6 Best Restaurants in Namur, The Meuse and the Ardennes

Eating is serious business in the elegant dining room of this grand suburban house in Les Plantes, a suburb 3 km (2 miles) south of central Namur. Award-winning chef Charles Jeandrain focuses his attention on flavor in his contemporary French-inspired creations, with foams and flashy gimmicks taking a back seat to good old taste.

The focus in this simply furnished, informal bistro is on hearty portions of Belgian classics, with bases covered from bouchée à la reine (chicken vol-au-vent) to boulettes (meatballs). Also worthy of more than a second glace is the beer list, which tops 100, with plenty of Trappist and lambic choices.

In a 200-year-old building with stucco columns and shiny brass everywhere, creating an appropriately elegant setting, this old-school brasserie serves up generous amounts of classic French and Belgian fare all day long (tellingly, the menu includes both steak tartare and its Belgian counterpart, filet americain), brought to you by immaculately attired waiters. Other seasonally variable fare includes mussels and game, both at their relevant times of year.

This centrally located café and bakery specializes in delicious homemade cupcakes, served in all manner of creative guises, just right for washing down with a wide selection of coffees, teas, and infusions. And while these colorful little starlets may hog the limelight, it's worth noting that the cheesecakes and brownies are equally good at turning heads.

In an unassuming redbrick house on a quiet street off the place du Marché-aux-Légumes, this classy restaurant with quietly understated modern decor lives up to its name—in addition to being a musical term, le petit fugue also means “the little escape.” The regularly changing menu promises haute cuisine emphasizing regional ingredients, such as locally caught trout and locally raised lamb.

On a narrow street in the city center, this cozy, Old Belgium–theme café serves hearty regional food amid cherry-red furniture, lace curtains, and lots of antique bric-a-brac. A long-established city institution, the graffiti writings and drawings of celebrity visitors who have dined here over the years cover the walls.