Must-see restaurants in Belgium

  • Takumi

    Brussels

    A pilgrimage to Takumi is in order for all donburi (rice bowl) lovers. From minced chicken with caramel sauce to veggie shitake all the way to miso…

  • Belga Queen entrance

    Belga Queen Brussels

    Brussels

    Belgian cuisine is given a chic, modern twist within a magnificent, if reverberant, 19th-century bank building. Classical stained-glass ceilings and…

  • Oficina

    Brussels

    This little corner restaurant designed by Frederic Nicolay focuses on seasonal and organic produce and offers a minimalist but quality menu on its…

  • Origine

    Brussels

    Under the motto 'love, drink & eat' and alongside a fresco by the Hello Monster collective, Origine serves delicate seasonal dishes. Try the daily special…

  • Jat facade

    JAT' Café

    Brussels

    The strapline at JAT’ is 'Caffeine makes you sexy', but its tempting selection of sweet bites – think crumbling carrot cake, seductive salted caramel…

  • Facade at Domenica

    Domenica

    Brussels

    Selling honest, ethically sourced lunches to a predominantly Eurocrat crowd, Domenica holds up its values of quality and sustainability with homemade…

  • Contrebande

    Brussels

    Across from its organic grocery shop 'The Stock', Contrebande is a beer bar with a brick interior and a lovely terrace on which to sip your blonde craft…

  • L'Ogenblik facade

    L'Ogenblik

    Brussels

    It may be only a stone’s throw from Rue des Bouchers, but this timeless bistro with its lace curtains, resident cat, marble-topped tables and magnificent…

  • King Kong interior

    King Kong

    Brussels

    Sea-bass ceviche, quinoa burgers and pulled-pork sandwiches are among the Peruvian-inspired street food sold at this jungle-like restaurant, where hanging…

  • Cocina pasta

    Cŏcīna

    Brussels

    With a sun-catching terrace that romantically overlooks the park, heaving Cŏcīna specialises in hard to find Italian recipes like calamarata (thick ringed…

  • Bistro Madame interior

    Bistro Madame

    Brussels

    A carefully curated seasonal menu and stunning terrazzo bar make this Italian-inspired restaurant the perfect setting for an aperitivo or a tête-à-tête…

  • Certo

    Brussels

    From bruschetta drenched in olive oil and delicate swordfish carpaccio to homely portions of pasta cacio e pepe (pasta with pecorino cheese and black…

  • De Markten side window

    De Markten

    Brussels

    This Flemish community centre on Oude Graanmarkt square features lectures, workshops and an eponymous cafe with one of the city’s best terraces. Run by…

  • Vismet facade

    Vismet

    Brussels

    Vismet is popular and stylish in a simple, vaguely minimalist fashion, with rows of tiny bulb lamps and high-up mirrors like rectangular steersman’s…

  • Dam Sum Menu

    Dam Sum

    Brussels

    With blazes of neon, street-art wallpaper and homemade dim sum dexterously prepared in an open kitchen, Dam Sum offers a tiny taste of Hong Kong. Plump…

  • L'Architecte

    Brussels

    Housed in Brussels’ architecture school, this simple lunchroom of raw concrete and naked pink technical rails serves affordable daily specials like extra…

  • Fika

    Brussels

    Fika serves Swedish pastries such as Kanelbullar (cinnamon fluffy pastries) and Havreflarn (oat-flake biscuit with chocolate), along with quality coffee…

  • Comocomo facade

    Comocomo

    Brussels

    Pintxos (the Basque version of tapas) snake past on an 80m-long conveyor belt. Colour codes include blue for fish, green for veggies, red for pork, and so…

  • Mokafé facade

    Mokafé

    Brussels

    Locals get their waffles in this old-fashioned cafe under the glass arch of the Galeries-St Hubert. It's a little timeworn and dowdy inside, but wicker…

  • Holy Smoke wall board

    Holy Smoke

    Brussels

    The brisket, ribs and pulled pork at Holy Smoke are cooked low and slow in a smoke pit brought over from Dallas. Southern BBQ is a way of life here, with…

  • Le Phare du Kanaal

    Brussels

    Overlooking the canal, cosy Le Phare du Kanaal specialises in healthy seasonal nibbles like homemade granola, sweet potato soup with cumin, and…

  • Café des spoors

    Café des Spoors

    Brussels

    Mushroom fans will be in heaven at this homage to funghi: dine on black chanterelle, black trumpet, truffles and more. The dark-coloured decor mimics the…

  • Brasserie de la Roue d'or

    Brasserie de la Roue d’Or

    Brussels

    Cosy in a cramped Parisian-bistro sort of way, this place serves excellent if somewhat pricey Belgian food. Wall murals and ceiling clouds pay homage to…

  • Hinterland counter

    Hinterland

    Brussels

    This cosy, hard-to-leave cafe is a sanctuary of healthy organic breakfasts (think açai bowls and matcha chia puddings), homemade vegan lunches and…

  • Fritland

    Fritland

    Brussels

    Sit-down or takeaway frites (chips) near the Bourse.

  • De Werf

    Leuven

    With an extensive tree-shaded terrace, this rambling student classic uses road signs, lanterns and very rough walls dangling with builders' tools to add…

  • Auberge St-Remacle

    The Ardennes

    At first glance this pub-restaurant might not look like the most impressive of Stavelot's eating establishments, but service is friendlier than most and…

  • L'Auberge du Prévost

    The Ardennes

    Occupying a superb 18th-century half-timbered farmstead building on the roadside 300m north of the entrance to Fourneau St-Michel, L'Auberge du Prévost is…

  • Fiskebar

    Antwerp

    For years, locals have sworn that this bustling, fashionably dishevelled former fishmongers’ shop serves the best seafood in town. Finally the owners are…

  • D’Afspraak

    Northeast Belgium

    For years, great pub food has draw diners to what was – until more recently – a traditional low-key café…so much so that these days the place essentially…

  • La Seigneurie

    The Ardennes

    Like a culinary metaphor for Verviers population, La Seigneurie's menu is a slightly discordant mixture of Belgian, North African and Mediterranean. The…

  • BOM

    The Ardennes

    BOM's riverside terrace has the best castle view of any Bouillon eating establishment. They serve great smoothies and offer the unusual luxury of an…

  • Cafe Lequet

    Liège

    Liège’s mascot Tchantchès hangs from a ceiling moulding in this classic panel-walled cafe-restaurant, which remains an utterly authentic locals' place for…

  • Stassart11

    Northeast Belgium

    Hidden away in the rear of the De Borght flower and interior design shop, this indulgent lunch spot has a menu of regularly changing sharing plates:…

  • L'Escaudoir

    Wallonia

    In two small, understated, casually elegant dining areas separated by a tight spiral staircase, this husband-and-wife team present carefully prepared…

  • Le Bistrot d’en Face

    Liège

    Excellent-quality rural French food served in a candlelit 16th-century building whose traditional gingham-and-beams interior is enlivened by some bold…

  • Elfde Gebod

    Antwerp

    In the heart of the tourist zone, this ivy-clad medieval masterpiece has an astounding interior decked with angels, saints, pulpits and several…

  • Le Cigalon

    Wallonia

    This loveable spot has streetside seating and a sweet little garden area. It does a great line in Lyonnais-style dishes, with such bouchon classics as…

  • La Mouette

    Liège

    Shuttered mirror 'windows', blue-glaze seagulls and skeletal lamps create a surprisingly charming ambience, vaguely like a denuded English teashop but…

  • Labo4

    Liège

    Seeking some special chemistry at dinner? Here they take the idea quite literally, seating you between the test tubes and unchanged 1960s wooden…

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