8 Best Restaurants in Antwerp and the Northeast, Belgium

This hip Scandinavian-style fish joint is the place to try seasonal, organic, and sustainable seafood---arguably the best in the city---served simply as a fruits de mer platter, grilled with hand-cut fries on the side, or as an always-excellent bouillabaisse. If the weather cooperates, opt for a seat on their spacious terrace instead of the rather cramped dining room, all the better for prime Het Zuid people-watching---it's always packed, but walk-ins can grab a high stool if you arrive early and forgot to book.

Along a quiet street just off the Grote Markt, this chic restaurant creates a relaxing vibe with its rustic, bare brick interior walls, and a secluded rear terrace. The modern Belgian cuisine is served as a four-course set menu that changes every two months—each course consists of two separate dishes that are designed for sharing.

Commanding a prime spot on the main square, the White Fox serves good portions of pan-European food at fair prices, with a menu that juggles Italian pasta, Belgian and French favorites, and—in the fall season—a range of game dishes. Choose a spot on the front terrace for fine views of the cathedral and the city hall, or simply for people-watching.

The iron framework of the 19th-century Maison du Peuple, a building designed by famed Art Nouveau architect Victor Horta, supports this brasserie. It siphons a hip crowd from trendy Hopland Street and keeps a sunny feel with large mustard-yellow industrial beams and windows all around. The kitchen sends out brasserie favorites like Aberdeen Angus rib steak and frites, as well as tempting contemporary dishes with lighter wraps, bagels, and salad options for lunch.

Simplicity is the buzzword---both in the contemporary Belgian cooking, and in the decor---in this elegant but cozy parquet-floored bistro with minimal decorations on the walls to distract you from the food. Lunch is à la carte, but the three- to five-course prix-fixe dinner menus are also pared down and kept simple, with no more than two or sometimes three choices per course---but simplicity doesn't prevent each dish being a masterpiece.

Perched atop a huge glass-and-black-metal construction designed by avant-garde architect bOb (his spelling) Van Reeth, this cozy riverside restaurant---with bistro-style food as modern as the surroundings---resembles a docked cruise ship. You're virtually assured a good view, since large windows stretch around the building---boat traffic bustles on the Schedlt River to one side and, on the other, there's a fine view of the cathedral and the Oude Stad.

This fine-dining restaurant has long been a fixture on Antwerp's dining scene, dishing up exquisite cooking in the interior courtyard of its elegant dining room since 1975. Longtime chef and local legend Marc Paesbrugghe, who once gave away his two Michelin stars because he was tired of the red tape, has long-since hung up his apron, but the torch has been passed on in the kitchen with no drop in standards, and a prix-fixe menu that delicately picks its way through a host of big flavors.