De Walrus Ghent

De Walrus is a great neighbourhood meeting place on the corner right next to the Coupure canal. Not many tourists make it to this mainly residential area of town, so you can be sure you'll get a true slice of Ghent living if you come here for a drink or a bite to eat. They describe themselves as a 'light brown cafe' and that hits the nail on the head.

There's a bit of everything at De Walrus - a bar with stools where you can chat to the staff, retro restaurant tables (reserve these if you want to eat on a Friday or Saturday), a big sunny terrace with colourful beach-themed murals out the back, live bands playing from 21:00 on a Saturday night, and even a little play area with toys for kids. Families with young kids are really welcome here. I like the warm and fuzzy feeling you get when you go to De Walrus on a drizzly Sunday - I could easily sit here all afternoon.

Food-wise it's also a steal. They have some standard classics like chili con carne (my favourite), spaghetti bolognaise etc, but nothing is more than 15 euros so it's really good value, especially as you can easily pay twice as much for something similar in the centre of town. They also always have a vegetarian special and lots of vegetarian/vegan-friendly options. Everything is freshly made in house.