Le Fooding has done to work so we can spoon-feed you all the best spots to fill your days and nights in Antwerp, the port city where a fresh breeze is always blowing… So come get your grub on from morning till night, in between a few shopping sessions and art exhibits!
The best gentle wake-up call
To start your day off on the right foot, head over to Rush Rush, a coffee shop where javaheads Nanigui Patel and Simon Derutter keep an eye on their selection of premium brews. They’re available with varying degrees of intensity to sponge up the house’s delightful snacks, like this cheeky mortadella, Farmdal gouda, homemade jam, mustard and pickle sandwich made on buttery sourdough. Now you’re ready to attack the day!
Rush Rush – Lange Altaarstraat 29, Antwerp
The best breakfast to eat on the go
Sidewalk adventurers, you’re trudging through Antwerp’s suburbs when suddenly you hear a rumbling… No, it’s not the sound of thunder, it’s your belly! To satisfy your morning hunger pangs, nothing beats a small baggie of thoughtfully-made treats from the Leo bakery with its charmingly old-fashioned feel, but whose gluten-rich sweets prepared by Sander Goossens have been updated to reflect the taste of the times. Grab your fill from the marble countertop: flaky chocolate croissants, plum or lemon tarts, matcha mont-blanc pastries… Everything you need to leave with a fluttering heart and a full belly!
Leo Antwerpen – Solvynsstraat 77, Antwerp
The best unfussy lunch
Lunchtime is finally here! But you don’t want to go just anywhere: head through the Van Wesenbekestraat arch straight into Antwerp’s Chinatown, and more specifically to Ni Shifu. There, you can savor some stunning Sichuan plates: pork wontons illuminated by a spicy sauce and fried calamari; memorable crispy marinated duck served with bittersweet cucumber salad; comforting homemade noodles with ground pork and satay… After all that, you’ll be floating on cloud nine for the rest of the day!
Ni Shifu – Breydelstraat 8, Antwerp
The best book break
Have you wandered over to Antwerpen-Centraal train station? If so and you feel like taking a peaceful little pause, Luddites Books & Wine is the perfect spot! In this elegant house decorated like a manor, the American expat Richard Bolte and the Belgian native Jorien Caers realized that everything is cozier with a good book in hand: a cup of tea or coffee, or even a glass of wine… It’s up to you how you spend your well-deserved break!
Luddites Books & Wine – Hopland 34, Antwerp
The best apérotof
Feel like slowing down in a minimalist space? Osaka is where it’s at! Not the city, but the stylish Japanese-inspired wine bar, all decked out in concrete, wood and steel. This miniature haven is run by David Copmans, Lynn Schevelenbos and Kirsten Sprokkelenburg, who hit the bull’s eye with their natural wines and Nipponophile small plates, which you can combine any way you like!
Osaka – Bollandusstraat 15-17, Antwerp
The best hidden supper
Dinner is served, and tonight… it’s a pizza party! At the back of an alley that leads to a former printing house, Loes Rombouts and Krikke Festiëns cook their beautiful pies to golden perfection in a wood-fired oven, before topping them with everything the season has to offer: wild garlic, burratina, vegetables from the Ons Logisch Voedsel farm… not to mention the gluten-free dishes, including an incredible risotto or salsiccia served with a cornichon and lentil sauce.
Loes & Krikke – Congresstraat 42/101, Anvers
The best lavish ending to the night
When your top button has popped open, do you dream of rolling all the way back to your bed? That was before you heard about Dogma and its incredible cocktails crafted by Didier Van den Broeck. In this cross between a bar and a speakeasy tucked away near the cathedral, you won’t need much coaxing to order a Japanese Blossom (dry Martini, gin, fino sherry, grapefruit, litchi and bay leaf), before indulging in a damn good Bloody Mary, seasoned with hoisin sauce and chipotle peppers, plus a beautiful slice of crispy bacon. What a day!
Dogma – Wijngaardstraat 5, Antwerp
Already dreaming about booking your next trip to Antwerp? Head to http://www.visitantwerpen.be/ so you can have the city’s history at your (soon to be well-licked) fingertips.
Get a belly full of Belgium by ordering your black, yellow and red copy of the Fooding guide right here!