The best restaurants Bruxelles - Brussel

With its tired mirrors, murals and weathered woodwork, the Cochaux brewery exudes an atmosphere that is half Art Nouveau, half old-fashioned. The regulars come back and the faithful stay, a guarantee of quality and authenticity. For those with small appetites, the menu offers a choice of omelettes and salads. It's good, it's prepared with fresh products and it's a bit expensive for a classic cuisine. But it's close to a zero-fault menu... To shine in the evening, tell them that Felix Cochaux was an engineer and invented a new type of drag boat.

If at the beginning the name of the restaurant attracted customers, the succulent cuisine made this place a must in the Place Stéphanie district. Gianfranco and his team are happy to welcome you with their unchanging flavours: entrecote, cod and other salads are on the menu of a varied menu that changes with the seasons. For winter, what could be more invigorating than simmered dishes, or Belgian specialities such as rabbit à la kriek. The wine list offers a wide choice of wines at a great value for money.

A little crush! You could go there just for the façade covered with posters with funny slogans, illustrating all the humour of the owners. But the main reason for coming is to take a culinary trip on board a train that travels through Indochina, in the colonial era. Comfortably installed in wagons, we taste the best of Vietnam. Very good value for money, friendly atmosphere and a la carte, a traditional Vietnamese cuisine or more inventive which makes the happiness of gourmets.

The service is provided by the granddaughter of Mr. Charles, the founder of the chip shop... which is still called friture according to an old belgicism. The family business has existed since 1956 and is still successful after more than sixty years of existence: you have to be patient to be served at peak times! Here you can enjoy Belgian bintje cooked in the traditional way in beef fat. At lunchtime only, the good old paper cone invites you in for some nostalgia. Eaten with your fingers, it's even better!

Stéphanie and Marc's Trac is a bar, café-theater and more, with a unique concept based around all these activities in a single location, plus catering and multi-purpose premises. Terroir, Restauration, Art, Culture et Citoyenneté is on the lookout for new artists, new products and new 100% Belgian quality activities! A small library and a cigar/lounge area are also part of the premises. Plates and salads are served alongside pizzas, burgers and delicious milkshakes.

One of the beautiful brasseries in the south of Brussels. The decor is in grey-green and anthracite shades of the most beautiful effect, with touches of orange. You can sit down on the wide benches and enjoy a pleasant moment. The menu is well thought out and carefully prepared, for both wolf-like and child-like appetites. Gratin dauphinois, beef tartar, veal kidneys... Don't forget the bench of scallops (also to take away) which is a reference in the neighbourhood.

You can enjoy moambe and other specialities in this small restaurant decorated in the old style, on the borders of Matongé. The goat meat, for example, is a trip in itself! You should also try a dish of Liboke, the fish steamed in banana leaves. In short, the food is very good and the suggestions change every week... The menu features specialities from all over sub-Saharan Africa, exotic fruit juices, a selection of good beers and Caribbean rums. Musical entertainment on Friday nights.

For more than three decades, the chip shop has been a must in the area and we don't see what could change that! Because here, the owner was elected Knight of the National Order of the Golden Cornet (a title that has never been awarded since) and remains attentive to the quality of the oil and the potato. These are the two criteria necessary to obtain a good fry, along with the calibration that gives a full and crispy fry. Remember that the potatoes come from the same farmer for thirty years and that the fries are calibrated 13 mm.

This precious island is located in a quiet street, at walking distance from the busy Louise main land, an other exotic ambiance restaurant that you never forget about. It's been around twenty years, although it feels more like two hundred. You just expect the likes of Baudelaire or Lord Byron to step in with a bunch of bohemian friends and order plates of truffle stuffed ravioli. Besides a nice choice of pastas, Le Malte offers a few solid salads, including chicken livers with raspberry jelly and caramelized apples. Seafood lovers will find their satisfaction, and the house burger won't take anything away from the lamb filet or the duck confit. And yes, their's warm tarte Tatin and lemon meringue pie for dessert. If you are unconceivably in a hurry for lunch, they serve 8.50 € plats du jour in ten min. On Sundays, all main courses are 10 €. And if your bohemian friends wish to purchase any painting decorating the walls, just ask to add it to the bill.

