Belgian Food: The Best Dishes to Try on a River Cruise

When you think of Belgian food, beer, chocolate, and fries might come to mind, but those aren’t the only drinks and delicacies you should try on your river cruise in Belgium.

Traditional Belgian cuisine is a mix of French, Dutch, and German influences, and many of the country’s best dishes are inspired by local ingredients, such as North Sea seafood, endives, and white asparagus. The national dish is moules-frites, steamed mussels served with those classic Belgian fries. It’s a must-try meal, especially when paired with a local beer.

On a river cruise to Brussels and other Belgian ports, make time to sit down to a local lunch, sample a variety of Belgian ales, or indulge your sweet tooth on waffles and pralines. Sampling Belgian food and beer is a delicious way to learn about local culture on your river cruise.

Best Belgian Food to Try

Your river cruise will only spend a couple of days in Belgium, so you won’t have time to eat every classic Belgian food. Belgium is known for the following 10 dishes that you should prioritize during your day in port.

• Moules-frites is the national dish of mussels cooked in white wine or beer sauce and served with fries.
• Carbonnade flamande is beef stew made with caramelized onions and dark ale, seasoned with thyme and mustard, served over fries.
• Belgium’s famous frites are twice-fried in beef fat and served in a paper cone with sauces, such as andalouse (mayo, tomatoes, and peppers), samurai (chili-mayo), or mayonnaise.
• Garnalenkroketten (in Flemish) are croquettes made with gray North Sea shrimp and béchamel sauce, breaded and fried, and served with fried parsley and lemon. They’re called croquettes aux crevettes in French.
• Waterzooi is a creamy stew made with chicken or fish and a broth made of leeks, carrots, and potatoes mixed with cream and egg yolk, or sometimes beer.
• Stoemp is a comfort food dish that’s a mix of mashed potatoes and vegetables (carrots, leeks, or cabbage). It’s often served with sausages or other grilled meat.
• Vol-au-vent is a chicken stew with mushrooms and small meatballs typically served inside a puff pastry “bowl.” It’s accompanied by a side of fries or potatoes.
• Liège waffles are one of two types of iconic Belgian waffles. They are thick, sweet, and chewy, and served plain.
• Brussels waffles are rectangular, light, and crispy, and served with sweet toppings like strawberries.
• Iconic Belgian chocolates include truffles (soft chocolate shells filled with ganache) and Belgian pralines (firm chocolate outside with a soft or liquid inside).

Read on for more details on these dishes, plus other must-try foods across Belgium.

Iconic Savory Dishes and Mains

Carbonnade flamande with frites, Flemish beef stew; a Belgian dish

Make time in your river cruise schedule for lunch in port when you’re visiting Belgium.

Seafood lovers will want to try moules-frites, the Belgian national dish, or shrimp croquettes. Stews are a popular choice, with options like carbonnade flamande (beef stew), waterzooi (chicken or fish stew), or vol-au-vent (chicken stew in puff pastry). For hearty comfort fare, order stoemp or Liège meatballs, which are made of a mix of pork and beef and served with a sauce made with Liège syrup.

Though many of these dishes come with a side of fries, Belgian frites are considered a meal on their own. Friteries (fry shops) will serve up thick fries in a paper cone or carton. They come topped with a traditional Belgian mayonnaise or your choice of sauce. Vegetarians should be aware that Belgian fries are double-cooked in beef fat.

For an authentic meal, avoid restaurants with multilingual menus, photo menus, or aggressive promoters out front. You might be lured in by special tourist deals, but you’ll likely end up eating mediocre fare with other foreigners.

Instead, look for restaurants outside the central tourist hot spots that are full of local diners. You might not find an English menu, but a translation app will guide you to a more authentic Belgian lunch.

Belgian Sweets and Desserts

Fresh traditional Belgian chocolate displayed in a Brussels bakery and candy shop

Most visitors to Belgium know that they must try the country’s famous Belgian waffles; fewer realize they have a choice of two types of breakfast-inspired dessert. The rectangular Brussels waffles are made from a yeasted dough, and the fluffy treats are topped with your choice of fruit, chocolate sauce or Nutella, whipped cream, ice cream, or syrup. Eat them with a fork and knife.

You will recognize Liège waffles because they have uneven edges. The dough for this street food favorite is sweeter, so they don’t require toppings.

River cruisers with a sweet tooth will also want to try speculoos, Belgium’s famous cookie made with caramelized sugar and cinnamon. (If you’re a fan of Biscoff cookies or cookie butter, you know the speculoos flavor.) Look for bakeries that make the cookies fresh in traditional wooden molds.

