Nieuwpoort lives on its grey shrimp. The local garnalen — small, sweet, peeled by hand and best eaten cold with a glass of beer — appear on every serious menu in town. The classic dish is tomaat-garnaal, a hollowed-out tomato stuffed with shrimp and mayonnaise; the other is garnaalkroketten, hot crisp croquettes with a soft shrimp interior. Order both at least once.
Beyond shrimp, the harbour-side restaurants do mussels in season (roughly July to April), grilled sole, and the full range of Belgian classics — stoofvlees, waterzooi, vol-au-vent. Prices are moderate by Belgian standards, with most main courses in the 22–32 euro range. The strip of restaurants along the Kaai facing the marina is the obvious choice for a long, slow lunch.