Ghent's student-driven café culture has produced a strong and well-curated matcha scene — yume coffee is the city's dedicated matcha specialist, surrounded by some of Belgium's best-rated specialty cafés. Four of the five cafés on this list carry a 4.8 or higher rating. All are in the central 9000 postcode and verified open as of September 2026.
An award-winning specialty coffee and matcha bar near Sint-Baafskathedraal in central Ghent, with a 4.9 rating from 164 reviews — the highest on this list. "Terug" means "back" in Dutch, a name suggesting a place worth returning to, and the reviews consistently bear this out. Open Tuesday through Friday from 8am and weekends from 9am, closing at 5:30pm. Closed Mondays. One of the most technically rigorous matcha preparations in the city.
Ghent's dedicated matcha specialist on Dampoortstraat near the eastern Dampoort neighbourhood. "Yume" means dream in Japanese — and the focus here is squarely on matcha in a way that distinguishes it from the specialty coffee-led cafés on this list. A 4.7 rating from 67 reviews at a stage where its following is still growing. Open Monday through Friday from 9am and weekends from 10am, closing at 5:30pm daily.
On Sint-Joriskaai near the Graslei and Korenlei waterfront — Ghent's most photographed quay — Kaffee Allez is one of the city's best-placed specialty cafés for matcha. A 4.8 rating from 116 reviews, with a Thursday schedule extended to 7pm (the latest of any weekday on this list). Weekday opening from 8am, Saturday from 8:30am, and Sunday from 8:30am closing at 2pm — the earliest Sunday closing on this list.
In the old city centre on Donkersteeg — a narrow pedestrian street between Korenmarkt and Sint-Niklaaskerk — Meadow is a plant-forward café with a 4.8 rating from 220 reviews. Open Wednesday through Sunday only (closed Monday and Tuesday), with extended Saturday hours to 6pm. The Wednesday-only opening for the week makes planning around it important, but it rewards the visit with one of Ghent's most relaxed and well-curated café environments.
With 688 reviews — the most of any café on this list by a large margin — Goya Coffee Gent on Verlorenkost has built the broadest following in the city's matcha scene. A 4.8 rating sustained across that review volume is strong evidence of consistent quality. Located in Patershol, Ghent's charming cobblestone medieval quarter, it's open Monday through Sunday with early starts from 8:30am and closing at 6pm (10am open on Sundays).
Make Matcha at Home
Inspired by what you tasted? These are the essentials for recreating café-quality matcha in your own kitchen.
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Tips for drinking matcha in Ghent
- terug is the quality benchmark — 4.9 from 164 reviews near the cathedral. Open from 8am Tuesday through Friday, which is early for a specialty café of this calibre.
- yume coffee is the dedicated pick — if you want a café where matcha is the primary focus rather than coffee, this is the address.
- Goya Coffee Gent is the safest choice for any day of the week — open daily, 688 reviews at 4.8, and in one of Ghent's most atmospheric neighbourhoods.
- Check Meadow's schedule carefully — it's only open Wednesday through Sunday, but it's one of Ghent's nicest café spaces in the old city centre.
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