Vegan Practically

Bruges is gorgeous, and has an outdoor restaurant culture with all sorts of beautiful patios, many along the canals or on bustling squares scattered throughout the town. If I had to score it on the vegan front, I’d give it a B-. It’s not without vegan options if you do some research ahead of time. But the typical Flemish cuisine in this part of the country is dominated by animal products—rabbit, mussels, cheese, waffles, fries often fried in horse fat (though I am told that’s increasingly rare).

I got lucky because we were in a place right around the corner from a lovely little breakfast and lunch bagel and bowl place called Sanseveria Bagelsalon with lots of clearly marked vegan options and a wonderful oat milk cappuccino. I went there every day and throughout my time I had four oat milk cappuccinos, one muesli bowl, one granola bowl, a bagel with avocado and grilled eggplant, and a delicious vegan apple crumble. It’s a very pleasant space, a bit off the beaten track but not far from anything, and you can eat in or take out. If you’re in Bruges and looking for a friendly and welcoming space with good vegan food and atmosphere, it’s a must.

My other three successes: a delicious veggie burger and fries from the Fritbar; a wonderful vegan waffle with strawberries from Otto, and a really good poke bowl with tofu and a bunch of other good stuff from Hawaiian Poké Bowl.

I can also recommend both the dark chocolate and the incredibly amazing fruit gelèes from Dumon. I inquired about the vegan status of both and was satisfied that they are both good to go.

That all sounds encouraging but don’t be fooled. Bruges might not be as tough a place to be vegan as Normandy and Brittany (will update on that in a subsequent post), but at non-vegan places I was served a veggie burger that had cheese on it that wasn’t indicated on the menu, and was told at a fancy place that they could not veganize the vegetarian tasting menu because dairy is an essential part of their ingredients.

My main strategy was to do drinks at the cute little places along the canal and on the squares, and make more of an effort to find a good meal otherwise. I could have prepared more at our place, which had a full kitchen. But honestly it is so charming and the weather was so gorgeous that we just wanted to be out and about all the time.

With a bit of planning, you can find good vegan options in Bruges and not feel as if you’re missing out on waffles, frites, and chocolate.

Bon voyage!