De Kleine Garnaal

De Kleine Garnaal is a traditional Belgian brasserie on the Vindictivelaan, a few minutes’ walk from Ostend station and close to the Amandine museum ship, just away from the bustle of the Visserskaai. Ostend regulars recommend it for old-fashioned mussels done properly: fresh mussels, fresh vegetables and no shortcuts.

The menu is classic brasserie fare built around the North Sea. Start with a tomato filled with fresh grey shrimp, a bisque of grey shrimp or the homemade shrimp croquettes, then choose mussels (plain, with white wine, cream, garlic or Ricard), a homemade fish pan of salmon, cod, sole and scampi, fresh North Sea sole, cod with tartare sauce or lobster. Belgian meat classics such as Flemish stew, vol-au-vent and steak tartare are on the menu too, and mains come with salad and chips, mash, croquettes or rice. A three-course set menu offers a wide choice.

The dining room is warm and wood-panelled, with leather banquettes, and there is a separate room for groups. Reservations are by phone only.