I always knew that Belgium and good food went hand in hand but it wasn’t until I visited Durbuy that I remembered just how well you can eat in Belgium. Durbuy might be the smallest city in the world but it certainly has a lot of good restaurants. If you’re planning a trip to this charming medieval city then these are the eight Durbuy restaurants you must try.
Updated for 2020
Located in Belgium’s Wallonia region, Durbuy is the smallest city in the world. There are lots of things to do here from fishing and spelunking to rafting on the river and visiting the town’s topiary park. There’s also an excellent Adventure Park. But all this outdoor activity is sure to build up an appetite. Fortunately, Durbuy’s small streets are packed full of very good restaurants.
Disclosure: I was a guest of Tourism Wallonia during my visit to Durbuy. All opinions are, as always, entirely my own. This post may contain affiliate and commercial links. If you make a purchase or booking after clicking on the link then globetotting receives a small commission; if you don’t then we don’t! For more information see our disclosure policy.
La Bru’sserie
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Located in Le Sanglier des Ardennes hotel at the top of town, La Bru’sserie is probably Durbuy’s most high-end restaurant. Fortunately, however, high-end doesn’t mean stuffy and we had an incredible meal here on our first night. T
he menu features a selection of tapas and sharing plates and you can either choose ad hoc or go for one of the four- or six-plate tasting menu. We decided to let the experts pick our four dishes for the tasting menu and we chose a handful of plates for the kids.
We started with an amazing Hamachi ceviche made with Japanese tuna, which was absolutely delicious. Then followed a dish with spinach, shrimp and smoked eels and later a poached egg on truffle and Iberico ham. Our final course was perfectly cooked strips of beef served with chimichurri. All of it was fantastic. The kids devoured a white sausage burger, basil ravioli, oxtail stew and a tomato tart.
Mama Gusto
The lively and very popular Mama Gusto Italian restaurant is the perfect place for dinner with kids. There’s indoor and outdoor seating and you often have to wait. It’s worth hanging around, however, as the food is very good. The pizza selection is huge – almost as big as the pizzas themselves – but the menu offers plenty of other firm favourites too. Lasagne, Risotto and Tagliatelle dishes all make an appearance as well as cognac baked prawns.
La Passerelle
Set along the banks of a river with pastoral views and a great playground (seriously, Durbuy excels at playgrounds!) is La Passerelle, a hotel and restaurant.
We had a lovely meal here sitting outside sampling one of the local beers, Chouffe, while the kids bounced on the trampoline. The food is upmarket pub food and we had excellent scampi and chips. For desert, the kids ordered Belgian waffles with cream, ice cream and chocolate sauce and I had an amazing Dame Blanche. Served in a tall ice cream glass, it consists of several scoops of vanillas ice cream, whipped cream and then hot chocolate sauce poured over it. It’s honestly one of the best deserts ever!
7 by Juliette
Easily the kids’ favourite Durbuy restaurant was 7 by Juliette located in Durbuy itself. This laid-back restaurant has a characterful outdoor seating area with wooden tables and benches, metal mariachi statues and lots of greenery. It’s full of character and the menu is a lot of fun, too.
The restaurant specialises in tapas but not the traditional Spanish kind, rather the sharing plates here are based on local and seasonal produce. You’ll also find crowd-pleasers like mini hamburgers on the menu.
Our first course included various hams, including one smoked in chocolate, and a handful of different bruschetta. Round two brought mini hamburgers, perfectly-cooked tuna slices and lamb kebabs. The finale, and really the highlight, was the desert tapas, which included strawberries and dipping chocolate, brownies, Haribo sweets and more.
It’s a great place to eat with kids and mine are already asking when we can go back.
La Brasserie Ardennaise Durbuy
For traditional Belgian dishes and plenty of regional specialities, head to La Brasserie Ardennaise. Specialities include the ‘Ardennes Plate’, a merry combination of pate, cured meats boudin and Ardenne sausage. Also on the menu are all manner of “Croques” (toasted sandwiches with a variety of fillings) and pastas.
Les Lanternes
Les Lanternes is a really lovely family-run restaurant located in the neighbouring village of Wéris. You can easily spend a day exploring Wéris, starting at the small but informative museum. The is famous for being one of the biggest megalithic sites in the country and there are designated walks to explore the mysterious ancient stones.
Once you’ve finished, take a seat at Les Lanternes, for lunch. The Brasserie menu is not complicated featuring instead home cooked favourites such as jambon frites (ham and chips), lasagne and trout.
I had an omelette and the kids enjoyed a very generous kids’ serving of spaghetti Bolognese. The restaurant menu at Les Lanternes is a little more high end and you can choose a la carte or a choice of a three- or four- course set menu. All produce is locally sourced, there’s a kids’ menu and the owner is charming.
La Canette Durbuy
This family-friendly restaurant is a favourite with locals and visitors alike for its cozy atmosphere and tasty home-cooked food. Come to La Canette for the seasonal, local dishes and the pretty setting – try and grab a table outside if the weather is good. The tartiflette is excellent as is the osso bucco. Definitely make a reservation if visiting during peak season.
La Vieille Demeure
We didn’t eat at La Vielle Demeure but we did stop here for a drink on their outdoor terrace. If you do stop by, definitely try and sit outside, which is a far more convivial settting than indoors. I am not a big beer drinker but on a sunny day it’s a great drink and so I tried the local La Chouffe beer, which is really very good!
