Antwerp: Where to Eat and Drink
Antwerp eats like the Flemish port city it is: butter, beer, frites and the North Sea, priced in euros and served without ceremony. You do not need a French phrasebook here; the local language is Dutch, and English works everywhere in the centre. Here is what to seek out and roughly what it costs in 2026 (verify at the counter).
The biscuit that comes with a legend
Antwerpse Handjes are hand-shaped butter-and-almond biscuits invented in 1934 for a local pastry contest, named for the same Brabo-and-giant founding legend as the Grote Markt fountain. A chocolate version followed in 1971 and a marzipan-and-liqueur version in 1982. Philip’s Biscuits is the best-known specialist maker; a box makes the one souvenir worth the suitcase space.
Frites, done properly
A paper cone of double-fried potato from a stand-up frituur runs roughly EUR 3 to 5 and is the honest local snack. These are Belgian, not “French fries,” and a good frituur is a legitimate meal with a dollop of sauce. For something sit-down, moules-frites, a shareable pot of mussels and fries, lands around EUR 20 to 30, with cheaper standing fish-bar versions from about EUR 12 to 15.
Order een bolleke
For beer, say “een bolleke” and you will get De Koninck’s amber Spéciale Belge in its distinctive round glass, no need to name the brewery. It is Antwerp’s own beer, brewed here since 1833, roughly EUR 2.50 to 3.50 a glass in an ordinary cafe. The self-guided brewery tour on the edge of the centre runs about EUR 16 to 20 with two tastings, a fair rainy-day hour, though the beer-and-atmosphere version in a plain bar delivers more per euro.
Try a jenever
Antwerp has a genuine claim to jenever, the juniper spirit an Antwerp doctor is credited with recipe-testing as far back as the 1520s. Modern proeflokaal bars still pour dozens of flavoured genevers by the small glass, a good after-dinner stop near the Grote Markt.
What a meal costs
Budget a casual meal at roughly EUR 12 to 20, a sit-down Belgian bistro meal with a beer at about EUR 25 to 35, and an upscale dinner from EUR 50 upward per person. Tipping is not US-style; rounding up or adding 5 to 10% for good table service is plenty. Contactless cards are widely accepted, but keep small cash for market stalls and the smallest frituren.
Read more: pair these with the sights in our Antwerp city guide , or plan the day around them with the Antwerp 3-day itinerary .