Last updated: Apr 26th 2024
This is an ongoing list of reviews of eateries and cafés that we have visited in Bruxelles, roughly divided by areas and type. The list is work-in-progress since some places still need to be properly reviewed - apologies for the missing info!
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🟡 Cafés | 🟣 Restaurants | 🟠 Bars
Ixelles & Louise
🟡 Pop’s Pancakes
(Brunch / pancake place. Visited: 11/11/2023)
5 Rue du Couloir, 1050 Ixelles
Link: Instagram
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
Review: A nice little gem in Ixelles. They only accept walk-ins, no bookings. Despite the size of the place (between 10-15 tables), the wait for the food was somewhat longer than one might expect. We tried the “combo” option for two people (two standard pancakes, each with a topping, a side and a drink), and it was very genereous portion (that neither of us managed to finish). The “big” option (triple pancake stack) must make for a truly sizeable portion. Greek yougurt with granola was an excellent side, the Liege syrup was somewhat similar to a maple syrup, just more sticky. Both fresh drinks that we tried (matcha mint, peach) were great. We did not try any savoury food, but the sandwiches looked very tempting. Lovely service, overall an enjoyable experience.
Feeling like coming back? Yes.
🟣 Sushi Ruko
Link:
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.5/5)
Review:
Feeling like coming back? Yes.
🟣 Rolling Sushi
(All-you-can-eat conveyor belt sushi. Visited: 04/10/2023)
272 Chaussée d’Ixelles, 1050 Elsene
Link: Webpage
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐◽ (3.5/5)
Review: Interesting little place. Definitely feels like a small, family run business, and the personnel was lovely. The food quality was overall quite good and fresh, albeit not a gourmet experience (but who would expect that from a conveyor belt place). Despite the place not being full, waiting times for some sushi pieces felt very long. All-you-can-eat visit in the evening, with one beer and some small complimentary meals (miso soup, smal portion of beef, ice cream) was 30 Euro per person. While we enjoyed our visit, I ultimately think there’s better alternatives.
Feeling like coming back? No.
🟣 Tigermilk
Feeling like coming back? No.
🟣 Maru
🟣 La Quincaillerie
Feeling like coming back? No.
🟠 Belga
Feeling like coming back? Yes.
🟠 BBP (Brussels Beer Project)
(local beers on tap + pizzas) Rue du Bailli 1/A, 1000 Bruxelles
Link: Webpage
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
Review: A brewery with three different locations across Brussels (and more in France). The bar is a fun, hip place to hang-out, including an outdoor garden/patio. Additionally, I was surprised to be able to order a tasty, true napolitan-style oven-baked pizza (those are being served after 6pm). Lazy Panda was my favourite beer on tap.
Feeling like coming back? Yes.
🟠 L’Athenne
Feeling like coming back? Yes.
City Center
🟡 Barkboy
(Café)
Link: Instagram
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
Review: Very nice little café in the Freedom Quarter. A bit pricier, but the coffee and matcha latte that we have tried were really good. The cinnamon buns looked delicious too!
🟡 Galet
(Waffle café, visited multiple times)
Link: Galet
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
Review My go-to place in the city center for waffles. They operate in two estabilishments: a corner shop for take-aways on Rue Neuve, and a full-sized café at Boulevard Anspach (which is the place I am refering here to). A no-frills café which seems to cater more to locals than tourists (which I usually prefer). Their waffles are in my opinion great, made-to-order, and with lots of customisation and topping options. They make both Liege style waffles (with butter, more chewy dough with various flavours, round-ish shape = my favourite) and Brussel style waffles (more crispy, rectangular shape). They also offer savoury “waffle sandwiches”, which I also enjoyed. Only downside is that their coffee is (in my opinion) not that good.
Feeling like coming back? Yes (been back).
