Groot Vleeshuis is a historic building which used to be the meat market long time ago. Now it's…read morebeen converted into a restaurant, and the cool part about this place (other than the history) is that they have real Flanders ham hanging and drying from the ceiling! You don't have to be eating there to walk through the restaurant to see the ham! After going on a free walking tour, I was starving, so I came to eat lunch here. There are tables in an inside area that's inside of the building (sounds confusing, but when you see it you'll know what i'm talking about), but sitting in the area where the hams are hanging is a lot more fun. You just grab any table and a server will come to you. It's a hopping place for brunch/lunch - they have salads and toast and omelettes, and of course lots of beer options. I wanted to try something local and so I ordered the waterzooi, which is this cream/egg based stew with chicken and potatoes and other veggies. The dish originated in Gent. And since I was at the old Butcher's Hall, I wanted to try some ham. They had a meat tasting dish that came with four different meats. The meat sampler came with Superano ham, Ganda ham, Breydelham, and Gentse kop. My favorites were the Superano and the Ganda - they tasted like prosciutto. The Breydelham tasted like regular ham. The kop was my least favorite - it's basically a pork product made of parts of the pig like the head. I guess it's kind of like spam, but not as tasty. The sampler came with some kind of mustard for dipping the meat in! The waterzooi was tasty and hearty and it was huge!!! It had generous chunks of chicken and yummy potatoes. I like the light creamy flavor. I couldn't finish it because it was too much food. The service was great except it was hard when I tried to pay and leave. My original server was very busy with this large party that was there and he was bringing out dishes two at a time by himself. I finally got the attention of the girl server who was clearing a different table and she came by but when I tried to pay with my credit card, she said I had to go inside to the bar area to pay. So I went and paid and the girl who took care of that for me said it was like some kind of special customer day and gave me this little bottle of a pickled dip for eating meat with! There is free wifi! And there's a restroom, but you need a code to get there!

This former butcher's hall is a great space, and very well matched with the fare they now serve…read more I went with the blood sausage, and it did not disappoint. It was piled high with slices of ham and cooked apples. Pork is one of the specialties here, and the whole dish was very good. The distinctive taste of the sausage filling should be savored. I also had the opportunity to taste the waterzooi, a stew with a cream sauce. It was tasty. I would highly recommend this restaurant, if you find yourself in Ghent.

So many chocolate shops proclaiming they are the best. Our guide pointed out the symbol on the…read morebuilding that denoted "The Belgian Chocolate Code", so we stopped in Confiserie Chocolaterie Crevin. There's a chocolate fountain as you walk in, a lovely case of chocolate. We bought chocolates as gifts and the chocolates we kept for ourselves were divine. So smooth, so creamy, so rich and decadent. I only regret I did not purchase more!

Crevin artisan sucre is a gem in Brugge- a bit hidden bcs the location. If you seek and you shall…read morefind this gem for the chocolate aficionado! Owner & her son has been quietly making high quality chocolates /confections for the discerning taste. They also have chocolates for the lactose sensitive. A quaint Coffee & hot chocolate cafe is in the back... Don't miss out - Crevin artisan sucre is located at Rozenhoedkaai 1 Brugge Karine@confiserie -Crevin.be

This has been a regular stop for me every time we visit Brugge. I would visit this shop every day…read moreif I lived nearby. They make fantastic sugar waffles, outstanding breads, and lots of other treats. The staff is always friendly and the selection is always good. Dont miss this place!

Nice little pastry/bakery shop located a bit away from the tourists. This is a bakery shop for the…read morelocals. In fact, one of the local fine restaurants gets their bread from here and that's how we found out about it. It's about a 10 minute walk from the main square. Well worth a visit. There is a broad selection of pastries for breakfast, pastries for "4pm koffie" and many different fresh breads and other sweets all of superior quality.

And for my 3400th review, if you're going to have Ghent noses, you absolutely should stop by this…read morecart before you leave Ghent. Ghent noses are cone shaped dot-like candies that are almost liquid in the middle. They're quite sugary and my personal favorite was the original cassis and lavender. There was a nose-off years back between two neighboring nose sellers that was front page national news and this vendor ended up keeping his spot. Both carts are now his, but they still visually look like separate vendors. The cart accepts credit cards and you can buy a minimum 3 each or all original. The flavors available are original which is a mix of lavender cassis and other flavors, lemon, apple, and raspberry. The raspberry was the honey's favorite. All in all if you're in Ghent this is a must-eat must-do of having Ghent noses. You won't be disappointed!

