We have a very small Chinatown in Antwerp. It is only one street. But in our small Chinatown is a very large Asian supermarket: Sun Wah. I don’t know what the name means but it is like a trip to Asia: Everybody speaks Chinese, the products are strange and beautiful, and it smells intriguing. Sometimes I don’t know whether it is a vegetable or fruit and when I have a box with strange signs on in my hands it can be impossible to understand what is in it. My mother bought once a can with snake in it. I didn’t want to taste it.

But it is a great experience to come here. I really love it!

I come there when I want to prepare some Asian dishes or when I’m looking for a special oystersauce for example, but I always buy something new, something I didn’t try before, or something completely mysterious.

I suppose it looks really like Asia in this wonderfull supermarket, but it probably is an asian supermarket with a Belgian undertone.

Antwerp’s Damplein used to be a very grey and desolate square next to the railway where you would only go if you wanted to buy a cheap table or chairs at Belgica Furniture. But the coming of Park Spoor Noord changed things. Coffee bar Zum and restaurant Caravan were the first to see the potential of this square next to Park Spoor Noord. Bar Zeppelin is the latest newcomer.

Like Bar Leon in Borgerhout they serve an interesting mix of excellent beers, cocktails and great coffees. That makes it an ideal stop no matter the time or occasion: there is always a great drink to be discovered. Also great and quite unique for Belgium: they serve you free tap water. There is plenty of reading material and free wifi so you won’t feel bored. And when the sun shines, you can take your drink, magazine, laptop, … outside. I’m already curious what the next thing will be on this rapidly changing square …

Criée isn’t just a food store, but actually a market hall roofing Antwerp’s best butchers and a gourmet supermarket.

I always had a hard time finding a butcher in Antwerp, there aren’t too many, until I discovered this place! It’s like in the Middle Ages where all the craftsmen of the same trade are located in the same street. You wonder how all the different butchers don’t drink each others blood (no pun intended), but they all have there own specialty. So for a dinner party, this is where I buy good quality poultry, lamb or game. And don’t be shy to ask advice how to prepare the meat, these are the real specialists! The shops also have a real crafty feel to them.

So whenever you feel like going to a market, and rain is pouring down (which happens quite often in Antwerp) be sure to make a stop at Criée.

Why did this worldwide chain of noodle restaurants pick Antwerp for their only restaurant in Belgium? Don’t ask us, but we love it! Wagamama is situated right next to the (only) cinema complex in the city centre and it has become a classic ‘dinner and a movie’ formula for Antwerpians. Which means it can get packed at night!

Although Wagamama is a chain, it always serves fresh, healthy and tasty Japanese dishes, usually ready in less than 15 minutes. There are a wide variety of noodle- and rice dishes on the menu, but I always end up picking the ‘kare lomen’ or ‘chili men’.

It’s also hard to resist the garlic edamame beans. A great ‘insider’-tip is you can usually find a coupon for a free second main dish in the free city-zine ‘Zone 03′ distributed in pillars all over Antwerp.

‘Kringloopwinkels’ have become real popular in Belgium. Literally it means ‘shop of the circle of life’, and it’s meaning is to give objects a ‘new life’ at someone else’s home. So instead of throwing away what you don’t need anymore, they come pick it up at your home for free, and probably make someone else really happy with it! Also it’s a social project providing job opportunities for people whom have trouble finding work.

All these ‘treasures’ you can go buy at very reasonable prices at the shops, and one of my favourites is ‘de Kringwinkel’ in the Kroonstraat. It has a very funky interior, and often things are arranged thematically. Here you can find just about anything: from fancy china to clothes, furniture (I just bought a vintage sixties dressoir for €20, yay!) to electronics, books and sometimes even a piano! All the goods are tested and cleaned by the personnel, on the electronics you even get a half-year of warranty. Also they have recently started an auction site for real collectibles.

The hype has become so big there are real ‘Kringwinkel-hunters’, people whom drive from one shop to another on a Saturday in hope to find a real treasure, or others whom buy stuff here and make something new out of it. The circle of life, quoi!

This old building has a rich history. It was built in 1934 as a gigantic cinema (seating over 2000 people) and variety theatre. It has seen all of Belgium’s artists and a whole range of international artists too. However, in 1982 it closed its doors and fell into decay.

