One of the unexpected highlights of our trip through Belgium and the southern Netherlands was the food. We had some misses, but far more hits—and a few meals we’ll be talking about for a long time.
Bruges
Our culinary adventures in Bruges began with dinner at L’Assiette Blanche, and what a way to start. The sweetbreads were absolutely fantastic—rich, delicate, and perfectly prepared. We also enjoyed some of the best white asparagus of the trip. If you’ve spent time in the Netherlands during asparagus season, you know that overcooked asparagus can be a recurring problem. Not here. These were cooked beautifully and showcased exactly why white asparagus is so beloved in this part of Europe.
The next morning, we headed to Waffle Duke for breakfast. Josephine kept things simple with a waffle topped with powdered sugar and whipped cream, and she was in heaven. Sometimes the classics are classics for a reason.
Before leaving Bruges for Maastricht, we grabbed shawarma from Olive Street Food. Unfortunately, this was the low point of our Bruges dining experience. The shawarma was drowning in mayonnaise. As someone who is half Lebanese, married to a man who is half Palestinian, I feel qualified to say that there was very little about this dish that resembled the shawarma we grew up eating. It wasn’t terrible, exactly. It just wasn’t shawarma.
Maastricht
If Bruges started strong, Maastricht somehow managed to raise the bar.
Our first dinner was at Le Fernand, and we were immediately obsessed. Great service, wonderful atmosphere, and prices that felt surprisingly reasonable given the quality. We started with baked Camembert topped with breadcrumbs, nuts, and figs—a dish that was somehow both comforting and elegant.
I followed that with steak tartare, while Jamil ordered loup de mer. Josephine chose grilled celeriac with pointed cabbage and lavender jus. To everyone’s surprise, hers was the standout dish of the evening. The combination sounded unusual, but it worked beautifully.
The next day, after exploring the caves just outside the city, we stopped for lunch at Café de Pieter. It was exactly what we needed: casual, charming, and fresh. Josephine ordered asparagus soup, Jamil had a chicken Caesar salad, and we enjoyed a welcome break from the more elaborate dining experiences that had filled much of the trip.
For our final dinner in Maastricht, we headed to Café Sjiek, a beloved local institution. The meal did not disappoint. In a move that surprised all of us, Josephine decided to order horse stew. I have never been able to get past the idea of eating horse, so I was fascinated by her willingness to try it. In the end, she wasn’t a fan—but not because it was horse. Her complaint was that it was sweet, strange, and “very Dutch.”
Jamil started with oysters topped with a kimchi mignonette that completely blew his mind. I panicked when faced with too many interesting menu options and retreated to the safety of a steak. Jamil ordered fish for his main course, but after deciding the horse stew wasn’t for her, Josephine promptly commandeered most of his dinner.
As it turns out, that’s the real theme of traveling with a nine-year-old: no matter what everyone orders, there’s always a chance your meal will become someone else’s.
Between the refined elegance of Le Fernand, the cozy charm of Café de Pieter, and the local flavor of Café Sjiek, Maastricht turned out to be one of the most enjoyable food destinations of our trip. Combined with Bruges’ memorable sweetbreads and asparagus, it made for several days of eating that were almost as enjoyable as the sightseeing.
