Wijnbar ONA

Ghent's most-awarded wine bar has two locations now; here's how to use them

Wijnbar ONA has held the leading three spots on the Star Wine List rankings for Ghent in both 2024 and 2025; all three positions, consecutively, across both years. That is a narrow but verifiable claim to category dominance in the Belgian natural and fine wine bar space. If you have been once and wondered whether the experience holds up or whether the new central location changes anything, the answer is: it holds up, the expansion gives you more options rather than diluting the original.

The original address on Nederkouter 71 is the intimate room. The newer location at Belfortstraat 29 in the city centre trades some of that closeness for scale, with additional space designed specifically for events and workshops. If you are returning to ONA after a first visit at Nederkouter, the Belfortstraat branch is worth trying for how it handles a larger room, spatial rhythm matters at a wine bar, this one has been set up with that in mind rather than just added square footage.

The service model at ONA is what earns the Star Wine List recognition year after year. Wine bars at this level in Belgium either lean heavily on the list itself (impressive on paper, cold in delivery) or on the relationship between the people pouring and the people drinking. ONA operates in the second mode: Ona and Arne, the couple behind the bar, have built a room where guidance feels personal rather than performative. That distinction justifies returning. If you arrived on a busy night and felt like the interaction was brief, an off-peak visit on a quieter evening will show you what the bar does at its finest.

For a regular who already knows the Nederkouter space, the practical question is when to use Belfortstraat instead. The answer is groups or events. The new location has the capacity and setup for private gatherings and wine-focused evenings that the original cannot accommodate at scale. For two people, a bottle, a considered pour, Nederkouter remains the tighter, more focused experience. For a table of six or a private tasting, Belfortstraat is the call.

Booking is direct compared to the competition. ONA does not require weeks of advance planning for a standard visit, Ghent's bar scene is competitive but ONA's dual-location setup means availability is better than a single-room operation would suggest. That said, specific event nights and workshops at the new location will fill. If a ticketed format is what you are after, plan ahead.

On price: specific figures are not confirmed in the data available, but Star Wine List positioning at this tier in Belgium sits in the accessible-to-mid range for fine wine bars, not a cheap glass on the Korenmarkt, not a grand-cru-only list at fine-dining prices. The service philosophy fits that band: knowledgeable without being gatekeeping, approachable without being casual.

If you are building a longer evening in Ghent, ONA pairs well with dinner elsewhere first. Boon, Ferri, and Debra are all natural lead-ins before wine at ONA, the city's broader restaurant options give you enough range to build the evening around your appetite. For wider Belgian context, the wine-focused hospitality that ONA represents sits in a tradition that runs through venues like Bozar Restaurant in Brussels and high-end cellars at places like Hof van Cleve in Kruishoutem.

How It Compares

Among Ghent's wine and dining options, ONA occupies a specific niche that the restaurant-focused competition does not replicate. Boon and Ferri are better choices if you want a full dinner format with a serious kitchen anchoring the experience. ONA's strength is the wine-first focus with food as accompaniment, the service is built around the glass, not the plate. Book Boon or Ferri for dinner; use ONA as the reason the evening continues.

Ce's Arts and Epiphany's Kitchen are the more comparable occasions-driven venues in Ghent if you are weighing a special evening. ONA edges them on wine programme credibility given the Star Wine List sweep, but if food quality is the primary driver of the occasion, those kitchens may serve you better. The choice comes down to whether the bottle or the plate is the centrepiece of your night.

Debra sits closer to ONA in terms of atmosphere and accessible pricing. For a low-commitment first evening in Ghent, Debra is slightly easier to walk into; ONA rewards a bit more intentionality. If you are a returning visitor to Ghent who has already done the main dining circuit, ONA at Belfortstraat for a workshop evening is the most differentiated option in the city's current offering. For broader Belgian comparison at the top end of wine-driven hospitality, Zilte in Antwerp and Willem Hiele in Oudenburg are the reference points, ONA is not competing at that price tier but holds its own on curation and service character.