Belgium is famous for its chocolate, but if you're East Flanders to visit Ghent, you might want to…read morelook into getting some of Ghent nose candies. Gentse neus, also known as Ghent noses or cuberdons, is (according to our tour guide) a popular local delicacy. The recipe was said to have been first made in the 19th century with arabic gum and sugar, and flavored by fruit and flowers. A member of our group recommended biting off the top of the cone's dry, harder, and gummy tip and sucking out the gooey, jelly center before eating the rest. It takes 5 to 7 days and lasts for about three weeks before the jelly in the center crystalizes. Because of that, you don't really see them sold outside of this part of Europe and is unique to this as an official regional product in this Flemish area. However and because of that, they can be flown back into the US and make great souvenirs and gifts. When we were in Ghent, we saw little bags and boxes of them sold in local souvenir shops in a variety of flavors including raspberry, apple, strawberry, mangoes, licorice, etc. However, we were told those "neuzekes" might not necessarily have the arabic gum. In Groentenmarkt Square, there is De Echte Gentse Neuzen, or The Real Ghent Noses, a cart marketing their "authentic" Ghent noses. It was originally run by Sonny Breine and one of the two carts that were a part of the Neuzekesoorlog, or "little nose war", feud where he and Carl Demeestere competed side by side. Both claimed to sell the real "authentic" recipe and the fight went on for YEARs. The conflict included poaching customers, pointedly getting similar carts, a physical fight, and the mayor and the Chamber of Commerce stepping in with a two-week cart ban and fine for anymore badmouthing respectively. It was hilarious and apparently made national news. XD Sonny isn't the one running the cart anymore, but you can still get the candy! I didn't see the other cart or stand. For a few euros, you can buy a small bag of your chosen flavors (whether you want all of them to be one flavor or a mix), or even get it in a small gift box. The day we went, they had apple, raspberry, and strawberry flavors, and we ended up getting a little of everything. On that day, we didn't see Demeestere's cart/stand? I don't know if it was just the day we went or if something changed, but De Echte Gentse Neuzen was the cart selling "authentic" Ghent Nose to our tour group. So yeah, if you're in the area and looking for a particularly unique experience, gift, or souvenir, I recommend visiting De Echte Gentse Neuzen to try some of this candy. The candy itself admittedly isn't to my personal taste, but I'm glad I tried out all the available flavors. It was fun and really easy to transport back home as it doesn't damage easily. XD

Belgium is known for its chocolates and waffles. This is one of the oldest chocolatiers in Bruges…read more I stopped by the cafe for a little something to warm me up since it was really cold outside. When you order a cappuccino and you get to pick a fresh homemade piece of chocolate. That's a special treat. Waffles were heavenly. Warm, light and it was topped with Belgium chocolate chip ice cream. OMG... it was so good.

Amazing chocolate. Seriously amazing…read more My first foray into Belgian chocolates didn't let me down at all. I just got three pieces of chocolate to sample. I got the caramelized, dried orange covered with chocolate, the hazelnut rocher truffles and another chocolate I don't remember the name of. The orange was amazing with the chocolate, and the way they caramelized it and covered it with the rich chocolate made it perfect. The rocher truffle was perfect, melt in your mouth goodness. I couldn't choose which one was better because both were so satisfying I would definitely return to buy boxes of just the two!

I live in Los Angeles and most "artisan" chocolate shops all start to feel the same when traveling…read moreto Europe until I tried Olivier's. I bought a few boxes for my hospital staff in California, and I ended up coming back to Belgium or making sure I detour through Bruge to get more chocolates for myself too (no joke, now it's been x3 times in 14 months)! Olivier and the team always help me pick each flavor based on who I'm buying for--and every single one has left me impressed. The flavor in these chocolates are exceptional.

Olivier's hot chocolate was heavenly! It was rich, luxurious, and so comforting since we visited…read moreBruges on a rainy day. We also bought some souvenirs for our family back home, and they later on enjoyed their treats. Would recommend!

Great store for stocking the pantry while visiting Brugge. Friendly staff and great selection of…read morefood items.

Nice little grocery store. We picked up a sandwich, a salad and some water for our train ride…read more Reasonably priced.

After years of conniving about how to make a quick trip to Belgium and bring back a suitcase full…read moreof beer, De Hopduvel has become mecca. The prices are warehouse. There are other great warehouse beer outlets in Belgium, but this one you can get to by streetcar. The others you all need a car, car. Much cheaper than the beer shops in central Brussels, you also get to hang in Ghent, which is the best city in Belgium (more casual and more enchanting than Brussels, but not overrun by tourists like Bruges). I looked up their selection before going to pick out what to get. This visit, I stayed at an Airbnb right across the canal from de Hopduvel, had a couple days of tourism, and then loaded up the bags with loot from de Hopduvel (at top in picture). The streetcar then takes you right to the train station.

If this beer shop did mail order, I would be an alcoholic…read more It's a short walk away from a Hopduvel pub but it's not clear if they're related- possibly not, since when we visited the pub most things were out of stock, but when we visited this beer shop everything was quite definitely IN stock. It's a stockist of many many hundreds of beers, most of them Belgian, and beer-related goods such as glasses from dozens of different manufacturers, beer-making equipment and a few bits of memorabilia. The prices are excellent- just round the corner in the tourist heart of Ghent you could be paying up to 10 Euros for some of the more special lambics and gueuzes, yet in here most of the bottles are under 3 Euros each, many under 2 Euros. An absolute bargain. We took home as much as we could possibly carry. It's open to the public, they don't seem fussy about wholesale though there is a separate wholesale section. Beware the opening times though- they do close down for lunch every day, which I think is between 12.30 and 1.30. It feels a bit like a cheap supermarket, with cardboard boxes piled up from the floor, and some hand-written label notes. There is a small section of soft drinks, which is mainly bottled water. There's no guidance about 'best' beers or any real promotion of one beer above another- if you don't know much about Belgian beers you might want to read up on it first to make sure you don't buy the wrong ones... It's a minefield out there, with some absolutely amazing drinks, but a few not so good ones. I wish this shop was within walking distance of my house. If it were, I would be so drunk and happy I wouldn't be able to type.