Its simple but tasty daily specials and a typically Belgian menu have made the establishment a success, even after a recent change of ownership. When you get tired of their (nevertheless delicious) "American fries" or their shrimp croquettes, you stay to taste one of the many beers (two huge barrels are displayed in the room). One takes advantage of a fast and copious "small restoration" of which several kinds of pasta which will calm you down a man! As soon as the first sunny days arrive, the regulars want to take advantage of the sunny terrace.

Here is an original space mixing restaurant and car showroom! Christian and Olivier, the creators, are at the wheel of the Declercq restaurant, a real engine of greed and conviviality. Leaving the lunch counter to the Pompon girls, the partners are refocusing on the restaurant, favouring a cuisine of seasonal products combining taste and flavour. The setting mixes a contemporary atmosphere and a car setting. On the menu, aperitif boards, sardines, some bistro dishes and especially excellent burgers.

A well-known ixello address (the Niels family also runs Le Vieux Saint-Martin on the Sablon), this unchanging eatery is dedicated to quality poultry and fine local specialties such as shrimp croquettes. Roast free-range chicken, Canterbury-style fish & chips, Alsatian sauerkraut, game in season and an American prepared the same way since 1924! A private room can accommodate up to 15 guests. The covered terrace, right across from the ponds, attracts a select clientele who appreciate the totally professional service.

Nice little bar. It has been there for about forty years, it has been taken over but the original spirit has remained. Miladiou means "A Thousand Gods" in the southwestern French dialect. The food and wine are more French in origin with very reasonable lunchtime menus. Particular care is taken in the presentation of the dishes and the welcome is particularly friendly. The decoration is also worth the detour. Groups of 15-20 people maximum are welcome to occupy one of the three spaces.

A real institution in Saint-Gilles, the Porteuse d'Eau has the charm of an Art Nouveau brewery with its stained glass and woodwork. Thibaut Lepoivre, passionate about the national drink and a true connoisseur, offers a traditional Belgian menu (summer and winter) and no less than 100 special beers. You can enjoy the specialities of this place with appetite, the beer service is important and done in the rules of the art and this last one is gladly accompanied by cheese in board, sliced by the customer. The staff are professional and friendly, and the atmosphere is very pleasant.

Have you worked up an appetite visiting the Cinquantenaire museums? Then come and eat at Le Pré aux Clercs. It looks like a village restaurant, with its small terrace and rustic setting of wood and grey-green velvet benches. Do you like meat? You're in luck, as grilled meats are their specialty. Matured or unmatured Aubrac entrecôte, Charolais steak... just served with salad and grilled potatoes. Just the smell of grilled meat will make your mouth water, and to make matters worse, your wallet won't go dry.

Have you ever heard of the sando, the Japanese sandwich that's cut thickly to reveal its many layers of ingredients? It's the specialty of this little canteen, which is always busy at lunchtime. With beef, Japanese-style fried chicken, tempura shrimp or veg, they're particularly tasty and a great way to settle the stomach during a lunch break. Enjoy them on the terrace, inside, admiring the pretty fresco decorating the room, or take them away. Not in the mood for sandwiches? Their other specialty is donburi.

Le Petit Futé couldn't miss a food court named after its mascot. Located on the first floor of the former Belgian Royal building, in a brightly-lit space, several brands offer world cuisine, from breakfast to dinner. Italian, Japanese, Middle Eastern cuisine, pastries.... And of course, a vast bar. Particularly noteworthy are Lova, by Top Chef's César Lewandoski, with its fine Asian street food, and Coast, for its fish and seafood. In fine weather, the pretty terrace is often packed to the rafters.

As soon as you enter, the light tones set the tone. At the table, the short menu varies according to the chef's desires and the seasons. It breathes good humour, health, picking in the meadows or mushrooms in the woods. The link between these dishes is the care taken with the presentation. The chef's preparations are supported by some nice bottles. The assortment of small dishes (vegetarian, fish or meat) in the form of "Combinations" and a close relationship with the producers are the new spearheads of this discreet restaurant.

Like a good neighbor, Florent Top Chef Ladeyn has come to open his restaurant in Brussels, retaining the philosophy of his northern establishments: local, seasonal and with the Flemish touch that characterizes him. As the restaurant is located on the first floor of the Hôtel de la Grande Cloche, it's open from breakfast onwards. The "bricks and wood" atmosphere lends itself well to the à la carte lunch (pickled beet, flamiche stuffed with lamb confit, baked pear, cream and chicory), while supper (as we say here) offers a more refined menu.

