The story
Bar Bristol, at Leopold I-plein 10 in Ostend, Belgium, is a seafood restaurant that Gault&Millau scored 12 in 2026. The space was a popular local pub for years, and Charlotte Arena and Bruce Lybeer turned it into a relaxed, unpretentious restaurant with affordable à la carte dishes.
Bruce Lybeer cooks a changing menu that leans on fish and shellfish, with meat and vegetarian options alongside. Lunch is served daily as a three-course menu for €38, and the evening à la carte follows the season. Sourcing is a priority here, with short supply chains and local ingredients.
Le Fooding highlighted North Sea prawn croquettes and amberjack sashimi with tomato water and fermented chilies. The dessert that stayed with the reviewer was an old-fashioned tarte tatin. The petrol blue counter draws both early lunch guests and late-night drinkers, and the room spills onto a terrace at the street corner.
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This place was a popular local pub with a small menu for years. Charlotte Arena and Bruce Lybeer have set up a nice, unpretentious restaurant there with affordable à la carte dishes, an accessible lunch menu, and...
We’re eternally grateful to Charlotte and Bruce Lybeer, who had the brilliant idea of transforming a dreary Ostend bistro into a bar packed with good vibes. From the first rays of sunshine, the petrol blue counter attracts early risers as well as late-nighters, thanks to its neo-neighborhood bar atmosphere that continues right up to the street-corner terrace. In addition to his meaty, sea-faring and vegetarian menus, Bruce delights à la carte with comfort food that’ll banish the blues, while always paying attention to his sourcing. We ordered: dainty amberjack sashimi with tomato water, fermented chilies and kumquat; North Sea prawn croquettes; and some delicisouly old-fashioned tarte tatin for dessert. // Anita Kane
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