Mémé Gusta

Mémé Gusta operates at 19 Burgstraat, just beyond the immediate area around the Castle of the Counts. Nele and Jan opened the restaurant in 2016 with an explicit idea: serving Flemish classics of earlier generations in a current, relaxed dining room. “Mémé” evokes a grandmother, but the house need not rely on domestic make-believe: its detailed menu shows specific recipes, ingredients and a kitchen adapting part of the tradition to different preferences. For visitors, the table gives names to flavours that feature in Ghent guides but are not always obvious on a Dutch-language menu.

The official menu offers pork stew with dark beer, shrimp or cheese croquettes, vol-au-vent, buttermilk mash with shrimp, and a vegetarian stew made with seitan. There is a children’s menu and gluten-free versions advertised for some preparations, but allergies still need direct confirmation with the restaurant. It serves dinner Monday and Wednesday; Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday add lunch from 12:00 to 14:00. It closes Sunday. The number is +32 9 398 23 93. A Sunday castle visit therefore needs another restaurant.

Many diners remember the stew, croquettes and warm service; other reviews consider the bill high or report uneven results across dishes and sittings. The menu asks for at least one main course per person and limits the number of different dishes per table, useful detail for groups planning to share only starters. Mémé Gusta best serves someone wanting Flemish cooking with some alternatives to meat in a contemporary room. 't Klokhuys offers a more traditional brasserie interior and a position within Patershol.