Seven is the canteen that's stirring up the Cavell district. Since it opened in the spring of 2023, it's been packed to the rafters. The concept? Healthy, brunch-inspired dishes (granola, avocado toast...) in addition to pastries in the morning and at lunchtime, a number of salads and sandwiches for a light meal. A whole list of smoothies, kombuchas and coffee from MOK complete the menu. As for the space? It's sublime: minimalism, waxed concrete, wide banquettes, wooden armchairs, tropical plants and dishes you'll want to take away.

A neighborhood address as we like them, with a pair of talented hands in the kitchen, and the owner in the dining room, talkative and friendly with his dear customers. A little word for everyone and an eye for everything. The word of mouth has been going on for years for a clientele from the neighborhood or from farther away. The menu joyfully mixes pizzas, pastas and some regional specialties such as swordfish Sicilian style, ossobuco Milanese style, calamari Romana style. Everything is made on the spot with fresh products, and everything can be taken away.

Pompon was originally a home brunch delivery company created by Valentine Percy and Sophie Abiraad. At the end of 2021, they took over the space of Declercq Bistro Garage, which the managers had left as a concession during the day. And what a contrast between Pompon's sweet menu and the car bodies, as the counter is located in a car dealer's showroom! Whether you come for breakfast or weekend brunch or for lunch for a salad or a snack, everything is homemade, with local products and a zero waste approach.

On the elegant Avenue Louis-Bertrand in Schaerbeek, sisters Marie (in the kitchen) and Sophie (in the dining room) Marconi have opened the Chabrol in an Art Nouveau spirit that suits the neighbourhood. Passionate about fresh, local produce, anti-waste and slow food, the sisters offer traditional French comfort food (potée auvergnate, meatloaf...) but also borrow from various cuisines (especially Italian, Japanese, Oriental, American...). The kind of cuisine that makes the stomach and the morale feel good.

Sao in the kitchen and Beer in the dining room offer to discover the world of Thai cuisine, here deliciously implemented. Thai culinary culture is extremely rich and Sao adds a subtle dose of modernity. With delicacy and generosity, he likes to offer an experience with dishes placed in the centre of the table, as the tradition of sharing at the table is alive and well in Thailand. Spicy recipes with more delicate flavours, all trends are represented. A must try is the Yam Neua, grilled beef with mint and lime.

With Norma, Giacomo and Massimiliano, both from Friuli, wanted to highlight the art of grandmotherly cooking: homemade pasta (they make their own flour) with products from small local and Italian producers of course, sauces that have simmered for a long time, simple and noble ingredients (you can smell the truffle when you enter the trattoria). The short menu where pasta is the star varies every week. The aperitivo is the other strong point with appetizing plates that are accompanied by a well-chosen wine or a negroni.

This catering shop is the brainchild of Julien Devlamincq, a former chef, and Michel Hubert, a former cheese maker. Everything is homemade: sandwiches, of course, but also dishes, pizzas... to take home or to have a picnic, why not in the Parc Baudouin which is not so far away. You can feel the affinity with cheese, considering the nice selection you can find there and moreover, if you feel like it, you can rent a raclette machine!

In Italy, there are restaurants and there are trattorias, these modest, often family-run establishments, where the cuisine is tasty and without fuss. L'Olivier, a stone's throw from the Place du Miroir in Jette, is of this type and specialises in pasta (with wheat or eggs) and veal escalopes (no less than 7 types) for a tight bill. And it's all homemade. Salvatore, the boss, is at the stove, and cooks like his mother taught him. A casalinga cuisine, then. Nice backyard and catering/takeaway service, if you don't have time.

Another fine hotel restaurant! At the helm of 1040 is Top Chef finalist Jean-Philippe Watteyne. In duo with Fabrizzio Iannacci, Jean-Philippe wanted to give this elegant bistronomic brasserie a Belgian accent (both in the dishes and in the origin of the products): beef carpaccio from Ciney, spicy bird without a head (meat roulade), revisited marvellous... but the menu also takes detours into Italy and Asia. On the roof of the hotel aromatic plants grow and a beehive produces honey, all used in the kitchen.