In 2003 a group of enthusiastic neighbors started to renovate this amazing building in their spare time. In the beginning, there were only shows in the summer. It was a fun and strange experience enjoying a circus act in the middle of all the rubble. Nowadays, the revue is restored in its original, breathtaking stage.

Whenever I come here to see a show, it feels like I dive into the past, like any minute cancan girls will jump from behind the curtains, being cheered by a baron with a bowler hat and a monocle. In the hall there are fantastic vintage wall paintings and fun house mirrors, such a great laugh! Everybody who works there during the soirees is a volunteer, so be sure to give them a big smile for their efforts.

Check the calendar for shows: this can go from a theatre show over cinema and circus festivals, ballroom dancing nights (don’t be confused, you’ll have to do the dancing yourself!) and even a children’s flea market.

This must be the smallest restaurant in Antwerp, seating only 10 people. It’s situated on the ground floor of a simple house in a living area. The restaurant is run by Stephanie, a young woman who had a great idea: every day she serves her guests a new menu consisting of a starter, a main and a dessert for only € 15.00! Did I mention she does all the work herself? From shopping to cooking and serving. On top of that, she always makes some time for a little chat.

The menu is posted on Facebook daily, and you can also make reservations ahead, Stephanie will send you the menu. She’ll even adapt it to your liking. And I’m pretty sure you’ll like it. Never have I seen the same thing twice on the menu, and she has an excellent fresh and original way of cooking, using seasonal and local ingredients.

Recently, Stephanie also put up a little terrace up front, and serves breakfast and lunch as well!

This is a real unique experience in probably the coziest restaurant in Antwerp!

I remember guiding a friend around in Antwerp, showing him a great amount of fantastic places, and at the end of the day, dropping him off to go home, he was most impressed by our grand central train station.

The station was built at the end of the 19th century in a magnificent eclectic style. The roof over the platform is a translucent structure of steel and windows that will remind you of the Eiffel Tower. If this will be the first time you visit, you probably won’t believe 5 years ago this station only had 6 platforms. Recent structure works have expanded the station to about 24 platforms built into a large gaping hole. You’ll have to see it to believe it!

The station is now roofing a large part of Antwerp’s famous jewellery and diamond shops (however we Antwerpians don’t go there, beware of tourist traps!) and other facilities.

So don’t worry if you miss a train, you’ll have a great time exploring the station! In fact, Centraal Station Antwerpen has even been voted Europe’s most beautiful train station, I second that!

Even though it’s only one street long, Antwerp has its own little China town. I come here of course to buy ingredients for Asian dishes at reasonable prices, but I also love to stroll by and enjoy the atmosphere: exotic fruits and vegetables being unloaded from trucks, strong and unknown fragrances, a small Buddhist temple… And if you’re lucky, there might be a Chinese festivity going on. It feels like traveling!

In September 2010 the Antwerp Chinese community was gifted a traditional gate at the entry of the Van Wesenbekestraat. It’s a beautifully decorated and it already has become a landmark in Antwerp. It was specially designed for Antwerp in China, so the trams can ride underneath it as well. A year later, it appeared to be a bit crappy built, and they are still fixing it now as you read.

There are many shops in the street, my favorite is ‘Asia Food’: a small supermarket with neat rows stacked with Asian products. I always find what I need, and sometimes discover new exotic ingredients. ‘DK’ is known as the best restaurant in the street. It serves real, authentic Chinese food.

On one of the most challenging squares of Antwerp, in 2005 the city council decided to remodel an old car workshop into the new city library. If you ask me, it’s a very nice example of urban renewal. Of course, a library is about lending books and returning them. But you can do more here. First of all, enter the building and imagine this giant hall used to be a place where cars were fixed.

Go up the staircase where you can find the English books. Also on the first floor find yourself a seat in of the comfortable chairs to read a newspaper or a magazine. If you want to read or write in silence you can sit in the quiet room. Downstairs there is a nice selection of comic books, cd’s, dvd’s and magazines. And if you want to check your mail or your Facebook, you can do it here.

In front of the library there is a café called “Kubus” in a beautiful glass building. After I get myself a new selection of books, I like to have a coffee here and start reading. The whole of Antwerp passes by here so this is an excellent place for people watching.

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Permeke Library | Art & culture, Relaxing
De Coninckplein 26 | Stationsbuurt | +3280099293
Mon – Thu 10:00 – 20:00, Fri – Sat 10:00 – 17:00, Sun 10:00 – 14:00