To travel to Brussels without spending a moment to try its local dishes is sacrilegious. What a joy to have as a default, a local delicacy to make many other cities pale. Chips, fricadelles, mussels, chocolate, beers and so on, Brussels is an explosion of flavors. Let your taste buds wriggle now, let your sense of smell go now.
Here are 6 experiences and specialties to taste absolutely during your stay in the Belgian capital.
THE Belgian specialty: a chip shop in Brussels
Belgian fries
When we think of Belgium, “la frite” inevitably comes to mind. Is this a cliché? Are we doing too much? No, the fries are part of the Belgian landscape and that's good! You might think, a fries is a fries, but on the contrary, they have their own way of leather, which gives a crispy side, but at the same time tender that we appreciate a lot.
Going to a chip shop means having a quick meal, standing outside or sitting in a relatively small place, and it is undeniably charming! There are many chip shops in Brussels and you could get lost. Quite close to the Grand-Place is the Friterie Tabora. The fries are particularly good there, the welcome is friendly and what's more, you can decorate this cone of fries with a small fricadelle.
How to get around Brussels?
Getting around Brussels is no easy task. The "tourist" part is all around the Grand-place, so your car will not be of great interest to you. Even to reach the palace, the breweries or others, walking remains the best solution to discover its many attractions. If you come by car, and in order not to bother and worry about your vehicle, we advise you to leave your car in the parking lot. MyflexiPark also offers many car parks (near the station, the airport, etc.) thanks to its ingenious pooling system: less expensive than a conventional car park, this site should greatly facilitate your life on site!
A Moules Frites restaurant in Brussels
Mussels and fries, a specialty in Brussels
The Moule frites à Bruxelles is a leading culinary specialty that is starting to date. This dish, which makes locals and travelers happy, takes its legend from a very difficult winter. The outings on the high seas being restricted, the fish were starting to run out. In order to find a solution to this "problem", fishermen began to fall back on mussels. This is also why Moules Frites in Belgium is a “winter” dish.
In Old Brussels
Restaurants flock from all sides, with good and bad, and sometimes you have to decide. For example, the Brussels institution is the restaurant “Au Vieux Bruxelles”. Opened at the end of the 19th century, it runs through the years without stopping. Authentic, with its wood on the walls, its small structure, it is one of those places that take you back to the past. On the other hand, although we go for the institution it represents, is not necessarily among the best in the city. Other restaurants are just next door such as "Le Marmitton". If you can juggle tourist traps, the Petite Rue des Bouchers has an influx of restaurants!
Drink a good beer in Brussels
Drinking a beer in Brussels, a must
It's all well and good to eat, but in Belgium it is often complemented with a good beer. No foolishness, there are many good bars in Brussels allowing you to savor this specialty in peace. No need to search too much, turn around the Grand Place and they will open their arms to you.
The best known of all, the Delirium. Maybe you have heard this name before because a beer exists under this name, but in the center of the city it is something else. The Delirium is quite simply the bar with the biggest beer list possible. To give you an idea, the Delirium Village has an incomparable atmosphere with more than 2 beers to choose from. Even if you are not an amateur, spending the time there with a glance is already worth the detour.
The extensive menu of Delirium Café
A large number of other bars are doing well, such as “Moeder Lambic” or “A la mort surite”. The latter offers a wide choice of Belgian beer, but to be consumed in moderation!
Visit a brewery in Brussels
Drinking a beer is fun… but how do you brew beer? Where do they come from? Are you not curious about its manufacture? Do not forget that Belgian beer culture is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site! So if that interests you, take part in brewery tours. Each has its own peculiarities, its own way of brewing, of inventing.
Among the names you will see is Brussels Beer Project. Young company, it offers rather atypical beers.
One second, the Cantillon brewery, which is more family-friendly. It offers beers like Kriek that you must have seen on the shelves. Created in 1900, it still retains a traditional way of brewing today.
Cantillon brewery in Brussels
Do not hesitate to inquire for tours, whether on these two or many others, the visit is worth the "Pint". To give you a few names: Beerstorming, Brasserie de la Senne, etc.
Now if you are not interested in brewing, but you want to learn more about the different kinds of Belgian beers, its anecdotes: it is towards the Shaerbeekois museum that you will have to turn.
The tasty Belgian chocolate factory
The famous Belgian chocolate… Just walking past a chocolate factory, no matter which one, your senses will suddenly awaken.
Let yourself be carried away by the scent of chocolate, enter a chocolate factory to admire the master chocolatier exercising his talent, then a square in the mouth for the tasting.
One of the many chocolate shops in Brussels
There is not a single chocolate factory to highlight, but several, almost all of them. Explore the Sablon district which is full of small shops, the surroundings of the Grand-Place, and many other places. Trust your nose, but also what you see through the big windows.
You can also visit the Belgian Chocolate Village, a museum entirely dedicated to chocolate.
Many other specialties to taste in Brussels ...
Beers, fries, mussels, chocolate, it's one thing, but not only. Brussels is also details and many other specialties to eat. Taste a waffle, stop at a Food-Truck, eat in the main square, the city has a lot to offer.
Is it really a failure to taste good things? Brussels can be visited, but Brussels can be tasted just as much. Isn't gluttony the best of deadly sins? Your taste buds will say thank you.
