Brussels is one of those unique places where one of the best things to do is explore the amazing local food all over the city. Belgium as a whole, and particularly the capital, Brussels, has such a strong connection to food. Recipes that have been around since the 16th century and earlier are still enjoyed today as locals find ways to innovate dishes and bring them into the modern world.
Celebrated but often overlooked and underappreciated, Belgian food is famous for hearty dishes, sweet and savoury street food, and luxurious chocolate. With this list of incredible Belgian food in Brussels, I’m here to take it to the top of your bucket list! You’ll get an insight into the history of many dishes – like how french fries are actually Belgian, and Cuberdons were the result of a discarded batch of medicine – as well as what to expect from the dishes and the best places to try them around Brussels.
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Belgian Food – Savoury
Frites (Fries)
Potatoes come in many delicious forms, particularly fried ones. The most famous of them all, the humble french fry, can be found on countless street corners around Belgium, and in Brussels in particular. In fact, despite their name, it’s believed that french fries actually originated in Belgium, with a geographical error from some American soldiers credited with the long-running mislabelling of fries as being French.
Typical Belgian fries are double fried to make them soft on the inside and beautifully crispy on the outside. They are also traditionally fried in beef fat to give them a rich flavour.
The Belgians love to eat their fries in a paper cornet with lashings of sauce, from friteries around the city. Mayo is the most popular (and better than ketchup, trust me!) but you’ll usually find a large selection of sauces, hot and cold. Some of my favourites are curry ketchup, brazil sauce, and truffle.
There are a huge number of friteries to try around Brussels, but check out this list of my five favourite places to get Belgian fries in Brussels to know the best places to go.
Mitraillette
Still on the topic of fries but deserving of its own header, mitraillette is something of a marvel. Side note – if you’re in Belgium for the gourmet cuisine, then mitraillette is not the dish for you! It’s greasy, messy, and completely over the top, but somehow still delicious and one to add to the bucket list.
You’ll find mitraillette at several friteries around Brussels, most notably Fritland, just round the corner from Grand Place. It’s made up of half a baguette filled with fried meat (usually hamburger meat), fries, salad, and a sauce of your choice.
Belgian Food – Sweet
Chocolate
Belgian chocolate is famous for its quality. Chocolate making in the country really got popular in the 1900s and now it is one of Belgium’s biggest exports. There are a few characteristics that make Belgian chocolate different from ‘regular’ chocolate, mainly the high cocoa content and exclusive use of cocoa butter. In fact, Belgians are so particular about the quality of their chocolate that they have a ‘Belgian Chocolate Code’ to ensure consumers know that their chocolate was made entirely in Belgium, rather than just with Belgian chocolate.
Although chocolate wasn’t invented in Belgium, the country is credited with the invention of the Belgian praline, which is a soft-centred, filled chocolate, of which countless variations exist today.
You’ll find chocolatiers and chocolate shops all over Brussels, and it’s not difficult to get your hands on some delicious chocolate. Neuhaus and Leonidas are my personal favourites, and you’ll find several of their chocolate shops around Brussels.
One of the best ways to have a truly unique experience trying this exceptional Belgian food is to book a chocolate-making workshop. This one features a 2.5-hour workshop where you’ll learn how to make pralines and other chocolates, and you can take your creations home with you after! Alternatively, you could combine your chocolate workshop with a visit to Brussels’ choco-story museum. The museum takes you through the history and process of chocolate production and offers you the chance to watch a demonstration, make your own chocolate, and taste different chocolates. You can book a ticket with a chocolate-making workshop or, for a more budget-friendly option, book a museum visit.
Waffles
Now for a sweet Belgian food that was born in Belgium – the waffle! Waffles have arguably been around since the middle ages, but the recipe for waffles that we know and love today (notably, those using a raising agent) were penned in a Belgian cookbook.
There are two main types of waffles found in Belgium – the Brussels waffle (see above right) and the Liège waffle (see above left). Brussels waffles are light and crispy, with a uniform shape and most like waffles you can get across Europe and around the world. Liège waffles are the most popular around Belgium, most likely due to the fact that they are much more unique. They are thicker, almost chewy, with a caramelised flavour and sugar pearls on the outside. The liège waffle is the one I recommend trying, they are absolutely delicious.
Check out this blog post on Where to Get The Best Belgian Waffles in Brussels for my top picks for Liège waffles around the city.
Cuberdons
Cuberdons are definitely a hidden gem when it comes to traditional Belgian food and are overshadowed by the more popular waffles, chocolate, and fries. However, this makes them the perfect sweet treats to try to have a more unique and authentic experience in Brussels.
Native to Ghent, one of Brussels’ neighbouring cities, cuberdons were invented by a pharmacist named De Vynck after he discovered that a discarded batch of syrup coated medicine had formed a crust, but remained soft in the centre. He took this discovery, translated it to the candy market, and the cuberdon – hard on the outside and soft and gooey in the middle – was born.
One of my favourite things about cuberdons, aside from the fact that they are delicious, is that I truly cannot think of another candy that they are akin to. This Belgian sweet is without a doubt a must-try in Brussels. You can find cuberdons at a few places around the city, and I recommend visiting La Belgique Gourmand in the Galerie de la Reine shopping arcade. They have a charming stand displaying their cuberdons outside the shop, and inside you’ll find a great range of flavours and really helpful staff to help you out. Be sure to try the traditional raspberry cuberdon, and I also recommend the violet flavour.
