Restaurants

The city's French- and Dutch-speaking residents may have their differences, but they both value a good meal. Indeed, food is a passion in Brussels, which boasts more Michelin-star restaurants per head than Paris. People here regard dining as a fine art and their own favorite chef as a grand master. It's just about impossible to eat badly, no matter what price range you're operating within.

The city has no fewer than 1,500 restaurants. You can spend as much as 200€ ($250) for a meal in one of the culinary giants or as little as 15€ ($19) in an informal place for one prepared with maybe as much loving care. Even if you're on a tight budget, you should try to set aside the money for at least one big splurge in a fine restaurant -- food for the soul as well as the stomach.

Each year the tourist office issues a comprehensive dining directory entitled Gourmet, which gives each restaurant's rating in irises, the flower of Brussels, instead of the traditional stars. It's a good idea to pick up a copy at the beginning of your stay in the city.

The Brussels restaurant scene covers the entire city, but there are one or two culinary pockets you should know about. It has been said that you haven't truly visited this city unless you've dined at least once along rue des Bouchers or its offshoot, Petite rue des Bouchers, both of which are near the Grand-Place. Both streets are lined with an extraordinary array of ethnic eateries, most with a proudly proclaimed specialty and all with modest prices, and some very good Belgian restaurants. Reservations are not usually necessary in these colorful, and often crowded, restaurants -- if you cannot be seated at one, you simply stroll on to the next one.

Then there's the cluster of fine restaurants at the Marché-aux-Poissons (Fish Market), a short walk from the Grand-Place around place Ste-Catherine. This is where fishermen once unloaded their daily catches from a now-covered canal. Seafood, as you'd expect, is the specialty. A well-spent afternoon's occupation is to stroll through the area to examine the bills of fare exhibited in windows and make your reservation for the evening meal.

In Brussels if you are a nonsmoker, you're mostly out of luck -- get ready to consume a garnish of secondhand smoke with your meal. Finally, don't fret if the service is slow: People take their time dining out here.

Splashing Out

Brussels is known for its fine food and superb selection of beers. So even if funds are limited, try to splurge on at least one truly splendid meal and spend an evening discovering Belgium's amazing brews in one of the many convivial bars and cafes. Some of the most attractive cafes are right on the Grand-Place, but you pay around 50% more for the privileged location.

Quick Bites

You can find plenty of fast-food outlets where you can grab a bite while you're on the run. Naturally, McDonald's is everywhere. However, you might prefer to try Quick, the Belgian hamburger chain that's even bigger, locally, than Ronald. Two central locations are rue du Marché-aux-Herbes 103 (tel. 02/511-47-63; Métro: Gare Centrale) and rue du Fossé-aux-Loups 5 (tel. 02/217-65-11; Métro: De Brouckère).

Then there are all the Greek, Turkish, and Israeli places, where you can fill up on moussaka, kabobs, or falafel for as little as 4€ ($5). Try Chez Munir, rue du Marché-aux-Fromages 17 (tel. 02/503-33-03; Métro: Gare Centrale), or Plaka, rue du Marché-aux-Fromages 6 (tel. 02/511-21-27; Métro: Gare Centrale).

Despite its name, Le Roi du Sandwich, rue de la Vieille Halle aux Blés 43 (tel. 02/513-31-68; Métro: Gare Centrale), is not just the "sandwich king," though its sandwiches (like cheese and tomato and prawn salad) are pretty good. It's also a great little Vietnamese snack bar, where a filling plat du jour costs just 5€ ($6.25), and the mother and her English-speaking daughter who run the place offer you a second helping at no extra charge.

Another seductive invitation is the aroma of fresh waffles, sold from street stands all around the city. Generally thicker than American waffles, they cost about 2€ ($2.50) and are smothered in sugar icing.

And don't forget those Belgian frites (fries)! These are twice-fried, giving them a delectably crunchy crust and flavorful interior. Brussels is dotted with dozens of fast-food stands serving frites in paper cones. Belgians usually eat them with mayonnaise rather than ketchup; though this method might cause apprehension, don't knock it till you've tried it. Prices run from around 1.80€ to 3€ ($2.25-$3.75). Toppings, such as peanut or curry sauce, cost extra.

Getting the Best Deal on Dining

Take advantage of the plat du jour at lunch and one of the set menus at dinner for good food at a bargain rate.

Venture into one of the simple Greek places near Gare du Midi, where there's no menu and you go to the kitchen to point out the dishes you want. You can pig out for around 8€ ($10).

Remember that many neighborhood bars serve basic meals like soup, steak and french fries, and spaghetti Bolognese -- bland, but better with a dash of Tabasco -- at low prices.

Fill up on inexpensive and delicious Belgian frites, which we mistakenly call french fries. You won't be the first tourist who has done Europe by potato express.

Be aware that some of the most expensive hotels serve a modestly priced Sunday brunch. At the Conrad, av. Louise 71 (tel. 02/542-42-42; Métro: Louise), for example, you can raid a lavish buffet for 25€ ($31).

On Your Guard in the Ilôt Sacré

Opinion in Brussels differs on how acceptable it is to be seen eating in the popular Ilôt Sacré (Holy Islet) restaurant district, just off the Grand-Place, around rue des Bouchers and Petite rue des Bouchers. Some commentators snootily dismiss the entire area as a tourist trap. Others snootily dismiss this dismissal and pile in alongside the tourists. So who's right?

