Snacks – All our local tips

when I go shopping at ‘Wilde Zee’, I have to get an ice cream from Bieke (summer, winter, it doesn’t matter!).

Hallelujah, you won’t believe how good this tastes. They make everything fresh, all year long. My favourite is the banana taste!

And when you don’t feel like eating ice cream, have a waffle… they’re yummy too!

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‘T Bieke | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Ice cream € 1.00
Korte Gasthuisstraat 8 | Meir | +323231659
Mon 11:00 – 19:00, Tue – Sat 10:00 – 19:00

Whatever you will order, in this sweet and cozy Antwerp place it’s always good!

They have a varaity in the best breakfasts in town, but you should certainly try the spaghetti ham & cheese… I get hungry for it, just by writing about it!

They sell Elixir d’Anvers (a sweet old liqueur from Antwerp) & Antwerpse Handjes (”Antwerp Hands”) Hands – sweet cookies.

You can find me here almost every weekend with a newspaper and a coffee.  Can it get any better?

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‘t Suut Bekske | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Extended breakfast € 8.50
Hoogstraat 54 | Sint Andries
Tue – Wed & Fri – Sun 09:00 – 18:00

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 & 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 relax 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 (check website for hours)

This is realy brunch & lunch heaven for me. Whenever I’m there it feels like my grandfather is preparing me my favorite food in his own special way, like only he knows how.

Delicious sandwiches are served here. Every ingredient is home made with special care… you can see that!

It’s a nice environment where you can relax on your own, experience great food with a newspaper or enjoy the company of your friends over a delicious meal.

There’s a terrace when the weather is fine.

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Beauz | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Main Meal € 15.00
Mechelsesteenweg 12 | Meir
Tue – Sat 09:00 – 21:00

In the shadow of the new and modern palace of Justice, you’ll find the best sandwich bar in town.

The sunny terrace and enormous choice in the best tradition of Belgian sandwiches will make your breakfast or lunch a topper!

Every week they have a “sandwich of the week”.  Try it out, because that’s the way to learn different tastes of the Antwerp way of living….

One thing, which I think is very important, is the friendly service at the table.

After a big smile from the waitress my sandwich tastes even better! Take Away also possible!

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Berros | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Sandwich € 3.00
Brusselstraat 35 | Zuid | +3232163526
Mon – Fri 06:30 – 15:00

Indisputably Belgians are passionate about chocolate, and it is one of the things they are most proud of. A very good evidence of this can be found at the chocolate shop ‘Bourie Chocolatier’, where you can find a big variety of styles, shapes and tastes.

They do not only make very tasty chocolate, they also put so much love and effort in creating real masterpieces: little delicious jewels, bugs, vegetables, fishes, mushrooms, and everything cute you can imagine.

If you believe the prettiest the tastier then this is the place to be. If you do not I advise you to pay a visit, you will probably not be disappointed by looking at these art pieces.

Prices are above average, but they are worth it.

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Bourie Chocolatier | Shopping, Snacks
Korte Gasthuisstraat 3 | Sint Andries | +32032323688
Mon – Sat 09:00 – 18:00

This is not your average brasserie, in this cute lunch-spot you can eat delicious sandwiches, salads and some homemade biological snacks. I’m not a fan of sitting inside here, but that is just me. What I prefer is to sit on the terrace and have an overview of Sint Paulus Square. A place that never bores you. In spring and summer there is always something at hand here: music, dancing, market, jeux de boules, …

Sitting from you table at Brasserie Populaire you have a complete view over all this activities, but located in the corner of the square it’s always a calm place. And if you look just in front of you, the beautiful facade of the house is worth sitting outside as well.

Anyway, Brasserie Populaire is a great place to start you day: with healthy food and a lot of ambience around you to get the right vibe!

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Brasserie Populaire | Snacks | Main Meal € 25.00
Sint-Paulusplaats 23 | Eilandje | +3232341797
Thu – Tue

Located near Park Spoor Noord (check the Spoor Noord article) on the North side of antwerp this is quite a new Bistro/Resto. It’s built in an old apothecary, but that is only the outside. Inside you’ve got a mixture of styles and flavors. A bar, tables, some couches and even a room for kids. Many locals visit “De Caravan” in the weekend, for brunch or lunch on their way to the park or on the return.

You can go for a quick coffee or a good meal with friends. And even better, you can come and fetch a genuine picknick basket to have a picknick in the nearby Park. How cool is that!

Anyway, it’s a cozy place and you’ll be hosted by two very nice ladies who run their place with great passion! Just go there and enjoy!

They organise a lot of thematic evenings and parties every month. More about that on the Facebook page (below) and soon to be launched website.

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Caravan | Snacks | ael € 15
Damplein 17 | Eilandje | +3232976852
See website under info

This place is new in the neighbourhood where I live. You can have breakfast, lunch and the tastiest coffees, teas and juices here.

They serve fresh sandwiches, soups, burgers, …. every week a new sandwich, latte and cappuccino special.

I went there for breakfast, which was great and I’m definitely going back for some more!

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De Cafetaria | Coffee & tea, Snacks
Montignystraat 21 | Zuid | +3232944570
09:00 – 19:00 daily

This old and cozy bar you’ll find in the shadow of the former french Opera of Antwerp: Bourla schouwburg.

This very posh area doesn’t stroke with the atmosphere inside or on the terrace.  It has a no-nonsense feeling and you get your coffee with a filter.

One thing you must order whenever feeling hungry: boterham smos spek (sandwich bacon with salade). Cheap and tasty: a combination I like the most!

