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Annick Debels, Director Gent Congres
My favourite spots: Top restaurants:
Instead of highlighting three top restaurants, I would like to highlight three tasty trends as a result of the culinary revolution going on in Ghent.
Three young and rebellious chefs are breaking with the gastronomic laws of dining. These three Flemish Foodies hate to stick by the rules. The result is a playful, dynamic and delicious cuisine. The Flemish Foodies have each opened their own ‘no-nonsense’ restaurant in Ghent in the last few years, which fully complement the direct and rebellious character of the city (‘Volta’ – ‘De Vitrine’ – ‘J.E.F.’).
Pop-up restaurants are coloring our city streets. For instance there’s a James Bond-inspired restaurant called ‘M with a view’ with of course, a spectacular view. True gastronomic gems!
Ghent is an organic heaven for vegetarians, every Thursday is veggie day and there are dozens of fun, unique little restaurants, shops and even organic supermarkets welcoming you to explore local vegetables and specialties grown following the principles of eco-friendly cultivation. Healthy and delicious!
Best bars:
Café Theatre: Metropolitan brasserie with a sparkling and elegant interior located in Ghent’s Opera House. Not only refined world cuisine and traditional dishes, but also first class cocktails in the bar next-door.
The Gruut Brewery is one of the rare breweries to use a mix of spices, known as gruut, instead of the traditional hops. Although this brewery uses modern technology it brews its beers in keeping with the ancient traditions.
Wasbar: Impressive launderette with adjoining bar. Young tourists, students and young inhabitants of Ghent come here with or without their laundry while sipping a cool beer or a coffee at the bar.
Hot spots:
Graslei & Korenlei: Ask ten inhabitants of Ghent what the most beautiful place in their city is and nine will answer the Graslei. Today this medieval port with its unique row of historical buildings, which are reflected in the long river, is the meeting place par excellence. Young and old, inhabitant and visitor, everyone meets on one of the many café patios or simply by the water. This is the thriving heart of the inner city.
Patershol: The Patershol quarter is the medieval heart of the city. Today, the Patershol is one of the city’s most desirable neighbourhoods. For good dining, you can choose from one of the many restaurants which have sprung up in the medieval alleys. From Japanese to Thai, to delicious traditional Flemish cooking, you’ll find everything here.
Kouter and the Blue Kiosk: For centuries the Kouter has been the true meeting place for the people of Ghent. If you have to choose a time to go for a nice walk across the Kouter, let it be Sunday morning. You’ll bump into the real Ghent inhabitants at the weekly flower market. Upon arrival, they enjoy a delicious espresso and they call it a day with fresh oysters and a glass of white wine at the Blauwe Kiosk.
Gent Congres is the official convention bureau for Ghent and East-Flanders. The team of the convention bureau helps international associations free of charge to find the ideal venues and hotels, the right partners, and original concepts to make their event a real success. www.gentcongres.be