you dine.

In a plum spot along the route from the Markt to the Burg, this no-frills restaurant is well known among locals---the plain furnishings leave the focus on the fresh seafood for which the establishment is famed. Although eel and steak are available, the restaurant’s biggest draw is mussels—there’s nothing more basically, and deliciously, Belgian than a huge crock heaped high with shiny, blue-black shells.

A Bruges institution for more than three decades, this cross-vaulted, medieval crypt has evolved over the years from a lively tavern with loud music at night, into a more genteel restaurant that provides a quiet spot for conversation over a meal and a glass of wine. The menu covers steaks, and Belgian classics such as vispannetje (fish stew), mussels, or rabbit, all at very reasonable prices.

Commanding a fabulous location right on the main square, this charming restaurant occupies a lovely white-painted old house, and boasts interior furnishings, including a large chandelier and plentiful oak beams, that create an atmosphere of timelessness. The food lives up to the decor, with beautifully presented French-Belgian dishes that are not afraid to bring in influences from Asia and elsewhere.

Lace curtains in the front windows---and an interior that looks unchanged in a century, but which was probably carefully crafted to look that way---set the tone in this traditional restaurant serving hearty portions of no-frills Belgian classics, prepared in a style of which Grandma would have approved. Even French fries and side salads have no place here: all mains are served with cooked vegetables and creamy mashed potato---if you're looking for cutting-edge nouvelle cuisine you may be disappointed, but if you want a homey feast you won't go hungry.

A 15-minute walk from the Markt, this informal Belgian café-restaurant attracts a roaring crowd—a legacy of being just a few doors up from one of the city's busier hostels. The menu changes regularly, although the food inevitably veers toward the comfort variety, with some excellent stews (like its simple but winning pot-au-feu) regularly cropping up. In a city where restaurants don't need to try that hard to find business and aren't afraid to charge for the privilege, Lion Belge is inexpensive, consistent, and friendly.

This place close to the main square is so unassuming from the outside that, were it not for the simple front terrace, you might think it was simply someone's home, but step through the front door and on the inside you'll find a welcoming and cozy modern bistro. The menu is not long, but usually features well-presented takes on Belgian classics such as paling (eel) and vispannetje (fish stew).

Attached to Hotel Heritage, the elegant dining room at Le Mystique dates from 1869, and its high ceilings, chandeliers, and linen tablecloths create a refined atmosphere, perfect for quiet conversation. Here, chef Raoul de Koning creates a blend of modern French/Flemish cuisine using the freshest seasonal and local ingredients, served in fixed-price menus of three or four courses.

This stylish, redbrick bar and restaurant lies above the old Cinema Liberty in a Gothic-style building that dates from 1482—all wooden beams, iron latticework, and stained glass. The fare is bistro-style comfort food at its finest: Flemish stews, bloody steaks, and the odd exotic meat (kangaroo). This is the full package–the food, great choice of wines, and live jazz and blues combine to make this one of the better nights out in the city.