Bruxelles - Brussel

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Soeurs is the brainchild of Lara and Hélène Milan. Of Lebanese origin, the two sisters had a career before opening their cheese dairy near Flagey, but the memory of their grandfather, a cheesemaker in Lebanon, had never left them. And their uncle, Vincent Verleyen, was voted best cheesemaker in Belgium. You'll find his products, among others, displayed on the large wooden shelves of their pretty boutique. The producers are essentially Belgian. Feeling a little hungry? The crémières will prepare a lovely sandwich for you at lunchtime.

What a pity that this café-resto is not open more often because it deserves to be known. The place is an old industrial bakery with beautiful exposed bricks and a ceiling made of arches. The concept is announced by the name of the establishment, they are aperitif boards: Italian cold cuts, cheeses from Saint-Octave, various piadine... to share in all conviviality. As for the dessert board, it's pure regression, we won't tell you more. The beer list is not too bad either.

The Groot Eiland Workshop, among others, trains job seekers here to work as clerks, in the dining room and in Dutch. They have set up their restaurant in a part of the former malt house of the Belle-Vue brewery, in a beautiful, light room. A large part of the vegetables is grown in the garden on the spot. The rest is purchased locally and with unsold produce from the morning market. Each day, a different dish (meat or veg) but also salads and pastas. And on weekends, it's a gala menu in the evening. A hearty, healthy cuisine at a low price.

Tero is a coherent model that links healthy products (meat and vegetables) that come from their own farm in Rochefort, with creative gastronomy based on flavours and seasonality. The consistency continues with the sleek and dynamic setting that wraps around the central bar while fitting perfectly into the three levels of the space. On the menu are thirty or so small hot and cold dishes, mezze style, to share or not, and at lunchtime a vegetarian or meat lunch. On all levels it is refined, original and delicious. Another address in Bierges.

Recyclart is more than just an outlet. The organization is involved in the social fabric, often working with the underprivileged by putting people in need of training to work. Such is the case in its bar-restaurant, whose rough-and-ready setting (it's a former warehouse) is devilishly warm. Dishes come in a variety of forms: vegetarian, vegan, halal... Good old carbonnade rubs shoulders with pastilla and hummus, not forgetting the suggestion of the day. It's Molenbeek in all its diversity, and it's delicious!

When you enter this room adorned with a pretty mosaic tile and the smell of the wood fire tickles your nose, you think you're going to have a good time because here, everything goes through the flame of the grill: meat, fish, vegetables ... the wood giving that little extra taste inimitable. At noon, we serve buns, a choice of grill or a dish of the week. In the evening, the menu becomes more sophisticated (Oedslach sirloin or smoked haddock) but no matter what time it is, the plates remain greedy and tasty (just like their terrible French toast).

Crab isn't the only thing on offer at the Crab Club, a small canteen-style establishment near Porte de Hal! Other seafood (crustaceans, shellfish, fish) and a few meats are lovingly handled by Yoth Ondara, a Nîmes chef of Thai origin. What characterizes the menu? Asian touches (sea bream with pak choi, duck with Chinese cabbage) and interesting land-sea combinations (glazed pork with octopus, mussels with sausage). A real treat at a fair price. In early 2022, the restaurant underwent a facelift, providing an opportunity to (re)discover it.

The restaurant at the Manos Hotel is as sumptuous as the hotel itself. The cuisine is appreciated for its own sake, and the decor adds luxury to the tasting experience. The menu features classic French cuisine, sometimes Mediterranean, sometimes local (shrimp and chicory salads, sea bream fillet, eggplant caviar and chorizo...), with an abundance of spices. As for the wines, the very conventional menu is a perfect match for the dishes, adding a little extra soul. Too often, we hesitate to push open the doors of hotel restaurants.

Nightshop is exactly the kind of address that's right for the times. In this former garage, Jocasta Allwood has created her "dining cellar" project, consisting of a room and a small grocery corner. The rough concrete contrasts nicely with the candlelight, which comes into its own in the evening. The menu is short and very plant-based, with a very pure and subtle treatment of products. Jocasta is a sommelier, so the natural wines are particularly well-chosen and off the beaten track, which you can take to the nightshop.