Cafe culture: Our pick of the best museum food in Belgium

From coffee and cake to a healthy lunch or classic fare, why not enjoy fine food and a great exhibition? Many cultural venues in Belgium are now pulling in punters based on the quality of their catering services. Discover some of the top museum restaurant-cafes serving food that’s an attraction in itself.

Comic Strip Museum
Hidden down a quiet side street, the Comic Strip Museum is one of the city’s secret places. It occupies a spectacular Art Nouveau department store designed by Victor Horta. The Horta Brasserie on the ground floor is a typical Belgian cafe-restaurant with mirrors, columns and high ceilings. It’s a good place to stop for a Belgian stoemp (mashed potato and veg) and a cold Brussels beer

MIM
While many tourists flock to Brussels’ Museum of Musical Instruments (MIM) to peruse its 7,000 instruments stacked over five floors of a neoclassical complex, a significant majority of sightseers instead take the elevator straight to the top of ‘Old England’ to experience the museum’s renowned sixth floor: its restaurant and cafe. Tourists can take in the breathtaking views of the capital as well as the elegance of the Art Nouveau building from the terrace around the dome. There’s no need to pay an entrance fee to access the top floor, but you might be coaxed into ordering some carbonnade flamande to take in the view a little longer.

BELvue
Occupying the interior courtyard of this elegant 18th-century townhouse, the Green Kitchen restaurant is a garden sanctuary in the busy museum quarter of Place des Palais. While the museum is devoted to Belgium’s national history, the restaurant menu features a self-service salad bar (priced according to weight), soups, sandwiches and hot dishes. Favouring fresh seasonal produce, it’s perfect for vegetarians and healthy eaters. At weekends and holidays, there’s a brunch menu and if you’re visiting the museum, show your entrance ticket and benefit from a meal package for breakfast, lunch or tea.

MAS
The MAS is the highlight of Antwerp’s Eilandje district. The big red museum not only caters to those with an appetite for culture, but satisfies actual hunger as well. On the ninth floor you’ll find ’t Zilte, a two-Michelin-star restaurant with stunning views over the city and the Scheldt, run by chef Viki Geunes. If you’re looking for something less swanky, try Café Storm on the ground floor. Great for a quick drink or brunch on weekends!

Jenever Museum
Hasselt was once the jenever capital of Belgium, with dozens of distilleries during the gin-like spirit’s heyday in the 19th century. The museum itself is housed in a former distillery on a cobblestone street in the historic city centre. Your admission ticket includes a tasting in the museum’s authentic jenever cafe, but the cafe is also open to non-museum-goers during opening hours. Try the aged house jenever, served in a petite glass, straight up.

Bruges Beer Museum
Admission to the museum, which covers the history of beer around the world and in Belgium, includes three tastings. Choose from 16 beers on draft, representing the range of beer types brewed in Belgium, from light blondes to dark ales and even fruit beers. The 15cl tastings are served in the large, airy cafe overlooking the historic Markt square, where visitors are encouraged to relax, enjoy the view, and order extra drinks and snacks from the menu.

Charleroi Photo Museum
It might sound unlikely, but grim industrial Charleroi has one of Europe’s best photography museums. The stylish museum occupies a former Carmelite convent on the edge of town. The cafe is in an impressive wood-and-glass extension added in 2008. Here you can have a sandwich or a coffee in a bright interior with trees growing under the roof and views of a park.

Mub’Art
Not too many tourists know about the cafe hidden in the basement of Ghent’s Fine Art Museum. It’s a relaxed spot popular with artists, laptop nomads and local couples. You can eat regional specialities such as Gentse stoverij (Ghent stew), paling in ’t groen (eel in a green herb sauce) or a creative vegetarian dish. It’s also a place to stop for a Masalto espresso or a local beer. In the summer, you can sit outside in the shade of old trees.

STAM
Ghent’s STAM museum tells the city’s history in a striking complex built around an ancient hospital. A modern extension added in 2010 includes a stunning cafe in a glass cube that sits on the water. The kitchen is currently run by the team behind Pain Perdu cafe in central Ghent, who have introduced a distinctive style of healthy eating, including creative salads, organic bread and local beers like Gentse Strop and Gruut Blond.

This article first appeared in The Bulletin Best of Belgium 2016