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De Duifkens | Bars, Snacks | Sandwich € 3.50
Graanmarkt 5 | Meir | +3232251039
From 10:00 daily

Somewhere deeply hidden in the Zurenborgh area is a little store that sells high quality food. Locals come here to fulfill their little Sunday morning needs at the breakfast/lunch table. Fruit, bread, vegetables or a variety of delicious home made items…

But there ’s more. If you walk to the back of the store you’ll find a cozy and calm place to enjoy breakfast or lunch. It’s a great environment with a great service. And everything in this store is for sale: the food, the plates, tea cups, tables, chairs, …

And there’s even more: they also have a bead and breakfast service upstairs. So actually, this could be your ideal base to start your Antwerp citytrip from!

Worth a visit when you’re in the neighborhood!

The website is still under construction but will be online soon.

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Frais Divers | Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Breakfast/lunch) | Main € 16
Grote Hondstraat 5 | Zurenborg
Tue – Fri 08:00 – 18:00, Sat 08:00 – 16:00

Cures homesickness (guaranteed!)

It does not matter where you travel to, it is almost imperative for any traveler to eat something from their home country. Just like rice is to Chinese, fries to Belgians, chili to Mexicans, hamburgers to Americans… the Graré American Food Store offers locals and travelers with a wide selection of original American and Mexican products (yes, you read it right, Mexican!)

From sweets to the-perfect-hamburger spices, from sauces to cereals, the store offers the most known brands at above market prices (for obvious reasons). It is located outside the city, but it is really easy to reach with the bus.

Another advantage is that it is open on Sundays, and it is also possible to order the product you would like them to sell.

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Graré | Shopping, Snacks | Grocery from € 1.00
Prins Boudewijnlaan 175, Wilrijk | Zurenborg | +32034494118
Tue – Thu 12:00 – 18:00, Fri – Sun 14:00 – 18:00, Sat 10:00 – 18:00

Owner Misjel had a design shop for years. He got sick and tired of it and he started an ecologic ‘French fries stand’.

When you eat in, you get wooden knives and forks and all the boxes are Eco. Only for those things you have to eat there… but the fries are real good too! MMM Jammie, I Love Fries! Misjel also makes his own ‘meat croquettes’, tartare sauce and lots more!

So if you want to eat fancy but don’t wanna pay … go and eat some french fries at Haute Friture! Big chance you will spot me there

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Haute Friture | Snacks | Small box of fries € 1.40
Vlaamse Kaai 66 | Zuid
12:00 – 23:00 daily

I often come in the 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. 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

I always meet one of my best friends here. Almost every Saturday we have breakfast at Mo’s. We throw ourselves in the sofa, order a healthy breakfast and start chatting.

The breakfast is great! muesli, bio-yogurt, a big bowl of fresh fruit, fresh orange juice, coffee or tea (order the traditional Mint tea!). The other breakfasts are also great, but after a Friday night of drinking, we always prefer the healthy one.

The salads also are delicious and there are a lot of newspapers, magazines and even wifi to spend your time there. Ooo i can’t wait till it’s Saturday!

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Mo Made | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Healthy breakfast € 10.00
Volkstraat 63 | Zuid | +3232904680
07:30 – 19:00 daily

It smells good, looks excellent and tastes even better!

I am not a big pro-sweet person, but there are certain things you cannot let pass by (for breakfast, lunch or supper), and those are found in the Patisserie Schoenaers.

From the outside it looks just like an upper-class bakery in the Jewish neighborhood, but do not let looks deceive you because prices are market average. The only issue: you might leave with the feeling of wanting more.

Let me explain: The bread, pastry, and ice cream are so delicious that I am pretty sure you will like (if not almost) everything you see there. If you cannot get enough you should consider requesting beforehand the ‘Diplomaat’ (`the diplomate’) cake, which really lives up to its name.

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Patisserie Schoenaers | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Pastry (shop) from € 1.00
Belgielei 109 | Stationsbuurt | +32032307198
Tue – Fri 07:30 – 18:00, Sat 07:30 – 17:00, Sun 07:00 – 16:00

The best place in town  to get Antwerp’s finest cookies!

The delicious and world famous ‘Antwerpse Handjes’ (Antwerp Hands) are for sale right here.

The history about the name ‘Antwerpen’ goes back several centuries and means ‘Hand-werpen’ (hand trowing). That is why we have these great cookies here.

Buy them for friends, because they are a symbol for true friendship, or treat yourself something!

TIP: Nice stuff to give away as a present from your trip…

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Philip’s Biscuit | Shopping, Snacks
Korte Gasthuisstraat 11 | Meir | +3232312660
Mon – Sat 11:00 -18:00

Just a recent discovery thanks to my girlfriend. We were looking for some fresh food before we would go to the cinema, and sat down at the terrace. We had a magnificent view of the sun setting in the sky.

The food, well the food is just what you need if you’re looking for a snack or a quick bite. They say it’s healthy and it probably is but that doesn’t matter for me. I just want to have well prepared food and that’s what they offer.

I think this will be my new favorite for the coming months. Honest, easy going and good food… that’s just what I need, and I know you do to!

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Sano Sano | Snacks | Main meal € 15.00
De Gerlachekaai 11 | Zuid | +3232378480
Mon – Sat 12:00 – 22:00

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

It has an 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!

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

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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

This is actually not one of the spots I visit often, but every once and a while when a friend is visiting from out of town I take them here. The view from the second floor café/brasserie is just breath taking.

The food is good, service is good but the view is the thing you should come for. From behind the big windows you have an excellent view over the river and the left bank of Antwerp.

There is also a big terras outside, but most of the time it’s quite windy, I prefer the inside.

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Zuiderterras | Bars, Snacks | Meal € 20
Ernest Van Dijckkaai 37 | Sint Andries
09.00 – 00.00 daily