3 Best Restaurants in Ghent, Ghent and the Leie

A fair contender for the best meal in Ghent, Oak more than deserves the Michelin star it bagged in 2018. Chef Marcelo Ballardin worked previously in the lauded Vrijmoed before setting up on his own, and demand is high: with just 24 seats, it's wise to book far in advance. Inside, it's pretty intimate, with Ballardin himself often coming out to greet diners. Dinner is a seven-course menu that changes with the seasons. Small portions come exquisitely prepared, with every trick in the gastronomic cookbook used, and its surprisingly simple dishes are huge in flavor, from sumptuous dry-aged beef to halibut drizzled in Champagne sauce. A true delight.

Organic, plant-based vegan food and natural wines are the specialty of this canteen with the air of an apothecary. It couldn't be more on trend if it tried—and it has, hard! Blackboard menus spell out what lies inside the eight colorful Le Crueset pots that sit warming over (typically vegan chillies, coconut curries and the like), while a pick 'n' mix of accoutrements (grains, sauces, and raw veggies) let you create your own dish, or "prescription" as they like to say, continuing the whole botanical vibe. Even if the marketing spin is a little irksome, the wholesome, home-cooking-style food really hits the mark.

The owners of this food-sharing joint on bustling Oudburg have managed to make its interior look like an enchanted forest—all green walls, fake branches, and pale-pink flowers lit with clever lighting. The theatrics don't end with the decor, either, as each dish on the four- or six-course tasting menu pit-stops in another culinary realm. From tacos to ceviche, to Spanish-style king prawns, each course barrels along with big flavors that don't always match up, but the quality is good and you can always go à la carte if you want to. But it's all about the experience at Ghent's most Instagrammable eatery.