🟣 Ellis
(Burgers)
Sint-Katelijneplein 4, 1000 Brussel (+Jourdan, Flagey)
Link: Ellis
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐◽ (4/5)
Review: With three restaurants in Brussels and many more across Belgium and The Netherlands, this might sound liken a fast-food chain. However, don’t be mistaken, this experience is far ahead of McDonalds. I have to admit, we were hungry during our visit to Ellis, having a very late lunch. Nonetheless, we have very much enjoyed the burgers: the black-bun Korean one, and the classic cheeseburger. For those craving a well-made burger, Ellis is imo a good choice, well balanced in between a fast-food and a more upscale restaurant.
Feeling like coming back? Yes.
🟣 Le Conteur
(Middle-Eastern)
Link: Le Conteur
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐◽ (4.5/5)
Review: This was a really cool, lively experience. One thing which stood out was the offer to have a customized “tasting” menu prepared, which aims to cover all the different flavours on offer while taking into account all the dietary preferences (and intolerances) of people at the table. The food itself (middle eastern) was delicious. One thing worth noting is that the place is bustling and very loud (with frequent dancing breaks of the personnel), so if you are looking for a place where you can easily communicate with others, this might not be the ideal choice.
Feeling like coming back? Yes.
🟣 Les Larmes du Tigre
(Thai)
Feeling like coming back? Yes.
🟣 Makifornia
(Sushi)
Feeling like coming back? Yes.
🟣 Shahi Tandor
(Indian)
Link: Shahi Tandor
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐◽ (3.5/5)
Review: An unassuming (one could perhaps even say bare bones) little Indian joint. The place is quite small and feels a bit crowded at full capacity, and the ambience of the place is a bit lacking. On the other hand, the food was enjoyable, and in terms of value-per-price, it was very good. Be careful, even the least spicy options seem to pack a serious punch - so if spiciness is not your friend, I’d suggest playing it safe with a mild dish.
Feeling like coming back? No.
🟣 Wolf
(Food market, visited multiple times)
Link:
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐◽ (4.5/5)
Review:
Feeling like coming back? Yes.
🟣 Yi Chan
(Dim sum)
Link: Yi Chan
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
Review: We have picked this place while seeking a restaurant within the city center to enjoy some Dim Sum dumplings, and can definitely recommend it. The selection of dumplings was good, and everything that we have tried was tasty. The nicest surprise however was the dessert: Lao Xao Bao, sweet custard-filled dumplings decorated as little piglets. If you visit the place, make sure to get it!
Feeling like coming back? Yes.
🟠 58 Rooftop
Link: Webpage
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
Review: Motivated by the idea that a municipality building should serve its citizens in as many ways as possible, 58 Rooftop was opened on top of the 1000 municipal building right in the heart of the city. Be warned, on sunny afternoons, the queues to enter can be rather long (I believe the bottleneck is the single elevator used for both entering and leaving). The experience (and views) at the rooftop is super cool, and I can wholehaertedly recommend it to everyone. I’ve visited 58 twice during autumn, and in both cases, there were some issues with the service (nobody noticing us on one occasion; and pre-ordered drinks never arriving). Perhaps it was an unlucky coincidence… If you get a good service, this is definitely a four-star place.
Feeling like coming back? Yes.
Etterbeek & EU area
🟣 El Quetzal
(Mexican)
Link:
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
Review:
Feeling like coming back? Yes.
Schaerbeek
🟡 Café Winok
Link:
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.5/5)
Review:
Feeling like coming back? Yes.
🟡 La Laiterie
Link:
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4./5)
Review:
Feeling like coming back? Yes.
🟣 Payitaht
(Turkish restaurant with bufet, visited 26/11/2023)
Link:
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
Review: We have visited this place on recommendation of our friend (thanks Daniel!). Payitaht offers an all-you-can-eat morning bufet of Turkish food (until 13:30) for 11 Euros per person, inclusive of unlimited tea and coffee. That makes it one of the best value meals we have tried in Brussels (and also is the reason for rating it four stars). Getting a table at 10:45am on a rainy Sunday was easy, but the place quicky filled up soon after - so be mindful of that. The bufet offers many different types of food, and the quality was good. Overall, it was a really nice experience.
Feeling like coming back? Yes.