Brussels food guide
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Brussels is a great place to experience real Belgian food, with a cuisine influenced by French, Flemish, and other European countries. The city’s restaurants range from family run brasseries to more modern places, but across them all you’ll find the same focus on large, comforting dishes built for cold weather.
Meat, potatoes, and dairy are central to the menu, with highlights like carbonnade flamande (a rich beef stew cooked in Belgian beer), chicons au gratin (endives wrapped in ham and baked in cheese sauce), and stoemp saucisse (creamy mashed potatoes mixed with vegetables and served with sausage) appearing across many menus. And of course, no Brussels food guide is complete without mentioning fries, crispy frites from a proper fritkot served with mayo or one of many other sauces.
In this quick guide, we’ll introduce you to a few of our favourite traditional restaurants in Brussels and a few places to get great fries, helping you make the most of your time in the city.
📍 Les Trappistes
Probably our favourite brasserie in Brussels, Les Trappistes sits just outside the main tourist area, which means it is filled with locals rather than tour groups. The kitchen cooks everything fresh, so service is not the fastest, but the wait is well worth it for the quality. The staff are friendly and helpful, and prices are reasonable for the quality on offer.
The menu offers a good mix of traditional Belgian dishes alongside other familiar options. Classics we have tried here and found excellent include boulettes-frites (meatballs with fries), chicons au gratin (endives wrapped in ham with cheese sauce) and vol au vent (puff pastry case filled with chicken and mushroom in a creamy sauce). It is worth noting that the fries here are also great.
Getting to De Trappisten is straightforward: it is about a five minute walk from the Osseghem metro station, and a tram line runs directly past the restaurant. For a relaxed, authentic brasserie experience away from the crowds, it is our top choice.
De Trappisten
Fin de Siècle offers decent prices for such a central location, making it a good choice for classic Belgian food in the heart of the city. The menu features a good selection of traditional dishes, including carbonnade flamande (known here as carbonade à la bière), stoemp saucisse (mashed potatoes with sausage) and vol au vent (puff pastry case filled with chicken and mushroom in a creamy sauce)
The atmosphere is cosy and convivial, which contributes to its popularity with both locals and visitors. Being so central, it does get very busy, especially at meal times and at weekends. There are also some outdoor seating available for warmer days.
While some sources still list Fin de Siècle as cash only, on both of our visits the restaurant was accepting card payments without issue. That said, it is worth having some cash on hand just in case.
Fin de Siècle
Located a little outside the centre, down a street lined with other restaurants, C'est bon C'est belge offers ample outdoor seating for good weather, surrounded by some nice architecture. The setting is nice and relaxed, making it a pleasant place for a leisurely meal away from the busiest tourist areas.
The menu has a decent choice of traditional Belgian dishes, including waterzooi, carbonnade flamande, chicons au gratin and vol au vent. A particular highlight is the special option that allows you to try an assortment of different traditional dishes in one go, a great way to sample several Belgians classics if you are unsure what to order.
C'est bon C'est belge
Best places for fries
An unassuming classic fritkot, Fritkot Chouke is mainly a takeaway place but does have some outdoor seating. Most importantly, they serve fantastic fries in large portions, with a variety of different sauce options at good prices. Beyond the classic mayo, the selection includes Andalouse (a mayo and tomato lightly spicy sauce) and Samurai (a spicy mayonnaise and tomato based sauce), among others.
The menu also offers a good selection of classic fritkot snacks like fricadelles, along with a decent burger selection and a variety of veggie options. For an authentic Belgian fries experience in the heart of the city, it can't be beat.
Fritkot Chouke
More of a full restaurant than a typical fritkot, Fritzguard has seating inside and out but also offers takeaway. The focus is on classic, crispy fries double cooked in beef fat, served both simply and in a range of decadent loaded versions. These are truly loaded: options include vol-au-vent filling, cheddar and bacon, and even octopus, turning a portion of fries into a proper sit down meal.
They also have a good selection of large and interesting burgers, including a truffle burger and a Mexican inspired one. Definitely the best sit down fries place we tried in Brussels, combining top quality frites with creative toppings and a relaxed, modern atmosphere.
Fritzguard
