292
Key to Price Guide see p284 Key to Symbols see back cover flap
CENTRAL AND EASTERN FLANDERS
ALDEN BIESEN Het Vlierhof z Δ ̊ ¡¡¡
Hasseltsestraat 57A, 3740 Bilzen Tel (089) 414418 Road Map E2
A charming restaurant in a rustic setting, 5 km (3 miles) north of Alden Biesen. The chef is a dedicated plantsman
and creates good Flemish dishes using produce from the restaurant’s gardens and orchards, plus fresh, seasonal
produce from the Haspengouw region and beyond. Closed Saturday lunch, Monday evenings and Wednesdays.
ANTWERP Den Engel ¤ ¡
Grote Markt 3, 2000 Antwerp Tel (03) 2331252 Road Map C1
A friendly pub evincing traditons of centuries of hospitality, Den Engel (The Angel) is a typical Belgian bruine kroeg
or brown pub – brown with the patina of age. With mirrors and marble-topped tables, the atmosphere is ideal for
trying a bolleke (chalice-like glass) of De Koninck, Antwerp’s own brew. Traditional light snacks are available.
ANTWERP Het Elfde Gebod ¤ Δ ¡
Torfbrug 10, 2000 Antwerp Tel (03) 2893466 Road Map C1
Facing the cathedral, Het Elfde Gebod (The Eleventh Commandment) is a popular haunt for the liberal minded
who enjoy the jokey and eye-catching mass-display of religious statuary and symbols. The reaction to it is
clear-cut: visitors either love it or hate it. The beer is fine and there is plenty of good-value Flemish bar food.
ANTWERP Kulminator ¤ ¡
Vleminckveld 32, 2000 Antwerp Tel (03) 2324538 Road Map C1
This beer-drinker’s shrine is a traditional-style pub with over 500 beers listed in a thick menu, plus guest draught
beers. The staff are knowledgeable guides. Light snacks of cheese and salami help to ward off hunger. Located in
a quiet street just south of the cathedral. Closed on Sundays and until evening on Mondays and Saturdays.
ANTWERP Patine f Δ © ¡¡
Leopold De Waelplaats 1, 2000 Antwerp Tel (03) 2570919 Road Map C1
A wonderfully individual establishment, this folksy bare wood restaurant calls itself a wine bistro, but is open for
breakfast from 9am. For lunch and dinner, it serves soup, pasta, quiches, salads and light Flemish dishes. It also
holds live music nights, and futhermore has bed-and-breakfast accommodation.
ANTWERP Bassin z © ¡¡¡
Tavernierkaai 1, 2000 Antwerp Tel (03) 2253637 Road Map C1
Originally the sluicegate master’s house, the Bassin stands alone, overlooking the river and the Bonapartedok.
It has been converted into a smart brasserie with retro touches, serving traditional fare as well as pasta and a
selection of light snacks. It has a congenial environment and something to suit all appetites. Closed Saturday lunch.
ANTWERP Dock’s Café z ) ¡¡¡
Jordaenskaai 7, 2000 Antwerpen Tel (03) 2266330 Road Map C1
Antoine Pinto is the designer behind the wonderfully inventive interior of the Dock’s Café. Dating from 1995,
the café is built on two levels in a building that overlooks the River Scheldt. The decor creates a sense of pizzazz
among diners, as does the food – excellent brasserie dishes, stylishly prepared and presented. Closed Sundays.
ANTWERP Grand Café Horta z Δ ¡¡¡
Hopland 2, 2000 Antwerp Tel (03) 2035660 Road Map C1
A large, ultra-stylish café-bar-brasserie close to the Rubenshuis. Its dynamic space has been created around
salvaged metal struts from Victor Horta’s Art Nouveau Volkshuis in Brussels which was demolished in 1965.
On offer are upmarket brasserie food and service that is polished and professional. Open daily from 9am.
ANTWERP Zuiderterras Δ © ̊ ¡¡¡
Ernest van Dijckkaai 37, 2000 Antwerp Tel (03) 2341275 Road Map C1
Architect Bob Van Reeth set out to turn Antwerp’s eyes to the River Scheldt with this landmark edifice built over the
water. Guests are the main beneficiaries of the unparalleled views from a dining room of cruise-liner elegance and
first-class brasserie-style cooking and snacks. Also open for very reasonably priced breakfast from 9am to noon.
ANTWERP Bernardin Δ ̊ ¡¡¡¡
St-Jacobsstraat 17, 2000 Antwerp Tel (03) 2130700 Road Map C1
A 17th-century mansion by St-Jacobskerk with a coolly elegant white, grey and black interior provides the
backdrop for chef Bernard Lescrinier’s exquisitely artistic dishes – Belgian classics revisited. The weekday fixed-price
lunch menu can be a bargain. Large summer terrace. Closed for Saturday lunch and on Sundays and Mondays.
ANTWERP Het Pomphuis z Δ ) ¡¡¡¡
Droogdok, Siberiastraat 7, 2030 Antwerp Tel (03) 7708625 Road Map C1
In keeping with the city’s passion for industrial retro-bar conversions, the docklands’ dry-dock pumphouse, built
in grand Neo-Classical style, was reworked as a large restaurant in 2003, retaining much of the original hydraulic
machinery. The food is creative and wide-ranging; French-Belgian in style with an injection of Asian tastes.
TRAVELLERS’ NEEDS