Eilandje Antwerp – All our local tips

As mentioned before, there are a lot of different aspects in Antwerp, even contradictions and that’s why I love this city.  There is no better place to perceive them all than on the outer limit of the city near the river Schelde. This is a little green point in the corner of the river. You’ll find little boats there, some old wooden docks for ships, … it looks like the city has forgotten about this place in the last 20 years.

But from this point you can see Antwerp stretch along side and across the river. A bit further to your right you’ll get a glance at the chemical factories and their high, always burning flames.

Really, in one eye glance you can see the river that built the city, the way it stretched along its vein, and expanded over it, a great city to live in, with the high cathedral and many other historical buildings, and the current economical heart by the big port of Antwerp. How’s that for a view!

And on a hot summer night, I love to have a picknick here with my girlfriend. There are not many people around and the ones that are will not bother you: they are here for the same reason… relaxing!

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Antwerp contradiction | Relaxing
Sloepenweg | Eilandje
24 hours daily

In one of my latest walks I ended up in the beguine convent of Antwerp. I noticed the outside walls several times while I walked through the nearby streets, but that there was a small village behind those walls never crossed my mind.

If you want an hour or two to escape from the city madness, take a book and place yourself on a bench somewhere in this little park.

Especially charming is the little chappelle in the back near the church, where people placed thank signs to god for their prayers being heard. Whether you are a believer or not, the thought alone makes me smile. Some signs go back to the end of the 1800s.

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Beguine Convent | Art & culture | Free
Rodestraat, 39 | Eilandje | +3232028430
Sun – Wed 09:00 – 15:00

Let’s be honest – going to a concert in the Sport Palace in Antwerp is not always synonymous for having enjoyed a great concert and a fantastic gastronomic dinner, but luckily it is possible to have both on the same day or evening.

Bonten Os is a relatively new kid in the neighborhood of the Antwerpen Dam. Since then they have loyal gourmand-followers, and I am definitely one of them. The quality of the food is rare to see, everything is fresh and homemade (even the cookies served with coffee), the presentation of the dishes deserves pictures and the taste deserves an ovation to the chef. Almost everything about the restaurant is proudly Belgian and you can notice it in the preparation, care and love they put on to every plate.

The restaurant also has a lounge to relax and enjoy the evening. In the summer the veranda is open. My favorite feature about this place is that it is not boring, the menu changes every month, the prices are fair, and clients

get rewarded for being a VIG (Very Important Gourmands), more info in their website. You will be amazed with how much you can get!

For the attentive lovers, Bonten Os offers a Valentine 4-time menu and reservations are mandatory.

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Bonten Os | Restaurants (Belgian) | Menu from € 20.00
Bredastraat 107 | Eilandje | +32032323330
Wed – Fri 11:00 – 23:00, Sat – Sun 18:00 – 23:00

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

A couple of years ago the neighborhood around the falconplein was a different world. It was a square with dubious shops ran by the Russian mafia and Georgian gangsters. They say it was possible to buy grenades under the table, and the smuggling in fake products and girls from the east were big business then. The falconplein was/is also at the edge of the red light district.

When the city decided to ‘clean up’ the square in 2007 this was very successful. Not so adventurous anymore but today it is a more pleasant square where crime isn’t longer the most important thing.

On the first and the third Sunday of every month there is a market for biological products. And on the square you can find the nice café Bartilia. It is called Bartilia because of the former trees that stood on the square. They were all limetrees (’Tilia’). When they redesigned the square all the lime trees had to go.

The owners of Bartilia wanted to make a statement and they named the cafe after the trees. Bartilia is a cosy cafe for young and old, but especially for the young. In weekends it can be busy but it is always nice to be there. It is allowed to smoke in there. The atmosphere is good.

On Sunday it is nice to combine the market with a coffee in Café Bartilia. But be careful, sometimes the café opens a little bit later than planned…

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Falconplein – Bartilia | Bars, Coffee & tea
Falconplein 43 | Eilandje | +32484157995
Autumn/Winter 15:00 – 03:00 daily | Spring/Summer 11:00 – 03:00 daily

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.

