- Splurge / Japanese omakase: Sākas at the Wintercircus — 8- or 16-course tasting from chef Yoshihito Mizuno[1][2].
- Ramen: Noedelbar Ramen (everything in-house since 2012)[4] or Golden Gai (locavore Japanese-inspired)[5].
- Vietnamese: Knees to Chin for fast, fresh rice paper rolls[6].
- Thai: Kin Khao — Gault&Millau "Best Thai in Belgium / Luxembourg" 2020[8].
- Korean: Hey Joo on Oudburg, halal-friendly bibimbap with a canalside garden[10][11].
- Pakistani / Indian: Laila Tandoori — three HORECA kitchen awards[12].
- Syrian-Lebanese mezze: Mazaya[14]; Zahra for a Leie-side room[15].
- Moroccan, Spanish, Turkish: Mogador (tagines)[16], Casa de las Tapas (Patershol)[17], Hunkar Kebab[18].
The matrix
| Cuisine | Pick | Address | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese — omakase | Sākas | Lammerstraat 13[1] | 8/16-course chef-driven menu inside the Wintercircus; Gault&Millau-listed[3]. |
| Japanese — ramen | Noedelbar Ramen | Oudburg 51[4] | 16 seats, all components made in-house since Dec 2012; tantan-men €16, shio tori €17.50. |
| Japanese — ramen + bar | Golden Gai | Dampoortstraat 11[5] | Japanese ethos with regional Belgian sourcing; noodles → soda all in-house. Pairs ramen with cocktails. |
| Vietnamese — fast | Knees to Chin | Voldersstraat 11[6] | Rice paper rolls (~€5–6), 5 house sauces, lactose-free / very low gluten; rotating regional specials. |
| SE Asian — fusion | Lucy Chang | Jakobijnenstraat 1[7] | Pad Thai, Peking duck, dim sum across Thai/Viet/Malay/Chinese/Japanese/Korean; canal-edge. |
| Thai — street food | Kin Khao | Donkersteeg 21–23[9] | Gault&Millau Best Thai BE/LU 2020[8]; 4.8/5 over 2,380 votes[9]. |
| Korean | Hey Joo | Oudburg 18[10] | Family-run, halal meat option, vegan bibimbap, canalside garden[11]. |
| Pakistani / Indian | Laila Tandoori | Maria Hendrikaplein 66[12] | 3× HORECA kitchen award; tandoori lamb / chicken / prawn and dum biryani are the orders[13]. ✓ steps from Sint-Pieters station. |
| Syrian-Lebanese | Mazaya | Steendam 39[14] | Mezze format: labneh, warak enab, tabouleh, falafel — all in-house. Designed for sharing. |
| Lebanese / Middle Eastern | Zahra | Brabantdam 46[15] | Old Flemish house on the Leie; veg-friendly. Among Ghent's top Middle-Eastern listings[20]. |
| Moroccan | Mogador | Mageleinstraat 8[16] | Tagines, couscous royal, pastilla. ⚠ Reviews flag higher prices and slow service at peak. |
| Spanish | Casa de las Tapas | Corduwaniersstraat 41 (Patershol)[17] | Tapas + generous paella in a cobbled medieval quarter; groups up to 23. |
| Turkish | Hunkar Kebab | central Ghent[18] | Tops the city's Turkish list on freshness; ⚠ small room, expect a queue. |
Notes by category
Japanese — three different rooms
If the budget allows the splurge, Sākas in the restored Wintercircus is the only true omakase counter in the city — chef Yoshihito Mizuno (Japan/Brazil/Belgium career) plates 8 or 16 courses[1], and Belgian press graded the kitchen on "impeccable" quality, freshness and seasoning[2]. For a casual bowl, Noedelbar Ramen on Oudburg is the long-standing 16-seat purist option — open since December 2012, broth and noodles made on-site, weekday lunches and Friday nights only[4]. Golden Gai at Dampoort is the newer hybrid: ramen with a cocktail bar, locavore Belgian sourcing, everything from noodles to soda made in-house[5].
South-East Asian — pick by speed
Knees to Chin on Voldersstraat is the fast-casual signature: rice paper rolls (~€5–6), five home-made sauces, lactose-free and very low in gluten, with rotating dishes from chefs of different Vietnamese regions[6]. Kin Khao is the sit-down Thai pick — short sharing menu, Gault&Millau-anointed Best Thai BE/LU in 2020[8], and 4.8/5 across 2,380 Restaurant Guru votes at €10–28 a head[9]. For a wider pan-Asian net (Thai/Viet/Malay/Chinese/Japanese/Korean) on the canal, Lucy Chang at Jakobijnenstraat 1 is the chain's smallest room and a reliable group-friendly choice[7]. TripAdvisor's 2026 Thai-in-Ghent ranking corroborates Kin Khao, Petit Thai and Lucy Chang at the top[19].
Korean — one clear pick
Hey Joo at Oudburg 18 is family-run by a Korean couple, serves halal meat alongside vegan bibimbap, and has an outdoor garden right next to the canal — rare in central Ghent[10][11]. Worth the walk over the bridge from Patershol.
South Asian — go to Sint-Pieters
Laila Tandoori next to the train station has the city's most decorated subcontinental kitchen — three HORECA "best kitchen" awards[12], and consistent praise for tandoori lamb / chicken / prawn and chicken dum biryani[13]. The Pakistani-Indian menu skews tandoor-heavy; biryani is the alternative if you've had your fill of grilled meat.
Levantine — sharing format
Mazaya on Steendam is built around mezze — labneh, warak enab, tabouleh and falafel all made in-house, with grilled mains and seasoned-rice platters to follow[14]. Zahra on Brabantdam is the alternative if you want a Leie-side Flemish-house room and a veg-customisable menu[15]. Both are in TripAdvisor's 2026 Middle-Eastern shortlist for the city[20].
North African, Iberian, Turkish
Mogador (Mageleinstraat 8) is the central Moroccan address — tagines, couscous royal and pastilla — though prices are higher than peers and service can drag on busy nights[16]. Casa de las Tapas in the Patershol does tapas plus a generous paella in one of Ghent's prettiest medieval lanes, and seats up to 23 for groups[17]. Hunkar Kebab tops Ghent's Turkish list on TripAdvisor for freshness and overall quality — small room, expect to wait[18].
What's missing in Ghent (vs. Brussels / Antwerp)
Ghent's "world cuisine" footprint is real but uneven. There is no standout Ethiopian/Eritrean address with consistent national press — for injera the nearest reliable room is in Brussels. Latin-American depth (Peruvian ceviche, Argentinian asado) is also thin in 2026; Mexican exists but no venue rises above casual. The strengths are Japanese (three distinct formats), Thai (Gault&Millau-anointed Kin Khao), Vietnamese (the Knees to Chin chain originated here) and Levantine (two genuine mezze rooms). For everything else, treat the table above as the working shortlist and cross-check before booking.