The story
Julia Fish & Oysterbar sits at A. Vanhouttelaan 2 in Sint-Idesbald, part of Koksijde, and cooks a seafood menu that Michelin has recommended for 2026. The Belgian restaurant also earned a 2026 Le Fooding listing, which points to its focus on fish and shared plates.
César, the son of the family, runs the kitchen. Le Fooding notes that the Wittevrongel family has been fishing at Saint-Idesbald for five generations, and that shows in the menu's emphasis on what arrives from the sea. Émilie Marquet, who came to the kitchen from Liège, cooks the tapas-style dishes that make up much of the menu.
Oysters anchor the start of the meal, with a long list that includes Belle Isle served with ponzu and pickled chili. Other dishes on the menu include tuna tartare with wild garlic pesto, mi-cuit monkfish with ajo blanco, and tagliolini with lemon and gamberro rosso. Le Fooding singles out the homemade bruschetta with red mullet, fennel and sweet chili, a fixture on the menu since 2016. Expect crispy soft-shell crab, scallop carpaccio with brown butter, and shrimp croquettes.
The dining room has white tablecloths and petrol blue banquettes, and guests can also take a seat at the bar or the counter. There is outdoor seating, and the restaurant serves lunch and dinner, with a set lunch menu. House rules limit each table to three main courses, and lunch is offered only to a full table.
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History
Julia, the great-grandmother and the restaurant’s namesake, was a businesswoman ahead of her time; Petje Moone, her father, a transplant from the neighboring town of De Panne; Angus, the current owner and fishing ace; and César, the son and chef running the kitchen… As men and women from the world of fish, the Wittevrongel family have been keeping Saint-Idesbald at high tide for five generations. However, Julia’s soul can be found in Émilie Marquet, a defector from Liège who speaks the local lingo with ease, and who breezily whips up tapas-style dishes and fish to share, made with love. Inside this chic seaside spot with creasless white tablecloths, take a seat at the bar or on the petrol blue banquettes, then kick off with some oysters – take your pick from the endless menu, from exclusive Irish Tia Maraa oysters to the knockout Gillardeau – before the dishes follow one after the next: homemade bruschetta with red mullet, fennel and sweet chili – a mainstay on the menu since 2016; crispy soft-shell crabs; extremely tender scallop carpaccio with brown butter; small sole meunières that fall into line; and shrimp croquettes in a league of their own. At Julia, the sea is all you need. // Kiko Zushi
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