Antwerp eats well at every level. The Flemish classics are everywhere: stoofvlees (beer-braised beef stew with frites), paling in 't groen (eel in green herb sauce), garnaalkroketten (deep-fried shrimp croquettes). The city has unusually good North African and Indian food, a result of long-standing migration. The fashion and design crowds support a strong New Nordic-inflected scene, particularly around Het Zuid and the design quarter.
For a proper Belgian dinner, Het Pomphuis, the converted pumphouse on the docks, is the city's grandest setting. Bourla by the theatre is a more central classic. Ciro's, in the Zuid, is the institutional place for stoofvlees. For a low-budget but excellent local lunch, the small frituurs around Stadsfeestzaal are reliable, and De Foyer in the Bourla theatre serves a good brasserie menu.
For breakfast or coffee with serious pastry, Goossens Bakery on Korte Gasthuisstraat has been a family business since 1884.