Groot Vleeshuis

This long old grey stone and timber framed giant meat market hall is amazing. It operated as Ghent's central market for meat since medieval times until the end of the 19th century. Today it is functioning as bike park and locals want here to be designed as a museum or so. I hope it will be used as it surely deserves

The building constructed in the 15th century with gothic architecture for meat trade purposes during the Middle Ages.

Nice place. Just visit while you pass by. Nice place also for a coffee or a lunch. There's also a store with local products.

Note: This comment is based on a visit to the temporary pop-up store and restaurant! Food was delicious. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who likes local products and cuisine. It's especially worth the visit if you want to get away from the old tourist traps. The views from the pop-up are great if you're facing the windows. If not, it's a bit of bleak view on the shop. But because it's a pop-up, that's something that's easily forgiven. Definitely recommend!

One of the neat historic buildings you can enter and see in the Ghent City Centre is the Het Groot Vleeshuis (Great Butchers' Hall). This this old guild hall is situated between the canal and the small public square called Groentenmarkt. This is a neat place to pop in for a quick look. You'll see hams hanging from roof planks, restaurant tables inside. There is a corner pub at the end of the building and a small square. You can read up on the square and building at the information panel located here. The sign is in red (see picture) if helpful. This is one of many neat historic buildings to have a look at and to enjoy while exploring the city centre of Ghent. It is conveniently situated amongst many other attractions so just have a look for it while walking around.

The Gravenste is a medieval castle dates to 1180 and was the residence of the Counts of Flanders until 1353. It was subsequently re-purposed as a court, prison, mint, and even as a cotton factory. It was restored over 1893-1903 and is now a museum and a major landmark in the city. The current castle date to 1180 and was built by Philip of Alsace on the site of the older fortification. It may have been inspired by crusade castles witnessed by Philip on the Second Crusade. As well a protective citadel, the castle was intended to intimidate the burghers of Ghent who often challenged the Counts' authority. The Gravensteen incorporates a large central donjon, a residence and various smaller buildings. These are surrounded by a fortified, oval-shaped enceinte lined with 24 small échauguettes. It also has a sizeable moat, fed with water from the Lys river. From 1180 until 1353, the Gravensteen was the residence of the Counts of Flanders. The decision to leave was taken by Louis of Male (1330-1384) who transferred the court to the Hof ten Walle.

A medieaval meat market building.

Eating at the restaurant inside the ‘Groot Vleeshuis’ and just ate the best cheesy omelette of my entire life!! So tasty. The cheese and meat platter is also very good.

This place is temporarily closed due to emergency renovation on the building. I'm not sure when it will open again.

Groot Vleeshuis is a historic building which used to be the meat market long time ago. Now it's been converted into a restaurant, and the cool part about this place (other than the history) is that they have real Flanders ham hanging and drying from the ceiling! You don't have to be eating there to walk through the restaurant to see the ham! After going on a free walking tour, I was starving, so I came to eat lunch here. There are tables in an inside area that's inside of the building (sounds confusing, but when you see it you'll know what i'm talking about), but sitting in the area where the hams are hanging is a lot more fun. You just grab any table and a server will come to you. It's a hopping place for brunch/lunch - they have salads and toast and omelettes, and of course lots of beer options. I wanted to try something local and so I ordered the waterzooi, which is this cream/egg based stew with chicken and potatoes and other veggies. The dish originated in Gent. And since I was at the old Butcher's Hall, I wanted to try some ham. They had a meat tasting dish that came with four different meats. The meat sampler came with Superano ham, Ganda ham, Breydelham, and Gentse kop. My favorites were the Superano and the Ganda - they tasted like prosciutto. The Breydelham tasted like regular ham. The kop was my least favorite - it's basically a pork product made of parts of the pig like the head. I guess it's kind of like spam, but not as tasty. The sampler came with some kind of mustard for dipping the meat in! The waterzooi was tasty and hearty and it was huge!!! It had generous chunks of chicken and yummy potatoes. I like the light creamy flavor. I couldn't finish it because it was too much food. The service was great except it was hard when I tried to pay and leave. My original server was very busy with this large party that was there and he was bringing out dishes two at a time by himself. I finally got the attention of the girl server who was clearing a different table and she came by but when I tried to pay with my credit card, she said I had to go inside to the bar area to pay. So I went and paid and the girl who took care of that for me said it was like some kind of special customer day and gave me this little bottle of a pickled dip for eating meat with! There is free wifi! And there's a restroom, but you need a code to get there!

This former butcher's hall is a great space, and very well matched with the fare they now serve. I went with the blood sausage, and it did not disappoint. It was piled high with slices of ham and cooked apples. Pork is one of the specialties here, and the whole dish was very good. The distinctive taste of the sausage filling should be savored. I also had the opportunity to taste the waterzooi, a stew with a cream sauce. It was tasty. I would highly recommend this restaurant, if you find yourself in Ghent.

I am still raving to everyone I meet about the ham that I ate here. Yes, that sentence sounds rather odd. But it was just that delicious. And worth making up for a few other issues. All of the meat is locally sourced from East Flanders farms and it truly tastes spectacular. Try anything with ham in it, especially their version of "bacon." The meat and cheese plate was quite good and the local mustard was exceptionally tasty. They have a solid selection of local beers and spirits (try the elderberry one), including the delicious Tripel Karmeliet. Prices are overall quite fair--the meat and cheese plate was a steal while some of the drinks were slightly more pricey. On the other hand, I really disliked the Waterzooi soup--ostensibly a regional specialty--that tasted like watery vegetable soup and came with large chunks of flavorless chicken. I would advise others to avoid it here--you can find a better version elsewhere. The service, once we realized we could just sit down at a table (we had made reservations beforehand and thought we needed to wait for a table, but it seems like you can just sit down), was quite good and they take credit cards. The location is also quite interesting, being in an old "meat house." They actually age their hams from the rafters over your heads while you dine. The store on-site is also quite well-done with basically all the items from the menu available to buy to take-home with you, including a number of thoughtful gift bags.

Very simple food with fresh ingredients. Their specialty is dry pork and cheese. You can get salads, melted cheese and sandwiches. Really enjoyed.