5 Best Restaurants in Dendermonde, Ghent and the Leie

Sometimes you're just in the mood for a solid bar-brasserie meal, and this well-loved spot on the corner of the Vlasmarkt is as good an option as any in the city. Inside, its publike interior has been decked out in hip but cozy sofas and long tables. To the rear sits a neat terrace that sometimes has music. The menu is replete with brasserie standards: steaks, pastas, ham and mustard, eel in green sauce. It's like a haven to all things comfortable.   

The hot new restaurant in town comes fresh from the success of its former pop-up (Heems) and has now settled on Brusselsestraat. It's a small, intimate joint with a great secluded terrace at the rear. Its set menus can be matched with wines or beers, and the cooking is simply inspired, using local produce and unexpected combinations of simple ingredients to often dazzling effect. A future star. 

This lovely family-run café is nestled in the corner of the Vlasmarkt. There's a good choice of teas, coffees, and great hunks of homemade cakes to tide you over. 

Expect beautifully prepared dishes served in an elegant mansion house on the Grotemarkt. Everything about Kokarde screams good taste, especially the menu where dishes of cod and ceps (wild mushrooms) in truffle butter mingle with scallops and pork cheek. The set menus are also good value for what you get. 

Uncluttered dishes of classic French-Belgian favorites are the stock in trade of this elegant local restaurant. Their specialty is lobster (there's even a dedicated lobster tasting menu), but you'll find a wealth of interesting flavors here, from a dish of local pheasant, chestnut, and pear to wallet-busting Belgian caviar. The €16 lunch menu is also superb value.