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What to eat in Antwerp? Where to eat in Antwerp? 5 Traditional Foods You Have To Try in Antwerp

The best traditional Belgian dishes in Antwerp and the best authentic restaurants that make them, recommended by industry professionals.
Last update: Sun Feb 16 2025
5 Traditional Foods You Have To Try in Antwerp
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01

Vegetable Soup

FLANDERS, Belgium
3.7
Preisoep
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Flemish leek soup is one of Belgium's national dishes and a favorite during the cold and rainy winter months. To make this thick, nutritious and heartwarming dish, leeks are cooked with potatoes in a flavorful beef broth. Preisoep is most often prepared as a mere soup, but it can also be elevated to quite a meal when meaty beef bones are added to the pot, cooked until tender and reserved for the second course.

MOST ICONIC Preisoep

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02

Stew

FLANDERS, Belgium
4.2
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Carbonnade is a traditional stew made with beef and dark beer. Often referred to as carbonade flamande or stoverij, it features simple ingredients, but results in a rich and hearty dish. Although beef is the main ingredient in carbonnade, the crucial element for the dish is traditional Belgian dark beer.


It gives the dish certain sour and earthy flavors that perfectly complement the sweet onions and tender beef. Thyme, garlic, and bay leaves are added for extra flavor, while slices of mustard bread are sometimes added in order to thicken the sauce.


In Ghent, the dish often contains kidneys and liver. 

MOST ICONIC Carbonnade

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03

Dessert

BELGIUM and  one more region
4.4
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Delicious and fragrant waffles are the most famous Belgian culinary trademark. Made with thick dough or thin batter, the cakes are baked in a specially designed waffle iron which creates an unusual checkered pattern on the top and bottom of each cake.


In Belgium, there are two distinct varieties of this national dessert: the light Brussels waffle, and the denser Liege waffle. The key distinction is in the batter: while the Brussels waffle batter is thin and runny, the Liege variety is made with a thick, brioche-like dough which produces a cake with uneven edges and dense texture. 

MOST ICONIC Gaufre

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04
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Moules-frites is a traditional comfort food item consisting of mussels paired with Belgian fries on the side. The dish is commonly found in Belgium, the Netherlands, and northern France. The condiment of choice accompanying the dish is mayonnaise, providing an additional note of richness.


Mussels are a Belgian staple - cheap and abundant, they were originally considered a poor man's meal, and have been paired with fried potatoes for a long time at the country's famous friteries (fry shops). It is believed that the dish is originally from Belgium, because Belgians were the first to pair the mussels with fries, commonly eaten throughout the country in wintertime, when no fish was available. 

MOST ICONIC Moules-frites

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05

Dessert

LIÈGE, Belgium
4.2
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Lacquemant is a Belgian waffle originating from Liege. This thin waffle is made with wheat flour, cut horizontally in half, then filled and topped with sugar syrup flavored with orange blossom. The inventor of Lacquemant is Désiré Smidts, who first made it in 1903 and named it as a tribute to his former employer, Berthe Lacquemant.


Nowadays, it is a popular treat at fairs in the Liege region.

MOST ICONIC Lacquemant wafel

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