Image by Ysabel Jongeneelen

I often go to café/restaurant K. Zeppos. The name comes from a Belgian tv-programme for kids: Kapitein Zeppos. It played in the years 1964 till 1968 and was very successful.

When you enter the café you see a very big picture of the actor that played Kapitein Zeppos (Senne Rouffaer).

K. Zeppos is a very ‘practical’ café/restaurant. It’s in the middle of the city, but not in the heat of the tourist-zone. It has an enormous terrace on a big square in summer and in winter it is very comfortable inside. Good atmosphere, nice food for an okay price. It’s not cheap, but also not very expensive. Only their tea is way too expensive. That’s why I never drink tea in the K. Zeppos.

It’s a perfect meeting-place for little groups. If I want to see a bunch of my friends we think easily of K.Zeppos. Especially if some people have to eat. You can eat classic Belgian food, but they have also meals from all over the world. And it’s no smoking… It’s a good place where I like to come from time to time..

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K. Zeppos | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants (Intern.) | Main meal from € 15.00
Vleminckveld 78 | Meir | +3232311789
From 10:00 daily

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Image by Ysabel Jongeneelen

There’s only one restaurant in Antwerp that serves real biological and macrobiotic food. Honest food with an honest taste. You can find it in the Cullinan.

Restaurant Cullinan lies in the Jewish quarter in Antwerp. This is by the way also an interesting part of the city that is worth seeing… But now we’re talking about food and this little restaurant offers the best. It’s a simple kitchen, no haute cuisine, but the quality is great and you’ll get the most healthy pumpkins, carrots and beans. Vegetables are not only decoration here: it is the most important thing on the plate. And: it tastes great!

The cook – Jan Lansloot – and his wife Lutgard have 35 years of experience with macrobiotic cooking and they still love good and biological food. They guarantee that the food is 95% biological. They serve meat, fish or vegetarian dishes and everything is very fresh. They don’t have a microwave and try not to use deep-frozen food.

The furnishing in the restaurant is not very hip, but the food is so good that – after a while – the salt lamps don’t matter anymore. You even start to like them…

The vegetarian vegetable dish is my favorite. This plate variates every time because they follow the vegetables of the season. It is a surprise every time I go there. They cook really surprisingly…

They have also delicious desserts: cakes and pastry with or without sugar… Mmmm. Why can’t I cook like that?

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Cullinan | Restaurants (biological) | Main meal € 16.00
Isabellalei 1 | Stationsbuurt | +3232301660
Tue – Thu 12:00 – 14:00 & 18:00 – 21:00, Fri 12:00 – 14:00 & 18:00 – 21:30, Sat 18:00 & 21:30 (Closed on holidays)

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Image by Niko Caignie

In a small alley next to the St Vincentius Hospital you can find this quiet and cosy day time lunch-bar. It’s quite new but that doesn’t change its charm.

The interior feels warm and cosy. The food is homemade with care and you just take it out of the counter and pay at the counter.

A very down to earth place and ideal for a relaxed lunch or just to read your newspaper during lunch.

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22b | Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Lunch) | Meal € 10.00
Sint-Vincentiusstraat 22B | Zurenborg | +32475674930
Mon – Fri 08:00 – 20:00

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Image by Niko Caignie

Amidst the upcoming grandeur near ‘t Eilandje is a small restaurant that reflects everything the neighbourhood should be about: small, cozy environment with a touch of quality and finesse: L’ile d’ Anvers.

One thing is for sure, the guys who run this restaurant are passionate about their business, and that will be about eight years now. Anyway, I felt comfortable and relaxed from the minute I entered.

They have friendly service with a big honest smile. And the food is great! They serve the slightly better dishes here and charge the right price for that. After dinner you can enjoy the nightlife around the docks and yacht club.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
L’ile d’ Anvers | Restaurants (French/Fusion) | Meal € 30.00
Verbindingsdok, Oostkaai 3 | Eilandje | +3232269909
Tue – Fri 11:30 – 14:00 & 18:00 – 22:30, Sat 18:00 – 22:30

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Image by Niko Caignie

When I’m looking for a decent yet quick meal, I go to Lunch Cafe Walrus.

It has a very good kitchen with honest prices. The service is mostly with a smile and you just get what you want here: something to satisfy your hunger!

Whether for breakfast – brunch – lunch or dinner … they’ve got what you need! Don’t expect haute cuisine, but expect to be satisfied!

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Walrus | Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Belgian) | Meal from € 15.00
Jan van Beersstraat 2 | Zuid | +3232383993
Mon – Fri 12:00 – 22:00, Sat – Sun 11:00 – 22:00

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Image by Marie by Niko Caignie

If you’re looking for a quick dinner or a casual location to dine, Marie is the place to be!

Marie is a small restaurant near “De Zurenborg”. Very cosy and well decorated interior. And the food is exactly what you expect from a place like this.

