The 15th-century "Groot Vleeshuis" (Great Butchers’ Hall, or literally Great Meat House) was the central covered meat market of Ghent. At the end of the 19th century, the trade moved to another location, and the hall was used for several other purposes, such as a fruit and vegetable market, a post and telegraph office, a parking garage, and a covered fish market. The Butchers’ Hall housed the Centre for the Promotion of Local Produce of the Province of East Flanders from 2002 until April 2021, when it was closed for safety reasons. At first, it was thought only the wooden roof needed repairing, but it soon turned out the whole building was unstable. In early 2023, plans were revealed to convert the majestic hall into bicycle parking and public toilets. This would require minimal structural interventions, but it is hardly a prestigious use of a grand old building. In the meantime, visitors can only take pictures from the outside.

The Groot Vleeshuis in Gent is a former covered market and guildhall. In the Middle Ages, the sale of meat was centralised in meat halls or meat houses in order to control the sale of meat. The sale of meat at home was prohibited. The building looked nice.

I expected a remodeled meathouse for different specialty shops but that wasn’t the case. It is a remodeled meathouse with a elongated restaurant inside made out of glass. At the back there’s a counter with local specialties like Roomers or Cuberdons. Cheaper than some of the other places we saw them. But weirdly these were some cheap (non local specialties) stuff in between like Guylian chocolates.

A cold rainy Saturday afternoon in Ghent so we wandered into the Het Groot and discovered a real gem. The enclosed hall with hanging hams was amazing and though we had wanted a table inside the restaurant section we sat in the Hall and a warming lamp was placed beside us to warn us up. The food was wonderful and amazing chicken soup packed with flavour. We loved it.

What a fantastic place to visit. Steeped in history and with a very good restaurant too. On our first evening we sat in the main hall enjoying beer and nibbles – tasting platter of cheese and cold meets which was lovely, and we were being warmed up by heaters as it was bitterly cold outside. Very friendly staff chatted to us about the history of the place and the fact that the hams hanging from the ceiling are actually real and will eventually be eaten. Next day we have missed lunch as most places shut around 2-3pm. and don’t reopen for dinner until 6-7pm. But the Butcher’s Hall stays open through the day and we were very lucky to be able to sample their lovely Ghent stew – waterzooi and amazing goats cheese salad. So happy that they actually serve food outside the regular restaurant hours for the tourist unaware of the Belgium restaurant opening times. Staff was super friendly and persuaded us to enjoy delicious dessert too. What a lovely bunch of people they are. There is also a deli on site too and we have purchased some of their very tasty mustard to enjoy at home (I know, it is mustard but hey, don’t knock it until you try it!!). Great place and we will definitely be returning.

This covered market looks more than a bit foreboding from the outside. Very dark, appears as a big warehouse along the canal. And it seems that some sort of preservation construction is going on. Inside is a food market.

Searched and went to try the waterzooi which got rave reviews as thectraditional dish of Belgium. Dish was okay, nothing extraordinary. Service was slow but ine of the places which served tap water without blink of eye.

Het Groot Vleeshuis is an unusual place. We looked at it from the outside, from a distance and it looked like an abandoned set of buildings. We thought it made quite a bad impression on the beautiful surrounding area. Perhaps there is a need to make some changes in order to make it a little more attractive to the uninitiated! However the interior is a totally different story! It definitely is worth visiting.

Like everything in Ghent the meat market was colorful and interesting. Loved the large hams on display - and was impressed with the incredible beams that were the main supports for this large structure '

Only 1 gluten free option on the menu and they had run out of it when we were there. Lots of traditional dishes to try if you can eat gluten. My partner enjoyed the horse sausage. The building is quite nice and the hams hanging from the ceiling are a nice touch.