The Best Barbecue Near Grabuge, by the Record

The wood-smoke hits you before you reach the table, which tells you most of what you need to know about Ember. This set-menu restaurant in Mechelen is built around live fire and grilling, with produce from the kitchen garden pulling serious weight alongside the meat. The team runs a zero-waste kitchen, and the cooking leans acidic and a little unpredictable in the best way. The non-alcoholic pairings are a genuine reason to skip the wine list.

1. Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant

The smoke hits you before the menu does, which is pretty much the point. Black Smoke is an Antwerp barbecue joint with a dim, rough-edged interior and pitmasters working in a Texan tradition, though Latino touches and Belgian sourcing keep things from feeling like a theme park. The drinks list runs nearly as long as the food, so settling in for a while is the implied agenda.

1. Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant

1. Le Fooding Le Fooding Guide