It looks plain and simple but it tastes just great. Very down to earth and honest, just as the people who work there. I like places and people like this. Check it out, that’s all I have to say!

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Marie | Restaurants (Mediteranian/French) | Main Meal € 25
Boomgaardstraat 42 | Zurenborg | +32475804022
Wed – Sun from 18:00 – …

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Image by Niko Caignie

This is absolutely my new favorite in Antwerp! It’s not known by many people but a real treasure to cherish. Il Gallo Nero is an Italian restaurant owned by a Belgian – Italian couple. It’s Italian, but the Italian man handles the service, his wife takes care of the excellent dishes. You ‘ll find some great Italian dishes here with a touch of Belgian influences. The food is of great quality here.

What adds more to the charm is the nice man who serves you. He’s Milanese born and only speaks french & Italian (fluently). He explains everything he serves in a way only an Italian can. The food, the people: honest, nice and excellent quality.

And while you are there, take a moment to enjoy the nice scenery you’ve entered. Some nice paintings and some traditional Italian kitsch…this all served with carefully selected music by Italian crooners.

I tell you… if you only have one restaurant opportunity in Antwerp, this should be it. Cozy, romantic, …

Some more pictures

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Il Gallo Nero | Restaurants | Main meal € 30.00
Grote Pieter Potstraat 36 | Meir | +3232311960
Thu – Tue evening (reservation is always safe)

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Image by Igor Daems

Antwerp has the second largest port of Europe and that’s one of the reasons why there are more than 140 nationalities living in the city. That’s more than in New York, believe it or not. In Antwerp North, the Portuguese community is quite important. There are many bars and restaurants on and around Sint-Jansplein and they become very visible on the square when Portugal is playing an important soccer match.

If you like Portuguese food, this is my tip: Estrela Do Mar. Don’t judge this place on the looks from the outside. I guess that 99% of all people just pass by without knowing what a gem this place is. Go inside and ask for a table. You will be led to the back, to a very simple interior, almost cantine-style. The menu is very limited which I believe is a good sign. The gambas (prawns) and the bacalhau (cod) are both extremely tasteful. Have the white wine of the house and you’re all set for a perfect meal.

That’s not all: if you want to try something very different, move back to the front after dinner and have a Portuguese beer while you wait for the karaoke to begin. Yes, if you’re lucky the owner will grab the microphone and sing some beautiful Portuguese songs. Don’t be shy and sing along. This is so much better than the karaoke bars you can find in the tourist part of town.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Estrela Do Mar | Restaurants (Portuguese) | Main meal from € 15
Ellermanstraat 96 | Eilandje
Tue – Sun 11:00 – 00:00

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Image by Igor Daems

We take our French fries seriously. First of all, they are not a French but a Belgian invention. And secondly, they nowhere taste better than here. The secret: we bake them twice. If we want to eat fries, we go to a “frituur”. For dinner or late at night before we go home after a party or a night of heavy drinking at the bar. They always taste good.

My favourite frituur is De Smulpaep, run by two young guys who take their job very seriously. One of them is a French chef who puts his experience in top restaurants in France and Switzerland into practice in a deep fryer. Pretty uncommon.

We don’t just eat fries, we also order snacks on the side. And the homemade snacks are always the best. When I see a freshly made cheese or shrimp croquette lying behind the counter, I just can’t resist. The tartar sauce here is unbelievable. Almost haute cuisine and for only 9 euros you have a very decent meal here, a drink included.

De Smulpaep is located halfway between my work and my home. Very tempting!

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De Smulpaep | Snacks, Restaurants (Fries) | Fries,snacks & drink € 9
Varkensmarkt 2 | Meir
Tue – Fri 11:30 – 14:00 & 16:30 – 00:00, Sun – Mon 16:30 – 23:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Antwerp

Image by Caroline D'hont

You can find this cosy restaurant right above ‘Het Zeezicht’. They even work closely together. You can’t really make reservations, you just walk in. If there’s no place, you get a teddy bear and can go have a drink in the bar beneath. Whenever your table’s ready, the personnel will come and call your teddy bear ☺.

This restaurant serves good, seasonal, fresh food in large portions. The kitchen is Belgian with an international flair to it. They also treat vegetarians really well with a wide range of choices. The steak with herb butter is to die for! Every weekday, there’s a new special and also a ‘surprise menu’ for the dare devils among you!

This is an ideal place for an informal dinner with friends. The interior has a bit of a messy living room feel to it, but it’s oh so cosy. In the summer, you can go have a seat on the balcony (it seats two people!) or on the terrace of Het Zeezicht (check the Het Zeezicht article) and take your pick from a smaller menu (but no worries, the amazing steak is on it!)

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Den Overvloed | Restaurants (International) | Main meal € 12
Dageraadplaats 7 | Zurenborg | +3232355241
Tue – Fri 12:00 – 14:00 & 18:00 – 22:00, Sat – Mon 18:00 -22:30

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Antwerp