Gouden Karpel

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Karpel, and I must say, the fish dishes they served were absolutely outstanding. From start to finish, the dining experience was exceptional.

To begin, the presentation of the fish dishes was impeccable. Each plate was beautifully arranged, with vibrant colors and artistic garnishes. It was evident that great care had been taken to ensure that every dish was visually appealing.

The taste of the fish was equally impressive. The fish was cooked to perfection, with a delicate and moist texture that melted in my mouth. The flavors were well-balanced, allowing the natural taste of the fish to shine through.

Congratulations for the Chef and wonderful team who work in this great restaurant! We ate the salad with Burrata , the fish of the day and two deserts , wine and coffee! The meal preparation was perfect !

We booked our table in advance to try their seafood platter. It was a feast! Every seafood was extremely fresh, especially the oysters have been really good. The crab meat was delish too! We would recommend to everybody who likes to eat fish an seefood!!

The best fish dish I have ever eaten in my life!!!
Very nice location, friendly staff and intimate atmosphere! Loved it!

Excellent food, we shared some starters all of which were good but my monkfish was really first class. Fresh and perfectly cooked. Good wine choice and excellent service.

Last minute early reservations. Very good selections, delicious food, great wine selection, friendly and hustling staff.

Went for a few crab claws, oysters, and tried the Gratin Scallop... And wow, the Gratin Scallop was out of this world! So delish, best thing eaten in Bruges so far.

Another on the run lunch between appointments and seeing students on our tour. For the time we had it was great. Highly rated in the Michelin guide. Lobster soup, bread and raspberry beer 🍺. Ezylearn Languages Academy

Excellent meal. Especially fish stew (“W”)

As good as it gets. We we not with our two small children and we’re made to feel very welcome by the staff. The house beer was delicious and had me feeling very jolly. We grown-ups had the seafood platter (65 euros each) and it did not disappoint. Everything you could ask for, extremely fresh and served very well. I am not one to gush about a restaurant but this was a nice surprise in a city notorious for its tourist traps. Only downside was €10 for a litre of water so make sure you keep an eye on that sort of thing.

We were recommended this place and we would recommend it too! First meal in Bruges. Came for a seafood lunch. Set menu 16 euro of soup and fresh fish was great and share mussels to start were fantastic!! Great seafood!!!

Seafood restaurant on the Michelin guide located near the fish market in Bruges. Patrons are a mix of tourists and locals. Many Asians and Americans. Excellent cook who uses good ingredients. Excellent service by the proprietress and her Philippina assistant. Try not to order simple dishes because the great cook churns out fantastic dishes. I noticed the foreigners ordered their steamed dishes which does not take advantage of the excellent Chef. Try the Chef specials especially the sole with Lobster bisque sauce. Reservations are necessary. Reasonable pricing in super expensive Bruges and Belgium. One of my best meals on my 6 week tour of Europe. Be prepared to spend at least 2 hrs enjoying a 3-4 course meal with wine 🍷. Had a 2 hour ‘siesta’ after my long lunch.

Den Gouden Karpel is a high-quality seafood restaurant that ensures the freshest possible ingredients. The chefs take great care to preserve the delicate flavors and textures of the seafood. It is a two minutes walk from the Basilica of the Holy Blood. This restaurant is a true hidden gem. From the moment you step inside, you'll be transported to a world of delicious cuisine and warm hospitality. The chef and wife owner are an absolute delight, and the staffs are friendly, attentive, and always happy to make recommendations.
From the appetizer to the main course, it is absolutely delicious. And the portions are definitely worth the price you're paying - you will feel satisfied!
We made a reservation for dinner and loved the experience so much that we returned for lunch the next day to try more dishes - and we were blown away once again. This restaurant truly is the best seafood spot in Brugge.

The Service
The service we received was simply fantastic. Efficient, communicative, helpful, and very friendly. Everyone at the restaurant was happy and lovely and we had all the bits we needed for a big seafood meal (plenty of little crackers and special forks and bibs etc.)

The Food
Can't really speak highly enough about the meal. Coming from California I'm addicted to crab legs, these were fresh, cleaned properly, and served cut which makes the whole experience much more enjoyable in my opinion. I had scallops in shrimp broth which were perfectly cooked, nice large diver scallop slices. My boyfriend had the bouillabaisse which quite frankly blew his mind and the tastes I could steal were simply delicious. The wine selection was perfect for us and served perfectly chill white wine.

The Ambiance
I normally wouldn't bother to speak about the appearance because you can see that from pictures, but honestly, it's worth remarking upon. It's clean, everything is very fresh (you don't get the same sea-smell of many fish restaurants). It's quaint, quiet, clean, and lovely.

Overall, I cannot recommend this highly enough. We're here for a week and likely to return. As far as value for money, this is the place to be honest. If you're going to have a nice meal with great service, this is the place.

UPDATE:
This has become our special occasion restaurant, birthdays anniversary etc. It's perfect every time! The menu changes and brings new delicious things and we love it.

I'm not sure what the negative reviews are that I've read about service, it nearly put us off coming, but I'm so glad it didn't, the food was amazing, the service was friendly and with smiles, our wine was constantly being topped up, I couldn't fault it. We are tourists from the UK, I read a few reviews that said "tourists aren't welcome"- our experience was very contrary to that. We loved it. Thank you so much!

Was there in early December as our Airbnb host Alex had highly recommended this restaurant and boy we are so glad he did! We tried Waterzooi, mussels and a couple different appetizers among the 3 of us and shared it in a family style manner so that we could try all the wonderful flavors on the menu! Everything was excellent and I’m really glad this restaurant was recommended to us! Awesome experience!

Can’t fault this place. Lunch special is amazing! Have had it twice now

Lovely spot for lunch! Great food - some of the best fish I’ve eaten in my life, great service and lovely interior/intimate setting. Would highly recommend!

One of the best dishes I’ve ever eaten! High quality and fresh ingredience combined with the real craftsmanship of the chef - it’s not hard to get ecstatic here. The restaurant in such a beautiful location is nice and very clean, with great and friendly staff. Life is short, treat your self nicely and go get your self a lunch here!

Food was delicious; the bass was cooked just right & the side order of mushrooms was really tasty, with a creamed celeriac puree, sweet roasted tomatoes and quinoa. Definitely the most interesting food we had in Bruges the whole week. Expensive, but worth it, & service was really good.