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L’ile d’ Anvers | Restaurants (French/Fusion) | Meal € 30.00
Verbindingsdok, Oostkaai 3 | Eilandje
Tue – Fri 11:30 – 14:00 & 18:00 – 22:30, Sat 18:00 – 22:30

Near “Het Eilandje” life is changing, this used to be a forgotten neighborhood, but recently activity is increasing. Business – Leisure – Living – Culture, all these aspects live peacefully next to each other.

Centre piece will be the MAS, Museum aan de Stroom (Riverside Museum). Currently it is, as you can see, under construction but it is estimated to be finished somewhere in 2010.

Also the surroundings of the MAS are very nice to walk around with a lot of bars and restaurants. Just looking at this strange but impressive building and it’s reflection is worthwhile.

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MAS | Art & culture
Rijnkaai | Eilandje
24 hours daily

A couple of years ago, when I lived in the north of the city – which is a relative poor part of the city – there was one specific object that stole my heart. It was Pepto Bismo…

This extraordinary nice ‘Panamarenko’ lands on the corner of the Sint-Jansplein, which is the biggest square in Antwerp. Pepto Bismo is a statue of the strange Belgian artist Panamarenko, who’s called a great visionary. He was born in 1940 as Henri Van Herreweghe and choose his artistname from a combination of the Pan American Airlines and the Russian ending -enko.

Panamarenko is world famous for his scalemodels and drawings of bizarre spaceships, aircrafts and submarines. He donated Pepto Bismo in 2003 to the city and Pepto was placed in this poor neighbourhood where Panamarenko lived almost all his live.

A lot of people were surprised that a such a nice statue was placed in this ‘ghetto-area’ of Antwerp. And it was also placed on a low socle. Everybody thought that Pepto would be molested very soon.

But today he is still there. Shiny and unharmed. Pepto Bismo is a wonderful statue. He makes me happy. In the time I lived there, I had to pass Pepto Bismo every time when I went to the shops. I looked up to him many times. For me he represents believe and hope.

And what do you think… Is he taking off or landing?

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Pepto Bismo | Art & culture | Free
Sint Jansplein | Eilandje
24 hours daily

One of the things that makes Antwerp attractive is the river “Schelde” who runs at the side of the city. Seen from a historical point of view, this river has been the vein that kept Antwerp alive. And it still is, but it’s not only functional it also provides some nice views over the city: Antwerp is located in a curve of the river.

Whenever there is sun you can find lots of people here: enjoying the view, some wine or beers, the sunset over the water, the sound of the wind. Although they are not allowed, bbq’s happen very often… and apparently no one has ever got a ticket for that!

So after you shopped all day, had a nice dinner somewhere and before you’re ready to step into the nightlife: come for a walk and enjoy the sunset at the riverbank. You’ll see Antwerp in all of it’s aspects.

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River bank | Relaxing
From De Gerlachkaai to Rijnkaai | Eilandje
24 hours daily

Spoor Noord is a brand new park in Antwerp. It’s located in the North of the city centre. Spoor Noord is a contemporary urban landscape park. It combines nature, light, space, relaxation, culture, sports and events.

The western section of the park includes a number of play areas, a bmx and skate park and in summer a summer terrace (Cargo). Next to Cargo you find playgrounds for kids, two of them are Water Playgrounds (only in spring and summer) with fountains. So you can watch your kids playing while enjoying a cocktail.

The other part of the park includes football and basketball terrains. It also has a summer bar: Usuma Express. A quiet, relaxed place where you can drink the best bio lemonades and even a bio beer. We always go to Usuma Express when we don’t have kids with us or when we are not in the mood for the crowd at Cargo.

The entire park has a lot of free space to sunbath, picknick or relax.

Viva the sun & Spoor Noord! Spring & Summer we are waiting for you!

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Spoor Noord | Bars, Relaxing | Free
Viaduct Dam, Noorderlaan | Eilandje
Daily