It's impossible to die of hunger in the Matongé district, which is constantly renewing its range of eateries offering sustenance at all prices. Aside from the somewhat naive concept intended by the initiators (we're friendly, we bring people together, you feel at home, etc.), the idea of associating three giants of Italian gastronomy - pizza, pinsa and mozzarella - is excellent. Volta Super Club is fast, it's well served, it's good, so you'll want to come back again and again to this minimalist but warm setting.

With new chef Fela Herzog, Harvest continues to offer inventive, seasonal cuisine with a French base, but open to the world (pressed octopus, sea sorbet, an astonishing red cabbage cake with rhubarb mousse for dessert in summer). The evening menu is available in three styles: vegetarian, fish or meat. A short menu at a reasonable price, especially for lunch. The room is beautiful, with its black-and-white tiled floor, uncluttered decor and comfortable seats and benches. The wine list is full of surprises, alongside a fine range of Burgundies.

Under the immense ceiling of the Tour & Taxis ferry terminal, a shower of Michelin stars fell on this new luxury foodcourt. No fewer than 3 Michelin-starred chefs, and other big names on the Brussels culinary scene, have contributed their concepts: from burger to Korean bao, from French fries to vegetarian cuisine, from seafood to desserts. The Victoria bar sits in the middle, dispensing beers from the AB Inbev group. There's something for every taste... even if you're clearly paying for the setting!

Here is a restaurant that announces the color: Così Com'è means "as is" and indeed, no fuss in the establishment of Antonia and Enrico. Originally from Puglia, they have brought a bit of their land into the room (with bows representing trulli, but above all, the love of pasta and pizza. There are about thirty of them, including the famous, and much maligned, Hawaiian pizza. We won't hold it against them. Here, no frills, we eat traditional and simply good pizzas. There is a takeaway and catering area and a good selection of wines.

Vegans, meat lovers, lovers of fresh salads and so many others find themselves in this Mediterranean sweetness married with oriental flavors. The setting is warm and their healthy vision of the Lebanese gastronomy makes you travel, from the morning. Fresh products, passion and a know-how of more than ten years make you (re) discover this Mediterranean sweetness married with oriental flavors all day long: kafta mechwi (minced lamb), salad at Lebanese (fresh vegetables, ewe's cheese, etc.), chich tawouk, borghol...

We often tend to reduce Spanish gastronomy to tapas and paella. But it's much more than that! In the chic, yet relaxed restaurant run by Adrian Mancheño, all the flavours of his native land are highlighted on the plate: octopus with paprika potatoes, marinated Iberian pork, Asturian bean stew, Galician beef entrecote with peppers, rice dessert... Your taste buds are wriggling! No wonder it was voted best Brussels restaurant in 2019! Don't hesitate to push the door of the hotel where it is located.

Hidden away in the Rue de Loi neighbourhood, this parrillada (barbecue restaurant) will transport you straight to Argentina! You'll feel like you're there: the rustic setting, the sturdy meat knives, the bottles of wine on display and, of course, the tango as background music. We eat Argentine meat with the local cuts: the bife de chorizo (strip loin), the lomo (pure filet) or the tira de asado (rib on the bone) thick and juicy with chimichurri sauce. Serve with a glass of malbec or, for those with a delicate palate, a merlot-malbec.

Finally a Mexican cantina worthy of the name! Los Agaves is small in size and big in personality, like the jaguar head mural that greets you once you push the door. Run by a family, this establishment is really warm and transports you directly there. The menu is simple, we find enchiladas, quesadillas, empanadas and other tamales which have the taste of the kitchen made in casa. The chicken enchiladas with molle, a sauce that mixes chocolate and chilli, are a favourite. You can wash it all down with a maxi size margarita!

All the flavors of Asia can be found at Old Boy and the menu alone is an invitation to travel. You take a seat around the long counter or around a few tables and off you go: stopovers in Taipei (beef bao) or Manila (kinilaw) for starters, in Canton (wontons) or Saigon (molted crab) for the main course and then in Bangkok (pavlova with coconut and exotic fruits, flavored with galangal and lemon grass) for dessert. The dishes can be eaten alone or shared between guests. With a neat wine list and a fast and smiling service, we leave there fulfilled!

Restaurant and garden
Demeure de 1872
Chef: Alain Bianchin
Open from Tuesday to Saturday inclusive
Gourmet cuisine - Closed on Mondays - Closed on Sundays

- Entrance: level and wide enough
- Toilets: level and wide enough