Restaurants in Brussels
Traditional Belgian cuisine consists of seafood, market-fresh produce and meaty beer-based dishes but in Brussels you can taste everything from fragrant Greek to Ethiopian. Restaurants surround the Grand'Place and line touristy rue des Bouchers, home to Chez Léon. Place Sainte-Catherine is home to the best fish restaurants, including La Belle Maraîchère. Art Nouveau interiors grace La Quincaillerie in trendy Châtelain while contemporary design defines Cospaia off smart Avenue Louise. Tip if service is good.
Top-end
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1. Notos - Top-end: (More than €55 for a three-course meal without drinks)
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Notos serves up 'slow food', reinventing old recipes with seasonal produce. Try the starter of poached ravioli and spiced yoghurt sauce or the veal fillet with fresh garlic and Assytriko vinegar for main. The wine list is a treasure trove of unusual Greek bottles. After dinner, stroll along bustling rue du Bailli.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Opening hours
Tue-Sat 12pm-2pm; Mon-Sat 7pm-11pm
Address
154, rue de Livourne, Brussels 1000
Telephone
+32 (0) 2 513 2959
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2. Café des Spores - Top-end: (More than €55 for a three-course meal without drinks)
Show moreLocated in St Gilles, Café des Spores is one of Brussels' most original gourmet restaurants - dedicated to the mushroom. From shiitake to death's trumpet, the vegetable is delicately woven into traditional dishes, such as fondue or savoury crème brûlée. The wine list is designed not to overbear the delicate flavours.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Opening hours
Mon-Sat 7pm-11.30pm; Tue-Fri 12pm-2pm
Address
103, Chaussée d'Alsemberg, Brussels 1060
Telephone
+32 (0) 2 534 1303
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3. La Belle Maraîchère - Top-end: (More than €55 for a three-course meal without drinks)
Show moreDining places come and go but this Place Sainte-Catherine restaurant continues to please, with its excellent but simply served seafood and fresh fish. Brothers Eddy and Freddy Devreker set up shop over 30 years ago; now their sons have joined forces in the kitchen. Try the house speciality, the fisherman's pot.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Opening hours
Fri-Tue 12pm-2.30pm & 6pm-9.30pm
Address
11A, Place Ste-Catherine, Brussels 1000
Telephone
+32 (0) 2 512 9759
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4. Cospaia - Top-end: (More than €55 for a three-course meal without drinks)
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Great for people-watching or romantic dining, Cospaia is just off smart Avenue Louise. Dress up and choose from terrace dining among the bamboo, the dazzling main room or private dining decorated in black velvet. You'll be seduced by foie gras with figs, lamb with thyme, or the chocolate dessert created by renowned chocolatier Pierre Marcolini.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Opening hours
Mon-Sat 12pm-2.30pm & 7pm-10.30pm (until 11pm Fri-Sat)
Address
1, Rue Capitaine Crespel, Brussels 1050
Telephone
+32 (0) 2 513 0303
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5. Bon-bon - Top-end: (More than €55 for a three-course meal without drinks)
Show moreInspired by the terroir (local produce), chef Christophe Hardiquest serves up super-fresh, olive oil-based Mediterranean cuisine. Dishes range from sea bream in a salt crust to roast saddle of lamb. Located on a leafy avenue in St Gilles, Bon-bon's understated decor of blonde wood and beige furniture allows the food to shine.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Opening hours
Tue-Fri 12.30pm-2.30pm; Tue-Sat 7.30pm-10pm
Address
93, rue des Carmélites, Brussels 1180
Telephone
+32 (0) 2 346 6615
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6. Comme Chez Soi - Top-end
Show moreA visit to Brussels' revered, Art Nouveau "Just Like Home" will surely be the culinary highlight of your trip to Brussels. Just reserve as far ahead as possible. Expect delicacies like cod with fennel, rabbit with goose-liver cream, cheese that's ready to run off your plate and chocolate mousse with peppery spices.
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Main courses 68€-125€; fixed-price menus 87€-191€
Opening hours
Wed 7-10pm; Thurs-Sat noon-2pm and 7-10pm
Address
Place Rouppe 23, Brussels, Belgium
Telephone
02/512-29-21
Website
Mid-range
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7. La Quincaillerie - Top-end: (More than €55 for a three-course meal without drinks)
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Step into this former hardware store from the 1900s, now converted into an Art-Nouveau brasserie. The menu features plenty of meat and fish as well as market-fresh oysters. La Quincaillerie is also a bit of a celebrity hotspot - John Malkovich, Javier Solana and Catherine Deneuve have all eaten in this classic Châtelain haunt.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Opening hours
Mon-Fri 12pm-2.30pm; daily 7pm-12am
Address
45, rue du Page, Brussels 1050
Telephone
+32 (0) 2 533 9833
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8. In 't Spinnekopke - Mid-range
Show more"In the Spider's Web" occupies an 18th-century stagecoach inn. This is one of Brussels' most traditional restaurants with a menu that lists its dishes of regional Belgian cuisine in the old Bruxellois dialect, and a long list of Belgian beers.
