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..

Details about this spot (Show on map)
K. Zeppos | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants (Intern.) | Main meal from € 15.00
Vleminckveld 78 | Meir | +3232311789
From 10:00 daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Antwerp

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

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Antwerp

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

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Antwerp

Image by Niko caignie

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 different tastes. A bar, tables, some couches and even a room for kids. Many locals visit “De Caravan” on the weekend, for brunch or lunch on their way to the park or on the way back.

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 served 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.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Caravan | Snacks | Ael € 15
Damplein 17 | Eilandje | +3232976852
See website under info

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Antwerp

Image by Niko Caignie

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.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Zuiderterras | Bars, Snacks | Meal € 20
Ernest Van Dijckkaai 37 | Sint Andries | +3232341275
09:00 – 00:00 daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Antwerp

Image by Igor Daems

What do you think of when I say I Belgium? Belgian chocolate, yes. Belgian beers, yes. Belgian waffles, oh yes! They remind of my childhood when my grandmother treated us them together with a hot chocolate after a long walk in the city or at the seaside.

Waffles come in all shapes and sizes and all of you have them in your own country. But there’s only one perfect waffle: the Brussels Waffle of Desire de Lille. 

This waffle is very light. And it’s also super crispy. Have one with fresh cream or with sugar. And yes, you should be covered in sugar after eating. it’s meant to be like that. You can take away at the corner of Schoenmarkt or you can sit down a little further in Schrijnwerkersstraat.

Don’t be scared by the amount of grandmothers sitting here enjoying their waffle (or pancakes or other delicious stuff). After all, it’s the grandmothers who know best, right?

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Desire de Lille | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Waffle & coffee € 5
Schrijnwerkersstraat 16 | Meir | +3232336226
Sun – Thu 09:00 – 20:00, Fri – Sat 09:00 – 22:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Antwerp

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!

Details about this spot (Show on map)
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

Belgium is known for the beer, chocolate and…? Right! Fries! Everywhere you go, you’ll be in the direct reach of a ‘frituur’: it’s a snack bar where they sell the famous fries (we bake ‘em twice, that’s the tasty secret!) and meaty snacks. And the most notorious of them all would be ‘Frituur N°1′, in the heart of the old city centre.

It’s not the slightly overpriced (but really good!) fries that make Frituur N°1 famous, but the flamboyant lady whom takes your order, called Maria. She’s faster than lightning, and you’ll better learn some Dutch to get you into her liking. ‘E klentje mè mayonaise en ne gebakken cervela*’ should do the trick. However, she has a heart of gold. In fact, she’s so popular she has her own Facebook fan page.

The great thing is that Frituur N°1 is open all through the night, so be sure to pass by after you had one too many of those also famous Belgian beers. You’ll thank Maria in the morning.

* A small package of fries with mayonnaise and a baked garlic sausage

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Frituur n°1 | Snacks | Fries with sauce € 5
Hoogstraat 1 | Meir
11:00 – … daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Antwerp

Image by Caroline Dhont

You won’t have much trouble finding ‘Bakkerij Goossens’, because there’s always a long line of people waiting outside this authentic bakery. Belgium has a rich tradition of baking bread, and this is about the finest bread you can find in Antwerp (and probably far beyond!).

They still bake bread the traditional way: hand kneaded and a long rising time, you can really taste the difference! Their specialty is ‘roggeverdommeke’: a dark, wheaty crispy bread stuffed with fat sweet raisins. And if you’re in for a smaller snack, you should try one of the ‘boterkoeken’: buttery french rolls stuffed with chocolate, cream or other heavenly treats.

It’s actually not really needed to advertise their awesome products, because I bet not many of you can resist walking past this old-fashioned looking bakery, showing all the goods in the shop’s window.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Bakkerij Goossens | Snacks | Roggeverdommeke € 3
Korte Gasthuisstraat 31 | Meir | +3232260791
Tue – Sat 07:00 – 19:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Antwerp

Image by Caroline D'hont

When this bar/restaurant opened about 3 years ago, it was exactly what the neighbourhood needed: a cosy, relaxed, non-smoking place where you can grab a bite, read the newspaper and chat up with friends.

Everyday there’s a new menu with about 5 dishes: a couple of classics, pasta, a vegetarian dish and something oriental. Tasty, honest, not too pricy, almost like how your mother would make it, but with a surprising twist to it! As a late-night snack, you can always grab spaghetti or a fresh bowl of soup.

As for drinks, you’ll have a hard time making your choice: a couple of local beers on tap, as well as a monthly special, great wine and cava. A must-try is ‘roomer’: a flowery liquor that will enlighten your senses. For great karma, drink an organic tea or fruit juice.

The owner always carefully picks the music, a great way to discover new things. He’s even started a graphic novel collection.

This place can be very relaxing as well as really crowded. Either way, I always feel right at home here!

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Café Stanny | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Home-made) | Main € 10
Stanleystraat 1 | Zurenborg | +3232895467
Mon – Sat from 12:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Antwerp