Belgian waffles, anyone?
This post provides pictures to accompany the transcript of the latest My Mate In… podcast episode: Sidequest x Antwerp x Wafelhuis van Hecke.
The My Mate In… podcast is all about sharing great places to eat and talking about why they’re great. It is a good vibes only show by people who eat food rather than study it. So don’t expect critical reviews. Instead, use it like you would use a recommendation from a friend or an acquaintance.
This is a side quest episode, meaning that it’s all about a place that I visited recently and that I really enjoyed.
I want to talk to you about Wafelhuis van Hecke. It’s in Antwerp, Belgium. I had the pleasure of visiting this waffle house at the end of January 2025. Winter time in Belgium calls for warm comfort food. And the two things at the top of my list were waffles and fries.
Wafelhuis van Hecke is claimed to be the oldest waffle house in Antwerp, opened in 1905. It’s a cozy place with a long thin layout. It has tables in the front section and thin row of tables along a wall running parallel to the counter and kitchen.
I chose this place for waffles because I saw online that locals had been talking about it. While there were some tourists, including us, it felt like a diner with a relaxed atmosphere of locals taking a break. On the day we visited, there was one service person and one cook, and they were friendly and efficient. It was really enjoyable to hear the staff bant playfully with regulars.
This is the kind of place you can come and sit with a book and not feel like you’re going to be rushed out the door as soon as you finish eating. That is a particularly good find on a winter adventure walking around a new city in the cold for hours.
I recommend going with a friend so that you can get either a coffee or a hot chocolate each and share a serving of the waffles and a serving of the fries.
When it comes to waffles, you should definitely have the ones with slices of banana and strawberries. It comes with ice cream and dipping chocolate. This dish looks like a whole lot of pride and love went into presentation.
The waffles were crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. This was my second time in Belgium and the waffles yet again did not disappoint.
When it comes to the fries, remember that the correct thing to do with your fries is to have a side of mayonnaise. Having been to The Netherlands and Belgium a couple of times now, I’m sold on this combination. Even if at home I kind of opt for tomato sauce. It’s a ‘when in Rome’ kind of a thing, I guess.
Now for some practical stuff. The official languages in Belgium are Dutch, French and German. You’ll get by fine with English at Wafelhuis van Hecke, although the menu is mostly in Dutch. It’s easy enough to recognise what’s on offer and the staff will help you out.
We walked there from Antwerpen-Centraal, the central train station. It took about fifteen – twenty minutes. It’s a lovely stroll where you can take in the shops and different scenes along the way.
While in Antwerp, keep walking around and visit some chocolate and biscuit shops on Korte Gasthuisstraat. There are some nice fashion boutiques around there, too.
Visit the Cathedral Of Our Lady, a gothic cathedral that dates back to the mid fourteenth century. It’s beautiful. And like other cathedrals in this region and of this age, there are folks buried under the flooring with headstones laid flat on the ground to mark the burial.
Another place to go is Het Steen, meaning ‘the stone’. It’s a medieval fortress on the harbor that dates back to the early thirteenth century. It was pretty incredible to place my hands on the stone walls of this castle-like fortress and consider the passage of time since it was built.
Another great spot to check out is the Grote Markt, or big market. It has a fountain representing Antwerp’s weird and wonderful folklore involving a giant who cuts the hands off humans and tosses them into the river. Spoiler alert. It doesn’t turn out so good for the giant in the end.
But even Antwerpen-Centraal, the train station is a landmark worth visiting. The architecture is really beautiful.
Okay. So you should go to Antwerp if you have the chance.
Finally, shout out to my mate Laura, who recommended we visit Antwerp on our trip. Well played. We loved it.