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Main courses 15€-30€ ($24-$48); plat du jour 12€ ($19)
Opening hours
Mon-Fri noon-3pm and 6-11pm; Sat 6pm-midnight. Bar Mon-Fri 11am-midnight; Sat 6pm-midnight
Address
Place du Jardin-aux-Fleurs 1, Brussels, Belgium
Telephone
02/511-86-95
Website
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9. Kokob - Mid-range: (€30-€55 for a three-course meal without drinks)
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Injera is a millet pancake that is Ethiopia's answer to cutlery. Order a selection of dishes: wat, a spicy meat and vegetable stew, doro wat; (chicken) or kofta (mince meat) along with vegetables and cooling lettuce and scoop it all up with the help of the pancake. Order ahead if you want fragrant Ethiopian coffee at the end of your meal. Kokob is located near the Grand'Place.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Opening hours
Mon-Wed 6pm-12am; Thu-Sun 11am-1am
Address
10, rue des Grands Carmes, Brussels 1000
Telephone
+32 (0) 2 511 1950
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10. Gusto - Mid-range: (€30-€55 for a three-course meal without drinks)
Show moreDon't be put off by the kitsch red and white checked tablecloths - Gusto looks so traditional it's actually hip. Situated near the bustling rue du Bailli, just off Place du Châtelain, Gusto serves up fresh colourful Italian cuisine. Expect cold and hot antipasti, garlicky scampi, ricotta-stuffed pasta or veal Milanese.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Opening hours
Mon-Fri 12pm-2.30pm; Mon-Sat 7pm-11pm
Address
32, rue Fourmois, Brussels 1050
Telephone
+32 (0) 2 534 9400
Budget
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11. Chez Léon - Budget: (Less than €30 for a three-course meal without drinks)
Show moreA stone's throw from the Grand'Place, Chez Léon has been serving pots of steaming mussels and sides of fries for over a century. Green and white paper tablecloths, snappy service and a warm welcome attract tourists and locals alike.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Opening hours
Daily 11.30am-11pm (until 11.30pm Fri & Sat)
Address
18, rue des Bouchers, Brussels 1000
Telephone
+ 32 (0) 2 511 1415
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12. Maison Antoine - Budget: (Less than €30 for a three-course meal without drinks)
Show moreMade with Bintje potatoes and served in a paper cone with a side of mayonnaise or curry sauce, frites (chips) are a true Belgian delicacy. Take away a cornet from one of Brussels' favourite frietkot (chippies), Maison Antoine, on Place Jourdan.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Opening hours
Daily 11.30am-1.30am
Address
1, Place Jourdan, Brussels 1040
Telephone
+32 (0) 2 230 54 56
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13. Le Pain Quotidien - Budget: (Less than €30 for a three-course meal without drinks)
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Known for its communal tables where people share pots of jam and newspapers, Le Pain Quotidien is a Belgian success story. Families and couples come for brunches of salads, omelettes, sandwiches or pastries, and takeaway bakery products after the kitchen closes. There are branches throughout Brussels, but the Sablon one is very popular.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Opening hours
Mon-Fri 7.30am-7pm; Sat & Sun 8am-7pm
Address
11, rue des Sablons, Brussels 1000
Telephone
+32 (0) 2 513 5154
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14. Arcadi - Budget: (Less than €30 for a three-course meal without drinks)
Show moreA popular place for lovers of quiches and fruit tarts, Arcadi also serves pasta and salads, along with plenty of vegetarian options and cakes. Set at the end of Galeries Saint-Hubert's covered arcade, this informal eating place can get packed at lunch, so come earlier or later.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Opening hours
Daily 7am-11.30pm
Address
1b, rue d'Arenberg, Brussels 1000
Telephone
+32 (0) 2 511 3343
Transport
Gare Centrale metro
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15. Perroquet - Budget: (Less than €30 for a three-course meal without drinks)
Show moreThe relaxed Perroquet (Parrot) is five minutes' walk from Place du Grand Sablon, but it's off the tourist trail. Locals come to this Art Deco café with original stained-glass windows and woodwork for the huge choice of spicy pitta fillings and hearty pasta dishes. In summer, there's terrace dining.Show this on mapE-mail this item
Opening hours
Sun & Mon 10am-11.30pm; Tue & Wed 10am-12am; Thu-Sat 10am-1am
Address
31, rue Watteeu, Brussels 1000
Telephone
+32 (0) 2 512 9922
Transport
Tram 92 or 94 to Grand Sablon; Gare Centrale metro