My advice is not to waste time listening to the argument but to go see for yourself. Ilôt Sacré restaurants represent a veritable United Nations of cuisine. Some of the city's best Belgian restaurants are here, and some of the worst. But the ambience is invariably romantic, whether on a warm summer evening at a sidewalk table with lanterns and candles all around; or on a cold winter evening in a cozy room with wood and brass in abundance.

A few restaurants take advantage of tourists. They figure that tomorrow you'll be on a plane, and if they rip you off in the meantime, who cares? All the restaurants listed in this chapter are good ones, and you should have no problems in them. If you prefer the look of another, though, here are the ground rules:

A big outdoor display of seafood on ice is no guarantee of quality. It might mean the reverse.

Be wary if the waiter hits on you before you have a decent chance to study the menu; be more wary if inexpensive menu items, such as the plat du jour (dish of the day), are "sold out"; and be warier still if the waiter offers to "propose you something special" instead. There's a story circulating of two Americans who paid 300€ ($375) for a "special" lunch -- you don't want this to be you.

Be certain of the price of everything you order by checking on a printed menu or chalkboard.

Check the price of the house wine. This is usually the cheapest wine -- but in a few places it is by far the most expensive! The same consideration applies to the house aperitif.

If you order a seafood platter without checking the price, you may get one big enough to feed Patton's Third Army, with a price tag to match -- this is at least better than getting one more suitable for a doll's house yet still with a mammoth price tag.

Check your bill carefully and politely refuse to pay for anything you didn't order or didn't get. The manager may then mention the magic word "police." Stand (or sit) your ground -- calmly. The cops know all about the antics some of these places pull.

None of the above is meant to discourage you. Plenty of visitors come away from the Ilôt Sacré with no more serious complaint than an expanded waistline. But the unwary do get ripped off. It happens all the time.

Getting the Best Deal on Dining

Take advantage of the plat du jour at lunch and one of the set menus at dinner for good food at a bargain rate.

Venture into one of the simple Greek places near Gare du Midi, where there's no menu and you go to the kitchen to point out the dishes you want. You can pig out for around 8€ ($10).

Remember that many neighborhood bars serve basic meals like soup, steak and french fries, and spaghetti Bolognese -- bland, but better with a dash of Tabasco -- at low prices.

Fill up on inexpensive and delicious Belgian frites, which we mistakenly call french fries. You won't be the first tourist who has done Europe by potato express.

Be aware that some of the most expensive hotels serve a modestly priced Sunday brunch. At the Conrad, av. Louise 71 (tel. 02/542-42-42; Métro: Louise), for example, you can raid a lavish buffet for 25€ ($31).

Around the Fish Market

The colorful and atmospheric Marché-aux-Poissons, beside the now-vanished harbor in the heart of Brussels, where fishing boats used to moor, has a plethora of fine seafood restaurants.

A Perfect Brew

Belgian beer is the perfect accompaniment to your meal. The country is renowned for its 450 brands of beer produced by dozens of breweries. Belgium's chefs use beer in their sauces the way French chefs use wine. Beef, chicken, and fish are often bathed in a savory sauce based on the local Brussels gueuze, faro, and kriek brews.

Specialty Dining

Coffee hounds who are missing their favorite beans should find them at specialist Corica, Marché-aux-Poulets 49 (tel. 02/511-88-52; Métro: Bourse), where two dozen delectable blends from around the world stand in a line. You can soak up caffeine to your heart's content at one counter and stock up on the raw material at another. Breathing in the aroma of roasting coffee beans is alone a reason for visiting. Corica is open Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 6pm.

Rick's Café Américain, av. Louise 344 (tel. 02/647-75-30; tram: 93 or 94), serves a great American breakfast of eggs, bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, and hash browns. Le Pain Quotidien, rue de la Croix de Fer 53 (tel. 02/512-60-63; tram: 92, 93, or 94), is another good place for breakfast, with fine coffee and home-baked bread.

Picnicking

You'll find a large GB supermarket, with an extensive cold-cut-and-cheese counter perfect for assembling a picnic lunch, in the basement of the City 2 mall on rue Neuve (Métro: Rogier). It's open Monday to Saturday 9am to 8pm (to 9pm Fri). An equally large and well-stocked Delhaize supermarket is at the corner of rue du Marché-aux-Poulets and boulevard Anspach, diagonally across from the Bourse (Métro: Bourse). Both GB and Delhaize have an extensive range of modestly priced good wines.

But you could do instead what many Belgians do and purchase one of the country's 450 or so brands of beer, many of which are craft beers made by local and regional brewers (though equally many are produced by the big Interbrew firm whose flagship beer is Stella Artois). If you have a way to get and keep it cool, I recommend the fresh-tasting, cloudy Hoegaarden blanche (white) beer, or witbier as it's called in the Flanders region where it originates. Or just pick up some ordinary Pilseners, like Stella, Maes, or Jupiler.

You can find ample specialist food stores in the streets around the Grand-Place. The best city-center spot for a picnic is the Parc de Bruxelles, which extends in front of the Palais Royal.