Sandra De Lobel (1980)

I personally very much enjoy a Sunday morning going out of house for brunching. It gives me 100% guarantee to good coffee and a variety of healthy and a nutritious food to star the active – or in most cases -lazy day…

One nice place to have an enjoyable morning experience is Brooderie: not only does it offer you the chance to a biological breakfast; you can also crash here for a fresh made soup or a delicious slice of cake in between shopping or after a visit to the Design Museum just across the street.

The warm brown and yellow colors in the interior makes you feel at home in a split second! I am a fan of their large variety of quiches and their several brunch formulas. If you want the feeling to last longer, you can also buy their bread or even better: sleep over! Yes, they even exploit a Bed and Breakfast to spend a lovely weekend in Ghent City!

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Brooderie | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Quiche € 10
Jan Breydelstraat 8 | City Center | +3292250623
Tue – Sun 08:00 – 18:00

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When it’s cold outside and you want to experience a warm feeling without having to travel for a long distance, the Chilean restaurant ‘El Negocito’ is definitely the place to visit! A great opportunity to explore the Chilean cuisine and their culture. By the look of the building, it might seem that the days of Glory have passed but the people and atmosphere proof the opposite. The place is breathing out spontaneity and joviality; it feels as if you have been adopted by a Latin- American family.

In the kitchen, the always good-humoured chef Juan Carlos offers local meals from Chile (steak, lomo, chili con carne, tortillas) and the taste is very good and spicy! The ingredients are directly imported from Chile and so are the prices apparently as they are very economical. And not to worry, even without a legitimate credit balance you can eat and add your credits to ‘El Libro Rojo’ – the red book. Some steady customers have made a habit out of it, so it seems…

Music, delicious Pisco Sour (a typical cocktail with origin in Peru and Chile) and great food. Definitely a place to recommend.

Apart from the warm feeling you receive by the people I must recommend you to select a seat near the heating system as the winter cold is hard to keep out…

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El Negocito | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants (Chilean) | Meal € 9
Brabantdam 21 | City Center | +3293298701
Daily from 18:00

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Near the Brugse Poort area, a little bit outside of the center you can find the local initiative: vzw Trafiek. This is a non-profit organisation that covers multiple functions: a bar, restaurant, exhibition room, meeting point,…You can rent rooms to have a workshop of art, photography etc.

This is the place to meet your neighbors, to organize local activities and to brainstorm about new possible initiatives. This organisation is localised next to the culture house ‘De Vieze Gasten’ where theatre, dance, music performances and standup comedy shows can be seen at lower prices than the official ones you would pay at the bigger theaters.

My usual stop before watching a show is Trafiek where I can eat a pasta or soup before continuing the evening activity. All products used are biological and have been purchased at Oxfam International.

For the healthy ones amongst us, you can even order your weekly fruit and vegetable package here!

This initiative can only be encouraged and is to become the cultural central point at the Brugse Poort!

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Trafiek | Art & culture, Bars, Snacks | Meal € 6
Haspelstraat 37 | Ghent-North | +32488261888
Wed – Sun 11:00 – 21:00

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The problem with secondhand clothing is often the fit of the items. While searching for some vintage clothes you often experience that they look great but the fitting of the garment is worthless.

Well, that problem is solved when shopping for an exclusive piece at ‘Myriam Wulffaert’. She has been designing clothes for several years and has turned an old launderette into a lovely vintage boutique. The shop-window always looks stunning and she has a nice offer of printed dresses, colourful blouses, pumps and boots. The garments are sorted by colour and very well cleaned before being offered.

The most important asset for me is that she customizes the pieces and gives them a more modern model to fit your body shape. This is not your average second hand boutique, it is just that little something extra that makes the difference.

If you want to give your wardrobe a boost, I can recommend to stop by from time to time!

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Myriam Wulffaert | Shopping | Dress € 20
Sint Jacobsnieuwstraat 35 | City Center | +3292231420
Wed – Thu from 13:00, Fri – Sat from 10:00

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One of my favorite activities during upcoming wintertime is spending weekends wandering around antique markets. In Ghent we have many of them and the weekly venue for secondhand lovers is the square at Saint-Jacobs. A small market you can visit each Sunday morning surrounded by some nice vintage shops and coffee shops.

My personal hotspot is the mobile coffee bar: La dolce Barista. The owner of this great invention has combined her 2 passions: flea markets and coffee. She has been doing this for years now and with great success!

Apart from the large variety of coffee, macchiato and cappuccino you are being seduced by her homemade cake and chocolate buns. Yummy! Quite the high-calorie breakfast, but what the hell! In order to find some warmth and love during cold winter days, this is the place to be. Cu there soon!

You can visit the mobile bar on each day of the week on a different market: flower market, antique market…

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La Dolce Barista | Coffee & tea | Coffee € 2.00
Several markets – Mobile bar | City Center
08:00 – 14:00 daily

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