No trip to Belgium is complete without sampling its famous chocolate. Choose from truffles (soft chocolate shells filled with ganache) or Belgian pralines (firm chocolate outside, soft or liquid inside), or purchase a selection of both. For a more authentic experience, look for traditional chocolatiers and avoid souvenir shops, which tend to be more touristy.

Local Belgian Beer and Drinks

Beer tasting in Bruges, Belgium, Europe

If you prefer hops to sweets, you’re likely eager to dive into Belgian beer culture. Pace yourself because you’ll find wide local varieties to sample during your river cruise. When dining, ask your waiter for suggestions of an optimal Belgian beer and food pairing.

For centuries, Trappist monks have brewed Belgium’s famous Trappist beers in monasteries such as Westmalle, Westvleteren, Chimay, Orval, and Rochefort. Among these beers, dubbels are moderately strong brown ales, often with fruity notes; they pair well with carbonnade flamande. Tripels are stronger than dubbels, and are typically a golden color. Try one with a plate of moules-frites, and you’ll kick the flavor up a notch.

Other options include:

• Abbey beers are similar in style to Trappist beers but are not produced in one of the official monasteries.
• Witbier, a Belgian white beer, is flavored with coriander and orange peel, and pairs well with seafood dishes.
• Duvel is Belgium’s classic blonde or pale ale.
• Saison beer is a carbonated, low-alcohol pale ale from French-speaking southern Belgium, originally brewed for farmers to enjoy.
• Lambic and Gueuze come from Brussels and are fermented with local yeast. Some lambics are blended with fruit for a tart and sweet taste. Choose a Gueuze beer to accompany a white asparagus dish.

Belgium might be known for its beer, but I’d be remiss not to mention the local spirit, jenever. It’s a juniper-flavored spirit akin to gin but maltier. If your river cruise stops in the Netherlands, you can compare Dutch jenever to the Belgian version. It’s traditional to drink jenever straight as a digestif or aperitif, though modern mixologists have started to use it in cocktails.

What To Eat in Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp, and Ghent

Mussels with french fries and white wine in a cooking pan. Grey background. Close up

You can easily find classic Belgian dishes and the country’s famous beers in most cities on your river cruise. If you’re visiting at holiday time, you can find waffles, frites, speculoos, mulled wine (glühwein), and Christmas beer at any Christmas market. For the most authentic experience, look for traditional dishes and drinks in the cities most associated with them.

Brussels: On a river cruise to Brussels, it’s fitting to savor Belgium’s national dish, moules-frites, in its capital city. Your dessert of choice should be Brussels waffles (for obvious reasons) or pralines (they were invented here). The city is also known for its Lambic and Gueuze beer.

Ghent: This city is most famous for waterzooi, the stew dish that originated in the area in medieval times. It’s also known for Tierenteyn mustard, produced in one historic shop in the city, and Gruut beer, which is brewed with an herb mixture of medieval origin in place of hops. Christmas market treats in Ghent include neuzekes (aka cuberdons or Ghent noses), cone-shaped raspberry-flavored candy, and snowballs, chocolate-covered meringues dusted with powdered sugar. If it’s not market season, shop for the original Larmuseau brand of sneeuwballen at candy shops and supermarkets.

Bruges: Bruges is known as one of the best places to taste Belgian chocolate, so make a beeline for its many artisanal chocolatiers. You’ll also want to sample North Sea seafood dishes here. Try the savory appetizer tomate aux crevetes, a tomato stuffed with North Sea shrimp and mayonnaise. Bruges is also famous for its beer culture. Bruges’ centuries-old De Halve Maan brewery is known for its Brugse Zot beer. The brewery even runs a beer pipeline beneath the city’s streets. Alternatively, try the Flemish red-brown beer at Brewery Bourgogne des Flandres, another local brewery.

Antwerp: Look for dishes that have “Anvers” in their name; it’s the old name of the city. Filet d’Anvers is a local charcuterie made of beef or pork. Elixir d’Anvers is an herbal liqueur found in everything from cocktails to chocolates. Antwerp Hands are butter cookies shaped like hands and inspired by the city’s folklore. If your river cruise takes you to Antwerp in autumn, don’t miss the seasonal lacquemants, thin syrup-filled wafers, commonly found at fall festivals.

Belgian Food FAQs

Belgian Food: A Highlight of Your Day in Port

It’s easy to find traditional Belgian cuisine in cities like Brussels, Bruges, and Ghent. Sit down for a meal, grab a street food snack, or linger over a regional beer in a local pub. No matter how you plan your day in port, you’ll have time to enjoy local dishes and treats. You might find that sampling chocolates from an artisan purveyor or savoring lunch at a local restaurant becomes one of your favorite memories from your river cruise to Belgium.

Hungry for waffles and frites? Explore Celebrity Rhine River cruises that visit Belgium.