Discover the best things to do in Brussels
Belgian Food – Main Meals
Although I can’t deny that my favourite Belgian foods are the snacks, the Belgians also specialise in some really great traditional main meals. Most of the traditional meals you’ll find are hearty, cosy, and best enjoyed in a dimly lit bistro with a pint of Belgian beer. Read on to see the best traditional Belgian main meals out there.
Carbonnade
Wander into any traditional Belgian restaurant and you’ll see carbonnade front and centre on the menu. The hearty stew is composed principally of beef and Belgian beer (ale), of course with a few extra ingredients thrown in there. Carbonnade is considered one of Belgium’s national dishes and is one of the most delicious comfort foods out there.
One of the best things about carbonnade is that it can be enjoyed on any budget! Brussels is far from lacking in traditional restaurants to sit down and try a home-cooked Belgian carbonnade – try La Fin de Siècle, 9 et Voisins, Nüetnigenough, or Le Clan des Belges. I’d recommend having a nice meal out at one of these restaurants if you can fit it into your budget. However, if you’re looking for carbonnade on the cheap, you can find it at some friteries around Brussels, particularly at Maison Antoine and Frit Flagey.
Meatballs (Boulets Liègois)
Belgian meatballs are made in a pretty typical way, with the standard meat, breadcrumbs, and onions. What makes them Belgian is their size and the sauces they are served up with. Belgian meatballs are typically large in size and a serving will contain two or three meatballs, sometimes even just one!
The traditional Belgian meatball dish is called Boulets Liègois and hails from Liège, a city in Belgium’s french-speaking Wallonia region. The meatballs are made in the way described above and are served with lapin sauce, a slightly sweet gravy sauce.
My favourite place to get meatballs in Brussels is at Ballekes. The restaurant is dedicated to the Belgian food so you’ll find traditional boulets liègois as well as a great range of other sauces. At Ballekes you’ll get one giant meatball with a sauce of your choice, which includes lapin, cheese sauce, beer-based sauces, and seasonal specials. And great news if you’re on the lookout for vegan Belgian food – they have vegan meatballs!
Stoemp
Fries aren’t the only potato dish famous in Belgium. Step up stoemp – the perfect mashed potato accompaniment to any Belgian main meal. Stoemp is made of mashed potato and other vegetables such as carrot, onion, or cabbage.
Stoemp is most commonly served with sausages on top, but you’ll also sometimes find it as a side to other dishes mentioned in this guide, such as carbonnade or meatballs.
Brussels did have a dedicated stoemp restaurant, Be My Stoemp, but as of writing (January 2022), it appears to be ‘temporarily’ closed. It’s worth checking their socials for any updates before your visit to Brussels, as this seems like a really fun place to try. Alternatively, check out any other traditional Belgian restaurant recommended in this guide and you’re sure to stumble upon some stoemp!
Moules Frites
Belgium does have a border with the sea, so it would be strange to not see some seafood in this list of traditional Belgian foods! Along with carbonnade, Moules Frites is considered one of Belgium’s national dishes. When translated into English the dish is self-explanatory – mussels and fries. It’s hard to miss mussels in Brussels because you’ll often see big signs outside of restaurants advertising them!
I don’t eat seafood and so haven’t tried Moules Frites in Brussels, but Chez Léon and Restaurant François come highly recommended.
More Belgian Food to Try in Brussels
This list of Belgian food contains the most famous delicacies, but there’s always more to be discovered. Here are a couple more recommendations:
- Steak-frites: Steak and fries, a world famous dish that’s claimed to be invented in Belgium
- Croquettes aux Crevettes: Shrimp croquettes, try them (and other fillings) at Le Comptoir à Croquer.
Wash It All Down With A Beer!
It doesn’t exactly fit the criteria, but it would be wrong to write a guide to the best Belgian food to eat in Brussels without mentioning the most Belgian delicacy of them all – beer.
Belgium is known worldwide for its beer, and with over 300 breweries operating in the country, there is no shortage of drinks to try. Some of the most popular types of beer in Belgium are Trappist beer, Abbey beer, Pilsners, Lambics and Blonde Ales, but this list is by no means exhaustive.
The best way to discover the best Belgian beer is to speak to the servers in the bar you visit or book a guided beer tasting experience, but here is a quick list of beers to look out for. There are countless other small name beers to discover, but this is a good place to start:
- Trappist Beer: Chimay, Westmalle
- Abbey Beer: Leffe
- Pilsner: Jupiler, Stella Artois
- Blonde Ale: Duvel, Chouffe
- Fruit Lambic: Kriek Boon
- Pale Ale: Delirium, Kwak
Belgian Food Tours
If you’re interested in a more in-depth insight into all things Belgian food, consider booking a Belgian food tour around Brussels. Let the locals do what they know best and share their delicious food, and knowledge of it with you. Below are some of the best Brussels food tours to check out:
Now that you’ve reached the end of this list of best Belgian foods to eat in Brussels, you’re all set to visit Brussels and have an incredible culinary experience – you’re practically a local at this point! From savoury street food to sweet waffles, smooth chocolate and warming stews, all washed down with a glass of Belgian beer, Brussels will surely turn you into a foodie.
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