If you plan to visit Brussels, one thing that you should do besides tasting the local beer, famous Belgian (French) fries, waffles and chocolate pralines, is to try some typical Belgian dish. Forget about the restaurants in rue des Bouchers that seem like serving typical seafood as many of those are just tourist traps. You will get typical good quality Belgian food for reasonable price in local brasseries that are popular among the locals. Below I list 5 Belgian restaurants in the center of Brussels that belong to my favourites and that are very popular among locals of all generations.
Fin de Siècle
Fin de Siècle is a very simple and pleasant place to eat good food for good price, located nearby a small vibrating square called St. Géry. Daily menu composed from Belgian and international gastronomy can be found on the wall behind the bar. I love their vegan moussaka and have been told by the meat lovers that their steaks are delicious too! The service is very friendly but sometimes the resto is full, so you might need to wait for the table as well as for the food, which is definitely worth it! The portions are quite big and the desserts look tempting! And you know what? They have one of the best (homemade) bread I have ever tasted in a Brussels’ restaurants! Talking about beer served here, I recommend you to try the Tripple Karmeliet, which is one of my favourite beers that quickly gains more and more fans in Belgium.
Address: Rue des Chartreux 9, 1000 Bruxelles
Phone: +32 2 512 51 23
Opening hours: daily 12:15 p.m. – 00:30 a.m.
9 et Voisins
Very close to Fin de Siècle, you will find another brasserie called 9 et Voisins which is an ideal place to have lunch during the weekends. From Friday to Sunday, you can have a dish from daily menu together with coffee/tea and dessert (usually a homemade cake) for EUR 12.50. On the menu, there are typical Belgian dishes such as carbonnades flamandes, jambonneau or stoemp), steak, fish, soup or salads on the menu. I also love it here because of the friendly service and simple cozy decor (every table/chair is different). If I remember well, they do not accept credit cards, so be sure to have cash with you.
Photo by Alan (via Flickr)
Address: Rue Van Artevelde 1, 1000 Bruxelles
Phone: +32 2 512 90 49
Opening hours: daily 6 p.m. – 12 p.m., lunch only Fri-Sun 12 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Skievelat Sablon
Skievelat at Sablon is about 10 minutes walk from the Grand place and it is here where we go often with friends or colleagues for dinner. In the evenings, it’s always alive and full of people of all generations. They offer a wide variety of European and Belgian dishes. From the Belgian food, I have to mention boulettes sauce tomate (meat balls in tomato sauce), Américain (steak tartare without which many Belgians cannot imagine their lives), or carbonnades flamandes (beef cooked in sweet and sour sauce with beer). You will also find some vegetarian food such as a goat cheese salad, vegetarian lasagne or ricotta spinach cannelloni. I love their choice of beer: besides classic pills, you will find here some interesting Belgian beer worth tasting such as Omer, Chimay bleu, Orval or Westmalle. But they also have some good red wines (Pic St. Loup from South of France of Argentinian Malbec). From desserts, I recommend you to try tarte tatin, moelleux au chocolat (alias chocolate orgasm – chocolate cake with liquid chocolate inside) or tiramisu speculoos (famous Italian dessert with Belgian touch).
Address: Rue Joseph Stevens 18, 1000 Bruxelles
Phone: +32 2 502 25 12
Opening hours: daily 6:30 p.m. – 00:00 a.m.
Madame Chapeau*
Madame Chapeau is another Belgian restaurant in the center of Brussels. It is a great place just a few meters from Bourse and Grand place, where you can try the classic Belgian stoemp which is a kind of mashed potatoes with vegetables, usually served with saucisse. What I love about Madame Chapeau, is that you can fully compose your meal – you select the stoemp (carrot, leek, spinach or chicory), meat (steak, fish, feta, or other) and sauce. I recommend you to try especially their stoemp with chicory and truffle – it is delicious! Who does not fancy stoemp, can have a soup or salad here. As a dessert, you have a choice between Brussels’ waffles or ice cream. They also have a nice choice of Belgian beers.
Address: Rue marché au charbon 94, 1000 Bruxelles
Phone: +32 2 514 40 44
*restaurant has been closed recently, a new tip to follow shortly!
Le Grand Café
Le Grand Café is a classic brasserie next to the Bourse with an interior in Art-Nouveau style and waiters wearing classic suits. I always feel here as I travelled back in time. They serve mussels and you can choose from several options. Further, they have fish, pasta, salads, soups and Belgian specialties such as waterzooi, chicon gratin, carbonnades flamandes, vol-au-vent, jambonneau or stoemp. Regarding the beverages, you can choose from French wine or Belgian beers such as the grand classics Stella Artois, Hoegaarden, Kwak, Leffe or Trappist beers such as Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, Westmalle, and further Kriek or raspberry beer Bellevue.
Address: 78 Boulevard Anspach, 1000 Bruxelles
Phone: +32 2 513 02 03
Opening hours: daily 10:00 a.m. – 00:00 a.m.
I have never imagined how tasty the Belgian cuisine is, it surprised me (and those who love meat even more) and I hope you will be nicely surprised as well. I do love these 5 Belgian restaurants in the center of Brussels so I highly recommend you to pick one when coming into town and check it out and let me know how did you like it or what is your overall experience with Brussels’ restaurants!
Read also: Food in Belgium: 15 Things You Should Try
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2 comments
This all looks amazing! A great guide – will have to use it whenever I’m in Brussels!
I haven’t been to Brussels yet, but pinned this for when I visit! The food looks incredible.