{"id":32657,"date":"2026-08-15T19:50:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T19:50:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/32657\/"},"modified":"2026-08-15T19:50:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T19:50:14","slug":"to-do-mercado-antwerp-favorflav","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/32657\/","title":{"rendered":"To do: Mercado Antwerp | FavorFlav"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mercado in Antwerp: Belgium\u2019s first covered food hall. The location? The former post office on the Groenplaats: super central, incredibly atmospheric and packed with delicious food. FavorFlav\u2019s Ren\u00e9e went there and is here to bring you up to speed.<\/p>\n

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The former post office on the Groenplaats seems almost as though it was built to become a food hall. Where you used to stand at one of the counters to send a package, people now jostle at one of the thirteen stalls for a portion of buttermilk fried chicken or an Instagram-worthy<\/a> bubble waffle. In the middle of the hall, there are no bored people waiting for their number to be called, but long folding tables filled with food, drinks and hungry diners.<\/p>\n

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Since opening in October (2016), it has been packed day in, day out. Once you\u2019ve managed to secure a table, the great \u2018who\u2019s staying seated and who\u2019s going to get the beer and food\u2019 ritual can begin; duly noted. Of course, I didn\u2019t order something at every stall \u2013 even I have my limits \u2013 but what I ate was delicious and definitely worth trying:<\/p>\n

Crunchy falafel<\/p>\n

At Yalla Yalla Beirut Streetfood<\/a>, a stall run by two Lebanese-Flemish sisters, you can get sandwiches with genuinely the crunchiest falafel ever. The picture-perfect flatbreads in the display case also make a strong case for themselves, but \u2013 bearing in mind everything else you can eat here \u2013 don\u2019t give in too quickly. Better safe than sorry.<\/p>\n

From head to tail<\/p>\n

If you cross the street diagonally, you\u2019ll end up at The Seafood Bar, the stall run by Antwerp-famous Philippe Hawinkel (including The Oyster Stall and Plateau Royal). Here, the stress of choice increases, because what do you order when you\u2019re standing in front of a display case full of fresh whelks, lobsters, Normandy oysters and house-cured herring? In the end, I didn\u2019t get beyond a huge portion of fried anchovies, because: fried and anchovies. For a brief moment, I imagined myself at a market in Indonesia, although a glass of Stella quickly helped me out of that dream.<\/p>\n

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Take away<\/p>\n

Before heading home, stop by Lighthouse for an artisanal shrimp croquette to eat out of hand \u2013 and okay, one more beer then \u2013 and don\u2019t forget to pick up one of those creamy balls of burrata<\/a> at Bufala. Of course, you can make something delicious with it, but we simply ate it as it was; with toasted bread and a generous drizzle of olive oil. Finally, gin lovers should quickly head upstairs for a visit to Gintermezzo<\/a>: a pop-up where, until the end of this year, you can exclusively get gin made in Belze. A great Christmas gift, if you ask me.<\/p>\n

Image: Ren\u00e9e Conradi<\/p>\n

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